PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – Norwegian Cruise Line canceled a third straight sailing of its ship out of Port Canaveral after it ran aground in the Dominican Republic earlier this month.
The Norwegian Escape got stuck while leaving the Dominican Republic and is undergoing repairs. Port Canaveral Director and CEO Captain John Murray said shortly after the incident underwater work is being performed to repair the ship.
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Viewers told News 6 the ship was stuck for hours while waiting for high tide.
“There was a tone in the captain’s voice that sounded like he was a little nervous as well,” said Jason Van Dyke, a passenger on the cruise. “... Took a look around and you could tell that we were stuck.”
A passenger told News 6 the ship was freed and docked back at the pier at the Dominican Republic. The cruise was then canceled and passengers on board had to fly home on a charter flight from Norwegian Cruise Lines.
This comes as federal health officials dropped the warning attached to cruising, leaving it up to people to decide whether they feel safe getting on a ship. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed the COVID-19 “cruise ship travel health notice” that was first imposed in March 2020, after virus outbreaks on several ships around the world.