Royal Caribbean International has announced that Anthem of the Seas has returned to port at Cape Liberty, NJ, after an incident Sunday in which the ship sailed through a storm with sustained 120mph winds. The ship docked at 9 p.m. Wednesday evening.
Of the more than 6,000 people onboard, four minor injuries were reported.
"We apologize for exposing our guests and crew to the weather they faced, and for what they went through," Royal Caribbean said in a statement. "The event, exceptional as it was, identified gaps in our planning system that we are addressing. Though that system has performed well through many instances of severe weather around the world, what happened this week showed that we need to do better."
Royal Caribbean said that the severity of Sunday's storm far exceeded forecasts. The line has vowed to strengthen its storm avoidance policy, and it has added resources at its Miami headquarters to provide additional guidance to ship captains.
Most of the superficial damage to Anthem of the Seas from the storm has been repaired. Royal Caribbean said it expects the ship to resume its planned itinerary for next week's cruise.
Refund Policy
Royal Caribbean has provided each guest with a full refund of the fare paid for their cruise, as well as a future cruise certificate for 50 percent of the cruise fare paid.