'Anthem Of The Seas' Cleared To Sail By Coast Guard, Out At Sea Again
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- The Anthem of the Seas cruise ship left Bayonne, New Jersey Saturday afternoon, hoping for friendlier seas.
The ship took off just three days after returning from a trip that had some passengers and observers invoking the word "Titanic." One week ago, the ship cruised straight into a hurricane force storm off the coast of North Carolina.
The brutal cold wind set the ship off, capable of carrying 6,000 people on board. Many have heard the grim tales of the gargantuan vessel's near tragic confrontation last week with a storm that packed winds of 75 to 100 miles an hour and waves 30 feet high.
The 1,141-foot ship's left azipod was rendered inoperable during the storm, Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe said. An azipod is a propeller that is mounted to a steerable pod that contains an electric motor.
Everyone who was on the frightening voyage was given a full refund and a 50 percent discount on their next cruise, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reports.
Saturday passengers filed on to the cruise ship for the first time since Royal Caribbean made repairs, the U.S. Coast Guard reporting it has cleared the vessel to sail.
"It is what it is. I'm confident they got everything taken care of and I'm just looking forward to a great cruise," one passenger told CBS2's Steve Langford.
CBS2 spoke to only two passengers boarding the ship, before the Port Authority ordered reporters to stop interviewing people. One man says he's confident things are in good shape.
"I would assume the boat's seaworthy the Coast a guard wouldn't approve it to go out if it wasn't," he told CBS2.
Only very few passengers ventured out of their cabins to take a look before departure, as stories continue to come out about just how harrowing this ship's encounter with a winter storm proved to be.
