Passengers flee Irma on luxury cruise with endless liquor and food

Over 4,000 passengers on a ship aptly named the Escape fled from Irma on a luxury cruise.

Sep 11, 2017

Over 4,000 passengers on a ship aptly named the Escape fled from Irma on a luxury cruise.

Both the Escape and a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the Norwegian Sky, were scheduled to come into port in Miami on Saturday and Friday, but because of Hurricane Irma, the ships came into port early so that they would not be traveling through the storm.

However, because of the early return, some passengers did not have a way to get home or a place to stay.

So, the cruise offered those passengers without hotel rooms or flights out of Florida a way to get out of the storm: they could stay on the cruise ship and sail out of the way of the storm, all free of charge.

A Norwegian spokeswoman, Vanessa Picariello, told USA Today that the hope was that the cruise could return to Florida on Tuesday, but that was entirely dependent on whether or not the ports were back open by then.

There is not a set plan for where the ship will go, so long as it is away from the storm.

“At this point the plan is to go west,” Picariello said to USA Today.

“We’re making every effort to have at least one port of call,” Picariello said. “If not, it will be a cruise to nowhere and everyone will have a good time.”

In the meantime, the people on the cruise have access to unlimited alcohol and food from the many restaurants and bars on the ship.