Winter Storm Delays Cruise Headed to Baltimore
The East Coast is still dealing with the aftermath of Winter Storm Jonas. The effects of the storm weren’t pleasant. Already, 27 people died and hundreds of car crashes have been reported to the authorities. Additionally, there are an estimated quarter million homes that lost power as a result of the bad weather.
Bad news for Baltimore
Winter Storm Jonas brought ugly weather to Baltimore. To begin with, the winds were incredibly damaging to residential areas all along the East Coast. There were times that the gusts reached speeds of over 70 mph in several areas. In addition to the nasty wind, the sheer amount of snow was overwhelming. In fact, Baltimore officials are ranking the storm as the largest ever to hit the city. Preliminary reports estimate 29.2 inches of snow, according to the Baltimore Sun. There have also been reports of flooding and dangerous ice conditions all around the state.
Baltimore has enacted its snow emergency plan, and is already taking steps to ease the burden on travelers. On the open roads, officials deployed 3,000 pieces of road-clearing equipment, 700 National Guard troops, 212 vehicles and 365,000 tons of salt. In addition to these steps, the state of Maryland has restricted travel. Travel restrictions aren’t limited to just the roads – they include the Baltimore’s ports, too.
Delay for a cruise
The Maryland Department of Transportation announced the Port of Baltimore was closed because of the inclement weather. Weather forecasters estimated about two feet of snow at the port alone. That meant all ships would not be able to dock at the port.
One of the ships affected by the closed port: Royal Caribbean International’s Grandeur of the Seas. The ship was scheduled to return to Baltimore on Sunday night after an eight-day trip to the Bahamas and back. The delay meant the cruise would return one day later, but the passengers aboard weren’t entirely unhappy about it.
“I was not totally surprised and, frankly, happy to be delayed,” Meg Ryan wrote in an email to the Associated Press. “First, it is an extra day of vacation, but more importantly, safety comes first and travel Sunday would be difficult, if not impossible.”
She and other passengers aren’t opposed to an extra day at sea on vacation. More importantly, they appreciate the safety precautions the cruise took.
