ROBERT HUSCHKA

Free Press editor recounts 'terrifying night' on cruise ship

Robert Huschka
Detroit Free Press

It wasn’t my idea to go on a cruise.

One of our best friends is nearing her 25th wedding anniversary — and my wife and I will celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary on Saturday. So they hatched a plan to go on this adventure. Get some sun. Stop in Florida. See the Bahamas.

Free Press executive editor Robert Huschka on board the Anthem Of the Seas.

We arranged to bring along my wife’s mother and grandmother to babysit, so we could have several nights out on the ship. Sixteen of us set out on the high seas.

None of us really expected an adventure like this — or how high the seas would get.

The first hint came just as we left port.

Royal Caribbean’s giant Anthem of the Seas — the third largest cruise ship in the world, by some measures — left Port Liberty, N.J., on Saturday headed to Cape Canaveral, Fla., and then the Bahamas.

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During our pre-cruise safety drill, the captain warned that a storm system was developing near the Carolinas. The Anthem would try to speed by and avoid the brunt of storm, he said. It barely registered. Maybe some bumps, but nothing to worry about, I figured.

When we awoke Sunday, the seas were a little rough -- a light rain misted over the ship. I grabbed a Dramamine. We settled into cruise life and made plans for Super Bowl 50  that night. We scoped out a spot at one of the nightclubs that would be showing the game.

Robert Huschka on Periscope

About 3 p.m., my wife returned to our cabin. I’d been watching our son as she and her family headed off to watch “We Will Rock You.” But 15 minutes in, the cruise director canceled the show. It was too dangerous for the performers, he said.

This image made available by Flavio Cadegiani shows damage to the deck of Royal Caribbean's ship Anthem of the Seas, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016.

Not much later, the captain came over the speakers to tell us we should plan to stay in our cabins. The storm system, he said, was far worse than had been anticipated. He said they would turn into the  wind and wait it out. He expected it would pass in two to three hours.

The wind become more severe over the next several hours. Off our cabin balcony, we looked up — up — at huge waves. “It’s like ‘The Perfect Storm,' ” my wife said, referring to the George Clooney movie.

The crew was struggling to turn the Anthem into the path of the storm, the captain's last announcement indicated. He said the winds were in excess of 100 m.p.h. and the waves were 20-30 feet high. How much more time in the storm? Two or three more hours, he said.

I’m no sailor. I know nothing about the seas. It’s possible we were never in any real danger.

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But the captain did little to ease our sense of dread. Just after kickoff, the very nervous-sounding cruise director came over the loudspeaker. He used words like “severe” and “some damage.” We're keeping the U.S. Coast Guard informed of our “situation,” he said.

He never said “don’t worry” or “we’re safe.” His most hopeful statement: “We’re doing OK.” Sigh.

I’m not going to lie: I was terrified — although I did my best to hide it from my wife. The ship rocked side-to-side -- sometimes hanging at an incline longer than seemed safe. Large noises came from within the ship. We heard crew members run through the hallway.

My wife and I tried not to look out toward the balcony of our small cabin. Our small son was with us. We each held one of his hands. He was blissfully unaware of our fears.

We tried to focus on the Super Bowl. Despite the raging storm outside, we never lost the TV signal. But we kept switching back to the channel that showed the ship’s position and current wind speed. Did that really just say more than 100 knots? That doesn’t seem good.

And it just kept getting worse.

This image made available by Flavio Cadegiani shows damage to Royal Caribbean's ship Anthem of the Seas, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016.

My wife and I said little. Mostly small talk. We talked about the game. At one point, I told her I was scared and that I loved her as the ship seemed to tip a bit too far to the left.

One mistake I made was looking on Twitter during the first quarter. There were pictures of flooded hallways and damaged ceilings. Several panicked passengers had tweeted rumors that the ship was sinking. I didn’t really believe that. But it certainly added to my anxiety. I didn’t tell my wife what I had seen. I wanted to be calm for her.

And I stayed off social media the rest of the night.

About 10 p.m. Sunday, the captain’s voice returned. He sounded much more confident. They had turned the ship into the storm and were holding position. The seas had improved, the captain assured us, and the winds were dropping.

Still, you could feel the ship shake regularly as the Anthem’s engines fought to maintain position against the wind.

Throughout the night, as far as I could tell, there was no panic. Most guests stayed in their rooms. Stewards calmly checked on us. At sea, the unexpected can happen -- and I have nothing but respect for the crew of the Anthem.

As we neared midnight, the rocking started to subside. My wife and I relaxed enough to begin to drift off to sleep. Still, we left the TV on so we could check on the ship’s position and wind. Finally, about 1 a.m. Monday, the ship turned and resumed course to Florida.

When we awoke, the sun was out. The seas were calm. As we walked around looking for food, most of the passengers were all smiles. On Sunday, we were all strangers. But we had all survived a shared experience. Everyone was just happy to see another day.

So, when the captain made the decision Monday afternoon to turn back to Newark, N.J., and refund our cruise, the decision was met with smiles – and cheers. Another storm was brewing near Florida, the captain said, and no one expected us to go through that again.

Monday became a party day on the Anthem of the Seas. Free booze around the ship. Big refunds in our pockets. And another day ahead of us after a terrifying night.

Robert Huschka is executive editor of the Detroit Free Press.