Bahamas-bound cruise ship passengers shocked after being re-routed to frigid Boston, Canada
MSC cruise ship forced to change itinerary due to bad weather, guests told 'Fox & Friends'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cruise passengers were shocked after their ship, which was originally bound for the Bahamas, was forced to re-route to Boston, Maine and Canada over "unseasonable" weather changes.
MSC Meraviglia ship passengers Lakeya Allen and Val Montgomery detailed their reaction to the unexpected news and how they have made the most of their unforeseen circumstances during "Fox & Friends."
"They sent this itinerary a couple hours before we were getting ready to leave to board the plane," Allen told Carley Shimkus. "I have three children and I would have to repack all three bags, and we actually have maybe six bags or so. So it just was too much to change and we just left."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE VACATION FROM FLORIDA TURNS DEADLY
An angler fishes on the pier of Red Hook in the Brooklyn borough of New York while the MSC Meraviglia cruise ship leaves the port as the Statue of Liberty looms in the distance on December 9, 2023. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
"It was too late to change," Montgomery added. "Seventeen of us. Six families. It was too much."
The change happened on the MSC Meraviglia ship that left New York City on Saturday. Typically, the ship makes stops at Port Canaveral, Florida, Nassau, Bahamas, and MSC's Ocean Cay, the company's private island in the Bahamas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"MSC Meraviglia sailed to Canada and New England instead of The Bahamas this week due to unseasonable and rapidly worsening weather that would have made it impossible to safely reach the southern Atlantic Ocean from New York City," the company told FOX Business.
"The only alternative would have been to take the more extreme step of cancelling the cruise — and thousands of people’s vacations — outright."
Lakeya Allen took to TikTok to document her cruise ship's last-minute trip to frigid Boston and Canada. (Fox News)
MSC Cruises said securing last-minute berths is complicated, therefore leaving Canada and New England as the only viable options. Although they did give passengers the option to cancel their cruise for a future credit, the pair opted to stay onboard.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We didn't believe it, so we thought when we got on the cruise that they would re-route to the Bahamas," Allen said. "But no, we went to Boston instead."
"It keeps getting colder," Montgomery chimed in.
She explained how they previously reserved a banana boat for their would-have-been tropical getaway, but have since been forced to trade the beach cocktails for hot cocoa and coffee instead.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My son is disappointed. My seven-year-old was like, 'Mommy, where's the beach? You told me the beach,' because this is their only Christmas gift," Allen said.
"This is not how we thought it was going to go."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Despite the setback, Allen and Montgomery have vowed to make the most of their now-frigid holiday vacation.
"Lots of board games, lots of scavenger hunts, walking around the ship… two or three times a day," Allen said.
"We try to go swimming in one room where they have a pool, but it's crowded, so we usually try to get there like 7 a.m. this morning and try to beat the crowd before everybody gets in," Montgomery said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox Business' Adam Sabes contributed to this report.