Guests sailing aboard Quantum of the Seas experienced a frightening moment when extreme winds battered the ship during its Alaska cruise, causing a large sliding window in the Solarium to blow out of its tracks and injure a passenger.
The ship, which departed Seattle on September 22 for a 7-night sailing to Alaska, was sailing near Juneau, Alaska, on September 26 when apparent winds reached 95 knots (approximately 105 mph).
Screens onboard displayed the record wind speed, and multiple guests later shared photos and videos on social media calling it the strongest wind they had ever witnessed at sea.
One guest described the ordeal in a Facebook group for the sailing. According to his post, he and a friend were on the port side of the Solarium watching whales as the winds picked up. When they attempted to close a window, it suddenly blew out under the force of the gusts.
“We were port side in the Solarium watching the whales. The window was open and the wind was picking up really bad. We went to close the window and it blew out off of the tracks! It took all I could do to keep it from crushing him (he’s small). It ended up crushing his knee. He was assessed by medical and is now in a wheelchair the rest of our cruise,” wrote the passenger.
Photos show the heavy glass window panel on the deck of the Solarium with nearby lounge chairs pushed aside. Quantum of the Seas’ Solarium is the adults-only retreat area on the ship’s top deck at the very front of the vessel.Guests reported hearing an “Alpha Alpha Alpha” call over the ship’s PA system, a medical emergency code.
Despite the chaos, no further injuries were reported, although the injured guest will be in a wheelchair for the rest of the cruise.
The incident occurred while Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas was sailing between Juneau, Alaska and Victoria, British Columbia. The itinerary also includes stops in Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point before returning to Seattle on September 29.
While modern cruise ships are built to withstand severe weather, sustained winds above 100 mph are rare in passenger service. Several guests noted that they had never experienced conditions that extreme, despite years of cruising.
Royal Caribbean has not yet released an official statement regarding the incident.
A low-pressure system is active just off the coast of Southeast Alaska, which is contributing to stronger gusts and unstable weather in that region.
In particular, Southeast Alaska is under a High Wind Watch, particularly for areas near Ketchikan and the southern Inner Channels. Gusts there may reach hurricane-force levels. The National Weather Service warns of 100+ mph gusts and 70-foot waves in southern Southeast Alaska during the coming storm period.
In addition, multiple low-pressure systems are slated to traverse southern Alaska in the coming days, bringing rain and wind to coastal zones from the Aleutians through Southeast Alaska.
