For one passenger, their vacation was over just as quickly as it began.
On August 22, 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard was called in to evacuate a 56-year-old passenger who was experiencing a medical emergency onboard Carnival Venezia.
The Coast Guard was alerted to the situation at approximately 7:50 p.m. local time – just a few hours after the Vista-class ship embarked on a 5-night sailing to King’s Wharf, Bermuda, from the Port of Manhattan in New York City.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter was dispatched from the Atlantic City Coast Guard station, with the aircrew meeting up with the 5,263-guest vessel at approximately 10:30 p.m.
At the time, the ship was off the coast of Toms River, New Jersey – a township located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County.
“Coast Guard Sector New York watchstanders received a report from the Venezia at approximately 7:50 p.m. Thursday evening of a passenger experiencing a medical emergency. The duty flight surgeon was consulted and recommended a medical evacuation to a higher level of care,” reads a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The airlift was successful, and the unidentified female passenger was brought to a New Jersey hospital to receive treatment for her undisclosed condition.
“A Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin aircrew launched and arrived on-scene around 10:30 p.m. Thursday. The aircrew successfully hoisted and transported the patient to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in New Jersey. The condition of the patient is unknown,” continued the release.
The 135,225-gross ton cruise ship then continued sailing toward King’s Wharf, and is expected to arrive on time on August 24, 2024, for an overnight visit. The Bermuda destination is the only port of call included on the itinerary.
Another Rescue From Carnival Venezia
History sometimes has an interesting way of repeating itself – and this recent evacuation may sound familiar to avid cruise news readers.
Just over three months ago, another sector of the US armed forces was called in to evacuate a cruiser during a medical emergency. This time, the Air Force was called in to conduct a long range rescue for another guest onboard Carnival Venezia.
However, while the more recent evacuation was relatively straightforward, this mission was a bit more challenging – as the vessel was located over 350 nautical miles from the eastern coast of the United States.
Carnival Venezia had set sail from New York on April 26, 2024, for a 10-day cruise to the Bahamas and the Caribbean – an itinerary that featured calls on Nassau, Bahamas; Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; and Half Moon Cay, the cruise line’s private island destination.
The ship was en route to her homeport in New York City when the emergency unfolded on May 4, 2024.
But despite the more complicated situation, the 920th Rescue Wing (Air Force Reserve Command’s only combat search and rescue wing), was able to successfully airlift the unidentified passenger and deliver them to safety.
Read Also: Cruise Ship Illness: How to Protect Yourself
Also earlier this year, a crew member had to be evacuated from one of Carnival’s 27 ships. This time, the incident took place on Carnival Sunshine instead of Carnival Venezia.
The employee, whose identity and condition have been kept private, became ill enough to require an airlift to the hospital on the afternoon of April 27, 2024, while the Sunshine-class vessel was in the middle of a 5-night sailing to the Bahamas.
But once again, the expert crew sent by the U.S. Coast Guard was able to successfully rescue the 35-year-old crew member in time.
And while three emergency airlifts from one cruise line may seem like a lot, there is no reason why the average, healthy traveler should worry about something like this happening to them.
Considering millions of people cruise every year and these events are few and far between, it’s safe to say that this is a rare occurrence and cruise ships are, in fact, quite safe.
