Voyager of the Seas just kicked off the weekend with an emergency rescue.
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship, which is currently in the middle of a Transatlantic voyage, rescued a stranded family and their dog while sailing in West Africa.
On Friday, November 15, 2024, the Voyager-class vessel happened upon the family while sailing off the coast of Marrakesh, Morocco.
According to witnesses, the stalled sailboat had engine problems that resulted in a loss of power. Making matters worse, the smaller vessel had also lost its masts – effectively stranding those onboard.
It’s currently unclear how many passengers were stuck on the private vessel – with some witnesses saying it was a family of four (two kids and two adults) or a family of six (four adults and two kids), as well as their black labrador retriever.
“We diverted to rescue a family of 2 adults, 2 minors, and a dog who were stranded with a broken sail [mast] and a stalled engine. Everyone is on board and safe, but they had to leave the boat behind,” a current passenger, named Roberto Mezquia Jr, posted on X.
Before bringing the refugees onboard, engineers from among the approximately 1,200 crew members employed by Voyager of the Seas initially tried to fix the boat so that the family could simply sail home.
When it became clear a repair would not be successful, the crew transferred the family to a Royal Caribbean lifeboat and brought them onboard the 138,194-gross ton vessel, where they were welcomed by cheers and applause from onlookers.
Pictures and videos show the rescued family huddling in the lifeboat on their way to the cruise ship – with even the dog wearing its own pink lifejacket.
“The rescue crew showed great skill (and bravery) in choppy seas to bring everyone safely aboard. There was a well-deserved big round of cheers and applause from all of the spectators on their balconies,” shared another current passenger.
There was some discussion of also towing the sailboat – if only so it could be repaired later – but this is a big undertaking and the powers that be ultimately decided against it.
But what really matters most is that the stranded people – and their furry companion – are now safe and sound.
What Will Happen to the Family?
The first thing a cruise ship does when they rescue stranded refugees is provide them with any necessary medical care and offer them food and water.
Then comes the task of figuring out what to do with the unexpected passengers. As cool as it would be, the newly rescued guests typically don’t just get to stay onboard for the remainder of the cruise – if only because it wouldn’t be fair to paying passengers.
The other issue is, that depending on the itinerary, both the cruise line and the refugees could run into issues regarding proper documentation and citizenship.
With this in mind, cruise ships usually either turn over the rescued people to the proper local authorities or safely deliver them to the next port of call on the itinerary.
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In this case, the family will remain onboard until Voyager of the Seas’ next port of call – which will be on Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, on November 17, 2024.
From there, the family will be able to disembark and figure out their next steps. However, for their 24 hours at sea, they will be provided with food, lodging, and any additional medical treatment they require after their ordeal.
The remaining passengers on the 3,602-guest vessel will sail on to their final port call, which is on Tenerife, Canary Islands, on November 18. The rest of the 16-night voyage will solely consist of sea days until the ship reaches Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, on November 26.
The sailing initially embarked from Barcelona, Spain, on November 10.
