Cruise ships return to So. Fla. after Isaac

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Several cruise ships are returning to South Florida after being delayed by Tropical Storm Isaac.

At about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas returned to Port Everglades. What was supposed to be a seven-day cruise, turned out to be nine days thanks to Tropical Storm Isaac.

Despite the delay, passengers said the staff on board did a great job handling the storm and keeping everyone safe. "Good job. They did an excellent job. They let us know in advance. I didn't hear anyone complaining," said Barbara Moore.

Maxine Shinholster said some days were choppy at sea, but overall it was smooth sailing. "We had a little rocky two days but not all day, so it was very calm seas considering entering a storm. Overall it was a normal cruise," she said.

Rick Gallier was also pleased with the way the captain handled the ship. "Oh, it wasn't bad at all. He took us down behind Cuba and kind of parked us out of the storm, so it was good," said Gallier.

Meanwhile, on Monday at PortMiami, travelers who were also stuck at sea returned to their port. PortMiami had been closed since Saturday night due to Tropical Storm Isaac but reopened Monday afternoon.

Cruise ships that were scheduled to return or set sail on Sunday were delayed. The Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas was extended from a three-day journey to a four-day trip, and the ship did not stop at the scheduled ports of call. "They gave us back our port charges, I guess because we didn't go to any ports. But other than that, I think they made a lot of money in the casinos and the alcohol," said passenger Michael Brodie.

The extra days of vacation were not pleasant for passenger Mindy Roberts, however. "It was harrowing! The weather was bad. At 3 p.m. today, the ship was tilted so far on its side that we were on the ninth deck, and it was just all ocean in the window. We were a little nervous," said Roberts.

The Carnival Valor was set to sail on Sunday at 4 p.m., but passengers had to settle on a new time of 11 p.m. Carnival has made adjustments to those passengers. "They are going to give us on-board credit. They refunded the day that we missed at sea, and we got taxes back for port that we missed in Key West. I mean, we are happy, we are going on vacation," said Jamie Chumley.

Randy Forbes and his family came from the Bahamas on Sunday. The cruise line arranged for passengers to stay at hotels until the storm passed. "Well, you know what they say: If you live in paradise, you should not leave paradise. We are from the Bahamas, and we decided to come and go on a cruise, but I think we will be OK," said Forbes.

The Monday departure has been shortened from a six-day cruise to five days.

Cargo ships were also delayed as a result of Tropical Storm Isaac.

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