We’re due to dock in Casablanca relatively early, but around 5:30am the entire ship is awoken by a huge swell that feels like there Atlantic Ocean is trying to flip Sky Princess. The sea has been ‘boisterous’ for a few days now, but this particular wave was something else.
Half an hour later, the Captain Laakkonen makes a broadcast direct into our staterooms – something usually reserved for emergencies only. The water inside Casablanca’s cruise port is still too rough to dock and to connect the terminal walkways safely to the ship.
Unfortunately, this means we must abandon the port and instead spend the day at sea, heading towards our next port of call, A Coruña. Worse still, timings and distances mean we can’t even pop into an alternative port. Cue much disappointment.
Linda and I spend a few minutes photographing what little we can see of Casablanca from our balcony. To our untrained eyes, the water looks quite calm, even if there are massive waves breaking over the other side of the sea wall.
But anyway, such is life…
Worse than we thought
Later in the day, as we are back out at sea, the Captain follows up with another broadcast. The massive wave which woke the whole ship was caused when Sky Princess activated her thrusters for fine manoeuvring. The thrusters can only be used when the stabilisers are retracted, leaving Sky Princess at the mercy of the waves.
Large swell + no stabilisers = carnage. Smashed bottles, mayhem in the galleys and destroyed displays in the onboard shops.
The Captain goes on to explain that while we were tied up in dock, we managed to break a bow line and damage one at the stern. Given how thick and strong ship’s cables are, it is clear the waves inside Casablanca port must have been serious.
There’s a few extra details given (no alternative berths available, insufficient security and immigration provisions) along with an apology for the disappointment. And there’s plenty of that – Casablanca was ‘the’ port that sold this cruise to us.
But if anything, this disappointment proves the importance of having travel insurance that includes coverage for missed ports. Start your search at Compare Your Cruise Insurance:
Casablanc-nah.
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