JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hurricane Sandy's force has left a cruise ship stranded in Jacksonville.
Eurodam, a Holland America Cruise Line ship, was scheduled to dock in Fort Lauderdale Saturday. Rough conditions in the Atlantic Ocean forced the ship to pull into Jaxport Friday afternoon.
The Eurodam departed Quebec, Canada on October 14th. The ship holds up to 2,100 people and is more than 900 feet long.
For the first time since Tuesday, passengers aboard the 13-day voyage saw land at about 3 p.m. Friday.
Royce Badger, Long Shore man at Jaxport, said customs agents and dock workers made preparations when they found out the ship would be docking at the port.
"It brought a lot of attention...everyone was trying to see what was going on," said Badger.
The ship was set to dock in Rhode Island on Wednesday. Hurricane Sandy forced the crew to reroute several times between different Florida ports.
"It's fortunate that Jaxport was here to provide safety because, after all, your heart goes out [to] the crew and the people aboard the ship [and] the folks that are working in the... weather like myself," said Badger.
Badger witnessed the commotion as the 936 foot ship docked at Jaxport. 30 people exited the ship with sea sickness, he said.
"I saw a few people get off and get on a bus. They said those people were sick and I guess [from] motion sickness from the high waves. They said there were 20 foot waves out there," said Badger.
The cruise's next voyage was scheduled to leave Fort Lauderdale Saturday on a 7-day trip. The cruise line said the ship will stay in Jacksonville and passengers will travel on busses from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville so that the 7-day trip can leave from Jacksonville.