CLARKS SUMMIT -- "It was a whirlwind of a 24 hours."
It was supposed to be a tropical getaway for Brian and Jennifer Ebersole of Clarks Summit. The couple was celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary, Jennifer's birthday, and Valentine's Day with a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's ship, Anthem of the Seas.
Newswatch 16 spoke with Brian Ebersole by phone
“I pretty much roll with the punches and figure every day is a new adventure. This is just an adventure I wasn't quite prepared for, but luckily, I mean my wife and I got to spend some time together."
The seven-day voyage was supposed to take more than 4,500 passengers from New York to Florida and then the Bahamas, but after leaving port Saturday morning, things took a nasty turn.
A powerful storm rocked the sea, leaving Brian and Jennifer confined to their cabin as hurricane-force winds pitched the ship back and forth on giant waves.
“I mean you could barely stand up. The glasses off of the counter fell off and broke. Everything in the bathroom started falling off. You could actually see the waves breaking at the sixth and seventh floor of the boat. That started around 4 o'clock and went right through about 1:30 a.m."
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean says the ship wasn't seriously damaged.
Officials chose to cut the trip short and return to port in New Jersey because of more bad weather on the horizon. The ship is scheduled to be back Wednesday morning.
Passengers will get a full refund and a credit for 50 percent off a future cruise.
Despite what he's been through, Brian Ebersole says he will book another cruise.
“Absolutely. Now my wife? It might take a little longer before she steps on a cruise again,” he laughed.