Some North Texans are happy to be home after their 'dream vacation' turned into a nightmare on the high seas.
"I felt like I was on a roller coaster."
Frances Lopez says she feared for her life aboard Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the High Seas.
"In my mind, I thought I have a lot to live for, I prayed 'God give me another chance,'” said Lopez.
She was traveling with friends on what was supposed to seven day trip to the Bahamas. But twenty-four hours into the trip, she knew something was terribly wrong.
"Once I looked out the window and I saw what was out there and it was a monster." said Lopez.
The cruise ship hit a storm off the coast of North Carolina. For twelve hours, the 6,000 passengers on board were told to hunker down in their cabins as the captain battled the rough seas.
"Everything was flying all over the place, the restroom, all of the stuff had flown off the shelves, cups you couldn’t even open the mini bar door without stuff flying off the shelf, everything was moving," said passenger Jessica Gonzalez.
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The ship had to turn around and return to port three days early. Royal Caribbean has apologized to its passengers, but many travelers say they're angry the cruise line didn't take better precautions in the first place.
"Our lives were put in somebody’s hand and they made bad choices for us, instead of leaving it up to us if we want to go out into the bad weather or not," said Elio Gonzalez.
North Texans who were on board the ship say they are thankful to be home safe and sound and are counting their blessings the storm wasn't worse.
"We tried to make the best out of it while we were there after the storm, but it was a very terrifying experience going through that storm," Lopez said.
In addition to a full refund, Royal Caribbean has also offered passengers a 50 percent discount to use on a future cruise. However, they have to travel within a year and many passengers say that might be too soon.
