A camera pan across a snow-bound cruise ship deck has drawn more than 1 million views and left commenters wondering if the captain took a wrong turn toward Alaska. The simpler truth, though, is that the east coast blizzard of February had no respect for anyone’s vacation plans.
Nikki (@nikkimenz), a New York-based TikToker whose channel covers her travels, her life, and her puppy, posted the video last week. The clip shows the open deck of a cruise ship completely blanketed in snow, with lounge chairs, railings, and every flat surface piled high with white powder.
A text overlay reads: “POV: You book a cruise to the Bahamas.”
The video was shot aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, which according to published schedules, had been scheduled to depart Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey on Sunday, Feb. 22 for a seven-night Bahamas itinerary.
Instead, the 5,510-passenger ship sat docked through what turned out to be a bomb cyclone of historic proportions, and which turned the tri-state area into a sea of white.
Newark, just 15 miles from the port, recorded 27.1 inches of snow, which was the second-largest snowstorm in the city’s history. Central Park in New York City saw nearly 20 inches. Gusts topped 60 mph in Atlantic City. More than 9,000 flights were canceled across the region, and multiple states declared emergencies.
By Wednesday, Feb. 25, the ship was cruising along the Florida coast, having departed more than a day behind schedule.
The comments section was split between sympathy, disbelief, and many, many references to the Disney movie Frozen.
“Snowball fight on a cruise seems like an elite experience,” wrote Pedro Alberto.
“And that, my friends, is why you don’t leave for a cruise from New York/New Jersey,” wrote Jamie Thom. Several experienced cruisers chimed in. “I’ve left out of that port in the middle of winter on Anthem of the Seas several times and never had snow like that on the ship,” responded kattaynreader0826. “It’s usually only cold for the first and last day of cruising.”
User Chessy, who identified herself as a pilot, offered perspective: “It’s better than flying right now and I’m a pilot! All that snow is gonna melt in no time as they head south. Go to the buffet, catch a show. It’s all good.”
Multiple commenters said they were aboard the ship when it happened. Daniiduhhx wrote, “I’m on this cruise right now,” later adding, “We hit land tomorrow. Lost a day at Bahamas but we are moving so that’s all that matters lol.”
Papa Bearman, apparently also aboard, offered a silver lining: “Odyssey is a really nice ship, though.”
User izzy, who appears to have been on a different sailing vessel, wrote, “I just got off the boat today, 70-80 every day for four days,” letting everyone know that the destination itself was fine, and the snow was strictly a departure problem.
Some commenters debated whether departing on a cruise from the northeast in winter is a good idea.
Cape Liberty in Bayonne is the New York City metro area’s primary Royal Caribbean departure point, and winter Bahamas itineraries from the port are popular because they save passengers a flight to the line’s main US terminal in Florida.
The tradeoff is a weather risk, but while cold weather on departure day is to be expected, a record-breaking blizzard is not. Ryan, who said he is a regular on the route, wrote, “Typically can get in and out of NJ no problem in the winter. This year has been a one-off.”
Heather Lamore, whose parents were aboard the Odyssey, agreed: “For all y’all saying ‘that’s why you don’t book a cruise leaving from NJ/NY in the winter’ … this is such a rare occurrence. We have done it many times and not an issue.”
Lindsay offered a compromise: “Not in the middle of winter. The rest of the year is fine.”
Others had a more positive outlook about the snowy voyage.
“What did you do on your cruise? Oh, just built a snowman,” wrote DarlinSugarPie.
Christie Dickey Mart asked, “Did you not mean to book the Frozen-themed cruise?”
Tiffany offered solidarity, writing, “I want a refund for yooouuu.”
And Together We Roam took the contrarian view: “Honestly I would love this. Now I want to book a cruise next year in hopes to get snow.”
According to the (unofficial) Royal Caribbean Blog, passengers aboard the Odyssey made the best of the delay — some built snowmen on deck, while others retreated to the Solarium, which guests jokingly rechristened the “SNOWarium.”
BoardingArea reached out to Nikki via TikTok direct message for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.
@nikkimenz #royalcarribean #cruising #bahamas #blizzard #odysseyoftheseas ♬ original sound – parker 🎧ྀི
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