Latest news with #BrillianceoftheSeas
CNN
27-02-2025
- General
- CNN
Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship rescues 11 people adrift between Cuba and Mexico
The cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas rescued 11 people adrift in the Gulf of Mexico between Cuba and Mexico on Wednesday, according to VACAYA, an LGBT+ vacation company that chartered the ship. The Royal Caribbean cruise line ship departed New Orleans on Saturday for a seven-night cruise. On Wednesday, the captain spotted a boat in the distance 'that appeared to be in distress,' said Randle Roper, the CEO of VACAYA, who was onboard the ship. 'The captain calls me immediately as the charterer of the ship to let me know that they are going to turn around and investigate, and that's exactly what they did,' Roper recounted later in a recorded interview shared with CNN Travel. 'They sent a pilot boat with Brilliance of the Seas crew members out to the stranded vessel.' Roper said the 11 people were refugees, but he didn't know where they were from. 'I can only imagine the fear that they must have been feeling to be out in the open Gulf with no other vessels around,' Roper said. When the refugees spotted the ship, Roper said that 'they started waving that white flag of distress' and that passengers on the chartered cruises went to the decks to witness the rescue. 'They had determined from a distance that there were 10 or more people … on the boat. They could also see that they were clearly in distress,' Roper said. 'The refugees on the boat were literally bailing out the water out of the boat, so their boat had clearly become stricken, and they were just adrift sea and taking on water.' He said they later learned that they were out there between one and two days. Among the passengers who saw the rescue unfold was former MTV host Julie Brown, who was performing on the ship. She was recorded on video witnessing and commenting on the rescue, noting that people were ferried three at the time from the failing boat and that the ones remaining were brought life jackets. 'As they were coming toward the boat, I waved at them and they all waved back to me, so they're obviously in good spirits as well,' Brown said in the video. As for the condition of the rescued people once onboard, 'They were pretty malnourished and exhausted. But we've got them here on board safe and sound. They're being fed, getting lots and lots of water to rehydrate. … They're in great spirits,' Roper said. Regarding the refugees' immediate future, Roper said the US Coast Guard was involved in determining next steps. He said that the 11 refugees disembarked in Mexico on Thursday. CNN Travel reached out to the Coast Guard for comment on Thursday afternoon. Royal Caribbean did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Thursday. Roper said the VACAYA guests 'are stepping in … donating their clothes, providing funds.' Roper noted the poignant intersection of his charter group and the people rescued at sea. 'Two of the most reviled groups out there in America right now are the LGBT+ community and refugees, and the fact that we were the ones that I'm gonna say lucky enough to help them, it just feels really, really good,' Roper said.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cruise ship rescues 11 people adrift between Cuba and Mexico
The cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas rescued 11 people adrift in the Gulf of Mexico between Cuba and Mexico on Wednesday, according to VACAYA, an LGBT+ vacation company that chartered the ship. The Royal Caribbean cruise line ship departed New Orleans on Saturday for a seven-night cruise. On Wednesday, the captain spotted a boat in the distance 'that appeared to be in distress,' said Randle Roper, the CEO of VACAYA, who was onboard the ship. 'The captain calls me immediately as the charterer of the ship to let me know that they are going to turn around and investigate, and that's exactly what they did,' Roper recounted later in a recorded interview shared with CNN Travel. 'They sent a pilot boat with Brilliance of the Seas crew members out to the stranded vessel.' Roper said the 11 people were refugees, but he didn't know where they were from. 'I can only imagine the fear that they must have been feeling to be out in the open Gulf with no other vessels around,' Roper said. When the refugees spotted the ship, Roper said that 'they started waving that white flag of distress' and that passengers on the chartered cruises went to the decks to witness the rescue. 'They had determined from a distance that there were 10 or more people … on the boat. They could also see that they were clearly in distress,' Roper said. 'The refugees on the boat were literally bailing out the water out of the boat, so their boat had clearly become stricken, and they were just adrift sea and taking on water.' He said they later learned that they were out there between one and two days. Among the passengers who saw the rescue unfold was former MTV host Julie Brown, who was performing on the ship. She was recorded on video witnessing and commenting on the rescue, noting that people were ferried three at the time from the failing boat and that the ones remaining were brought life jackets. 'As they were coming toward the boat, I waved at them and they all waved back to me, so they're obviously in good spirits as well,' Brown said in the video. As for the condition of the rescued people once onboard, 'They were pretty malnourished and exhausted. But we've got them here on board safe and sound. They're being fed, getting lots and lots of water to rehydrate. … They're in great spirits,' Roper said. Regarding the refugees' immediate future, Roper said the US Coast Guard was involved in determining next steps. He said that the 11 refugees disembarked in Mexico on Thursday. CNN Travel reached out to the Coast Guard for comment on Thursday afternoon. Royal Caribbean did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Thursday. Roper said the VACAYA guests 'are stepping in … donating their clothes, providing funds.' Roper noted the poignant intersection of his charter group and the people rescued at sea. 'Two of the most reviled groups out there in America right now are the LGBT+ community and refugees, and the fact that we were the ones that I'm gonna say lucky enough to help them, it just feels really, really good,' Roper said.
CNN
27-02-2025
- General
- CNN
Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship rescues 11 people adrift between Cuba and Mexico
The cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas rescued 11 people adrift in the Gulf of Mexico between Cuba and Mexico on Wednesday, according to VACAYA, an LGBT+ vacation company that chartered the ship. The Royal Caribbean cruise line ship departed New Orleans on Saturday for a seven-night cruise. On Wednesday, the captain spotted a boat in the distance 'that appeared to be in distress,' said Randle Roper, the CEO of VACAYA, who was onboard the ship. 'The captain calls me immediately as the charterer of the ship to let me know that they are going to turn around and investigate, and that's exactly what they did,' Roper recounted later in a recorded interview shared with CNN Travel. 'They sent a pilot boat with Brilliance of the Seas crew members out to the stranded vessel.' Roper said the 11 people were refugees, but he didn't know where they were from. 'I can only imagine the fear that they must have been feeling to be out in the open Gulf with no other vessels around,' Roper said. When the refugees spotted the ship, Roper said that 'they started waving that white flag of distress' and that passengers on the chartered cruises went to the decks to witness the rescue. 'They had determined from a distance that there were 10 or more people … on the boat. They could also see that they were clearly in distress,' Roper said. 'The refugees on the boat were literally bailing out the water out of the boat, so their boat had clearly become stricken, and they were just adrift sea and taking on water.' He said they later learned that they were out there between one and two days. Among the passengers who saw the rescue unfold was former MTV host Julie Brown, who was performing on the ship. She was recorded on video witnessing and commenting on the rescue, noting that people were ferried three at the time from the failing boat and that the ones remaining were brought life jackets. 'As they were coming toward the boat, I waved at them and they all waved back to me, so they're obviously in good spirits as well,' Brown said in the video. As for the condition of the rescued people once onboard, 'They were pretty malnourished and exhausted. But we've got them here on board safe and sound. They're being fed, getting lots and lots of water to rehydrate. … They're in great spirits,' Roper said. Regarding the refugees' immediate future, Roper said the US Coast Guard was involved in determining next steps. He said that the 11 refugees disembarked in Mexico on Thursday. CNN Travel reached out to the Coast Guard for comment on Thursday afternoon. Royal Caribbean did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Thursday. Roper said the VACAYA guests 'are stepping in … donating their clothes, providing funds.' Roper noted the poignant intersection of his charter group and the people rescued at sea. 'Two of the most reviled groups out there in America right now are the LGBT+ community and refugees, and the fact that we were the ones that I'm gonna say lucky enough to help them, it just feels really, really good,' Roper said.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MTV Star Involved in Dramatic Migrant Boat Rescue Aboard Cruise Ship
MTV icon Downtown Julie Brown unexpectedly featured in a rescue mission when the cruise ship she was performing on noticed a boat in distress in Trump's recently-renamed Gulf of America, otherwise known as the Gulf of Mexico. Brown, 61, was performing with vacation company Vacaya aboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas on a seven-night Caribbean sailing adventure from New Orleans when on Wednesday, the captain spotted a boat in distress, she relayed in a video taken at the time of the rescue. The former Club MTV host said their ship was on the way to Mexico from Cuba when the captain decided to make a stop. 'The captain of the ship saw—while we were hauling so fast the other way—thought he saw a boat in distress,' Brown said. 'So we looped around. Big loop. Took us about 20 minutes, probably, to loop back around, and it was indeed a boat in distress.' Vacaya CEO Randle Roper said in a news release that 11 refugees 'adrift in the Gulf of Mexico' were brought aboard the cruise ship and provided with food, water, and medical care. They were also swabbed for diseases. 'As they were coming towards the boat, I waved to them, and they all waved back to me,' Brown said. 'So they're obviously in good spirits as well.' 'It's sad that some people have to put themselves through such trauma in hopes of finding a better life, but that's where we are today,' Roper said. 'I'm so proud of our LGBT+ guests rallying to collect clothes for these fellow humans in need.' The Daily Beast has reached out to the Coast Guard for further information on the rescue. President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on his first day back in office, stoking controversy over what to call the international waterway.
Voice of America
07-10-2024
- Voice of America
October 7, 2024
2 Passengers stand on the forward of the Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship as the vessel approaches the gates of Miraflores Locks to become the first cruiser of the season to pass through the Panama Canal in Panama City.
