A North Vancouver couple is not so much enjoying as enduring an extended vacation off the coast of Texas, where their cruise ship has been forced to wait out the heavy rain and high winds of Hurricane Harvey.

Rick and Sally Chan, of North Vancouver, say their Royal Caribbean cruise was supposed to be a short one. Now they’re being told the ship won’t be able to dock until Friday, when the worst of the storm has passed. The couple was in Mexico for a short getaway last week, and had expected to come to shore in Texas on Sunday.

But with the storm making docking impossible, the Liberty of the Seas is now slated to pick up supplies in Miami so it can support approximately 4,500 passengers for an extra five days.

“Obviously, things are in pretty bad shape if they’re going to divert us for that length of time,” Rick Chan told CTV Vancouver by phone on Sunday.

The Chans say they’re dealing with the situation as best they can, but the festive atmosphere of the voyage has definitely soured.

“There’s unease among the passengers,” Rick Chan said.

Chan say many passengers have devoted their attention to adjusting their travel plans in light of the delay, while others are preoccupied with monitoring the storm on TV.

“I feel sorry for the people that we’ve been watching on the news in Houston,” he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard is also remaining in touch with the cruise ship, and was quick to respond to three medical emergencies on Sunday.

Chan says the worst part of the situation is wondering what will happen next. “It’s more the unknown, and I guess there’s always that feeling of not enough information, but I think (the crew) are doing the best that they can.”

Sally Chan says the cruise ship staff have been doing their best to keep people entertained with “some trivia games and showing some movies in one of the rooms.”

“There are worse places to be stranded,” Rick Chan said.