The boardwalk in Sydney, N.S. was unusually crowded on Monday after a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean forced a cruise ship bound for Bermuda to instead tour the Maritimes.
The Norwegian Dawn, which can hold 2,300 vacationers, was supposed to be on a seven-day trip to Bermuda, but Hurricane Florence had other plans, forcing the ship to divert north. The boat first docked in Halifax over the weekend and arrived in Sydney on Monday.
"It's a lot cooler, but it is (a) beautiful territory," Carol Skinner, a passenger on the ship, told CTV Atlantic. "I think we're just going to (rest and relax) a little bit and take in some local food and a couple beers.”
Hurricane Florence has been recently upgraded to a Category 4 and is expected to hit the East Coast of the United States later this week.
The unexpected guests have been a welcome sight to merchants and tour buses in Cape Breton. The ship has given the local tourism industry a bump as the season winds down.
"With 2,300 people arriving, that's always an impact on our local offerings that we have right here in the Port of Sydney,” said Christina Lamey, the cruise marketing and development manager at the Port of Sydney. “All the tour operators are selling more excursions today.”
The ship plans to stop in Saint John, N.B., and Bar Harbor, Maine before finishing the cruise in Boston. Passengers have been told they will not be given a partial refund.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald
