A Carnival Cruise ship conjured up comparisons to the infamous “unsinkable” ship after colliding with a piece of floating ice last week, albeit, much less dramatically than the Titanic once did.
The Carnival Spirit hit a large chunk of ice while sailing through Alaskan waters on Thursday. Nobody was injured, and the ship was ultimately undamaged, a Carnival spokesperson told Business Insider.
Videos of the incident quickly started circulating on social media, as well as news coverage of the collision, including one CNN report that referred to the mass as an “iceberg.”
A spokesperson for Carnival, however, said the ice was not an iceberg, in fact, but an “errant piece of drifting ice.”
“An assessment determined no damage to the ship’s hull, and the vessel continued on its cruise, and there has been no impact to operations,” the spokesperson said.
The vessel was making its way through Tracy Arm Fjord, a waterway south of Juneau that is known for its massive amounts of floating ice, particularly in the summer months.
Cassandra Goskie, a passenger on board the ship at the time, posted a TikTok video of the moment of impact.
“If we die, it was damn well worth it,” she can be heard saying in the video. “It’s a Titanic moment.”
Another TikTok video captured the collision from another angle, jokingly set to “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song from the 1997 film “Titanic.”
One passenger posted photos of the aftermath on X, as well.
The Spirit returned to its home port of Seattle following the seven-day voyage and has since departed for another Alaskan cruise, CNN reported.
In 2007, a small cruise ship ran into ice, resulting in a fist-sized hole. The 154 passengers had to evacuate the vessel as water rushed into the engine room, and the power failed.
A Norwegian Cruise Line vessel hit an iceberg last year while passing through fog near Alaska.
Alaska is currently considering a new policy that would limit the number of cruise visitors in Juneau.
