First passengers from fire-stricken cruise ship return to Baltimore

The first flights carrying passengers from the Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur arrived in Baltimore on Tuesday after an on-board fire forced an end to the cruise.

Almost 2,200 passengers were being flown into Baltimore on charter planes after a fire erupted at 2:50 a.m. Monday and was extinguished about two hours later.

No injuries were reported, according to the company. Video and pictures from the ship show heavy damage to the stern.

The flight arrived Tuesday afternoon. In a tweet, Royal Caribbean said: “The first flight carrying guests from #GrandeuroftheSeas back to the U.S. is in the air. Flights will continue throughout the day.”

Eleven charter flights are scheduled to bring back passengers. About two dozen passengers who did not want to fly will take a ferry from Freeport, Bahamas, where the Grandeur will be repaired, according to the company. The next scheduled sailing on Friday from Maryland has been canceled, the company said in a statement emailed to reporters.

According to media and social media reports from the charter arrival area, many of the passengers praised the company for how it handled the fire and said they would be happy to take another cruise. Passengers will get a full fare refund and a certificate for a future cruise, the company announced.

Rebecca Killinger of Carlisle, Pa., told the Associated Press that she had no idea how extensive the fire was until the ship docked. She said the captain and crew were calm and forthcoming throughout the ordeal, even cracking jokes to lighten the mood.

The Grandeur left Baltimore on Friday for a seven-night cruise – en route to CocoCay, Bahamas. Royal Caribbean said the ship never lost power and was able to sail into port in Freeport, Bahamas, on Monday afternoon.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the fire.

Royal Caribbean President and Chief Executive Adam Goldstein met with passengers Monday in the Bahamas, according to spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez.

The fire was the second major incident involving a cruise ship this year. Carnival Corp. had trouble with fire aboard one of its ships.

Carnival’s ship Triumph was disabled during a February cruise by an engine room fire in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving thousands to endure cold food, unsanitary conditions and power outages. The ship was towed to Mobile, Ala., and remained there for repairs until early May, when it headed back to sea under its own power.

Fran Golden, a blogger for the cruise magazine Porthole, told the Associated Press that the two incidents are different.

“I think it’s easier to make people happy when they’re not stuck on a ship for four days without toilets,” she said.

She praised Royal Caribbean’s public relations efforts after the fire. She said sending Goldstein to meet with passengers was a “brilliant move.”

“It shows that you’re a responsible company. It shows that you care. It’s not just, ‘Oh well, this incident happened,”’ she said.

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