Cruise ship forced to divert after dangerous encounter with cyclone

<p>The P&amp;O cruise ship, which was recently forced to turn back to Sydney to kick off seven passengers involved in a buck’s party brawl, has encountered trouble again.</p> <p>The Pacific Explorer has been diverted after heading towards the eye of a category four tropical cyclone.</p> <p>Crew members were caught off guard as the ship rerouted to Nouméa, New Caledonia, instead of stopping in the Isle of Pines.</p> <p>The cyclone is expected to pass through Vanuatu and New Caledonian before making its way toward Auckland.</p> <p>Residents in Vanuatu, New Caledonia and New Zealand have been instructed to monitor the storm as it is expected to be destructive.</p> <p>A spokesman for Carnival Cruises said, “Our marine operations people have been tracking the development of this weather system for several days.</p> <p>“As a general principle our ships sail away from severe weather systems and this one is no exception. </p> <p>“Pacific Explorer is alongside at Noumea today instead of making a scheduled call to Isle of Pines. We will continue to monitor conditions and respond accordingly on the basis that safety is, as always, the first priority.”</p> <p>Recently, the same ship returned to Sydney after two different <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/cruising/2018/02/woman-charged-cruise-ship-returns-to-sydney-after-alcohol-fuelled-brawl/" target="_blank"><strong>bucks parties started fighting</strong></a></span> after an argument over a queue for the toilet.</p> <p>Six men and one woman were kicked off the cruise when it arrived in Sydney.</p> <p>The 37-year-old woman was later charged for allegedly smashing an empty wine bottle over a man’s head.</p> <p>Witnesses of the fight said it broke out at a bar on the ship in front of 100 other passengers.</p> <p>“It was just a very good bucks party,” one of the men later told 7 News.</p> <p>Have you ever been on a cruise and encountered bad weather? Tell us in the comments below. </p>

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