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That was the last thing Carnival Sunshine passengers expected when they returned to Charleston Harbor Monday afternoon. Passengers had just endured a rocky cruise to the Bahamas only to arrive at a flooded parking lot with their cars destroyed.
Over the weekend, the eastern coast was exposed to severe weather conditions, resulting in strong winds, heavy rains and flooding. By midday Sunday, Charleston received nearly four inches of rain and the tide gauge reached more than nine feet.
When passengers disembarked and arrived at the flooded parking lot of the cruise terminal, they discovered their cars damaged by salt water, if not completely destroyed.
“It was very upsetting and very confusing,” Kate Herold, a passenger on the plane with her two teenage daughters, told USA TODAY.
Herold purchased the four-night cruise as a Christmas present. She drove her new 2023 Kia Sportage four hours from her home in Forest City, North Carolina, to Charleston for the cruise.
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She said people were standing in disbelief. “You could hear people screaming in tears, their cars wouldn’t start. They didn’t know what to do.”
“We regret that some of our guests’ vehicles parked in the port lot were affected by the recent storm,” a Carnival Cruise Lines spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email statement.
Carnival suggested passengers contact the appropriate parking authorities and make clear that the parking lot is not a company facility. “We have helped in some ways where we can, for example by helping guests communicate with their insurance providers,” the cruise line added.
The cruisers were aware of “astronomically bad weather,” as Herold put it, while on board. The rough seas made many passengers feel like they had “had enough of their vacation and were ready to get off the ship.”
Passengers were told the ship’s arrival into port had been delayed due to “excessive flooding,” but there was nothing to prepare for, Herold said.
As one of the first groups to arrive at the parking lot, Herold found her new car — which had less than 10,000 miles on it — with the airbag deployed, four inches of water in the car and its doors open.
“I was in disbelief because it was a brand new car,” Herold said. “I was sad. I cried and my daughters stood with big eyes. They did not know what to do.”
Herold said she did not receive help from the South Carolina Ports Authority nor carnival employees but that two police officers were present.
The SC Ports Authority did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment but provided the following statement to Letters of News:
The recent record high tides and unprecedented flooding throughout downtown Charleston resulted in some passenger cruise vehicles being affected. The South Carolina Ports team worked closely with passengers to provide assistance from the moment they arrived until the last passenger left the terminal. The port police ensured that passengers obtained the necessary reports to document the damage to their insurance companies. Passengers are not charged for additional days to use the car park, and can leave their cars as long as necessary. Port employees worked around the clock to contact tow companies on behalf of passengers, assist with jumping onto vehicles and pumping water, and helping them find transportation to area hotels.
The entity said it does not accept responsibility for vehicles or personal property remaining in passenger parking areas.
Herold called her insurance company, which said they would arrange a tow truck and a rental car so she could return to her home in North Carolina. When Herold took an Uber to Enterprise, they told her they were out of cars and she would have to wait a few hours for a car to become available.
Herold said she felt “very blessed” when her airbag deployed, rendering her car undriveable. “A lot of people were told to go home and got stuck on Highway 26.”
She believes the S.C. Ports Authority could “step up and reimburse us for the money we paid to trust them with our vehicles,” especially since they “did not provide any assistance (for) the catastrophic event that occurred.”
She said she is still waiting for a response on the condition of her car. “I have no idea, I’m left in the unknown.”
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected].
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