A woman was recently stuck on a cruise ship in the middle of a war zone after things became chaotic in Dubai. She received an alert about a chilling missile strike.
A Scottish native, Lesley Ballantyne, got more than she bargained for after taking a cruise ship. Tensions exploded with Iran last week causing chaos across the region. Ballantyne and others have been stuck in Dubai after the MSC Euribia never left port. While on the cruise ship, she told CNN Travel she thought she was going to die.
She woke up to alert about missiles. It read: "Potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building." Fortunately, they didn't see any missiles in the area.
Cruise Ship Problems
"Nothing to see. So I went back to bed and back to sleep," she added. "We've heard some loud bangs, seen some missiles being intercepted from the ship, but it all seems in the distance."
The cruise ship is actively avoiding the Strait of Hormuz due to tensions in the region. So it's been stuck at the port. MSC Cruises is working with embassies to get the passengers home. "At this time, the situation on board remains calm," the company said. "Guests have full access to all onboard services and facilities, and we continue to ensure a high standard of care, comfort and support for both guests and crew."
Another passenger, Sharon Cockram, was shocked by everything that happened.
"Never, never, ever did we think we'd get caught up in something like this. It's always something you watch on TV from home," she said. "Our daughter in the UK is worried sick and heavily pregnant, something we could all do without."
They are hopeful that they will soon be able to fly home. They have a flight scheduled out for the end of the week.
