Cruise Ship Stuck at Sea Because of Heavy Fog That Closed Tampa's Port

Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer and thousands of fans were on board.

ByABC News
February 24, 2015, 4:30 PM

— -- A cruise ship filled with Ohio State football fans was stuck in the waters off Florida after heavy fog closed the port and prevented the ship from returning as scheduled.

The Royal Caribbean cruise ship that left on Thursday was scheduled to arrive back to Tampa, Florida, on Monday but it is only now making a slow trip back to port.

Most of the 2,160 guests on board the Brilliance of the Seas were Ohio State football fans on board as part of an annual cancer charity fundraiser, and the passengers included the team's coach, Urban Meyer.

Though they were stuck at sea, appeared to be making the best out of the situation.

Passenger Lanne Bennett told ABC News that the trip has "been absolutely amazing."

There was a two-and-a-half-hour, evening karaoke session on board the ship Monday, the day the trip originally was to end, a passenger said.

Food and water supplies were never an issue, the passenger added. However, the ship's captain reportedly told passengers that if it became one, the ship could just take a day trip to Miami. To make the situation more comfortable, the captain was able to pull the ship closer to shore for better cell phone service.

"We’re all Buckeyes, we’re all from Ohio," Bennett told ABC News. "We’ve weathered worse things."

A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean told ABC News that there were 880 crew members on board as well as the passengers. The ship was still slated to arrive back in Tampa this evening and guests would be given the option of leaving as soon as they dock or staying on board the ship until Wednesday morning.

The football fans weren't the only cruise passengers affected. Royal Caribbean had to cancel a subsequent trip involving the ship that was scheduled to begin on Monday.

Passengers whose trip got cancelled were refunded and will receive a discount on their next booking, according to Royal Caribbean.

ABC News' Tina Chen contributed to this report.