NORFOLK, Va. — The Mermaid City welcomed a Carnival cruise ship to port Sunday morning after it was rerouted from Baltimore due to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
The Carnival Legend is the first of multiple ships to reroute to Norfolk after the tragedy.
About 2,600 guests returned from their Bahamas vacation just days after a cargo ship hit the city's major bridge, causing it to crumble into the water. The passengers boarded 70 buses and were driven four hours back to their cars in Baltimore where the landscape will look very different to them now.
"When we left Baltimore, we had to go under that bridge right," said Viktoriia Aldred. "The bridge looked amazing and you go under the bridge and you're like 'wow.'"
Dave Smiddy said as they departed seven days ago, many of the passengers stood on the deck as they passed underneath the bridge and took pictures.
"We were all on deck underneath it when we left," he said.
But for Baltimore native Michael Lukoski, hearing the news while onboard was especially shocking.
"When I got the news Tuesday morning, it was absolutely… you couldn’t believe it. You know what I mean? I was woken up saying there was a bridge collapse and it was like, 'no way.'"
He doesn’t know what to expect driving back into his city on Sunday.
"To get back home and not see it there — it’s gonna be surreal. It’s just not gonna make any sense," he said.
Stephen Kirkland, the executive director for Nauticus, said they were ready to step in and help when the cruise line called.
"Carnival was simply looking for a safe port of harbor and we’re providing that today," he told 13News Now.
He said there were a lot of moving parts as plans changed, but he thanked the hard work of everyone involved.
"It feels like the entire maritime community is here and we're prepared. We're ready to go," said Kirkland.
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Lukoski will arrive back home as Baltimore rebuilds.
"I thank the good folks in Norfolk for getting us home," he said. "We’re Baltimore, we’re strong."
The Carnival Legend isn’t the only ship changing course after the bridge collapse. On Thursday, Royal Caribbean’s ship, Vision of the Seas, will end its current cruise in Norfolk. Guests will once again be shuttled back to Baltimore.
The ship will then sail out of Norfolk for two additional cruises in April.