Cruise lines work hard to avoid storms, but the incident is not the only recent one of its kind. Parts of Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas flooded in January off the coast of South America following heavy rain and wind, and a Carnival Cruise Line ship was rocked by rough weather on its way back to the U.S. from a Bahamas cruise last year.

Royal Caribbean does not provide guidelines about how much to tip beyond the daily gratuities added to each passenger's fare. The cruise line explained that piece of its gratuity policy (cruise lines seem never to use the word "tip") on its website.

Royal Caribbean is making adjustments to the itineraries of at least four cruise ships as Hurricane Rafael intensifies. The storm is on track to

The Explorer of the Seas was traveling from Barcelona, Spain to Miami, Florida, when it was struck by a strong wind gust.

Stormy weather wreaked havoc on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship — causing bottles to fly off bar shelves and a table to overturn on the casino floor in a frightening but fleeting scene, according to reports.