Thousands of Hurricane Irma Evacuees Are on a Norwegian Cruise With Free Booze

As Hurricane Irma roared through Florida, many were left seeking refuge from the storm. And about 4,000 of those stranded souls have found it on a Norwegian Cruise ship—the coincidentally named Escape—stocked with unlimited free food and booze.

The passengers arrived in Miami on Thursday aboard two cruise ships, Escape and Norwegian Sky, whose journeys were cut short by the threat of Hurricane Irma. Both ships returned several days in advance to the port of Miami to avoid sailing through the storm.

While all passengers received a prorated refund for the part of the trip that was cancelled, as well as a 25 percent credit towards a future cruise, not everyone could secure transportation out of Miami. So Norwegian offered these displaced passengers a place on the Escape as it sailed away from the storm, with complimentary food, booze and entertainment.

The ship will sail west for the next few days, out of the hurricane’s path, before returning to Miami on Tuesday, if the port is open. During that time, passengers will have access to all the food, drinks and entertainment normally found on board, including a deck-top “fun-zone” with water slides, restaurants, bars and clubs, a production of Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet, and a giant spa with a flurry-filled “snow room.”

“We’re making every effort to have at least one port of call,” Norwegian spokeswoman Vanessa Picariello told USA Today. “If not, it will be a cruise to nowhere and everyone will have a good time.”

While “Cruise to Nowhere” sounds like the potential tagline of a nautically-set Final Destination sequel, this one sounds like it’ll actually be a great party—or, at least, the best case scenario for waiting out an apocalyptic storm.