Bad weather diverts Caribbean-bound cruise to Halifax

This is the cruise ship behind me here in Halifax that should have gone down south towards the Caribbean into the Bahamas. Because of bad weather, it has ended up here. And so more than 5,000 passengers are trying to make the best of it. We were supposed to be in the Bahamas. Not our choice. Dan and Barb Cruz, spelled C-R-U-Z, have been on this cruise ship for the past two days. They plan to leave New York and head south, But with bad weather in the Caribbean, the ship diverted north instead. I wasn't planning on bringing a sweater. Or a hat and earmuffs. Same story for friends Jackie and Rose from Baltimore. I have on four layers. I had to buy this sweatshirt for $80. Oasis of the Seas has been here twice before and is the biggest cruise ship that's ever visited Halifax. Most passengers didn't know that much about Nova Scotia. What did you know about Halifax before then? Not a thing. I know that it was cold. What did you know about Halifax before this? Did you guys know anything? Nothing. Not a clue. I'll admit. Not very much. Some didn't even know each other. How does everyone know everyone? We don't know each other. With this change of plans, it was a much different type of sailing. Getting on the ship is usually like a party. It was very somber. Everyone's just quiet, walking on, like, okay, let's do this, I guess. And like most cruise ships, when they approach shore, there's less to do on board. And the casino's closed, the shops are closed. How far is the casino from here? Visitors had lots of questions like that for me. You tell us what's going on. We were headed to the lower part of the boat. And it is the official dish of Halifax, Donair, D-O-N-A-I-R. But some were very familiar with the area. I was born in Cape Breton Island in Waterford, and we live in Hamilton now. My God, it's nice to be home. And with a mix of passengers on board, you'd think that not everyone might see eye to eye. Is there any tension about U.S., Canada on the ship? No. No. You sure? I'm singing, oh, Canada. We're sorry that things have been tense politically. On behalf of the United States of America, you're sorry. Yes. Thank you. Yes. God bless America and Canada. And again, these thousands of passengers weren't given very much notice about the change of itinerary. They were just told the day before that they wouldn't be going down south. They'd be coming here to Halifax. Next stop for these passengers and for this ship is back to New York City. Brett Ruskin, CBC News, Halifax.