The cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas was battered by a 'freak wave'.
© Glenn TaylorThe cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas was battered by a 'freak wave'.
Windows were smashed and passengers were injured after a 'freak wave' hit the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship on Monday.

Cruise Law News reported that the wave hit the ship at about 4am on Monday (local time) as the Royal Caribbean vessel sailed to Ajaccio, Corsica.

Five windows were broken, passenger cabins were flooded and some passengers were reportedly injured.

Passenger Kerry Boyd tweeted, "Woke up at 4:30 am on our cruise first night when 5 windows on our floor burst open flooding the floor with sea water. All well, but tired"

Another passenger, Todd Scuderi, also tweeted about the incident.

''I'm on Rhapsody of the Seas. Last night 4am wave hit ship and knocked out my window and 4 others on deck 3. lucky we weren't swept out," he wrote.

"Ceilings and walls collapsed. We were all bleeding and hallway was flooded. Royal Caribbean has not handled this well."

He added that it was the first night of a nine-night cruise and the ship was staying in Corsica til 12am to "fix it".

On Facebook, a passenger described a "freak wave" hitting the ship.

"Cabin totally flooded, we were covered in blood, seawater, scattered glass, ceiling panels, insulation, metal racks and debris, which used to be cabin interior. Partition Walls caved in, Doors crushed and bent, stuck in the frame with passengers trapped inside."

Royal Caribbean later issued a statement about the incident.

"On Monday, April 25, while sailing to Ajaccio, Corsica, Rhapsody of the Seas encountered inclement weather. Five stateroom windows on the third deck were broken, resulting in water incursion. Six rooms were damaged, and carpeting in some nearby hallways and staterooms on deck three was soaked by water. No serious injuries were reported. The windows were replaced and the ship resumed her itinerary.

"Because of the soaked flooring, which could not be immediately replaced without causing great inconvenience, 45 guests were relocated to other staterooms, and 44 departed the ship in Corsica. We have compensated all the affected guests with a full refund and future cruise certificate in the total amount of the cruise fare they paid for their sailing, as well as handling accommodations and travel costs for those who left the ship."