Cruise passengers were flown off the ship off the coast of Florida ahead of the wrath of Hurricane Milton

Dramatic images showed sick passengers being evacuated from a luxury cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean as the large ship was “stranded” miles off the Florida coast awaiting the wrath of Hurricane Milton.

The Sun Princess had to turn around before docking at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ahead of her grand arrival to her “winter home port.”

As the “dangerous” Category 5 hurricane batters Florida’s west coast, the eastern side of the state is bracing for the storm to make its way to the Atlantic coast.

In preparation, the U.S. Coast Guard upgraded Port Everglades to Port Condition YANKEE on Monday, meaning gale force winds are expected within 24 hours.

Unfortunately for the holidaymakers, the brand new boat was unable to reach its destination as all docked ships were forced to leave the port and incoming ships were banned from entering.

“Due to the hurricane, Port Everglades – where the ship would dock – is closed and the ship is stranded five miles off the coast of Florida due to the storm,” Ben Barry told SWNS.

The sick travelers aboard the Sun Princess were flown back to the U.S. mainland, but it was not clear where they were being taken because most of the Florida peninsula is under evacuation and curfew orders.

The Sun Princess had embarked on a 25-day one-way voyage from Barcelona, ​​Spain, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 14th and was scheduled to reach port on October 9th.

According to CruiseMapper, the ship is currently in the waters between the Bahamas and Cuba.

The Post has reached out to Princess Cruises.

Hurricane Milton remained a Category 5 storm as it barreled toward Florida’s west-central coast at 12 miles per hour.

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The storm, expected to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, could bring catastrophic storm surges of 10 to 15 feet in some areas, including Tampa, with 6 to 12 inches of rain expected.

It was 300 miles from Tampa as of 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Milton gained strength Tuesday after weakening slightly due to one of the strongest Category 5 storms on record. By evening, wind speeds increased to 160 miles per hour and the storm returned to Category 5 strength.

Officials have asked and warned residents in evacuation zones to leave.

“If you choose to stay … you will die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN bluntly, adding that a “literally catastrophic” major hurricane was heading toward the Sunshine State.

Despite the warning, Charlotte Farrell, 80, in Ruskin off Cockroach Bay, told the Post she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Everyone says I should go to a shelter because of this disease, my son says I have to. I haven’t decided yet. I don’t leave the city, this is my home. But I can choose to go to middle school later if I want housing there,” she said, referring to Shields Middle School, which has been designated as housing.

“The police went door to door yesterday telling us to get out, especially because it was a caravan and we were in a flood zone. They said it was mandatory, but if we don’t do it, we are responsible for what happens to us.”