article: The time of their lives has turned into the holiday from hell for up to 2500 passengers stranded on a cruise ship, the Carnival Spirit, outside Sydney Harbour and riding a constant flow of smashing waves of more than nine metres. They have been at the mercy of the wild seas since last night, as storms batter the east coast. The massive swell, seen from video images taken from on-board by stranded travellers, revealing just how treacherous and stomach churning the conditions are, out there. One has told the Daily Telegraph that 'there was a large wave that hit at 7.30 last night that tore one of the doors off causing a whole lot of water to come flooding through the deck'. 'Even as we speak the ship is creaking and moaning,' passenger Kurt Foster said. 'Last night was absolutely horrendous. In the room all the cupboard doors were flying open and everything on the bench tops was flying off. 'One crew member has been working here for 10 years and he reckons it’s the roughest he’s seen.' Scroll down for videos . 2500 passengers on board the Carnival Spirit are at the mercy of the wild seas as storms batter the east coast - with the massive swell, seen from video images shot from on-board, showing just how treacherous and stomach churning the conditions are . The cruise ship Carnival Spirit has been damaged outside Sydney Harbour this morning. Due to dock at 7:15 the ship is currently sitting off Sydney Heads. The ship has suffered damage in wild weather conditions off the NSW coast. The hand railing and pedestal lighting has been damaged while a cover over the satellite system (above) has also been damaged and removed for safety reasons . The cyclonic winds battering Sydney have also caused drama for passengers on board cruise liner the Carnival Spirit which is heading south after being prevented from docking because of the heavy seas . Carnival Spirit was returning from a 12-night cruise to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji but has been stopped by the huge waves . The Carnival Spirit has 2500 passengers on board, stranded outside of Sydney Harbour because of the city's wild weather . Carnival Spirit was returning from a 12-night cruise to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji but has been stopped by the huge waves, which began crashing into the ship late on Monday and have continued unabated, amid reports that there has been some damage. 'High winds have caused minor damage to some external features such as an equipment cover and some partitioning, while heavy rains have dampened some doorway carpets,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'This damage is superficial and has not affected the ship’s operation in any way. Guests and crew are safe and the Captain is ensuring guests are as comfortable as possible.' Eleven metre waves have been recorded off-shore and more passengers have been recounting their wild ride. 'It’s not pleasant, it’s been like this all night,' one woman told ABC radio. 'I don’t think many people got much sleep.' Carnival Cruise Lines officials confirmed with Daily Mail Australia that Carnival Spirit was scheduled to arrive 'early this morning' but was unable to do so because of the rough seas. 'The scheduled Sydney arrival of Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Spirit has been delayed due to severe weather which has led to the closure of Sydney port and prevented the Harbour Pilot from boarding the ship,' the statement said. 'The ship is now waiting off the Sydney coast line until the port is re-opened.' And nothing can be done until conditions ease to allow the regulatory process to take place. 'It is mandatory maritime requirement for a Harbour Pilot to board any ship before it enters Sydney port,' Carnival Cruise Lines stated further. 'Guests and crew are safe and comfortable and the ship is continuing to offer a full program of on-board activities and entertainment while it waits for the harbour to re-open.' Eleven metre waves have been recorded off-shore as the cruise ship Carnival Spirit remains stranded outside Sydney Harbour . Waves of nine metres have been battering the ship for the past 24 hours. The Carnival Spirit remains stuck outside Sydney Heads due to the swell and may not be able to enter the harbour for 48 hours . Carnival Cruise Liners in statement said: 'Guests and crew are safe and comfortable and the ship is continuing to offer a full program of on-board activities and entertainment while it waits for the harbour to re-open' In a further statement placed on social media, to those travellers caught out by the drama, they said: 'We are sorry to announce that Carnival Spirit will be unable to sail from Sydney today as the port of Sydney has been closed due to extreme weather and ships are not permitted to enter Sydney Harbour.' 'For guests scheduled to depart for the South Pacific on S512, the Captain is working on a revised 7-day itinerary departing tomorrow, weather permitting. The revised itinerary will visit Isle of Pines and Noumea, but not the originally scheduled port of Mare.' The Ports Authority warned that passengers were in for some more discomfort, with little chance of the ship being able to dock on Tuesday, with the adverse weather conditions expected to worsen as another storm cell pushes into Sydney.
highlights: Up to 2500 passengers and crew stranded outside Sydney Harbour as massive storm batters the city .
  Passengers report large waves were crashing into the ship right through the night and into Tuesday .
  The vessel has suffered damage with a satellite damaged and a door ripped open by the crashing waves .
  Carnival Cruise Lines hopes to have the cruise-liner dock on Wednesday but there are fears they will have to wait another 48 hours .
  11 metre waves have been recorded off-shore .
  Weather conditions are expected to worsen in the afternoon with 100kph winds on the way .
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