A cruise ship has rescued two Costa Rican fishermen who had been stranded at sea for about three weeks. Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet tweeted that the sailors were saved Friday night between Grand Cayman and Jamaica by the "Empress of the Seas" cruise ship.



Fleet said the cruise ship was not scheduled to be there but had taken an alternate route because of bad weather.



Fleet tweeted Sunday that the fishermen left Porto Limon, Costa Rica, and had been adrift since December 1. They said they had fallen asleep while their nets were soaking and ran out of gas while trying to return.

This June 20, 2016, photo show the Royal Caribbean cruise ship "Empress of the Seas" in Miami Beach, Florida. Lynne Sladky / AP

"All of us at Royal Caribbean wish them a safe return back home to Costa Rica," Fleet said. "I don't know about you, but I've already seen a Christmas Miracle. [Twenty] days at sea should tell you everything about the odds of them being found alive."

The two fishermen survived by eating fish and rationing freshwater. They were treated onboard and are both expected to be OK.