Now Gross Cruise Ship Is Delayed

And after passengers finally disembark, they get ... a bus ride!
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 14, 2013 6:56 AM CST
Updated Feb 14, 2013 10:33 AM CST
Carnival Axes Cruise Ship's Next 14 Cruises
In a Feb. 12, 2013 photo, the tugs Resolve Pioneer and Dabhol, left, tow and steer the 893-foot Carnival Triumph cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico.   (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Ensign Chris Shivock)

Carnival's Triumph cruise ship hasn't quite lived up to its name. The disabled vessel, currently being hauled to Mobile, Ala., amid reports of hallway sewage, has had its next 14 trips canceled as the cruise line addresses an array of problems. The cancellations mean no more trips through April, the AP reports. Meanwhile, more unpleasant stories from the Triumph—which is now delayed, and could arrive in Mobile as late as 11pm tonight:

  • Passengers are "having to urinate in the shower. They've been passed out plastic bags to go to the bathroom," says the husband of one traveler. "There was fecal matter all over the floor." Passengers will get refunds, future discounts, and $500 in compensation, Carnival says.

  • "We obviously are very, very sorry about what is taking place. There is no question that conditions onboard the ship are very challenging," says president Gerry Cahill, per NPR. "Every action we are taking" is to benefit customers. Not so, snarks the Daily Mail: CEO Micky Arison was at a Miami Heat game Tuesday.
  • Mechanical problems on the ship existed even before an engine-room fire stranded the ship, the company admits. There's "no evidence" that an earlier electrical issue was tied to the fire, a Carnival rep tells AFP. But the ship was late to depart Galveston, and a several-hour visit to Progreso turned into a two-day wait as workers reported waiting for parts.
  • What treat awaits passengers when they get to Mobile? A two-hour bus ride. The company has booked 1,500 hotel rooms in New Orleans; customers will be flown to Houston tomorrow, unless they want to take a bus directly today, the AP reports. Mobile's mayor wasn't thrilled with the news, noting the city's many hotel rooms and two airports allow for a more comfortable experience than the one planned.
(More Carnival stories.)

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