Carnival Triumph cruise ship adrift; long lines for toilets, food

Jason · February 13, 2013

Passengers stranded on a cruise ship adrift in the Gulf of Mexico say they must stand in long lines to use working bathrooms and to get hot meals.

The messages from passengers on the Carnival Triumph, drifting in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine fire Sunday, came from text messages sent to family and friends. No one was injured in the fire but it left the ship without propulsion.

Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line said some of the public and cabin toilets are not operating and only limited power is available to run elevators and heat food.

A tug boat reached the ship Monday and a second boat is expected to arrive Tuesday, with plans to pull the ship to Mobile, Alabama by Thursday, the cruise line said. The ship, departed Galveston last week with about 3,000 passengers and more than 1,000 crew members on a four-day cruise to Cozumel, an island off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Several text messages relayed from friends or relatives of Triumph passengers were printed on , a review site for cruise vacations.

The messages said the rooms are so hot without circulating air that some passengers were sleeping in tents on the deck.

The husband of a woman on the ship said he spoke to his wife Sunday by phone. "At the time I spoke to her, there were no toilets. They were using little red bags. And no running water, no lights, except emergency lighting."

Others said family members reported that passengers were getting cranky and some were hoarding food.

Another text quoted a woman who joined three friends on the cruise. "She said it was already pretty miserable. No hot food and no alcohol being served. There was still ice being served in soft drinks. None of the shops were open."

By Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times

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DebbieandJerry · February 13, 2013

When I read this article in the paper, a number of thoughts came to mind:

1. Isn't there bottled water on the ship? Hello-give it away!

2. There should be plenty of fresh fruit, veggies, breads, pastries, cakes, etc. that do not require cooking. Hello-give it away!

3. Come on now - serve the alcohol. You have already pissed off thousands of people and you're going to comp them with a cruise. Filling them with soda and alcohol is the least you can do!

4. Lack of circulating air and running toilets would get people cranky. Try and find a way to take their mind off of these things by making the ship amenities available.

Just a few of my thoughts ...