Air-Spam: Supplies sent to crippled cruise ship; Ship to arrive at San Diego Thurs.
8 replies, posted
[I]via:[/I] CNN
[release]
[B](CNN)[/B] -- A crippled cruise ship stranded off the coast of Mexico with nearly 4,500 people onboard is now expected to arrive in San Diego, California, around midday Thursday, Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement.
Three tugboats have now joined in the effort to tow the ship to land, according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Rachel Polish.
Carnival noted that as the ship gets closer to the coast, passengers are increasingly able to receive "intermittent cellular service. Additionally, the ship's phone system is working on a limited basis and guests are able to make complimentary calls home."
[URL="http://ireport.cnn.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=293965"]Have you been able to reach loved ones on the ship? Share your story[/URL]
One passenger, David Zambrano, a KUSA-TV employee, called his Denver, Colorado, station Wednesday from his cell phone on the ship and said many passengers are in the dark in their cabins and have to wait in line for two hours to eat the canned meat product Spam, crab meat and Pop Tarts, which are being delivered to them by helicopter from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
Many passengers are pledging not to take another Carnival cruise, said Zambrano, who's able to enjoy some sunlight because he has a stateroom with a balcony.
"It's nothing like anyone expected, no," Zambrano said. "You stand in line for two hours just to get your food because everybody goes to the same place to pick up their food. And, so you stand in line and you wait, then once you get your food, you leave and you look for something to do.
"People are playing cards. People are standing around just kind of talking. They're getting to socialize," Zambrano said. "It's not what you would expect on a normal cruise, of course not, but it's -- they're doing their best. The crew is doing their best to keep everybody satisfied and make sure that they're watching everything.
"The only thing that made it really tough was when the facilities were all broken down and all the bathrooms weren't working and people were starting to get uncomfortable," Zambrano said. "But now that they started getting those things going and the water flowing, then that made all the difference."
Carnival has already promised passengers a refund and a free cruise.
"Many of the people I have talked to said that they will never take another cruise again, especially with Carnival," Zambrano said.
The Splendor had been stranded about 130 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico, on Tuesday, a day after it lost power following an engine-room fire, Carnival said in an earlier statement. The ship has almost 3,300 passengers and about 1,200 crew members onboard.
A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier resupplied the cruise ship Tuesday evening. Sailors stood on the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan in 50-yard lines, handing off boxes of water, frozen bread, sandwich meats, granola bars, paper plates and more for the Splendor.
"Guests continue to be provided food and beverage service and a limited schedule of activities," Carnival said Wednesday.
Navy pilot Tamara Graham and Chief Petty Officer Steve Sinclair said they made 15 round trips from the Reagan to the stranded cruise ship.
"When we first showed up on scene, [passengers] were taking pictures, and flash bulbs were going off everywhere," Sinclair said. "Once we dropped our equipment, we were getting a lot of waves."
"I am pretty sure that was not on the program for the Carnival cruise to have helicopters onboard and have an aircraft carrier nearby," Graham said.
The Reagan received 60,000 pounds of food, bottled water and supplies by airlift for the cruise ship, said Cmdr. Greg Hicks, spokesman of the U.S. Third Fleet.
"We were on maneuvers necessary to get the crew ready for deployment," Lt. Cmdr. Kate Meadows told a CNN journalist on the carrier. "But we were more than happy to respond and excited to be a part of helping the cruise ship."
Graham said water "was definitely the top priority" on the list of supplies to bring on board the ship.
Sailors who have been in contact with Splendor's passengers and crews reported no major problems, Meadows said. At least six sailors spent the night on the ship.
The vessel is expected to arrive in San Diego late Thursday, Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva said.
The provisions were made available by Carnival Cruise Lines, and the tugboats were contracted by Carnival.
Carnival said it is making hotel and flight arrangements for guests once they reach port. It's possible the Splendor would be diverted to Ensenada if it cannot maintain sufficient speed under tow, according to a statement.
The fire occurred about 6 a.m. Monday in the aft engine room of the Splendor, the cruise line said Tuesday in a statement posted on its website. The blaze was extinguished, and no passengers or crew were injured. Oliva said she did not know the cause of the fire or when repairs might be completed once the ship is back in port.
Officials said no passengers were evacuated from the ship for medical or any other reasons.
Engineers were not able to restore power to the ship, which was operating on auxiliary generators, a Carnival statement said. As of Tuesday, "several key hotel systems, including air conditioning, hot food service and telephones are not available," the cruise line said.
Engineers were able to restore toilet service to most cabins and all common-area bathrooms, as well as cold running water, the line said. "The ship's crew continues to actively work to restore other services."
The voyage -- a seven-day cruise along the Mexican coast that departed Sunday from Long Beach, California -- was terminated, Carnival said. Carnival also has canceled a seven-day cruise that was to leave November 14 from Long Beach, California, the company said.
At the request of the Coast Guard in San Diego, the Navy diverted the Reagan from training maneuvers. Thirty-five pallets of supplies were delivered to the aircraft carrier from a nearby Naval air station, officials said.
Guests will receive a full refund and reimbursement for transportation costs, and will also receive a complimentary future cruise equal to the amount they paid for this voyage, Carnival said.
"We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience," Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, said. "Conditions onboard the ship are very challenging and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring. The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and we are working to get our guests home as quickly as possible."
The normal itinerary for the 952-foot Panamanian-flagged ship included stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.[/release]
[URL="http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/10/cruise.ship/index.html?hpt=T2"]Source[/URL]
I guess they can finally get over that sinking feeling.
Somehow they have to get their lifebuoys
Aside from all the jerks complaining "I'm never taking another Carnival Cruise derp derp"
They really are trying to sustain satisfaction. Seriously they get a full refund, all hotel expenses paid, flights home paid, AND a free cruise?
Somnambulist.
Should'a gone with Royal Caribbean .
I'd "put up" with what they're going through to get a refund and free cruise.
[editline]10th November 2010[/editline]
[QUOTE=hegrec;25979740]Should'a gone with Royal Caribbean .[/QUOTE]
People wouldn't be complaining if they were on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Carnival is known to be the cruise line for college guys/girls and singles.