View Single Post
  #1   Report Post  
posted to rec.boats
F.O.A.D. F.O.A.D. is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,605
Default Yet another Carnival cruise ship...

....having a spot of trouble:

Another day, another Carnival cruise ship is having issues.
ABC News
http://tinyurl.com/bccg8wc

The company announced late Thursday night that the Carnival Legend,
currently off the coast of Honduras, is unable to sail at its optimal
speed because of a technical problem, forcing the ship to cut short
passengers' vacation.

The Carnival Legend has canceled its visit to Grand Cayman today so it
can immediately return to its homeport in Tampa Bay, Fla., according to
a news release. The Legend is on the last leg of a seven-day Caribbean
cruise that departed Tampa March 10.

Carnival did not know the exact number of people on board the Legend
but, according to its website, it can hold 2,124 passengers and 930 crew
members.

About 1,500 miles away, passengers onboard the Carnival Dream will be
flown home rather than completing the remainder of their cruise back to
Florida after their ship stalled at a dock in St. Maarten with a
mechanical problem Wednesday.

"Since it is unclear when the Carnival Dream will be departing St.
Maarten," Carnival spokesperson Vance Gulliksen said in an email to ABC
News Thursday, "it only makes sense that we fly guests home and we are
in the process of arranging both charter and commercial flights for
guests to be flown to Orlando or their final destinations."

The ship suffered from a malfunction to its backup generator, but
Carnival says the Dream hasn't lost power and admits there where
interruptions to elevators and toilets for a few hours Wednesday night.
Carnival's Triumph Cruise Ship Docks in Alabama Watch Video
Captain Blames Phone Call for Cruise Disaster Watch Video
Stranded at Sea Watch Video

Gulliksen said only one public restroom was taken offline for toilet
overflow and there was "a total of one request for cleaning of a guest
cabin bathroom. Aside from that, there have been no reports of issues on
board with overflowing toilets or sewage."

The Carnival Elation also ran into weekend problems that prompted the
line to give the ship a tugboat escort as it began its voyage from New
Orleans March 9. The cruise line said the ship had a minor issue with
one of the two units used to propel and steer the ship.

The ship's speed, hotel services and all other systems remained in
normal working condition, Carnival said in a statement. "In the interest
of extreme caution, we requested that a tugboat remain alongside the
ship as it maneuvered away from the dock and into the river in New
Orleans at the start of the voyage on Saturday, March 9. The tugboat
trailed the ship down the Mississippi for good measure, although it was
not needed. The ship's full itinerary is expected to operate normally."

The cruise line, the world's largest ship operator, suffered a public
relations nightmare that played out in the media for nearly a week when
the Carnival Triumph lost power a month ago. An engine fire crippled the
Triumph, leaving more than 4,200 people stranded for five days with
overflowing toilets, no power and a scarce food supply.

"You know what, I thought everyone gave me a hard time when I was
booking this cruise saying I can't believe you are going on a Carnival
cruise after what happened with the Triumph," Kris Anderson, who is on
the Carnival Dream with his family, told ABC News Thursday.

"What are the odds it's going to happen again, right? And then look at
us now," he added.

------

Imagine Carnival Airlines...