Travel News
Disabled Carnival Splendor Cruise Ship Arrives in San Diego
Disabled Carnival Splendor Cruise Ship Arrives in San Diego
The 4,500 passengers of the ill-fated Carnival Splendor were greeted with cheers Thursdaymorning as their disabled ship approached the shore of San Diego after three
days at sea.
Around 100 people were waiting onshore to greet the 952-foot, 113,000-ton cruise
ship being pulled by six tugboats and escorted by Coast Guard cutters.
For three days, the Carnival
Splendor has been without power
after a fire damaged the ship’s engine, and knocked out air conditioning, hot
food service, hot water and telephones.
Passengers who had expected a seven-night voyage full of seafood buffets and
stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, instead dealt with a
limited food supplies, smelly toilets, dark cabins and a three-day trip home.
With no refrigeration onboard, passengers were fed Spam, canned crabmeat and
Pop-Tarts, delivered by U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopters from the USS Ronald Reagan, which was
diverted from training maneuvers to aid the ailing cruise ship.
The cruise, which originated in Long Beach, California, had also been without
phone and Internet service, leaving passengers with no means to contact family
on land. Limited phone service was restored on Wednesday as theSplendor neared the shore.
Today, passengers are expected to wait another two or three
hours before the small city of 4,500 passengers and crew are all off the ship.
However, questions about what caused the fire and how it brought about the shut
down of the entire ship will linger even after the last passenger has
disembarked.
According to Carnival president and CEO Gerry Cahill, a split in the engine’s
crankcase, which encloses the engine, caused the fire. Cahill says the
technicians from the manufacturer of the ship, Carnival, and Lloyd’s insurance
firm will inspect the ship’s damage.
Previously: Fire Strands Carnival Cruise Ship Off Mexican
Coast
The vessel will be inspected and repaired in San Diego. All future voyages of
the Splendor have been canceled, and passengers of
those trips have been reimbursed and given a 25 percent discount on future
cruises, says Carnival.
Though the incident has been a PR fiasco for Carnival, some
are praising the company’s quick thinking in a time of crisis.
Though the fire in the ship’s engine room took three hours to extinguish, no
crew or passengers were injured. Carnival worked to restore children’s programs
and entertainment on board, and purchased the 60,000 pounds of supplies
transported by the USS Ronald
Reagan.
The Splendor also opened the ship’s bar, and
offered free beer and wine to all passengers.
In a level of restitution uncommon among cruise lines, Carnival gave everyone
onboard the disabled ship a full refund, reimbursement for travel costs, and a
credit for a free future cruise.
Cahill said the he realized that many vacations were ruined by the engine fire,
so Carnival was working hard to give passengers their money back and also give
their lost vacation back.
By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.
Related links: USA Today, New York Times
Related Links on PeterGreenberg.com:
