Everyone’s safe and sound now – and on dry land –but it’s a vacation that 4,000 people who took a Carnival cruise probably don’t consider a “triumph.”
It was supposed to be a four-day luxury cruise, from Texas to Mexico and back.
The Carnival Triumph cruise ship was in the Gulf of Mexico on Feb. 10 when a fire broke out in the engine room.
There were 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crew members on board.
The fire disabled the 14-story luxury liner’s engines and power generators.
That shut down the ship’s refrigeration, air conditioning and toilets.
The ship drifted at sea for five days, with no way to heat up food or flush the toilets. The ship was eventually towed to a dock in Mobile, Alabama.
A lack of fresh water, baby formula and clean washrooms were probably the biggest problems for the passengers. That, and boredom. Some of the passengers joined in on sing-a-longs and impromptu comedy shows to amuse themselves.
As the washrooms became dirtier and the un-air-conditioned cabins became stuffier, many passengers opted to sleep in the hallways or outside on the decks.
