Posted on 11/10/2010 11:00:53 AM PST by inflorida
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Coast Guard official says one of two tugboats tasked with pulling a disabled cruise ship to San Diego didn't have enough power and was forced to turn back.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Jetta Disco says a Mexican company has sent a third tugboat to the scene but authorities are trying to determine whether it would be better to leave the one tugboat alone while it slowly makes headway.
--snip--
Instead of lavish buffets, passengers on the Carnival Splendor were subsisting on Spam, Pop Tarts and canned crabmeat flown in by Navy helicopters.
People were trying to keep their spirits up by singing, socializing and playing cards, said passenger David Zambrano, who managed to get cell phone service Wednesday and called his employer, Denver TV station 9NEWS.
The ship's bars, casinos, pools and the upper deck were closed. Rooms in the interior of the ship were pitch black and passengers propped open their doors to let in air and emergency lighting from the hallways.
"So really, all we're going is just kind of hanging out on a boat waiting for the next mealtime," Zambrano said.
But when mealtime comes, there's a two-hour wait for food, which is cold.
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
And you cant even sit out on the upper deck? Control freaks,,,
How about part ownership of the company... bet someone’s been on the phone to some hungry lawyer...
Unless the lights are tied to a generator, ones in buildings usually don't last for more than a couple of hours. I can't imagine the ones on the ship are set up any differently - they are just there to get you off the ship if it catches fire or runs into an iceberg.
This trip would go a lot faster if they were to break out the big oars.
I bet the folks who hid liquor in their suitcases are pretty popular right now.
I hadn't heard that, but it makes some sense. They're a sitting duck for a boat-bomb, like hit the USS Cole. The exact location of the ship isn't really important as part of the story, beyond just the general vicinity, so may as well keep it confidential.
After so long stuck on the boat with nothing to do, were any of the parents all that eager to find them?
Mmmm. Spam and Pop Tarts.
I’m surprised they didn’t drop a bunch of MRE’s.
They should at least drop in some MRE’s............
Somali pirates lurk on FR.
Pretty good alright. ;^)
I doubt it. Especially on the food these folks are getting.
Carnival is going to take a hit on this...
Ha! Great minds.
You were apparently not treated to Army MRE “food” affectionately known as the “four fingers of death” and “wild turkey surprise.” The freeze-dried brick labeled as a “pork patty” was also entertaining, but not as food.
They have more than enough booze on board, they just closed the bars. Guess they don’t want passengers getting belligerent.
>>Carnival is such garbage. The cruise ships pay zero taxes, tear up reefs, purge their tanks of oil and waste. They suck. I would take the oil industry over cruise ships any day of the week.<<
Man, did you wake up grumpy!
Zombies? Hell, they locked up the liquor so the passengers won’t kill the crew!...........
I hope they can sell the vouchers on eBay or somewhere. take the money and run
Many years ago my mother and her sister were on a cruise ship that had a similar problem down in the Caribbean. It took two days to tow them back into port in one of the islands where they were put up in a hotel. They then got air fair back to Ft. Lauderdale, a total refund for that cruise, and a voucher for a future cruise.
BTW. She said they had a lot of fun anyway but thankfully, the seas were calm so they were in no real danger.
LOL... good one. If it’s a scavenger hunt for children do you just keep whichever ones you find?
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