Galveston-Bound Cruise Passengers Stuck At Sea
February 11, 2013
by: Laurie Johnson
The cruise ship Carnival Triumph has more than 4,000 people on board. A fire Sunday morning took out one of the engines, along with power and running water.
Carnival issued a statement saying some auxiliary power has been restored and the ship is being tugged to the nearest port at Progresso, Mexico.
Carolyn Spencer Brown is editor-in-chief of CruiseCritic, a popular cruise review website.
She says incidents like this one are not uncommon and it will have a negligible effect on the industry.
"It's not a great vacation to be stranded at sea, it's fairly rare. And it's being taken care of. Everyone is fed and safe and that's why I don't think there will be much of an impact later."
Brown says Carnival has handled the situation well, but she says she is concerned that this is the second time in two years that a Carnival ship lost power and was adrift at sea.
"Two in a row like this, you know it does raise my eyebrows a little bit. But I also know for a fact and beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Carnival is very serious, very committed to keeping its ships in good shape and to making sure that safety and security are the highest priorities. They really are."
Triumph's passengers will arrive in Mexico Wednesday and be flown back to the U.S.
The ship was supposed to dock in Galveston today.
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