Passengers aboard cruise ship are 'safe and healthy,' Coast Guard says

Passengers and crew members aboard the disabled cruise ship Carnival Splendor are "safe and healthy," according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which sent a health service technician and food service technician to the ship.

The Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau is shadowing the 952-foot Splendor as tugs pull it slowly to San Diego. The ship, left powerless by an engine compartment fire Monday morning, is estimated to arrive in San Diego by midday Thursday.

The cruise ship has 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew members. The ship remains without air conditioning and hot-food service, although the toilets are working and passengers are able to make sporadic phone calls.

In calls to friends ashore, passengers report long lines for food and a feeling of boredom and frustration but no major problems.

The cruise ship company is arranging hotel accomodations and travel arrangements for the passengers. The ship departed Long Beach on Sunday for what was supposed to be a seven-day trip to the Mexican Riviera.

Related: Carnival Splendor passenger describes 2-hour lines for food, other problems

Related: Powerless Carnival cruise ship pulled to San Diego

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Comments

[Anonymous]

Some T-shirt entrepreneurs need to make it to the cruise shipmwhen it docks. For example : "'I went on a Mexican cruise and all I got was Spam and this lousy T-Shirt" :)

[Alea Bella]

So, just how hot is it on the open sea w/o air-conditioning? The media acts like this a real disaster to be inconvienced for several days. I, personally, would consider it an experience to tell my grandkids about. But wait, this is what happened to my husband and I on a Princess cruise line in 2008. Our cruise was terminated out of Southhampton, England the morning after our embarkation. Yes, we were not only reimbursed for the cancelled cruise, but reimbursed for our airfare back to the USA, plus several nights hotel stay in London. We, also, were given $1500 credit toward another cruise destination, so we completed our coastal cruise last fall. Of course, we love cruising and will continue to cruise whenever we can afford to. The Carnival’s Splendor is a beautiful ship. This is very unfortunate for everyone involved, especially the crew members who are having to deal with media-fueled panic.
With Thanksgiving ahead, just think of our forefathers’ trip over on the Mayflower….something to ponder.
Alea