Drifting Cruise Ship a New Vacation Nightmare Tale

Almost everyone has a vacation horror story. Airlines lose bags. Someone takes a wrong turn and ends up missing a flight. The kids get sick. Some stories trump others, but for the 4,500 passengers on a Carnival cruise ship that was stranded in the Pacific Ocean their story probably takes the pot at the office party.

Passengers on the Carnival Splendor expected a pleasant seven-day cruise through the Mexican Riviera. A fire on board the ship changed all expectations of a smooth ride. Although noone was injured during the fire the jolt woke many of the passengers and smoke filled hallways on the back of the ship. The odor of smoke reached as far as the front cabins.

The fear of a fire at sea was enough to make some passengers panic, but the ordeal was only beginning. The ship lost power was now adrift more than 200 miles from its destination of San Diego and about 44 miles away from the coast of Mexico. Carnival said that crankcase split on one of the ship’s diesel engines, which caused the fire.

The passengers where told almost immediately that the ship did not have to be abandoned, but the vacation was over. The ship had no air conditioning, hot water or warm food. The entertainment closed and guests could not go into the pools. Passengers and crew had to make due on the Spam, Pop Tarts and canned goods flown in by Navy helicopters.

Tugboats slowed pulled the ship toward San Diego, and people passed the time as best they could. No one was injured and the ship made it home safely, but for this group of vacationers getting stranded at sea probably beats their previous bad travel stories. And Carnival is probably pondering debt consolidation service after this public relations nightmare.