But problems plagued ship before current crisis
The Carnival Cruise ship Triumph is scheduled to get to Mobile, Alabama this afternoon, but the current problems on board didn’t just pop up on Sunday.
Mindy Dlouhy was on board the Triumph from January 28th through February 2nd, and says there were problems from the get go.
“We had problems from the beginning. We got an email the night before that the ship had problems with the propulsion system,” Dlouhy told KTRH.
So what was supposed to be a two port trip turned into a one stop cruise. And Dlouhy says the end of the cruise was problematic as well.
Carnival Triumph staff sent out the following letter to passengers:
| Urgent Notice |
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
CARNIVAL TRIUMPH
JANUARY 28, 2013 |
|
January 27, 2013
Hi there,
Betcha can't wait for your cruise tomorrow, which is why we want to provide you with some important information regarding the arrival of the Carnival Triumph and our itinerary plans.
On her current cruise, the Carnival Triumph experienced a technical problem with the ship's propulsion system that is only affecting her maximum cruising speed. All other safety systems and hotel services are functioning normally.
Consequently, she will be delayed arriving tomorrow and is now expected to be alongside at approximately 12:00 PM (noon).
For your comfort and convenience, and since seating is limited at our cruise terminal, we ask that you not make your way to the terminal until 2:30 PM. Check-in for your cruise is now scheduled for 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM and we will set sail shortly thereafter.
I am sorry to say due to the limited cruising speed our itinerary will be impacted. Depending on the progress of the repairs, we will either visit Progreso or Cozumel. The good news is that we will remain docked overnight at either port. We will provide you with an update on our itinerary plans after we set sail tomorrow.
We sincerely apologize for this sudden change in plans. All guests who sail will receive a $50 per person credit on your onboard Sail & Sign Account. Should you wish to cancel, (and we hope you don't), please call 1800 CARNIVAL and we will provide you with a full refund of your cruise fare (posted to the original form of payment within 2 weeks).
To stay up to date on any changes, we encourage you to sign up for text alerts by texting CCL1 to CRUISE (278473). If you have already done so during your online check-in, you will automatically receive updates.
Thank you for your understanding. Once again, we're very sorry for this change and truly regret the disruption to your vacation plans.
More importantly, we can't wait to welcome you aboard the beautiful Carnival Triumph for a fun and memorable cruise!
See you soon!
Sincerely,
Vicky Rey, CTC
Vice President - Guest Services
Please do not reply to this email as the mailbox is not monitored.
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“The last night I smelt a horrible smell and later found out a sewer pipe broke. And then on the very last morning I guess they had a problem in the kitchen,” Dlouhy explained.
Dlouhy sent KTRH the following letter that was issued to passengers the same day:
So how did Carnival try to make it right with the passengers on that cruise?
“They were going to give us a fifty dollar on board credit. Later on they offered another fifteen dollars because we missed a lunch,” Dlouhy stated.
Dlouhy cannot understand why the ship was allowed to continue to operate since the problems were known to the cruise line weeks ago.
“They already knew from the ship prior to us. It wasn’t working correctly on that one,” Dlouhy said.
Dlouhy feels for the passengers on board now, who are being offered 500 dollars and a refund among other things. Amy Davis of our TV partner Local 2 doesn't think that will satisfy those on board.
(Photos by passenger Mindy Dlouhy)
“I doubt it will be enough. I will almost guarantee we’ll hear from a lot of people when they come off the ship they won’t be cruising again, certainly not with Carnival,” Davis stated.
Davis wonders if Carnival can survive as a business with all of this going on.
“Cruise prices were already low coming off a really bad year for Carnival last year. We’re going to have to see if Carnival can survive this incident,” Davis explained.
Carnival canceled 14 future cruises on Triumph through April.
Hear the podcast with Matt Patrick and Houston's Morning News as he talks with Davis and Dlouhy:
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