Carnival Cruise’s Triumph docks in Alabama
Passengers aboard the Carnival Cruise ship Triumph are finally off the ‘Cruise from Hell.’
The boat docked in Mobile, Alabama at 9:15 last night. All the passengers are now off the ship. Some have arranged private rides to get home. Others chose between bus rides to Houston, Galveston and New Orleans.
The passengers that chose to New Orleans will take flights to their final destinations later today. Some are expected to arrive Bush Intercontinental Airport between 9 o’clock this morning and 6 o’clock tonight.
The five-day ordeal was tough on all the passengers but they tried to make the best of it. Some used humor to pass the time.
“That’s what kept us going. We were making jokes about having to poop in a bag,” one passenger said.
Passenger Ed Buck of Houston told KTRH despite their ordeal the crew did everything possible to make them comfortable.
“They have gone above and beyond anything that could have been done. They’ve been working 15-hour days. Everybody was smiling and trying to make everybody happy,” Buck said.
Buck said people will take shots at Carnival Cruises, but the crew on board the Triumph deserves nothing praise.
“They’ve been fantastic. As soon as there was a problem there were three different cruise ships that offered assistance,” Buck explained.
All passengers will get a refund for the trip they endured, plus 500 dollars and incentives as the company tries to make up for their ordeal. Passenger Chris McCord was asked by KTRH's Michael Berry if that was enough.
“I think it’s fair. That will cover my time off. For me to have 500, and for my wife to have 500, that covers my whole week,” McCord said.
McCord said the conditions at times were just horrific.
“All we were eating were onion sandwiches at one point. We had to go up to the top deck because it was hot and stinky. It smelled like a port-o-can,” McCord explained.
There was only one medical issue to let you know about. A woman suffered a stroke on board yesterday and was taken off the ship. We have no update on her condition at this time.
