Just a month after the notorious Carnival Triumph was stranded at sea, arrangements are being made once again to fly all 4,300 Carnival cruise passengers home following reports of power outages, problems with the propulsion system and overflowing toilets aboard the docked Carnival Dream in the Caribbean.
Both a U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman and a petty officer reported the issues to The Associated Press on Thursday, though Carnival has refuted any power outages.
“Yesterday, during regularly scheduled testing of the ship’s emergency diesel generator, a malfunction occurred,” Carnival said in a statement. “At no time did the ship lose power and the ship’s propulsion systems and primary power source was not impacted. The ship is at dock in St. Maarten. All guests are safe and comfortable. There were periodic interruptions to elevators and restroom services for a few hours last night. However, all hotel systems are functioning normally and have been functional since approximately 12:30 a.m.”
Carnival said that arrangements are being made to fly all passengers home via private charter flights and scheduled flights from St. Maarten, Fox News reports. Passengers will receive a refund equivalent to three days of the voyage and 50 percent off a future cruise. The ship’s next voyage, scheduled for Saturday, also has been canceled, Fox reports.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.