After suffering through five distressing days at sea on a paralyzed cruise liner, some unfortunate passengers still couldn’t get home.
According to an AP report on Feb. 15, a handful of passengers who disembarked the immobilized Carnival cruise ship Triumph and boarded a charter bus to New Orleans suffered yet another unbelievable setback as their bus broke down.
Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said a bus was sidelined Friday on the way to New Orleans after leaving Mobile, Ala. Another bus was readied and sent to pick up the stranded passengers, who had already had their fill of delays and setbacks.
Gulliksen said passengers leaving the Triumph were presented with three options – take a bus and pick up their vehicles in the departure port in Galveston, Texas, board a bus to New Orleans to stay at a hotel before a charter flight home or be picked up.
Those who chose the option of the bus ride did not get into New Orleans until late Friday morning, despite the crippled liner docking Thursday night in Mobile.
Over 4,200 passengers happily made their way onto land late Thursday, cheering raucously as they fled overflowing toilets, foul odors, makeshift bed sheet tents and food shortages.
"It was horrible, just horrible" said Maria Hernandez, 28, of Angleton, Texas.
Twenty charter flights were scheduled to leave New Orleans later Friday to take guests home who opted to spend the night in hotels.
"It just feels so good to be on land again and to feel like I have options," said Tracey Farmer of Tulsa, Okla. "I'm just ready to see my family. It's been harder on them than us I think because they've been so worried about us. It's been extremely stressful for them."
"This is my first and last cruise. So if anyone wants my free cruise, look me up," said Kendall Jenkins, 24, of Houston.
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