14°c Light rain showers
13°c Variable cloudiness
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Vacation from hell finally over
Cruise ship pulls into port, expected to take five hours to disembark
Dave Martin / The Associated Press The Carnival Triumph is towed by a tugboat into Mobile Bay, Ala., Thursday. (CP)
Related Items
MOBILE, Ala. -- A cruise ship disabled for five nightmarish days in the Gulf limped under tow into port with more than 4,000 people aboard late Thursday, passengers raucously cheering the end to an ocean odyssey they say was marked by overflowing toilets, food shortages and foul odours.
"Sweet Home Alabama!" read one of the homemade signs passengers affixed alongside the 14-storey ship as many raucously cheered at deck rails lining several levels of the stricken ship Triumph. The ship's horn loudly blasted several times on its final docking approach as some gave a thumbs-up sign and flashes from cameras and cellphones lit the night.
"Hello, Mobile!" someone aboard shouted amid the cheering. Some danced in celebration on one of the balconies. "Happy V-Day" read one of the homemade signs made for the Valentine's Day arrival and another, more starkly: "The ship's afloat, so is the sewage."
A few dozen relatives on the top floor of the parking deck of the terminal were waving lights at the ship as it was carefully making its way alongside. Those about were screaming, whistling and taking pictures.
Hundreds gawked from dockside at the arrival at the Alabama cruise terminal in Mobile, the state's only seaport, as the Triumph inched into port about 9:15 p.m. It took six gruelling hours navigating the 50-kilometre-odd-mile ship channel to dock, guided by at least four towboats. Nearly 275 metres in length, it was the largest cruise ship ever to dock at Mobile.
And even once it is stable, it will take four to five hours for all the 3,000 passengers to be off, said Carnival senior vice-president of marketing Terry Thornton.
Passengers on board in texts and flitting cellphone calls described miserable conditions while at sea, many anxious to walk on solid ground.
They have the option of a seven-hour bus ride to the Texas cities of Galveston or Houston or a two-hour trip to New Orleans. Some also can stay in Mobile.
"I can't imagine being on that ship this morning and then getting on a bus," said Kirk Hill, whose 30-year-old daughter, Kalin Christine Hill, is on the cruise. "If I hit land in Mobile, you'd have a hard time getting me on a bus."
Buses are standing by to take them to their next stop and Galveston is the home port of the ill-fated ship, which lost power in an engine-room fire Sunday some 240 kilometres off Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill apologized at a news conference.
"I appreciate the patience of our guests and their ability to cope with the situation. And I'd like to reiterate the apology I made earlier. I know the conditions on board were every poor," he said.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 15, 2013 A20
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 23 articles for today)
'Hunger Games: Catching Fire' dampened but not washed out at Cannes Film Festival
6:33 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular World
- Majority of number combinations purchased for $600M Powerball jackpot, odds better for big win
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- 60 sent to hospitals as NYC commuter trains collide in Connecticut after 'major derailment'
- Sexy 'nuns' stripped at disco in Berlusconi's villa: witness
- IRS targeted tea party but ignored most influential political groups
- Lone survivor of 1987 Michigan airplane crash that killed 156 breaks silence in documentary
- Denmark's Emmelie de Forest wins Eurovision song contest ahead of Azerbaijan, Ukraine
- How 23-year-old Candice Glover of South Carolina won the 12th season of 'American Idol'
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Police arrest 12-year-old boy in connection with stabbing death of 8-year-old sister at home
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Bodies of woman, 13-year-old son found after NJ standoff; boyfriend killed, 3 kids safe
- 3 women found in Cleveland house happy to be home, ask for privacy to reconnect with family
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Jurors find Jodi Arias eligible for death penalty after murder conviction in boyfriend killing
- Boston Marathon runners who couldn't finish because of blasts can return in 2014
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Police: Boston Marathon bomb suspect fired shots from boat, hospitalized in serious condition
- Boston Marathon bombing suspect hospitalized under heavy guard; Boston area breathes easier
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- As Boston mourns, suspected brothers' radicalism comes into focus
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Boston Marathon bomb suspect is captured, brother killed after all-day drama paralyzes city
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Man charged after overnight feast in closed Kentucky supermarket
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Lawyer: Saudi man travelling with pressure cooker didn't know device used in Boston bombings
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Shady characters: Cookie Monster, Elmo accused of aggressive behaviour in Times Square
- 'Ring of fire' eclipse a delight Down Under
- Highly flammable gas acetylene explodes at W.Va. distributor; 2 workers injured
- Police: Boston Marathon bomb suspect fired shots from boat, hospitalized in serious condition
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Man testifies it was like he'd been 'murdered' the night wife cut off penis
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- As killings for ivory grow, many Tanzanians see official hands in elephant slaughter
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Boston Marathon bomb suspect is captured, brother killed after all-day drama paralyzes city
- Boston Marathon bombing suspect hospitalized under heavy guard; Boston area breathes easier
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.