The Carnival Dream is docked at Phillipsburg in St. Maarten after reported equipment problems. Dream passenger Wendy Packard said in a tweet that things were normal on board the ship, except that it couldn’t go anywhere. Two other passengers also described their experiences.
A month after a Carnival cruise ship was stranded for five days in the Gulf of Mexico, another of its cruise ships is reporting equipment problems in the Caribbean.
A U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman in Miami said Thursday that Carnival Dream's captain notified the agency of possible trouble with the ship's propulsion system.
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The cruise ship, which has a capacity of 3,646 passengers and 1,367 crew members, is docked at Phillipsburg in St. Maarten.
In a statement issued early Thursday, Carnival said their engineering team is working on the technical issue.
"At no time did the ship lose power but there were periodic interruptions to elevators and toilets for a few hours last night," the statement read, in part. "However at this time all hotel systems are functioning normally and have been functional since approximately 12.30 a.m. The ship has full power but is still at dock while personnel continue to work on the technical issue."
All of the ship's activities and facilities are fully operational, the company said.
“I think there was a toilet overflowing in one of the public restrooms because people had not listened to that you couldn’t use the toilets," one passenger said. "Toilets are working, everything is fine.”
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Carnival said they're making arrangements to fly all the passengers home through charter and scheduled flights from St. Maarten. They will also receive a refund equal to three days of the voyage and 50 percent off a future cruise.
Passengers are expected to return to Orlando International Airport as soon as Friday morning.
Petty Officer Sabrina Laberdesque says the ship has sewage and power and officials are working to correct the problems. She says the Coast Guard is not involved because the ship is moored.
The Dream, which is based in Port Canaveral, was on the last leg of a seven-day cruise.
Carnival said the ship's next voyage, which was expected to leave Saturday, will be cancelled and guests on that cruise will receive a full refund, 25 percent off a future cruise, and reimbursement for non-refundable transportation.
An engine fire crippled the Carnival Triumph in February, leaving 4,200 without working toilets or power.
Carnival said in a statement late Thursday that another of its ships, the Carnival Legend, is experiencing a technical issue that's slowing its sailing speed.
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The Legend's Friday planned visit to Grand Cayman has been canceled as a result, and the ship will head to its home port of Tampa, where it's due to arrive on time on Sunday, the company said.
