Carnival Triumph is scheduled to depart Mobile, Ala., this afternoon under its own power bound for Freeport, Bahamas, to enter a dry dock facility where final repairs and shipboard operating enhancements will be completed, along with implementation of a variety of new Fun Ship 2.0 features. The ship is expected to arrive at Grand Bahama Shipyard on Saturday, May 11.

Following the dry dock, Carnival Triumph is slated to re-enter regular service from Galveston, Texas, June 13, 2013.

“With the ship temporarily out of service for repairs, we decided to take the opportunity to add a host of new dining and bar venues that are part of our tremendously popular fleetwide Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement program,” said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines.

Fun Ship 2.0 is a $500 million product-enhancement initiative being gradually rolled out across the Carnival fleet.

New features being added to Carnival Triumph during its dry dock include:

In addition to installation of the Fun Ship 2.0 features and other repairs, as part of a $300 million fleetwide program announced in April, Carnival Triumph is being outfitted with new systems to improve operating reliability to further prevent a potential loss of primary power, an upgrade in fire detection and suppression systems, and, in the rare event of a loss of main power, additional emergency backup power to provide core hotel services to ensure guest comfort.

When Carnival Triumph resumes year-round service from Galveston June 13, the ship will sail four-day cruises to Cozumel, Mexico, and five-day cruises to Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico.

Source: Carnival Cruise Lines

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Industry giant Carnival is facing more complaints today in the wake of a marred relaunch of one of its older ships.

The 3,006-passenger Carnival Sunshine, which set sail today for the first time since a two-and-a-half month, $155 million overhaul in dry dock, is experiencing problems with some cabins as well as the closure of elements of its top decks because of unfinished work, according to passengers on the vessel.

A spokeswoman for Carnival tells USA TODAY the ship's new WaterWorks water park and SportsSquare recreational area are "still undergoing final finishing work," and the ship's main Lido pool is closed due to "technical issues."

Still, Carnival's Jennifer de la Cruz says problems with the 17-year-old vessel are isolated. "The (adults-only) Serenity pool, waterfall and adjacent whirlpools are open," she says, and "all dining venues, bars, lounges, entertainment, spa, youth areas, casino and other public areas of the vessel are operating normally."

De la Cruz calls problems with cabins on the ship minor in the wake of the overhaul and typical of those found on new and refurbished ships.

"As is sometimes the case with both new ships and major refurbishments, some minor issues are being reported with guest staterooms and those are being addressed on an individual basis," de la Cruz says.

The overhaul of the Carnival Sunshine, formerly known as the Carnival Destiny, was one of the biggest ever for an older cruise ship and included the addition of a partial deck and the expansion of two other decks. The makeover brought the ship 182 new cabins as well as new eateries, lounges and deck-top amusements.

The Carnival Sunshine is a sister vessel to the Carnival Triumph, which was left adrift in the Gulf in Mexico in February following an engine room fire. The overhaul of the Carnival Sunshine was extended by several weeks after the incident so the company could make changes to its engine rooms and fire suppression systems.

Carnival Sunshine is on a 12-day Mediterranean cruise out of Venice, Italy, that concludes in Barcelona on May 17.

By Gene Sloan, USA Today

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Carnival Freedom scored 100 during its most recent United States Public Health (U.S.P.H.) inspection in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., marking the fourth time in the past five inspections that the ship has earned a perfect score.

Carnival Freedom received perfect scores on all 42 items that comprise the U.S.P.H.’s comprehensive Vessel Sanitation Program checklist. The unannounced inspections, which are conducted twice a year and required for any cruise ship with an international itinerary calling at a U.S. port, evaluate vessels in a wide variety of areas, including adherence to proper food handling, preparation and storage procedures, and overall galley cleanliness. Ships’ potable water supplies used in spas and pools are evaluated, as well.

The 2,974-passenger Carnival Freedom operates year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale.

By Carnival Cruise Lines

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Another Carnival cruise ship has experienced a power failure at sea, albeit a brief one.

The power outage on the 2,056-passenger Carnival Ecstasy occurred late Wednesday and only lasted for about 12 minutes, Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen tells USA TODAY.

The ship was sailing off the coast of Florida at the time of the incident.

Gulliksen says the power loss was caused by a mechanical issue that was quickly repaired. There was no engine fire on the vessel, as was reported early Thursday by a Florida news outlet.

All hotel services on the ship including toilets and elevators are working.

Gulliksen says the Ecstasy returned this morning to its home port of Port Canaveral, Fla., as scheduled. The ship was at the end of a five-day cruise that began Saturday.

The power loss on the Ecstasy comes two months after an engine room fire knocked out power on the Carnival Triumph as it was sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving the 2,758-passenger ship dead in the water. Passengers described miserable conditions as the ship was towed to Mobile, Ala., and the much-publicized incident has dealt a significant blow to the line's reputation.

Carnival on Wednesday announced plans for a massive, $300 million upgrade to emergency power systems, fire systems and engine-related electrical components on its 24 ships to prevent a repeat of what happened on the Carnival Triumph.

By Gene Sloan, USA Today

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Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation today announced that it has implemented a program to significantly enhance emergency power capabilities, introduce new fire safety technology, and improve the level of operating redundancies across its entire 24-ship fleet.

This enhancement program will cost more than $300 million, and rapid upgrades have already begun.

The actions by Carnival Cruise Lines will expand the availability of hotel services for the comfort of its guests in the rare instance of a shipboard event that involves the loss of main power. In addition, the plan will reinforce key shipboard operating systems to further prevent a potential loss of primary power. The improvement plan is the result of a comprehensive operational review, overseen by parent company Carnival Corporation & plc, initiated immediately after the Carnival Triumph fire in February 2013.

“All of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships operate safely today. Each vessel already has effective systems in place to prevent, detect and respond to emergency situations, and we meet or exceed all regulatory requirements,” said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. “However, by applying lessons learned through our fleet-wide operational review after the Carnival Triumph fire and by taking advantage of new technologies, we have identified areas for enhancement across our operations. These initiatives reflect our commitment to safe and reliable operations and an enjoyable cruising experience for the nearly 4.5 million guests who sail with Carnival Cruise Lines each year.”

Increased Emergency Generator Power

The initial increase in emergency generator power across Carnival Cruise Lines’ fleet of 24 ships will be completed over the next several months. An additional emergency generator will be installed on each vessel to provide for 100 percent of stateroom and public toilets, fresh water and elevators in the unlikely event of a loss of main power. The work is already underway and will not affect scheduled itineraries. Upon completion of the initial phase, the line will install a second permanent back-up power system on each ship to provide an even greater level of hotel and guest services if main power is lost. These additional services will include expanded cooking facilities and cold food storage, as well as internet and telephone communications.

“Although every ship in our fleet currently has emergency back-up power which is designed to enable the continuous operation of safety equipment and some hotel services, it is our intent to significantly bolster that back-up power to support the core hotel services. With this improvement, we will better ensure guest comfort in the rare instance of a loss of main power,” said Cahill.

Increased Fire Prevention, Detection and Suppression Systems

The company will also make additional investments in the newest and most technically advanced fire prevention, detection and suppression systems. This includes upgrading the existing water mist fire suppression systems already in place on Carnival vessels to the newest generation. When triggered, this high-pressure water mist system instantly creates a larger and thicker blanket of water droplets than the present system. As the water droplets evaporate, the system also rapidly cools any hot areas to prevent the possibility of a fire restarting.

“On Carnival Triumph, our fire systems were effective and our teams performed well in controlling and extinguishing the fire. However, we want to take advantage of the latest and most-advanced generation of fire safety systems to enhance the current extensive capabilities across our fleet,” added Cahill.

Enhanced Operating Redundancies

All of Carnival Cruise Lines ships have two separate, redundant engine rooms. The company’s operational review has identified modifications to further decrease the likelihood of losing propulsion or primary power, as happened on Carnival Triumph in February. The modifications will include a reconfiguration of certain engine-related electrical components. On ships where these enhancements will be made, the design and fabrication of specialized components will require longer lead times for completion, in contrast to the immediate upgrades to back-up emergency power and other systems.

Last month, Carnival Cruise Lines announced results from the first phase of the company’s operational review, specifically addressing Carnival Triumph and Carnival Sunshine, both of which are currently out of service. The plan for each of these ships addresses each of the three areas outlined above.

Company to Form New Safety & Reliability Review Board

Carnival Cruise Lines also announced the formation of a Safety & Reliability Review Board comprised of outside experts with significant expertise in marine and occupational safety, reliability and maintenance, marine regulatory compliance and quality control/assurance. The company already receives oversight and input from outside regulatory authorities and industry experts. The new Review Board will provide an additional, independent third-party perspective, drawing from deep experience across a number of relevant fields and organizations.

The Review Board will be comprised of five external members. Active searches are underway for candidates with previous experience in organizations such as the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and National Transportation Safety Board, as well as leading airlines and equipment manufacturers.

“The formation of our Safety & Reliability Review Board is an integral part of how Carnival Cruise Lines will drive continuous improvement across our fleet. We will be responsive to its recommendations,” said Cahill.

Carnival Corporation & plc Fleet Enhancements

Parent company Carnival Corporation & plc previously announced a corporate-wide operational review of all 10 of its brands and 101 ships. The review process will include learnings from the recent incidents that can be applied across the corporation’s fleet. Carnival Corporation & plc has confirmed that, based on the results of the ongoing review, the latest versions of technologies and enhancements will also be implemented on the remainder of the fleet where they are not already present. The overall program of enhancements across the corporation’s 101-ship fleet, including Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships, is expected to cost between $600 and $700 million.

“Our fleet already operates at a high standard of reliability. The investments announced today for Carnival Cruise Lines, and those we will continue to make, will reinforce our ability to consistently deliver the customer experience that 10 million people every year have come to expect from us across our fleet of 101 ships. Absolutely nothing is more important than the safety and comfort of our guests and crew, and we will use the full resources of our company to meet that commitment,” said Micky Arison, Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

Initial implementation of the upgrades to the Carnival Corporation & plc fleet will take place during the next several months. Each class of ship is different and often systems differ on ships within a class, so the enhancements will be tailored to each vessel. All findings from the operational review will be shared with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) as part of the industry-wide operational review announced in March.

Source: Carnival Cruise Lines

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MIAMI (AP) — Carnival Corp. said Monday it will repay the U.S. government an unspecified amount for the costs to taxpayers of responses to disabling accidents on its Triumph and Splendor cruise ships, both of which left thousands of passengers stranded at sea for days.

The world's largest cruise line company said the payments were being made voluntarily to the U.S. Treasury Department and that no government agency had requested reimbursement for either accident.

But Carnival had come under pressure from U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who was highly critical last week of Carnival's indirect responses to his inquiries about its willingness to pay.

Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, estimated the Coast Guard's costs in dealing with the crippled Triumph earlier this year at nearly $780,000. The 2010 engine fire that left the Splendor adrift off of Mexico, he said, cost the Coast Guard and Navy about $3.4 million. The Navy work in that case included delivering food from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

In both cases, passengers were left in uncomfortable and even squalid conditions before the ships made it back to port.

Carnival's statement did not say if it would pay those amounts or something else. But the company insisted that it never flatly rejected the idea of reimbursement.

"It should be clearly noted that at no point in time has Carnival stated that it would refuse to reimburse federal agencies if they sought remuneration," the company statement said.

Last week, in response to written questions from Rockefeller about repaying the costs, Carnival released letters responding to the senator stating that its policy in such situations is to "honor maritime tradition" requiring assistance to those in need at sea from all maritime interests. Carnival also said in those letters that it frequently participates in rescues at Coast Guard request and strongly defended its safety record.

Rockfeller had labeled that initial response as "shameful" and indicated then that he might hold hearings or propose legislation.

"I'm glad to see that Carnival owned up to the bare minimum of corporate responsibility by reimbursing federal taxpayers for these two incidents," Rockfeller said in a statement Monday. "I am still committed to making sure the cruise industry as a whole pays its fair share in taxes, complies with strict safety standards, and holds the safety of its passengers above profits."

The 900-foot Triumph was disabled during a February cruise by an engine room fire in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving thousands of passengers to endure cold food, unsanitary conditions and power outages while the ship was towed to Mobile, Ala. It is still undergoing repairs there.

The 952-foot Splendor was also hobbled by an engine fire in January 2010, leaving its thousands of passengers to endure similar difficult conditions for three days in the Pacific Ocean while it was towed to San Diego. The Splendor is now back in service and cruises out of New York, according to Carnival's web site.

In both cases, Carnival gave passengers refunds, free cruise vouchers and other forms of reimbursement.

Carnival is also dealing with last year's grounding and capsizing of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy, which killed 32 people and spawned both criminal investigations and lawsuits. Costa is one of Carnival's six cruise brands.

By Curt Anderson, Associated Press

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Travel agents and industry analysts agree that while cruise pricing is down at Carnival Cruise Lines in the fallout of February's engine room fire on the Carnival Triumph, other lines are maintaining - and in some cases increasing - their fare levels.

According to a report last week in Travel Weekly, a Jeffries International analyst said that cruise pricing fell overall in March because of declines among the Carnival Corp. brands.

The report found that for cruises in the next few months, prices are 2.1% lower than they were at this time last year. An 8.9% drop in pricing at Carnival Corp. is offsetting price increases of more than 7% at Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.

In March, Carnival Corp. chairman Micky Arison told analysts that bookings at Carnival Cruise Lines, which declined by double digits in the days after the Triumph fire, had rebounded significantly, thanks in part to price promotions.

Travel agents said that those promotions were continuing at Carnival, but that the other lines had mostly managed to avoid them.

"It used to be that 'as goes Carnival, so goes the rest of the contemporary market,' but now it's to a much lesser degree," said Kevin Weisner, vice president of CruiseDeals. Weisner said that while Carnival pricing can "create a drag" on lines like Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, those companies have more of their fleet in Europe where they source locally.

"Carnival remains primarily a domestic brand drawing from a U.S. population that's been witness to their media exposure," he explained.

Jill Rosenberg, manager of group and executive services for AAA Travel in Garden City, N.Y., said that Royal Caribbean and Norwegian were avoiding price-dropping by offering onboard amenities and cabin upgrades rather than discounts. And Joe McClure, president and co-owner of Montrose Travel, said his agency had noticed "only minor price modification for competing cruise lines, but nowhere near the level of discounting Carnival has been forced to make."

"Our customers are willing to spend a bit more to sail on competing products based on Carnival's press as of late," he added.

McClure and other agents also said that customers already booked on Carnival were seeing prices on those cruises go down later.

Rosenberg said that her agents were continually monitoring Carnival pricing to ensure their clients already booked were able to get the lower prices now being offered.

She noted that soft pricing at Carnival was also bringing out the line's die-hard fans.

"We have a lot of loyal Carnival cruisers that always had a positive experience," she said. "We have clients calling and saying the prices are great, let's look at Carnival."

By Johanna Jainchill, special for USA TODAY

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Carnival Legend departed Tampa yesterday on a 15-day trans-Atlantic crossing that will end in Barcelona on April 22, 2013, positioning the vessel for a summer schedule of 12-day European voyages, including the line’s first-ever Norwegian fjords cruise and its first extended program from the UK.

Carnival Legend will operate the company’s most diverse European schedule ever, encompassing 12-day voyages to Norway/Western Europe, the British Isles and the Baltic departing from Dover (London), along with 12-day Mediterranean cruises departing from Venice, Barcelona and Dover April 22 to September 13, 2013.

Following its European schedule, Carnival Legend will operate a one-of-a-kind 15-day trans-Atlantic crossing from London (Dover) to New York Sept. 25 – Oct. 10, 2013, calling at Dublin, Ireland; Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland; Belfast (Northern Ireland); Reykjavik, Iceland; Qaqortoq, Greenland; and St. John’s, Newfoundland (Canada).

Carnival Legend will resume its regular seven-day western Caribbean rotation from Tampa beginning Nov. 3, 2013.

Source: Carnival Cruise Lines

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The battle between Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and the cruise industry — Carnival Corp. in particular — shows no signs of heading into a détente. Rockefeller apparently was not placated by a letter from Carnival Chairman and CEO Micky Arison, who affirmed that his ships are safe and also provided a rebuttal to the senator’s concerns about 90 incidents over the past five years.

Indeed, Rockefeller now says he is planning further action to increase oversight over the cruise industry, which could include additional letters, hearings or legislation. He chairs the Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation, which held hearings on the cruise industry in 2012.

“Carnival’s response to my detailed inquiry is shameful,” Rockefeller said. “It is indisputable that Carnival passengers deserve better emergency response measures than they experienced on the Triumph. I am considering all options to hold the industry to higher passenger safety standards.”

Among his concerns, Rockefeller believes Carnival should reimburse the U.S. Coast Guard for expenses incurred when it assists ships in distress, such as when the Carnival Triumph lost power in the Gulf of Mexico in February. “The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy have indicated that the costs to them of responding to the 2010 Carnival Splendor incident were $1,541,904.53 and $1,884,376.75, respectively,” Rockefeller wrote in a March 14 letter to Arison. “More recently, the Coast Guard has indicated to me that the cost of responding to the Carnival Triumph incident is $779,914.26. These costs ultimately must be borne by federal taxpayers. Given that you reportedly pay little or nothing in federal taxes, do you intend to reimburse the Coast Guard and Navy for the cost of responding to either the Carnival Splendor marine casualty or the Carnival Triumph marine casualty?”

Carnival Corp.’s response came in a March 29 letter signed by Capt. James Hunn, senior vice president-corporate maritime policy: “Carnival’s policy is to honor maritime tradition that holds that the duty to render assistance at sea to those in need is a universal obligation of the entire maritime community,” Hunn wrote. “The cruise industry is no exception and…we frequently render assistance at sea at our own cost, on our own initiative or at the direct request of the U.S. Coast Guard and other authorities. For example, the U.S. Coast Guard requested assistance from the cruise industry 11 times in the past 12 months within Florida and Caribbean waters. This assistance included rescue efforts for vessels in distress. The duty to render assistance at sea is internationally recognized and all of our brands work with foreign governments and maritime authorities to render assistance at sea to others when the circumstance arise or when requested by such authorities in foreign or international waters. We remain deeply grateful for all of the services performed by the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy.”

By Theresa Norton Masek, Travel Pulse

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Carnival just can't seem to catch a break -- another cruise ship is experiencing problems and an island cruise center had to be shut down after many guests were reported sick.

On Wednesday, the Carnival Triumph broke loose from its dock in Mobile, Ala., after a storm. And Carnival said the Grand Turk cruise center will be closed for the rest of the week after a number of guests reported symptoms of gastroenteritis.

These latest debacles come a little over a month after an engine fire on the Triumph, the same ship that just broke loose, knocked out its power, stranding passengers for days in the Gulf of Mexico, and a year after the disastrous Costa Concordia shipwreck off the coast of Italy that left 32 people dead.

You might think the company's stock would be pummeled by wave after wave of bad news but in fact, it's currently trading right where it was before the Costa Concordia accident.

"I think after the Costa Concordia, we saw that business was very resilient," said Jaime Katz, an equity analyst at Morningstar.

"In the near term, people become very hesitant about paying up to take a cruise but as time lapses between any sort of accident and the booking of a cruise, the prices seem to rebound and become more resilient again and get back to a more normalized rate," she said.

Katz added that there is a lot of operating leverage in the cruise business and as long as the ships sail at capacity, they're going to be able to turn a profit.

"Obviously profitability is not growing how management wants it to grow but I think maybe not this year but next year, we start see kind of a a resumption in growth of earnings again," she said.

By Katie Little, CNBC

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Carnival Corp. indicated in a couple of letters to Senator Jay Rockefeller that it has no intent to reimburse the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy for assistance in the recent Carnival Triumph accident, the 2010 Carnival Splendor incidents, or any future problem where they require help from the U.S. government to aid a distressed vessel.

The senator from West Virginia penned a letter March 14 to Carnival CEO Micky Arison alleging that the U.S. Coast Guard responded to 90 “serious events” involving Carnival ships over five years, and that the Coast Guard and Navy had shelled out $4.2 million to cover the Carnival Triumph and Carnival Splendor incidents. The senator asked whether Carnival, since it pays “little or nothing in federal taxes,” will reimburse the Coast Guard and Navy.

Without giving a specific “yes” or “no” answer to the question, James Hunn, Carnival’s senior vice president, corporate maritime policy, wrote: “Carnival’s policy is to honor maritime tradition that holds that the duty to render assistance at sea to those in need is a universal obligation of the entire maritime community.”

For example, the Carnival Breeze diverted from its scheduled course on March 25 and helped the Coast Guard respond to two individuals requiring medical help in a small boat off the Florida coast, Hunn wrote.

Senator Rockefeller, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, wasn’t pleased with Carnival’s responses to his initial letter.

“Carnival’s response to my detailed inquiry is shameful,” Rockefeller tells Skift. “It is indisputable that Carnival passengers deserve better emergency response measures than they experienced on the Triumph. I am considering all options to hold the industry to higher passenger safety standards.”

Options under consideration would likely range from committee hearings to legislation.

Of the 90 incidents that Rockefeller cited in his letter to Arison, Hunn replied that only seven — including those involving the Carnival Splendor, Costa Concordia, Carnival Triumph and four others — amounted to “serious maritime incidents,” as defined by the Code of Federal Regulations.

Hunn dodged the issue of how much Carnival pays in federal taxes, but replied that cruise industry ships that call at U.S. ports “pay hundreds of millions of dollars in annual fees and taxes to federal, state and local government agencies in the form of port head taxes, dock fees, wharfage and other fees.”

Carnival Corp. is the largest cruise company in the world.

In his letter, Hunn goes to great lengths to defend Carnival’s safety record, outlining remedial steps Carnival and the cruise industry took in the wake of the Carnival Splendor, Costa Concordia, and Carnival Triumph incidents.

Arison wrote his own, shorter letter to Rockefeller in which the cruise and Miami Heat owner stood his ground.

Arison wrote to Rockefeller that his letter “seems to cover much of the same ground we discussed” at a meeting a year earlier. Arison indicated he thought the Senator had been satisfied with Carnival’s responses at that earlier meeting, although he characterized the meeting in the senator’s offices as involving a “frank discussion.”

“I assure you, as I did during our discussions, that we remain committed to the safety and comfort of our guests and we are proud of our ability to provide millions of people with safe, fun and memorable vacation experiences,” Arison wrote in a letter dated March 29.

Rockefeller’s office didn’t have any immediate response to the Carnival letters.

The letter exchange comes as Senator Charles Schumer of New York has called on the cruise industry to adopt a voluntary passenger bill of rights.

By Dennis Schaal, SKIFT.com

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The Carnival Triumph has broken away from its moorings at a shipyard in Mobile, Ala.

The cruise line said the ship drifted and was resting against a cargo vessel.

Tug boats and the U.S. Coast Guard were on site, the cruise line said.

Carnival blamed the breakaway on high winds in the area. Wind gusts reached 80 miles per hour in Mobile on Thursday.

Two security guards, employees of the shipyard, went into the water when their guard shack blew into the water during the high winds, ABC News Radio reported. One guard was found and one was still missing.

It did not appear anyone was on board at the time the ship broke away. There were no immediately reported injuries.

The Triumph was towed to Mobile after losing power during a round-trip cruise from Galveston, Texas, to Cozumel, Mexico, in February, stranding 4,000 people at sea for five days. A fire broke out in its engine room, disabling the vessel's propulsion system and knocking out much of its power.

The ship was taken out of service and was expected to sail again on June 3.

By Matt Gutman and Genevieve Shaw Brown

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The Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous stationed out of Cape May Training Station played an integral role in transporting the disabled Carnival cruise "Triumph" to safety.

Its crew returned home on Monday and spoke to NBC10's Doug Shimell who reports the details:

After a two-month journey, the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous finally came home on Monday, returning to its training center in Cape May, NJ.

For 60 days, the crew of the 270 foot coast guard cutter patrolled the Atlantic seaboard, the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Originally, the crew’s mission was to assist the Colombian Navy for a drug interdiction. In early February however, the crew was called in for a much bigger task.

“On the way we were informed about the cruise ship Triumph that was disabled and adrift,” said Captain Greg Magee, the commander of the Vigorous.

A fire broke out in the engine room of the Carnival Triumph, leaving the ship dead in the water and over 3,000 passengers stranded in the Gulf of Mexico.

The crew quickly learned of the poor conditions on the Triumph and immediately sprang into action, helping to transport desperately needed supplies to the passengers on board.

“We were concerned to make sure the ship was safe and that it had emergency power at least,” said Magee. “That it was stable and that they had enough food and water on board to last for the transit.”

The Vigorous crew also used one of their small boats designed for drug intercepts to transfer a dialysis patient from the crippled cruise ship to another vessel. Finally, they helped escort the ship to Mobile, Alabama.

Aside from helping with the Triumph and the drug interdiction, the Vigorous crew also helped restore a nursing home in Boca Del Toro, Panama during their time at sea.

Now that they're home, Magee says they've received nothing but gratitude for their heroic efforts.

“We have gotten some feedback from several passengers that were on board,” said Magee. “They felt better and knew things were going to be okay with us being on the scene.”

By David Chang, NBC 10 Philadelphia

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Yesterday Carnival Miracle arrived in Long Beach, Calif., following a 15-day Panama Canal cruise and began its new West Coast deployment with a seven-day cruise to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas that departed Sunday afternoon.

Carnival Miracle will operate another week-long Mexican Riviera cruise then embark on a 15-day Hawaii voyage departing Long Beach April 14 and arriving Vancouver April 29, 2013, visiting Hilo, Kona, Nawiliwili, Kahului, and Honolulu.

Carnival Miracle will then offer a special eight-day Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Seattle, positioning the vessel for a summer schedule of seven-day Alaska cruises round-trip from Seattle May 7 to Sept. 10. Those voyages will visit Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, as well as Victoria, British Columbia, and scenic cruising of Tracy Arm Fjord.

Upon the completion of its Alaska season, Carnival Miracle will offer another 15-day Hawaii cruise from Vancouver to Long Beach Sept. 17 to Oct. 2, then resume its Mexican Riviera program from Long Beach. Carnival Miracle’s West Coast deployment also includes three round-trip Hawaii cruises from Long Beach departing Oct. 19 and Dec. 7, 2013, and Jan. 18, 2014.

By Carnival Cruise Lines

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Yesterday evening at approximately 8:30 p.m., Carnival Breeze was alerted by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) that two adults on a sailboat were in need of urgent medical care. Carnival Breeze deviated course and proceeded to the location of the sailboat, roughly 24 miles southeast of Miami, and brought the individuals on board where they were evaluated by the ship’s physician.

Although the original plan was to transfer the two individuals to a USCG cutter, strong currents and large swells prevented a safe transfer so one of the guests whose condition was considered more serious was airlifted via a USCG helicopter last night and the other remained on board until Carnival Breeze reached Key West, its first scheduled port of call, this morning. Both individuals were taken to shoreside medical facilities.

Carnival Breeze will remain in Key West until 5 p.m. today and then continue on its current six-day cruise which departed yesterday from Miami. Carnival Breeze operates six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami year-round.

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Source: Carnival Cruise Lines

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Carnival Cruise Lines has announced the first implementation phase of its fleetwide comprehensive operational review, focused on Carnival Triumph, as well as Carnival Sunshine, which is currently undergoing a previously scheduled dry dock for product enhancements. The cruise line is making significant investments to enhance the level of operating redundancies and the scope of hotel services that can run on emergency power, and further improve each ship’s fire prevention, detection and suppression systems.

Given the necessary lead time to source needed materials and implement the enhancements, Carnival will extend the current out-of-service period for these two ships.

Carnival Triumph will now return to service on June 3, 2013, with a total of 10 additional cruises being canceled. Guests on the affected voyages will receive a full refund, reimbursement for non-refundable transportation costs and a 25 percent discount on a future four- to five-day cruise.

Carnival Sunshine, which is currently undergoing a multi-week dry dock to complete a comprehensive full-ship makeover, will now enter service May 5, 2013, following the cancellation of two European cruises. Guests on the canceled Carnival Sunshine voyages will receive a full refund, plus reimbursement for any non-refundable travel costs. Additionally, they will receive a 25 percent discount on a future cruise. The additional time out of service will allow for implementation of the enhanced operating redundancies and other measures.

“We sincerely regret canceling these cruises and disrupting our guests’ vacation plans,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines’ president and CEO. “We are fully committed to applying the recommendations stemming from our fleetwide review and to make whatever investments are needed despite the difficult decision to impact people’s vacations.”

Cahill continued, “Our team of experts has worked virtually around the clock to determine the best set of solutions and rapidly develop an effective implementation plan for both of these ships. Moving forward, we will have the ability to source materials and schedule improvements much more expediently, thus minimizing the scheduling impact on other vessels.

“I would like to provide continued assurances that all of our vessels have fully effective safety systems, equipment and training in place. Additionally, our ships receive regular inspections from the United States Coast Guard and other regulatory authorities. The changes we are implementing are focused primarily on improvements to better support continued power and hotel services should unexpected issues arise. In addition, we are applying new learnings and making enhancements in the area of fire suppression and extinguishing. Going forward, the review will focus on the balance of our fleet. While this process will take time, it is our highest priority and has the full support and resources of Carnival Cruise Lines and Carnival Corporation,” Cahill said.

Carnival Triumph operates year-round four- and five-day Mexico cruises from Galveston, Texas. Four-day cruises depart Thursdays and visit Cozumel while five-day cruises depart Mondays and Saturdays and call at Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico.

Carnival Sunshine is scheduled to operate a series of nine- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises May 5 to Oct. 20, 2013, either round-trip from Barcelona or sailing between Barcelona and Venice. The ship will sail on a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New Orleans Nov. 1-17, positioning the vessel for a special six-day Caribbean cruise departing Nov. 18 followed by the launch of year-round seven-day Caribbean service from New Orleans Nov. 24, 2013.

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Source: Carnival Cruise Lines

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Carnival Cruise Lines updated the status of three of its cruise ships, but also took the unusual step of refuting what it calls “confusing” and “inaccurate” media coverage. In a statement updating the Carnival Dream, Legend and Elation, Carnival said it wants “to answer your questions and clarify many misperceptions that are being driven by confusing and, in many cases, inaccurate media coverage.”

Carnival said it was completing the task of flying guests from the Carnival Dream, which remained docked in St. Maarten, to Orlando or their home airports via a combination of 21 charter flights and multiple commercial air flights. The company was also providing motorcoach transportation and about 600 hotel rooms in Orlando for guests who would need accommodations. The ship was expected to sail back to its homeport of Port Canaveral on March 17.

“The ship’s power plant, propulsion and hotel systems are fully operational. Aside from some periodic interruptions to restroom and elevator service for a few hours Tuesday night, at no time have any of the ship’s systems and services not been functional,” Carnival said. “One public restroom was taken offline for cleaning Tuesday evening, but otherwise there were no issues with sanitation functionality or cleanliness on the vessel. Reports to the contrary are completely false.”

Carnival reiterated that the Dream did not sail because it did not have a functioning back-up generator. A new one will be installed this week and the company expects the ship to depart on its next scheduled voyage on March 23.

Meanwhile, the Carnival Legend was expected to arrive and depart Tampa on March 17 after a propulsion issue forced the ship to sail at slower speeds of up to 19 knots. The ship’s safety systems, steering and hotel services are functioning normally, the company said. Technicians are working on repairs, but one port of call -- Grand Cayman -- is being replaced with Costa Maya. Guests who choose to cancel will receive a full refund.

Carnival said a few reports have circulated that the Carnival Elation required a tugboat to tow it into New Orleans last week. “At no time has the Carnival Elation been under tow or required the assistance of a tug boat,” the company said. “The ship continues to operate its normally scheduled itineraries. The ship is experiencing a minor technical issue with the steering function of one of its two redundant Azipod propulsion units and the tug that is trailing the ship while it travels on the Mississippi River is purely a precautionary measure. The ship is scheduled to return on time from its current voyage on Monday. Repairs are expected to be fully completed prior to the ship’s departure for its next cruise on Monday afternoon.”

Carnival concluded its statement with an apology and also said the string of problems is coincidental. “We would like to sincerely apologize to our guests for the disruption to their vacation plans as a result of these occurrences,” the company said. “The cause of each one is unrelated although we take each of them very seriously. As always, the safety of our guests and crew is our foremost priority. Carnival Cruise Lines carries some 4.5 million passengers a year and operates thousands of cruises without incident. Our historical safety record is outstanding. We have comprehensive maintenance programs in place that meet or exceed all regulatory standards and requirements.

“We are committed to learning from any incident that may occur on one of our vessels to apply lessons learned and prevent future occurrences,” Carnival’s statement continued. “We are presently conducting a comprehensive fleet-wide review that encompasses multiple operational areas, systems and training. We have assembled an expert team from across the company, as well as a variety of outside experts to complete the assessment. We expect to make an announcement early next week on the initial steps of our implementation program based on the results of our review. In the meantime, we are confident that we will continue to provide our guests with a safe, fun and memorable vacation experience and look forward to welcoming them on board.”

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By Theresa Norton Masek, Travel Pulse

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Another day, another Carnival cruise ship is having issues.

The company announced late Thursday night that the Carnival Legend, currently off the coast of Honduras, is unable to sail at its optimal speed because of a technical problem, forcing the ship to cut short passengers' vacation.

The Carnival Legend has canceled its visit to Grand Cayman today so it can immediately return to its homeport in Tampa Bay, Fla., according to a news release. The Legend is on the last leg of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Tampa March 10.

Carnival did not know the exact number of people on board the Legend but, according to its website, it can hold 2,124 passengers and 930 crew members.

About 1,500 miles away, passengers onboard the Carnival Dream will be flown home rather than completing the remainder of their cruise back to Florida after their ship stalled at a dock in St. Maarten with a mechanical problem Wednesday.

"Since it is unclear when the Carnival Dream will be departing St. Maarten," Carnival spokesperson Vance Gulliksen said in an email to ABC News Thursday, "it only makes sense that we fly guests home and we are in the process of arranging both charter and commercial flights for guests to be flown to Orlando or their final destinations."

The ship suffered from a malfunction to its backup generator, but Carnival says the Dream hasn't lost power and admits there where interruptions to elevators and toilets for a few hours Wednesday night.

Gulliksen said only one public restroom was taken offline for toilet overflow and there was "a total of one request for cleaning of a guest cabin bathroom. Aside from that, there have been no reports of issues on board with overflowing toilets or sewage."

The Carnival Elation also ran into weekend problems that prompted the line to give the ship a tugboat escort as it began its voyage from New Orleans March 9. The cruise line said the ship had a minor issue with one of the two units used to propel and steer the ship.

The ship's speed, hotel services and all other systems remained in normal working condition, Carnival said in a statement. "In the interest of extreme caution, we requested that a tugboat remain alongside the ship as it maneuvered away from the dock and into the river in New Orleans at the start of the voyage on Saturday, March 9. The tugboat trailed the ship down the Mississippi for good measure, although it was not needed. The ship's full itinerary is expected to operate normally."

The cruise line, the world's largest ship operator, suffered a public relations nightmare that played out in the media for nearly a week when the Carnival Triumph lost power a month ago. An engine fire crippled the Triumph, leaving more than 4,200 people stranded for five days with overflowing toilets, no power and a scarce food supply.

"You know what, I thought everyone gave me a hard time when I was booking this cruise saying I can't believe you are going on a Carnival cruise after what happened with the Triumph," Kris Anderson, who is on the Carnival Dream with his family, told ABC News Thursday.

"What are the odds it's going to happen again, right? And then look at us now," he added

Despite the mishap on the Dream, people are dealing with the headache in a good manner.

"People obviously are upset, disappointed but it seems like, in general, most folks are going with the flow," Anderson said.

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Source: By Genevieve Shaw Brown and Gio Benitez, ABC News

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(CNN) — First it was Triumph, then Elation, Dream and now Legend.

While they are happy names for cruise ships, some passengers say they’ve had experiences recently that belie those names.

In yet another setback, Carnival Cruise ship Legend is having technical difficulties that are affecting its sailing speed, the latest in a growing list of woes for the travel company.

The Legend was on the last leg of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Tampa on Sunday. Within a span of a month, three other Carnival Cruise ships have reported problems.

Carnival Dream lost power and some toilets stopped working Wednesday, and no one was allowed to get off the vessel docked at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, in the eastern Caribbean.

Carnival says it is flying the more than 4,000 passengers back to Florida and will give them discounts.

Carnival Elation had to be escorted by a tugboat Saturday because of a malfunction in its steering system, the cruise company said.

And in the most publicized case, last month, an engine room fire left the Carnival Triumph crippled and adrift in the Gulf of Mexico with more than 4,200 people aboard.

That scheduled four-day cruise stretched into eight days as tugs pulled the vessel into port in Alabama. Food was scarce and passengers sweltered in the heat with no air conditioning.

Passengers losing patience

Because of the problems on the Legend, Carnival said it had canceled a scheduled stop in Grand Cayman and the ship will make its trek back to its scheduled ending destination in Tampa, Florida.

Even though the vessel is expected to arrive on schedule Sunday, some are losing patience, passenger Rob Bonenfant said.

“Passengers are now really pissed off,” Bonenfant said via e-mail. “Mood on the ship is getting worse among passengers, captain is giving limited information.”

Carnival has promised to refund $100 to passengers and give them other refunds and discounts.

“Carnival Legend is experiencing a technical issue with one of the ship’s Azipod units that is affecting the vessel’s sailing speed,” the cruise company said. “The ship’s safety systems and hotel services are all functioning normally.”

The Azipod, a crucial part for steering and propelling a vessel, was the same issue that hampered the Carnival Elation on Saturday.

“Carnival is really screwing this up,” Bonenfant said. “Many have already said they will not book again with Carnival.”

Stuck in the Caribbean

Some passengers on Carnival’s stricken cruise ship Dream are also complaining.

Although power has been restored and facilities were functioning again, passengers still have to be flown back to Florida after the ship malfunctioned in the eastern Caribbean.

Cruise passengers received a letter from the captain, according to a passenger who e-mailed a photo of the correspondence to CNN.

Capt. Massimo Marino told passengers they will be booked on flights to Orlando or another destination. Passengers with cars at Port Canaveral will be bused from Orlando to the facility about an hour away.

The letter also offers passengers a three-day refund and a half-price cruise in the future.

The captain said passengers could “enjoy another day in beautiful St. Maarten” or stay onboard for a “full schedule” of activities.

“We sincerely apologize for the disappointment this unexpected change has caused and regret we were unable to provide you with the fun and memorable cruise vacation we had in store for you,” he wrote.

In a statement, Carnival said the ship’s emergency diesel generator failed. The ship’s next voyage was canceled, the cruise line said.

Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said Thursday that 4,300 guests were aboard the Dream along with about 1,300 crew members.

Carnival’s website puts the ship’s capacity at 3,646 passengers, but that’s based on only two people per cabin, and some cabins hold more, Gulliksen explained.

There are also three- and four-person cabins aboard.

The first flights for passengers stranded on cruise ship Dream will begin Friday at 9 a.m. ET., starting the process of 10 flights expected to take 2,184 passengers back home Friday, Carnival said.

More passengers will be taken on the weekend.

On Tuesday, Carnival announced it was conducting “a comprehensive review” of all of its 23 ships after a fire last month that crippled one of its ships in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving passengers stranded for days while the vessel was towed back to land.

Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said the probe will focus on the prevention, detection and suppression of fires, engine room redundancies, and what additional hotel facilities might be provided and might run off the emergency generators.

‘Human waste all over the floor’

After the problems began Wednesday, CNN was contacted by passengers describing the conditions.

Gregg Stark, who is traveling with his wife and two young children, said the conditions are deplorable.

“There’s human waste all over the floor in some of the bathrooms and they’re overflowing — and in the state rooms,” Stark said. “The elevators have not been working. They’ve been turning them on and off, on and off.”

An announcement over the ship’s public address system said the crew was trying to fix the problem and was working on the generators, according to Stark.

A few hours later, another announcement said the problem was worse than originally believed.

“We are not allowed off of the boat despite the fact that we have no way to use the restrooms onboard,” Jonathan Evans of Reidsville, North Carolina, said in an e-mail Thursday.

“The cruise director is giving passengers very limited information and tons of empty promises. What was supposed to take an hour has turned into 7-plus hours.”

But Thursday afternoon, Carnival told CNN that based on conversations with the ship’s management team, a look at service logs “and extensive physical monitoring of all public areas, including restrooms, throughout the night, we can confirm that only one public restroom was taken offline for cleaning based on toilet overflow and there was a total of one request for cleaning of a guest cabin bathroom.

“Aside from that, there have been no reports of issues onboard with overflowing toilets or sewage. The toilet system had periodic interruptions yesterday evening and was fully restored at approximately 12:30 a.m. this morning.”

‘This needs to change’

Last month, an engine room fire left the Carnival Triumph crippled and adrift in the Gulf of Mexico with more than 4,200 people aboard.

That scheduled four-day cruise stretched into eight days as tugs pulled the vessel into port in Alabama.

Food was scarce, and passengers sweltered in the heat with no air conditioning. People aboard also reported overflowing toilets and human waste running down the walls in some parts of the ship.

A class action lawsuit was filed against Carnival Corp. in the aftermath.

The Triumph is still undergoing repair at a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva said.

“We are now focused on the lessons we can learn from the incident and also what additional operational redundancies might be available,” Cahill said this week.

Another ship, the Carnival Splendor, had a fire in 2010 due to “a catastrophic failure of a diesel generator,” said Cahill, the Carnival president.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, sent a letter Wednesday to Micky Arison, the chief executive officer of Carnival Corp.

“The Coast Guard has responded to a string of 90 marine casualty incidents with passengers onboard Carnival ships in the last five years,” the West Virginia Democrat wrote. “

It seems that Carnival has failed to take any meaningful course of corrective action after these continual incidents. This needs to change.”

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After battling technical issues leaving the Carnival Dream docked in St. Maarten, Carnival Cruise Lines has elected to fly passengers home, cancelling the rest of the sailing as well as the next the next scheduled cruise.

The Carnival Dream has a technical issue with the ship’s backup emergency diesel generator which the Carnival engineering team is currently working on, according to the cruise line.

Yesterday, during regularly scheduled testing of the ship’s emergency diesel generator, a malfunction occurred. At no time did the ship lose power and the ship’s propulsion systems and primary power source was not impacted - according to the line/

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 12.30am.

While personnel continue to work on the technical issue Carnival is making arrangements to fly all guests home via private charter flights and scheduled flights from St. Maarten. Guests on the current voyage will receive a refund equivalent to three days of the voyage and 50 percent off a future cruise.

Carnival is also cancelling the ship's next voyage which is scheduled to depart on Saturday, March 16.

Guests scheduled to sail on this cruise will receive a full refund and 25 percent off a future seven-day cruise. Guests who re-book will have their current rate protected on the future sailing.

Additionally, any non-refundable transportation related expenses will be reimbursed.

Yesterday was a scheduled port of call visit to St. Maarten. Guests were able to spend the full day in port and have the option of continuing to do so until their scheduled return home. All of the ship's activities and facilities are fully operational.

The Carnival Dream was on the last leg of a seven-day cruise and was docked in St. Maarten when the technical problem arose. The ship is based in Port Canaveral, Fla.

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