Tales From the Stranded Cruise

They probably won’t be cashing in that free cruise any time soon. Passengers from the stricken Carnival cruise ship, that arrived safely back in San Diego Thursday after an engine fire caused the ship to lose power Monday, are now sharing their stories of missing out on air conditioning, hot water, hot food, and even sewage pumps. The 4,500 passengers had to wait in line for hours for lettuce and tomatoes, and Navy helicopters flew in Spam, Pop Tarts, canned crab meat, and other goods from the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, which was on a training mission nearby. Edward Warschauer, of Reno, Nevada, said the worst thing was having to bail out his family’s toilet using a cup. "We have not had a hot cup of coffee in four days," said passenger Fahizah Alim, 26, of Sacramento, who ate at night by flashlight. "This was my first cruise and it was no luxury, no fun."