Carnival Dream cruisers to be flown home after problem

Gene Sloan, USA TODAY | USATODAY

For the second time in two months, technical problems have grounded a Carnival cruise.

Thursday, the company said issues with a backup diesel generator on the Carnival Dream prompted it to keep the ship carrying 4,363 passengers in port on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten and to fly them home before the sailing's end. This comes in the wake of a Feb. 10 engine-room fire on the Carnival Triumph, which left it without power in the Gulf of Mexico for four days, with little air conditioning or lights, clogged toilets and limited food options.

Passengers on the Dream, moored during a scheduled call in Philipsburg when the problem surfaced, "are safe and comfortable," Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said via e-mail Thursday afternoon. "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 12:30 a.m." Reports of seeping sewage are not true, he said.

Carnival is paying to fly passengers back to Port Canaveral or their home cities and canceled the Dream's March 16 sailing.

"While the ship's propulsion systems and primary power source were not impacted, in an abundance of caution, we prefer not to sail with guests on board without an operational back-up emergency generator," Carnival said in a statement. As flights were being arranged, passengers could stay on the ship, with dinner and entertainment planned.

Still, the Dream incident is a PR nightmare for Carnival and bad news for the cruise industry.

"This latest cruise ship breakdown raises serious concerns about the industry's ability to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for its passengers," Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said in a Thursday press release. He is chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security.

Two disrupted Carnival voyages, following a 2010 fire that stranded the Carnival Splendor, "could make some first-time cruisers hestitant to board," said Mike Discoll, editor in chief of Cruise Week. "It might cement in their minds a fear of cruising."

But he says the Dream's issues have been blown out of proportion. "This is no Triumph" fiasco, Driscoll said. "This is not a fire at sea." Power disruptions "happen all the time on land, in hotels," and don't make headlines. "I talked to a travel agent with nine passengers aboard (the Dream), and she said they didn't seem that upset."

Carnival said passengers on the sailing "will receive a refund equivalent to three days of the voyage and 50% off a future cruise." Those on the March 16 cruise get a full refund and 25% off a future seven-day cruise. Non-refundable transportation will be reimbursed.

Meanwhile, Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill told the annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference Tuesday that the company had started a safety review of its two-dozen-ship fleet, bringing in outside experts as well. "We are now focused on the lessons that we can learn," he said. The review is in addition to investigations of the Triumph fire conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board and government of the Bahamas, where the Triumph is registered.

Carnival's Gulliksen tells USA TODAY that "each of these (Carnival cruise situations) was different. All modes of transportation, including cruise ships, have strong overall safety records, but sometimes technical issues such as the one Carnival Dream is experiencing will occur from time to time. We take each one seriously and closely examine what happened to determine how we can prevent it from happening in the future. Safety is always our foremost priority, and we have maintained a very strong safety record over our 41-year history."

He says Carnival Dream passengers remained aboard Thursday night, with most due to fly out later. Dinner and entertainment from singer Jon Secada are on the menu. Carnival arranged for Grammy-winner Secada (hits include Just Another Day and Angel) to entertain in the wake of Wednesday's power problems.

USA TODAY's Kitty Bean Yancey contributed to this story