'Disgusting' cruise ship’s journey finally ends
After being stranded on the crippled Carnival cruise ship Triumph for days without electricity and working toilets, thousands of relieved passengers finished disembarking early Friday morning at the Port of Mobile. Here are images of the ship's arrival and the conditions on board.
The Carnival Triumph cruise ship docks at the port of Mobile, Alabama, February 14, 2013. The 893-foot (272 meter) vessel, now notorious for reports of raw sewage from overflowing toilets, has been without propulsion and running on emergency generator power since Sunday, when an engine room fire left it adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Carnival Triumph cruise ship docks at the port of Mobile, Alabama, February 14, 2013. The 893-foot (272 meter) vessel, now notorious for reports of raw sewage from overflowing toilets, has been without propulsion and running on emergency generator power since Sunday, when an engine room fire left it adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.
Passengers hang signs as they wait to leave the Carnival Triumph cruise ship after reaching the port of Mobile, Alabama.
Passengers leave the Carnival Triumph cruise ship after reaching the port.
Passengers cheer and wave the end of a "hellish" voyage as some are airlifted off the ship at the port in Mobile, Alabama.
Reportedly, human waste was out in the open in the common areas, like this bag of waste in trash can along hallway of the cruise ship.
"The hallways were toxic," said one passenger, who said she would never go on a Carnival cruise again. "Full of urine. It was horrible. If that ship caught on fire, and they had not contained it where would we be? Floating in the ocean or dead."
Cardboard paths containing sewage lined hallways of the cruise ship.
Due to the power outage, sleeping conditions moved to open decks of the cruise ship.
The sweltering heat forced passengers set up tent cities on outdoor decks, where they hoped to catch a breeze or to simply get away from the stench emanating from inside.
Passengers gathered around makeshift charging stations of emergency generators aboard powerless cruise ship.
Passengers also slept in conference rooms and in dry hallways for fresh air during the power outage aboard ship.
"Pretty much everyone's sleeping in common areas," one passenger stated. "They've pulled their mattresses up from their rooms... like, where I'm sleeping, in the auditorium, in the theater. And other people are sleeping out on deck."
Food and trash piled up in various areas throughout the ship.
The deck of the ship was transformed into a camp for passengers who did not want to be stuck in rooms without light or air conditioning.
