Fourth Carnival Cruise Ship Reports Problems

A fourth Carnival cruise ship has reported problems. The ship, called the Carnival Legend, reported an issue with an Azipod unit, which is a crucial part of the steering and propelling system.

In all, the Triumph, Elation, Dream, and Legend have all reported mechanical issues in the last month. Carnival’s issues began with the Triumph last month.

The ship, traveling home to Florida, was left adrift in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine room fire. More than 4,200 people suffered through scarcity of food, toilets that rarely worked, and a listing ship. The Triumph finally pulled into port in Alabama four days later.

The next issue came with the Elation. The cruise ship suffered an issue with its steering system and had to be escorted with a tugboat. On Wednesday, the Carnival Dream’s passengers became the company’s latest frustrated customers.

The ship lost power and its toilets stopped working. More than 4,000 passengers aboard the ship were not allowed off, despite the vessel being docked at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, in the eastern Caribbean. The ship’s facilities and power have since been restored, but passengers are still frustrated. The ship’s passengers will receive discounts from the failed cruise. Carnival will also fly them back to Florida.

While the fourth Carnival ship is having problems, the issues have not kept the vessel from sailing. The vessel is scheduled to arrive on time on Saturday, but the company was forced to cancel its final stop in Grand Cayman to keep the scheduled arrival time. Carnival has promised to refund passengers aboard the Legend $100 for the missed stop and ship’s problems.

The cruise company released a statement about its fourth ship to report a problem, saying, “Carnival Legend is experiencing a technical issue with one of the ship’s Azipod units that is affecting the vessel’s sailing speed. The ship’s safety systems and hotel services are all functioning normally.” But the ship’s passengers are not happy.

The news about the fourth Carnival cruise ship comes just days after the company announced it will be conducting “a comprehensive review” of all 23 ships in its fleet after the Triumph fire last month. It is likely that the company will spend even more time than expected since the new problems surfaced. Both the Elation and the Legend reported the same issue.

After hearing about four issues with Carnival cruise ships in one month, would you still consider sailing with the company?

[Image by Daniel Foster from Shreveport (Carnival Legend) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons]