Cruise Turned Bad 'Camping Trip' Almost Over For Galt Woman

MOBILE, Ala. (CBS13) - The disabled Carnival cruise ship "Triumph" was being slowly towed back to port Thursday as passengers were forced to stay outside to avoid the stench.

The broken-down ship was expected to finally dock Thursday evening in Mobile, Alabama. Port officials expect the first passengers to step off the ship around 8 p.m. Alabama time.

A fire knocked out it the ship's power on Sunday, leaving it stranded in the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, passengers say conditions on that ship have been miserable. There was a food shortage and free-flowing sewage.

Carnival is providing the transportation and hotel rooms for the 3,000-plus passengers. They're also giving out full refunds for the cruise, a voucher for another one and $500.

A Galt woman is on board the ship in what was supposed to be a 40th birthday celebration for her sister.

CBS13's Neda Iranpour spoke with Julie Pringle on Thursday. She said they were about to get to Mobile when the tugboat had a problem, so they were waiting for another one to be hooked up.

She said it's been problem after problem since Sunday morning when the fire sparked up in the engine room, cutting off all power to the ship.

She said the smell from the broken bathrooms is awful that they have been sleeping on mattresses on the top deck. She called it a cruise turned camping trip on water.

Julie also spoke to her 9-year-old son over the phone Thursday, and he was anxious to know if another trip was still on.

"The first thing he said was, 'Mom, are we going on our Alaskan cruise?'" she said, laughing. "He still wants to go."

Triumph's next 12 cruises have been cancelled while the ship undergoes repairs and a major cleanup.