PRSSA at SIUC

By Nicole Gerstenschlager

When passengers boarded the Carnival Triumph on February 7th, they were expecting a four-day trip to Mexico. What they got was 5 days stranded out at sea with no electricity.

The fire that occurred on the third day (of the four-day trip) in the engine room caused the loss of power. Luckily, no one was harmed due to the fire.

With no power, the toilets stopped working. The waste was spilled onto floors and into the hallways. The passengers had to use plastic bags to gather their waste. Twelve year-old passenger, Allie Taylor described the disorder as this; “I just wanted to vomit, like every second probably”.

Although the conditions were unfavorable, some passengers saw the bright side of things. These passengers glorified the workers on the cruise ship. Jerry Newman, from Irving, Texas, stated in an interview that the crew was very helpful and they always kept a smile on their face. He also mentions that they had the ‘public relations lady’ come on after the Captain had spoke to let everyone know what was going on.

Carnival Cruise is giving all of the passengers their full refund for the cruise and travel expenses, reimbursement for almost everything that spent on board the ship, a $500 check, and a good credit toward a future cruise.

Carnival Cruise Line President and CEO Gerry Cahill held a press conference soon after the ship broke down. In this conference, Cahill apologized to the passengers and the family and friends of the passengers. He also explained what happened and what they plan on doing with the passengers once they arrive to Mobile, Alabama. I think that the PR team is doing a good job at trying to keep the customers happy throughout this whole process, but there is still a long battle ahead of them.