First it was Triumph, then Elation, Dream and now Legend.
While they are happy names for cruise ships, some passengers say they've had experiences recently that belie those names.
In yet another setback, Carnival Cruise ship Legend is having technical difficulties that are affecting its sailing speed, the latest in a growing list of woes for the travel company.
The Legend was on the last leg of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Tampa on Sunday. Within a span of a month, three other Carnival Cruise ships have reported problems.
- Carnival Dream lost power and some toilets stopped working Wednesday, and no one was allowed to get off the vessel docked at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, in the eastern Caribbean. Carnival says it is flying the more than 4,000 passengers back to Florida and will give them discounts.
-Carnival Elation had to be escorted by a tugboat Saturday because of a malfunction in its steering system, the cruise company said.
- And in the most publicized case, last month, an engine room fire left the Carnival Triumph crippled and adrift in the Gulf of Mexico with more than 4,200 people aboard. That scheduled four-day cruise stretched into eight days as tugs pulled the vessel into port in Alabama. Food was scarce and passengers sweltered in the heat with no air conditioning.
Passengers losing patience
Because of the problems on the Legend, Carnival said it had canceled a scheduled stop in Grand Cayman and the ship will make its trek back to its scheduled ending destination in Tampa, Florida.
Even though the vessel is expected to arrive on schedule Sunday, some are losing patience, passenger Rob Bonenfant said.
"Passengers are now really pissed off," Bonenfant said via e-mail. "Mood on the ship is getting worse among passengers, captain is giving limited information."
Carnival has promised to refund $100 to passengers and give them other refunds and discounts.
"Carnival Legend is experiencing a technical issue with one of the ship's Azipod units that is affecting the vessel's sailing speed," the cruise company said. " The ship's safety systems and hotel services are all functioning normally."
The Azipod, a crucial part for steering and propelling a vessel, was the same issue that hampered the Carnival Elation on Saturday.
"Carnival is really screwing this up," Bonenfant said. "Many have already said they will not book again with Carnival."
Stuck in the Caribbean
Some passengers on Carnival's stricken cruise ship Dream are also complaining.
Although power has been restored and facilities were functioning again, passengers still have to be flown back to Florida after the ship malfunctioned in the eastern Caribbean.
Cruise passengers received a letter from the captain, according to a passenger who e-mailed a photo of the correspondence to CNN.
Capt. Massimo Marino told passengers they will be booked on flights to Orlando or another destination. Passengers with cars at Port Canaveral will be bused from Orlando to the facility about an hour away.
The letter also offers passengers a three-day refund and a half-price cruise in the future.
The captain said passengers could "enjoy another day in beautiful St. Maarten" or stay onboard for a "full schedule" of activities.
"We sincerely apologize for the disappointment this unexpected change has caused and regret we were unable to provide you with the fun and memorable cruise vacation we had in store for you," he wrote.
In a statement, Carnival said the ship's emergency diesel generator failed. The ships next voyage was canceled, the cruise line said.
Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said Thursday that 4,300 guests were aboard the Dream along with about 1,300 crew members. Carnival's website puts the ship's capacity at 3,646 passengers, but that's based on only two people per cabin, and some cabins hold more, Gulliksen explained.
