Foul conditions aboard stranded Carnival cruise ship Triumph: Passengers describe 'sewage running down the walls' and people acting like 'savages'.

All for fun, fun for all”

Since a fire broke out in an engine room Sunday morning, the Carnival Triumph has been drifting off the coast of Mexico. A total of 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crew have been forced to make do with cold food, no hot water, sweltering indoor temperatures, and few working toilets. A tow boat is expected Thursday, after an initial plan to tow the ship to a port in Mexico was scrapped.

By Erik Ortiz AND David Knowles / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

A carefree Carnival cruise has descended into a holiday of horrors.

Desperate passengers stranded aboard the Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico are describing foul conditions they fear will worsen — even as tug boats began towing the massive ship Tuesday to a port in Mobile, Ala.

The disabled vessel, carrying more than 4,200 people, isn't expected to reach the shore until Thursday after an earlier plan to dock in Mexico was scrapped.

"Conditions are getting worse by the hour," passenger Debra Rightmire texted to ABC News. "Cabin carpets are wet with urine and water. Toilets are overflowing inside cabins. We are having to sleep in the hallways."

Another passenger said some people are sleeping in tents on the deck because of a pungent smell caused by improper refrigeration.

"We stood in line for four hours to get a hamburger," Shelly Crosby texted to ABC News.

A fire in the Triumph’s engine room Sunday morning crippled the enormous ship 150 miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, leaving 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crew members on board with limited power. No one was injured.

The ship set sail from Galveston, Texas, on Feb. 7 and was due to return from Mexico on Feb. 11. After the fire, officials planned to have the boat towed to a Mexican port on Wednesday, but said Monday night that strong currents sent the vessel adrift 90 miles. Two small ships are slowly pulling the Triumph to Mobile.

Brent Nutt, whose wife, Bethany, is on board, spoke to CNN Sunday night about conditions on the Triumph, which is relying on backup power generators.

"She was crying ... and she just wants off of the ship," Nutt said. "I mean, it's horrible. There's no running water. There's no power. They are having to use the restroom in buckets and bags."

"It's like a bunch of savages on there," he added. "If you get on the blogs, they're saying that people are fighting over food and stuff."

Toby Barlow told CNN that his wife, Ann, a passenger on the ship, texted that the plumbing failed and people were defecating in bags and urinating in showers.

She also told him there's "sewage running down the walls and floors," he said.

"Elderly and handicap(ped people) are struggling," she texted, according to CNN. "The smells are gross."

Carnival, whose advertising tagline is “All for fun, fun for all,” confirmed that passengers were now facing a series of challenges aboard the the Triumph.

“Currently, public and cabin toilets are operational in certain sections of the ship, power has been restored to a limited number of elevators and power in the Lido dining area is providing for hot coffee and limited food service,” Carnival said in a statement posted to its website.

Before power generators were able to re-start toilets aboard the boat, passengers were forced to use plastic bags, which they then turned over to crew members, the Wichita Business Journal reported.

Melinda Ramos, the 19-year-old daughter of passengers Mary and Matt Ramos, told the Houston Chronicle that the fire and power outage had certainly altered her parents’ vacation.

"He might be completely joking, but he said they're sleeping in tents outside," Ramos said.

With the boat’s air-conditioning knocked out, temperatures inside the boat are quite hot, the Wichita Business Journal reported.

Other Carnival ships nearby have delivered food to the stricken Triumph, and the U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the situation.

The company says it will refund passengers for the cost of the cruise, as well as a future “credit equal to the amount paid” for the ill-fated voyage.

Passengers on the stricken vessel report in: 

 NTFF (February 12, 1:09 p.m.) – [Feces] and [urine] rolling across floor with every wave. People sick and throwing up every where.

 NTFF (February 12, 1:47 a.m.) – My wife is aboard for her very first cruise. She and her best friend have a cabin just forward of the centerline of the ship. She has reported to me through texts, and 2 phone calls she managed to get out while the other ships were moving supplies aboard. She tells me she has not heard of or seen any functioning restrooms/etc. She said she not not seen anyone fighting for food, but she had seen that people waiting in very long lines were pileing up the food and (hoarding) taking it to their cabins as if there would be no more. She said the crew was assuring all that there was plenty of food, but many pax were ignoring this advice. At 16:29 CST she said that 1 of the tug boats was in site. And they they had been advised that they may not be into port until friday. 

 Wmiller86 (February 11, 10:14 p.m.) – I just rec'd a text from my wife. - NO POTTIES ARE WORKING! That was all it said. 

 LynnA (February 11, 4:28 p.m.) – We just got a text from daughter-in-law. She said she was miserable but no worries. 

 Dbogusch (February 11, 2:36 p.m.) – Another update from coworker. People are slowly being let into their cabins but its stifling hot below decks. The "hamburgers" being served are meatless. Very limited hot food. Only water to drink.

 okiecruzer (February 11, 2:22 p.m.) – They [parents] said there is no power still, no toilets… , no meat. They slept on the deck last night (no tent, just open air) and will probably do so for the next two nights. They said they are doing this by choice – they booked an inner room without a window. They said there is no coffee or juice, only water. My dad said they were serving "hamburgers." He had one made just of cheese slices and another with only coleslaw, no meat on either. All alcohol service has been cut off. 

 Wmiller86 (February 11, 2:11 p.m.) – My wife and 3 of her girlfriends are on the Triumph… My wife was able to call me Sunday night for a few minutes while Elation was alongside. My wife told me that it was pretty scary during the fire evacuation… She said that they were allowed back down into the cabins after awhile, but it is so hot that you cannot sleep down there. So they had set up a makeshift tent over deck loungers to sleep in. At the time I spoke to here, there was no toilets. They were using little red bags. And no running water, no lights, except emergency lighting. 
She said it was already pretty miserable. No hot food and no alcohol being served. There was still ice being served in soft drinks. None of the shops were open. 

 Dbogusch (February 11, 2:02 p.m.) – Just found out a coworker is on that ship. She texted her boss this afternoon. She said there are very long lines for food and bathrooms. Some rooms running out of toilet paper. She said the ship is hot and people are cranky. She expects to be home Thursday or Friday.

 okiecruzer (February 11, 1:36 p.m.) – Just got word from my mom who is on Triumph. She said they would be back to Galveston Thursday or Friday. 

 Morehouse14 (February 11, 1:28 p.m.) – Just received a text message from my wife. They are being served hamburgers and salad from another ship that is alongside. Lines are taking 2 plus hours to get through to get food and drink.

 Morehouse14 (February 11, 8:47 a.m.) – I know four people on this cruise, one of which is my wife. I have been in contact with her and the others. The cruise line says they are running on emergency generators… there are no lights or running water on the ship. Cabins have no power. They have to use bags and/or the shower to go to the bathroom. It is hot with no air moving below deck. They want everyone to stay in the public or open areas of the ship. 

 jgomila198101 (February 10, 7:07 p.m.) – My sis just called. They have plenty of food; they are all fine but doesn't look like they will be back until Wednesday night. Said they are still having fun. 

 Clinty76 (February 10, 6:56 p.m.) – Here is the absolute most current update directly from my wife aboard the ship. "We are about to get supplies from another cruise ship and apparently the tug boats should be here tomorrow around noon. Who knows how long it will take to get back to Galveston. We have no power AT ALL, which means we can't use the toilets, wash our hands or take a shower."

5 dead in cruise ship lifeboat safety drill in Spain

Cruise ship wrecks and accidents

7 reasons never to vacation on a cruise ship

By Lauren Hansen | The Week

1. Adrift and powerless
The Carnival cruise ship Triumph was hardly triumphant as it labored into an Alabama port on Feb. 14. After spending five fetid days adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, the 4,200 passengers and crew rushed down the planks, some even sinking to their knees to kiss the dry land. A fire in the engine room had knocked out the ship's propulsion, power, sewage, and heating and air-conditioning systems. So instead of a lounging poolside, stocking up at the Asian-themed buffet station, or indulging in a relaxing massage, passengers spent four nights sleeping on sewage-soaked carpets, eating ketchup on buns, and pooping into plastic bags. Just making some memories, really.

2. Pirates (!)

In April 2009, The Melody set off from Durban, South Africa, with about 1,000 passengers and 500 crew on a 22-day luxury cruise that would end in Genoa, Italy. Early in the trip, while the ship passed through waters north of Seychelles, pirates surrounded the boat and opened fire. The cruise ship's security detail returned fire, which was enough to keep the intruders at bay. The Melody's distress call alerted nearby Coast Guards who, with the help of the Spanish navy, were able to apprehend the nine attempted hijackers and escort the ship to safety.

3. Run aground and capsized
The Costa Concordia suffered one of the biggest disasters in recent cruise-liner history when it ran aground in January 2012 off the coast of Tuscany. The ship eventually sank, and dozens of the 4,229 passengers and crew died. The ship was only three hours into its voyage through the Mediterranean when the ship first hit rocks. Survivors reported hearing a loud bang before the liner was plunged into darkness and shuddered to a halt. It wasn't until the enormous vessel began to list dramatically that its passengers erupted into complete panic, with people stealing life jackets from one another and opting to jump into the sea instead of waiting for lifeboats. One passenger compared the terrifying ordeal to Titanic.

4. A flu outbreak

Over the Christmas holiday, hundreds of vacationers embarked upon luxury cruises only to find themselves trapped with an unsavory bunkmate — a viral stomach bug. On the Emerald Princess cruise ship, for example, 5 percent of the passengers came down with some sort of gastro intestinal flu. The sick had to be quarantined in their rooms with the threat of "unnamed consequences" if they dared to leave. Those who managed to escape the virus' nauseating effects were asked to stay away from the buffet and eat only at the full-service restaurants. The sick did enjoy the comforts of room service, however. On the prestigious Queen Mary 2, 194 passengers and 11 crew members also came down with the suspected Norovirus bug, which is highly contagious and typically transmitted from person-to-person.

5. Going missing
Occasionally, passengers just vanish. In April 2011, John Halford was enjoying his last night of a week-long Egyptian cruise. His bag was packed, he had texted his wife, who was at home in Britain, to say he'd see her the next day at the airport, and went off to dinner. Passengers reportedly saw him have a cocktail later in the evening. And then he was gone. Worryingly, Halford's story is far from unique. That year there were at least 13 people who went missing and, as the Cruise Victims Association reports, some 165 people have disappeared while at sea since 1995. While some suspect accidents, suicides, and even sinister crime waves, in the end, most cases go unsolved, the families left in limbo.

6. Crime

Cruise ships are like floating foreign islands where laws shift like the tides. The way criminal matters are dealt with can depend on the ship's location in the ocean, its home port, or the nationality of its passengers. And prosecuting these crimes can be difficult. Crime scenes are often contaminated, since no police are onboard the ships. And if the ship is in foreign waters, it is often up to the captain to decide whether to incarcerate someone suspected of committing a crime. If a U.S. citizen is involved, the FBI will investigate, but some victims of crimes say that the action is often too late. In the end, some 16 percent of all murders and 7 percent of sexual assaults aboard cruise ships lead to convictions or plea bargains, according to FBI statistics. Lawyers for cruise liners maintain that crime statistics remain low, and are roughly equivalent to the chances a person has of being struck by lightning.

7. Collisions
In March 2012, a luxury cruise ship collided in deep fog with a container ship about five miles from the coast of Vietnam. Passenger Andrew Lock said he and his wife suddenly heard the ship's foghorn alarm. Startled, they looked out there window and saw a container ship appear out of nowhere directly in front of them. They braced themselves for the impact. "It was a horrifying moment," he said. Within five seconds of the ship appearing, their cruise liner collided into its side. The Silversea Cruises maintains the damage was limited, but passengers say it felt like a "major collision" and watched as the container ship rolled over at a 90-degree angle. Lock said it looked like the cruise liner had "crushed" the other ship.