The cruise ship Carnival Triumph is towed towards Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island, Ala., Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. The ship with over 1,000 passengers aboard has been idled for nearly a week in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine room fire. Credit: AP
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- Carnival Cruise Lines' CEO is apologizing to guests for the poor conditions aboard the disabled ship that was adrift at sea for days.
Gerry Cahill said at a news conference Thursday night as the Triumph was docking in Mobile, Ala., that he appreciated the patience of the 3,000 passengers on board.
He says Carnival prides itself on providing people with a great vacation "and clearly we failed in this particular case."
He says he plans to go aboard the ship and personally apologize to passengers.
Miserable passengers told stories of overflowing toilets, food shortages, foul odors and dangerously dark passageways.
As the ship docked, anxious passengers were lining the decks waving, cheering loudly and whistling to those on shore.
