What's it like being stuck on the Carnival cruise ship?

Long lines for food, no air conditioning or lights, iffy toilets - that's the picture being described by David Zambrano, one of the passengers on board the fire-damaged ship. Zambrano managed to regain cell phone service and provide an eyewitness account to a Denver TV station where he works . From 9News:

"It's nothing like anyone expected, no." Zambrano said. "You stand in line for two hours just to get your food because everybody goes to the same place to pick up their food. And, so you stand in line and you wait, the once you get your food, you leave and you look for something to do."

Instead of dining on lavish seafood buffets, passengers have been fed Spam, crab meat and Pop Tarts, which are being ferried to them by U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopters from the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier that reached the ship after being diverted from training.

Zambrano and his girlfriend are lucky enough to have a room with a balcony, which has come in handy considering there is no A/C. "People are playing cards. People are standing around just kind of talking. They're getting to socialize," Zambrano said. "It's not what you would expect on a normal cruise, of course not, but it's-they're doing their best." Ship is expected to arrive in San Diego sometime tomorrow.


More by Mark Lacter:
American-US Air settlement with DOJ includes small tweak at LAX
Socal housing market going nowhere fast
Amazon keeps pushing for faster L.A. delivery
Another rugged quarter for Tribune Co. papers
How does Stanford compete with the big boys?
Those awful infographics that promise to explain and only distort
Best to low-ball today's employment report
Further fallout from airport shootings
Crazy opening for Twitter*
Should Twitter be valued at $18 billion?
Recent Travel stories:
Letter from Down Under: Welcome to the Homogenocene
American-US Air settlement with DOJ includes small tweak at LAX
A fallen soldier was aboard his flight to LAX
'Fasten your seatbelts' in song and dance (video)
14 California bookstores in nine days

New at LA Observed
On the Media Page
Go to Media

On the Politics Page
Go to Politics
Arts and culture

Sign up for daily email from LA Observed

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


Advertisement
Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
 
Mark Lacter, business writer and editor was 59
The multi-talented Mark Lacter
LA Observed on Twitter and Facebook