Disabled cruise ship just outside San Diego as passengers wait - Los Angeles Times

Tug boats pull the disabled cruise ship Carnival Splendor toward San Diego. (Associated Press)

If the tides and tugs cooperate, the slow voyage of the disabled cruise ship Carnival Splendor should end within a few hours Thursday with the big ship docking in San Diego and the 72-hour odyssey at sea of 3,299 paying passengers concluding.

[Updated at 7:52 a.m.: The ship has entered San Diego Harbor, but officials say it could be several hours until passengers and crew disembark.]

At 6 a.m., the ship was reported to be 5 miles off the coast and traveling at a half-knot, waiting for the final part of the ad hoc trip. But maneuvering the powerless 952-foot, 113,000-ton vessel will not be a speedy process, officials said.

The Port District estimates that the ship will dock at the Cruise Ship Terminal between 11 a.m. and noon and that disembarking the passengers will take several hours.

A chagrined Carnival Cruise Lines, along with apologizing profusely, has arranged hotel rooms and ground and air transportation for the passengers, who were without air-conditioning, hot food and hot water for showers since a fire Monday morning knocked out most systems on the ship.

The ship will remain in San Diego for repairs before returning to its home port of Long Beach, company officials said.

So far, no injuries or medical complications have been reported among passengers or the 1,167 crew members. The U.S. Coast Guard sent food and health technicians to the ship; the U.S. Navy airlifted 70,000 tons of food and other supplies, paid for by the cruise line.

The main complaints of passengers have been the long lines for food and those hours on Monday when the flush toilets were not working. Bands and magicians continued to entertain passengers; free drinks were available; and passengers had bottled water and canned goods, including fruit, pudding, and that all-purpose meal, Spam.

Carnival has promised a full refund, reimbursement for travel expenses and a free cruise of comparable value. With the ship set for repairs, a Nov. 14 cruise from Long Beach to the Mexican Riviera has been canceled.

That cruise, and the one interrupted by fire, was to have included stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

The fire occurred as the ship was about 150 miles southwest of San Diego.

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