Carnival Dream sent back to New Orleans for ‘technical issue’ on cruise

By Laura McKnight From NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Carnival Dream passengers were forced to forgo Friday’s (Aug. 11) planned stop in Cozumel due to a “technical issue” that sent the New Orleans-based ship back to its home port, the cruise line said in a statement.

The Miami-based cruise line said the issue was affecting the ship’s maximum cruising speed, but all other systems were functioning normally. The cruise left New Orleans Sunday (Aug. 6) and will return as scheduled this Sunday. Passengers were given $50 each in onboard credit, according to Carnival.

The Dream underwent a two-week, multimillion-dollar renovation earlier this year, returning to sea in February with new food and beverage concepts and interior upgrades.

The 130,000-ton Dream, which moved to New Orleans in April 2014, is the largest to homeport year-round in New Orleans.

Upgrades include new food concepts and refreshed lounge interiors.

The Dream, which departed New Orleans on Sunday, did make its scheduled calls in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman earlier in the voyage, the cruise line said in a statement.

“We sincerely apologize for this disruption to our guests’ vacation plans and for any disappointment this has caused,” the statement concluded.

When the ship stalled in the Gulf of Mexico, passengers resorted to social media to share their status.

Twitter
Staci @StaciUC
Just sitting here in the middle of the ocean. Not moving. Engine broke. #CarnivalDream #StillHavingFun @CarnivalCruise

Staff writer Jennifer Larino contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the Carnival Dream is the largest Carnival Cruise Line ship.

IMAGE:
Carnival Dream gets a makeover
Twitter
Carnival Dream, N.O.’s largest cruise ship, gets makeover

For more on this story go to: http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2017/08/carnival_dream_skips_stop_in_c.html