Another Week, Another Problem With a Carnival Ship

It has been a bad month for Carnival Cruise Lines.   First, there was the whole Carnival Triumph saga in February.  Today, the company received a double dose of bad news. With the help of maritime attorneys, 17 passengers from the Triumph formally filed a lawsuit against the cruise line, and passengers onboard the Carnival Dream were forced to fly home due to issues with a backup diesel generator.We understand malfunctions happen, especially when you run as many cruise ships as Carnival.  However, if it was not obvious before, it is obvious now that the company needs to do a better job of regularly checking and maintaining its ships.  One ship breaking down can be chalked up as an unfortunate accident.  Two ships malfunctioning within a month is emblematic of deeper systematic issues in the company’s ship maintenance program.That said, at least Carnival did a better job of providing customer service this time.  With the Triumph, passengers were forced to live in filth for a week.  Then after the ship finally docked in Mobile, they were bussed to New Orleans, where they finally flew home.   Making matters worse, both the bus and plane experienced malfunctions.  In case you were wondering, yes, both were chartered by Carnival.  In this case, the company only kept passengers on board for a day, and there was no bussing.   A considerable improvement, if you ask us.Of course, that does not change the fact that we would implore cruise enthusiasts to use a different company the next time they travel. It is impossible to trust Carnival Cruise Lines right now.