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SALT LAKE CITY -- Passengers on the Carnival Splendor finally made it to the San Diego Harbor Thursday morning. As they got off, many had stories to tell -- including two Utah couples who were on anniversary trips.
Shane and Janet Hintze of Lehi were celebrating their second year of marriage with another honeymoon.
"Second honeymoon turned into a nightmare," Shane said.
Carnival's present to them: an engine room fire that blew out power to the whole ship. The bathrooms soon started to back up -- especially in the Hintzes' cabin -- and they were forced to live with the stench until it was finally fixed Wednesday night.
"It was real bad. The backup with the sanitation, the sewer system; it was pretty unbearable," Shane said.
Related:
Cruise passengers prepare to disembark in Calif.
Passengers aboard the stricken cruise ship Carnival Splendor will begin disembarking soon after being pulled back to San Diego.Erik and Rachel Clapham of Bountiful were on a 10-year anniversary cruise.
"We had a nice meal all set up for that evening and we were going to celebrate, and it didn't happen," Erik said.
Instead, the couple settled on fare that was less than gourmet.
"There's been some mystery meat sandwiches that very well could have been Spam," Erik said.
The Carnival Splendor lost power just 12 hours after it departed Long Beach, Calif. It traveled about 200 miles south, off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico.
The last two days, tugboats slowly pulled the nearly 1,000-foot vessel into San Diego. As frustrated passengers disembarked, they certainly spoke their minds.
"It was absolutely deplorable conditions: food ran out, the toilets were overflowing. The best thing about it was the camaraderie with the passengers," said passenger Marquis Horace.
Others didn't think it was so bad.
"Carnival did a great job with the resources they had," passenger Ryan Harlin said. "I can't say enough. The crew was great."
The Claphams say hours of card games weren't on their itinerary, but they managed to make memories anyhow.
"It's definitely not what we signed up for, but it was an experience and we made the best out of it," Erik said.
Some passengers are taking Carnival-provided buses up to the Los Angeles area catch a flight back home. The Claphams are going to spend a few days at Disneyland. After that trip, they say they need time at the happiest place on Earth.
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Story compiled with contributions from Nicole Gonzales and Becky Bruce.
