Another Carnival ship experiences problems

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- For the second time this week, Carnival Cruise Lines says one of its ships has experienced problems during a cruise.

Late Thursday, the company said "a technical issue" affecting the sailing speed of the Carnival Legend forced the cancelation of a stop at Grand Cayman Islands.

The Tampa Bay Times reports the ship is expected to arrive in Tampa as scheduled Sunday following a seven-day cruise. Passengers will get a $100 credit, refunds on pre-purchased shore excursions in Grand Cayman and half off on a future cruise.

Carnival's statement on the Carnival Legend is as follows:

Carnival Legend is experiencing a technical issue with one of the ship's Azipod units that is affecting the vessel's sailing speed. The ship’s safety systems and hotel services are all functioning normally.

The vessel made its scheduled call yesterday in Mahogany Bay, Roatan, in addition to visiting Cozumel and Costa Maya earlier in the week.  Because of the reduction in sailing speed, today visit to Grand Cayman has been canceled and the ship will proceed to its homeport of Tampa, where it is expected to arrive on Sunday as scheduled.

Guests on the current voyage will receive a $100.00 USD per person credit and a full refund on pre-purchased shore excursions for Grand Cayman.  In addition, guests will receive 50 percent off a future Carnival cruise.

Carnival Legend is currently on the last leg of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Tampa on Sunday, March 10.

Another Carnival ship, the Dream, experienced problems with an on-board generator while docked in St. Maarten and the company announced Thursday that passengers would be flown home.

U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Sabrina Laberdesque said that Carnival Dream's captain notified the agency of possible trouble with the ship's propulsion system.

In a status update on its Facebook page, Carnival noted there were brief interruptions to elevators and toilets Wednesday night. The ship has full power but engineers are working on a "technical issue."

A month ago, passengers on the Carnival Triumph spent five days in the Gulf of Mexico leaving 4,200 people without power or working toilets.

Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.