Carnival passengers stuck in Tampa until Tuesday

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Selfies outside Tampa’s Florida Aquarium were Plan B for this Pennsylvania family.

Plan A had to be scrapped because of an unanticipated maintenance issue aboard the Carnival Miracle. 

“We got an email about a week ago saying the cruise was going to be delayed by two days,” said passenger Christopher Grilz.

Carnival gave passengers the option to cancel and receive a full refund, or reschedule. But after months of planning his family’s vacation, Grilz chose to stick with it. 

“So we’re like, we’re already here, I guess were just going to sit there and go with it, and see what happens,” he said.

Carnival says guests will receive a $200 credit, along with a 2-day prorated stipend for their cruise fare. 
Grilz said he was told about a third of the customers decided to cancel. Though he knows staff is doing all they can, he was hoping for more details. 

“Is it an engine issue, is it a propulsion issue? A navigation issue? That’s the question we’re at right now, we just want answers, we want to know why we’re not going out to the ocean.”

With his seven-day cruise now down to five, he hopes it will be smooth sailing, come Tuesday.

In a statement, Carnival Cruise Lines said in part their decision was made “With the goal of limiting the overall impact to guests.” They booked additional entertainment and activity options for guests over the next two days.