Holiday Returns To Mobile

Swine Flu Mexico It’s the first time the ship has returned since swine flu fears surfaced.

by Chad Petri

Published: Thu, April 30, 2009 - 10:13 am CST Last Updated: Thu, April 30, 2009 - 11:58 am CST

As passengers disembark in mobile, quite a few of them are frustrated.

“It's all about money and they cost themselves money,” says passenger Kirk Fell. “That's the 2nd time I've took that cruise I'll never take it again, I'll never take another Carnival Cruise again,” says Fell. He’s one of more than 1500 passengers getting home Thursday. He says he wasn't worried about his health, and the first medical masks he saw were when he got off the ship.

“We're safe on Monday and all the sudden on Tuesday we're not, you know if it is serious , let us go, bring us back home,” says Fell. Many cruise ship passengers we spoke with say they were confused by the fact that they were allowed to go in one port but not Cozumel.

“So we go riding around in the gulf for three days,” says Fell. “I didn't pay to go on a boat ride and if I did catch something in Progresso I want to come back to the states where at least my doctor speaks English.” Some passengers said they still had a good time despite the change of plans. Others say they didn't like the added worry of a possible infection.

“I guess I'm concerned because when you wake up and your stomach is upset you think well, you know that's a symptom that could be, but I’m not affected by it,” says passenger Claudia Tuberville. Alabama homeland security director Jim walker says officials at the terminal deal with ship borne illnesses all the time. He says so far no one has swine flu symptoms and there are no plans to close the port of Mobile.

“These people are Americans just like you and I, this is their home and they certainly have the right to come home and go seek medical attention if they don’t feel well,” says Walker. One of the customers we spoke with says she was refunded just $20 for the missed trip to Cozumel. This Holiday leaves again this afternoon but it won't go to Cozumel as originally planned. Instead it’s bound for Key West Florida.

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tony Says:

Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 8:02 pm

So, we missed Cozumel. The staff on the Holiday made up for it and we were able to spend and extra day in the Caribbean Sun. I do feel sorry for those people who see a glass half empty. We have to to be thankful the people at Carnival did all they could to make us comfortable and I was a great ride. It is unfortunate that an act of nature caused of us to miss Cozumel, but isn’t that in the catergory of the things we can’t control. You just have to accept those and make the most of the opportunity. My wife and I enjoyed the time in the sun, sipping a pina coloda. Sounds like a vacation to me!!

dixiebelle365 Says:

Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 11:49 am

Ya know? Some people just can’t help but complain!..

~~~“So we go riding around in the gulf for three days,” says Fell. “I didn’t pay to go on a boat ride and if I did catch something in Progresso I want to come back to the states where at least my doctor speaks English.”~~~

You didn’t “pay to go on a boat ride”??? C’mon, Stupe! You paid to go on a cruise! That IS a boat ride!

Glad you’re not sick; now, count your blessings and quit whining about being on a boat ride when you voluntarily took a cruise. Next time, maybe you should fly to your destination!