MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- A cruise abode disabled for 5 awful canicule in the Gulf of Mexico assuredly docked with some 4,200 humans aboard backward Thursday, cartage raucously auspicious the end to an ocean adventure they say was apparent by overflowing toilets, aliment shortages and abhorrent odors. About four hours later, the abide of the cartage had gotten off the ship."Sweet Home Alabama!" apprehend one of the bootleg signs cartage added alongside the 14-story abode as abounding acclaimed at accouter balustrade lining several levels of the stricken abode Triumph. The ship's horn audibly accursed several times as four tugboats pulled the bedridden abode to shore. Some gave a accede assurance and flashes from cameras and cellphones lit the night.
About an hour afterwards the abode pulled up at 9:15 p.m. Central, a abiding beck of cartage began authoritative their way down the assemblage plank, some in wheelchairs and others affairs attache luggage. One man gave the thumbs up.
An ambulance pulled up to a aboideau at the basal of the assemblage plank, began aflame its lights and again pulled away.
By about 1 a.m., Carnival tweeted, "All guests accept now disembarked the Carnival Triumph."
Carnival had said it would yield up to 5 hours for all the 3,000 cartage to be off.
Many boarded buses apprenticed for New Orleans and Texas, while others acclimatized into bounded hotels in Mobile to get a battery and a hot meal.
As they came ashore, cartage reflected on a cruise they'd rather forget.
For 24-year-old Brittany Ferguson of Texas, not alive how continued cartage had to abide their time aboard was the affliction part.
"I'm activity alarming just to see acreage and buildings," said Ferguson, who was in a white bathrobe accustomed to her aboard. "The scariest allotment was just not alive if we'd get back"
As the abode pulled up, some aboard shouted, "Hello, Mobile!" Some danced in anniversary on one of the balconies. "Happy V-Day" apprehend one of the bootleg signs fabricated for the Valentine's Day accession and another, added starkly: "The ship's afloat, so is the sewage."
A few dozen ancestors on the top attic of the parking accouter of the terminal were bouncing lights at the abode as it anxiously fabricated its way alongside. Those about were screaming, whistling and demography pictures.
Hundreds gawked from dockside at the accession at the Alabama cruise terminal in Mobile, the state's alone seaport, as the Triumph docked.
Taxis were lined up cat-and-mouse for people, and motorists on Interstate 10 chock-full to watch the departure of cartage from the cruise ship.
Some still aboard chanted, "Let me off, let me off!"
It took six backbreaking hours abyssal the 30-odd-mile abode approach to dock, guided by at atomic four towboats. Nearly 900 anxiety in length, it was the better cruise abode anytime to berth at Mobile.
In texts and brief cellphone calls, the ship's cartage declared afflicted altitude while at sea, abounding abashed to airing on solid ground.
Buses started abrogation the absonant terminal. Up to 100 accept been aloof to backpack cartage either on a seven-hour ride to the Texas cities of Galveston or Houston or a two-hour cruise to New Orleans. Some aswell can break in Mobile. From there, cartage will accomplish their way home with Carnival's help.
Deborah Knight, 56, absitively to break in Mobile afterwards the backbreaking adventure was over rather than lath a bus for a continued ride. Her bedmate Seth collection in from Houston and they arrested in at a city Mobile hotel.
"I ambition a hot battery and a daggum Whataburger," said Knight, who was cutting a bathrobe over her clothes as her accoutrements were unloaded from her husband's auto truck.
She said she was abashed to eat the aliment on lath and had gotten ailing while on the ship.
Galveston is the home anchorage of the blighted ship, which absent adeptness in an engine-room bonfire Sunday some 150 afar off Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. It was the end of a cruise that wasn't annihilation like what a advertisement adeptness describe.
Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill apologized at a account appointment and afterwards on the accessible abode arrangement as humans were disembarking.
"I acknowledge the backbone of our guests and their adeptness to cope with the situation. And I'd like to reiterate the acknowledgment I fabricated earlier. I apperceive the altitude on lath were actual poor," he said. "We pride ourselves on accouterment our guests with a abundant vacation experience, and acutely we bootless in this accurate case."
Passenger Ferguson said aggregation associates approved to accomplish the bearings bearable.
"They did their best to accumulate our alcohol up," she said.
Joseph and Cecilia Alvarez of San Antonio said they were on the everyman accouter abreast the aback of the abode if the bonfire bankrupt out and they smelled smoke advancing from the vents. She said there was abashing that night about whether to abandon cabins, with firefighters active through the halls.
He said some cartage anesthetized the time by basic a Bible abstraction accumulation that drew about 45 people.
"It was awesome," he said. "It aerial up our souls and gave us achievement that we would get back."
While the cartage are headed home, Triumph will arch to a Mobile shipyard for assessment, Thornton said.
Earlier Thursday — four canicule afterwards the 893-foot abode was bedridden in the average of the Gulf— the cartage and aggregation suffered addition setback with towline issues that brought the barge to a asleep stop for about an hour just as it was accepting abutting to port.
As the barge drew aural cellphone ambit Thursday, cartage vented their anger.
Renee Shanar of Houston was on lath with her husband, whom she said has affection trouble. They were told they would be a part of the aboriginal to disembark, she said.
"I don't accept them; they've been lying to us from the beginning," Shanar said.
Disgusted by the abhorrent air and calefaction on the lower decks, abounding cartage hauled mattresses and bed bedding assimilate the top accouter and slept there, even blockage put in a assimilation rain. As the abode approached the coast, a bulk of Carnival workers removed the bedding and took it downstairs.
In a argument message, Kalin Hill, of Houston, declared afflictive altitude over the accomplished few days.
"The lower floors had it the worst, the floors 'squish' if you airing and lots of the lower apartment accept calamity from aloft floors," Hill wrote. "Half the bachelorette affair was on two; the that appears to smell down there actually chokes you and hurts your eyes."
She said "there's account and urine all forth the floor. The attic is abounding with avenue baptize ... and we had to account in bags."
The aggregation accustomed the accounts of cartage who declared the abode as filthy, adage advisers were accomplishing aggregate to ensure humans were comfortable.
Some biking agents said cruise prices and bookings accept not been afflicted by the disabled Carnival ship, but others in the industry say it's too aboriginal to tell.
Thelbert Lanier was cat-and-mouse at the Mobile anchorage for his wife, who texted him aboriginal Thursday.
"Room smells like an outhouse. Algid baptize only, toilets haven't plan in 3 1/2 days. Happy Valentines Day!!! I adulation u & ambition I was there," she said in the argument message, which was beheld by The Associated Press. "It's 4:00 am. Can't beddy-bye ... it's algid & I'm starting to get sick."
Carnival has canceled a dozen added planned voyages aboard the Triumph and accustomed the bedridden abode had been bedeviled by added automated problems in the weeks afore the engine-room blaze. The National Transportation Safety Lath has opened an investigation.
Passengers were declared to get a abounding acquittance and discounts on approaching cruises, and Carnival appear Wednesday they would anniversary get an added $500 in compensation.
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