No Fresh Water on Carnival’s Transatlantic Cruise Due to Maintenance
While Carnival Spirit may be looking fine and refreshed after her month-long dry dock, guests onboard the first post-update sailing have discovered a salty problem – saltwater.
The ship is still having some maintenance completed and for the moment, there is no filtered drinking water available and even taps in guests’ staterooms are saltwater.
Word of the issue has spread and details have emerged from those onboard the 14-night transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Miami.
Concerned and curious travelers have reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, for more information about what seems to be a very unusual situation.
“I have just gotten a message from a friend and current passenger aboard the Carnival Spirit transatlantic. She told me there is no drinking water onboard, the sink and showers are saltwater, the drink stations don’t operate, several cabins have flooded, and the pools are empty and closed,” one guest described.
“The Spirit just came out of dry dock. We sail on her for the next sailing on the Miami-Seattle Panama Canal Journeys Cruise. Will with issue interfere with that sailing?”
Heald was quick to respond to the guest’s concerns and set their mind at ease about the next cruise.
“Yes, that is correct,” he confirmed. “We have informed the guests that we are doing some maintenance and everybody has bottled water and everybody is having a wonderful time. I’ve heard this directly from the senior manager on board. Thank you so much and there is nothing to be concerned about.”
Another guest onboard verified that the pools are closed, and it’s easy to get bottles of water from nearby bars.
The nature of the ongoing maintenance has not been disclosed, but it may have to do with the reverse osmosis or desalinization filtration system. This would explain why the water in showers and bathrooms has become salty.
Undoubtedly the work is ongoing with every nautical mile the ship sails, and fresh water will be returned to taps as quickly as possible.
Isn’t All Work Finished in Dry Dock?
It can seem surprising that even after a month in dry dock with updates, renovations, and refreshments going on all day and night, the work may not be completed on a vessel once she sets sail again.
Shipyards prioritize what tasks are necessary for the ship to be seaworthy again and complete all technical updates that have to be done to permit the ship to sail. Smaller systems or aesthetic work may not always be finished before the dry dock end date.
Read Also: How Do Cruise Ships Get Fresh Water?
If this happens, the ship can still be certified to sail but the work continues as she is underway. This can be astonishing to guests, especially when their cruise experience is impacted on what was to have been a renewed and refreshed ship.
Many years ago, I was aboard the first post-dry dock sailing for Fantasy (before she became Carnival Fantasy, and long before the ship was eventually retired and scrapped).
During that cruise, no pools or whirlpools were open and some staterooms on lower decks had plumbing difficulties. Along the Riviera Deck stateroom corridor, there was no carpeting!
Understandably, the line at the Guest Services desk was lengthy and many guests were complaining about the state of the ship and problems in their individual rooms. Every time we walked past the desk, the staff remained cool and polite while they helped each guest.
By the end of that 3-night cruise, the floor was carpeted, hallways cleaned up, and other than the pools remaining closed as we debarked (pools are always closed on debarkation morning), you’d never know there were any lingering problems.
Undoubtedly, the engineering team, maintenance workers, and specialized contractors are hard at work aboard Carnival Spirit to finish up the last details of her updates and maintenance.
Guests on the ship’s forthcoming cruises – her 15-night Panama Canal cruise to Seattle, followed by her Alaska season – are sure to enjoy all the upgraded features and new spaces onboard and all the fun that Carnival Spirit offers.
No Fresh Water on Carnival’s Transatlantic Cruise Due to Maintenance