 After days stranded in the Gulf of Mexico in conditions some have described as dismal, most passengers aboard the disabled Carnival Triumph can look forward to an hours-long bus ride Thursday after they reach dry land. In this image released by the U.S. Coast Guard on Feb. 11, 2013, a small boat belonging to the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous patrols near the cruise ship Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 11,... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this image released by the U.S. Coast Guard on Feb. 11, 2013, the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous patrols near the cruise ship Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 11, 2013. Slow crawl to shore: The tugs Resolve Pioneer and Dabhol tow and steer the Carnival Triumph cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday as the boat heads for Alabama 
 
 Coming to the rescue: Another Carnival cruise liner called the Legend went off course to help the other boat but dropping off supplies proved difficult in high seas, according to one passenger 
 
 Nightmare vacation: Bethany Nutt (center) pictured with two friends who had joined her in a group trip on the Carnival cruise. Vivian Tilley, whose sister, Renee Shanar, is on the ship, said Shanar, of Houston, told her the cabins were hot and smelled like smoke from the engine fire, forcing passengers to stay on the deck. As the news site AL.com reports, Mobile has its own cruise ship terminal — the port once served Carnival cruise ships, a practice that ended in recent years. The company said it has dispatched a third tugboat to help tow Triumph to port and that the ship, carrying more than 3,000 passengers and more than 1,000 crew members, is expected to reach Mobile, Alabama on Thursday. Filling in details about what awaits the passengers when they finally arrive one week after they embarked on a four-day cruise, Cahill said the cruise line has booked more than 1,500 to offer hotel rooms for Thursday night in either Mobile or New Orleans for its guests, "to give them an opportunity to rest and relax, and then to fly them home." "That's the biggest frustration for me now is that the media knows more than the family members do and certainly more than the passengers do on the ship." Disabled cruise ship previously had electrical problems, Carnival admits 
 
 By Agence France-Presse 
 
 Wednesday, February 13, 2013 20:06 EDT 
 
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 A cruise ship that lost power in the Gulf of Mexico, trapping more than 4,000 people aboard, had already suffered electrical problems as recently as a few weeks ago, its operator Carnival said Wednesday. When the Triumph makes landfall at Mobile's port, it will be met not only by friends and family members, but also by a team of investigators from the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board, who will look into the engine room fire and the response from the ship and its crew. He added: 'We're terribly sorry for the inconvenience, discomfort, and frustration our guests are feeling. With the ship and its passengers still at sea being towed to safety, news of the Carnival Triumph’s previous woes will increase pressure on the company, but a spokesman insisted the two sets of problems were unrelated. “Repairs were conducted by the alternator supplier and were fully completed on February 2. There is no evidence at this time of any relationship between this previous issue and the fire that occurred on February 10.” 
 
 Carnival said it has canceled several upcoming sailings of the stricken Triumph, which is being towed to a US port three days after finding itself adrift following Sunday’s mishap. Among its best known brands are Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises in Australia, and P&O Cruises in Britain. Robert Giordano, whose 33-year-old wife Shannon is aboard the cruise liner with a group of friends of hers from Edmond, Okla., said he has yet to speak to someone at Carnival. Speaking by phone to NBC's "Today" show Thursday, passenger Janie Baker said conditions on the ship were "extremely terrible." The rest are being asked by the crew aboard the vessel to urinate in cabin showers and defecate in bags. Baker also described having to use plastic bags to go to the bathroom and wait in line for hours to get food and once saw a woman pass out while in line. A 25-mph south-southeasterly wind has made it too difficult to tow the ship to its original destination of Progreso, Mexico, so the vessel has changed course and is heading north to Alabama. Passengers are supposed to get a full refund and discounts on future cruises, and Carnival announced Wednesday they would each get an additional $500 in compensation. It promised refunds to those who have booked voyages on the ship through April 13. 'In addition, they will receive a future cruise credit equal to the amount paid for this voyage, as well as reimbursement of all shipboard purchases during the voyage, with the exception of gift shop and casino charges. The Triumph takes five generators _ with one on backup _ to power the ship, and 80 percent of that energy is needed to simply push the massive vessel through the water, Herring said. By Monday afternoon, some of the ship's power had been restored, but not enough to get the disabled ship moving again.
– Carnival's Triumph cruise ship hasn't quite lived up to its name. The disabled vessel, currently being hauled to Mobile, Ala., amid reports of hallway sewage, has had its next 14 trips canceled as the cruise line addresses an array of problems. The cancellations mean no more trips through April, the AP reports. Meanwhile, more unpleasant stories from the Triumph—which is now delayed, and could arrive in Mobile as late as 11pm tonight: Passengers are "having to urinate in the shower. They've been passed out plastic bags to go to the bathroom," says the husband of one traveler. "There was fecal matter all over the floor." Passengers will get refunds, future discounts, and $500 in compensation, Carnival says. "We obviously are very, very sorry about what is taking place. There is no question that conditions onboard the ship are very challenging," says president Gerry Cahill, per NPR. "Every action we are taking" is to benefit customers. Not so, snarks the Daily Mail: CEO Micky Arison was at a Miami Heat game Tuesday. Mechanical problems on the ship existed even before an engine-room fire stranded the ship, the company admits. There's "no evidence" that an earlier electrical issue was tied to the fire, a Carnival rep tells AFP. But the ship was late to depart Galveston, and a several-hour visit to Progreso turned into a two-day wait as workers reported waiting for parts. What treat awaits passengers when they get to Mobile? A two-hour bus ride. The company has booked 1,500 hotel rooms in New Orleans; customers will be flown to Houston tomorrow, unless they want to take a bus directly today, the AP reports. Mobile's mayor wasn't thrilled with the news, noting the city's many hotel rooms and two airports allow for a more comfortable experience than the one planned.