( CNN ) -- Ewwwww . That about sums up how people are describing conditions aboard the Carnival Triumph on Tuesday as tugboats slowly drag the stricken cruise ship toward Alabama -- and freedom for its 3,143 passengers . Some on the ship reported sewage sloshing around in hallways , flooded rooms and trouble getting enough to eat after a fire in the ship 's engine room Sunday left it drifting in the Gulf of Mexico . Passengers dragged their mattresses onto the ship 's open deck to stay cool and get away from the nasty smells inside . `` The odor is so bad , people are getting sick and they 're throwing up everywhere , '' said Brent Nutt , whose wife is aboard the ship . But not all passengers share the same dire view of the situation . A poster on the cruising forum cruisecritic.com said her sister reported passengers have enough food and are `` enjoying the extended vacation . '' The fire is at least the second problem for the ship since late January , when it had an issue with its propulsion system , according to a notice posted to Carnival senior cruise director John Heald 's website . The company also recently repaired one of Triumph 's alternators , the company said Tuesday . However , there 's no evidence the alternator problem and the fire are linked , cruise line spokesman Vance Gulliksen said . Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill told reporters on Tuesday evening that the cruise line is using its full resources to assist passengers and family members in a `` very challenging '' situation . `` No one here at Carnival is happy about conditions on board the ship , '' Cahill said . `` We are very sorry about what is taking place . '' Carnival expects the ship to arrive in Mobile on Thursday afternoon . Sunday 's fire came as the Triumph steamed about 150 miles off Mexico 's Yucatan Peninsula on the way back to Galveston , Texas . The ship was on the third day of a four-day cruise . `` We all woke up and panicked , '' passenger Donna Gutzman told CNN Houston affiliate KPRC . `` A couple other alarms went off and we started seeing smoke . '' Read related : Cruise safety drill results in 5 deaths . Triumph 's automatic fire extinguishing system kicked in and soon contained the flames , and no injuries were reported , Carnival said . But the fire knocked out the ship 's propulsion system and left the vessel slowly drifting in the Gulf until a second tugboat arrived Tuesday , joining one that had come earlier . The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Vigorous is also sailing nearby to provide assistance if necessary . The tugboats are towing the Triumph toward Mobile at a rate of 5 mph to 8 mph , Vigorous Cmdr . Greg Magee told CNN Tuesday . The cruise line said the ship was listing at 2 degrees , an improvement from a previous 4.5-degrees reading . Winds are causing the list , it said . Technicians aboard the ship were trying to restore power and provide more onboard facilities , Gulliksen said . Passenger Ann Barlow said the staff on the Triumph was doing a good job , but flooded rooms , hot , humid conditions , long lines for food and overwhelming odors were making things tough for passengers . `` It 's disgusting . It 's the worst thing ever , '' she told CNN Monday . Barlow 's husband , Toby , said she told him there was `` sewage running down the walls and floors '' with passengers being asked to defecate in bags and urinate in showers due to the lack of functioning toilets . The air conditioning is also out . But things were getting better , according to Nutt and Gulliksen . Read related : What caused the Costa Cruises ship disaster ? Gulliksen said Tuesday that there is running water -- cold only -- in some cabins . Most of the 23 public restrooms are working , said Cahill , along with some toilets in forward and midship cabins . The ship 's poolside restaurant was open until 10 p.m. Monday night and reopened again at 7 a.m. Tuesday . And , Gulliksen said , `` Carnival Triumph 's entertainment staff has planned various activities to keep guests entertained . '' There are 1,086 crew members on the ship . Carnival also brought meals aboard from two other cruise ships , the cruise line said Monday . Earlier , Carnival said in a statement that hot coffee was available , among other options . Carnival initially planned to tow the ship to Progreso , Mexico , but strong currents that had pushed it 90 miles north by Monday night prompted the decision to move the ship to Mobile instead . The change also made it easier on the 900 passengers who do n't have passports , the cruise line said . Passengers will get a free flight home , a full refund for their trip and most expenses aboard , and a credit for another cruise , Carnival said . Carnival said it will provide 20 charter flights Friday to get disembarked passengers to Houston so they can take other flights home . About 1,500 hotel rooms have been reserved in Mobile and New Orleans . Sheila Gurganus , general manager of the Mobile cruise terminal , said medical personnel will be on hand to help anyone in need . There were no requests for such aid Tuesday afternoon , she said . Other agencies will help expedite the passengers ' return home . The incident has forced Carnival to cancel the ship 's next two departures , refund bookings for those trips and offer those passengers discounts on future cruises . The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the cause of the engine room fire . Because the Carnival Triumph is a Bahamian-flagged vessel , the Bahamas Maritime Authority is the primary investigative agency . In 2010 , the Carnival 's cruise ship Splendor lost power after an engine room fire , leaving it drifting off the Pacific coast of Mexico . The USS Ronald Reagan ferried 60,000 pounds of supplies for the ship 's passengers and crew as the ship was towed to San Diego . Cahill told reporters the Splendor and Triumph incidents are very different . The Splendor had an explosion in a diesel generator . Richard Burke , chairman of the engineering department at the State University of New York 's Maritime College , told CNN he had `` no reason to believe that Carnival in any way is not a first-class operator . Nor do I believe that their ships are not good ships . I think they are just being unlucky right now . '' Read also : Eight icy getaways . CNN 's Joe Sutton , Dave Alsup , Sandra Endo , Chuck Johnston , Esprit Smith , Greg Botelho and Marnie Hunter contributed to this report .
The ship apologizes , says it is using full power . U.S. agencies join engine room fire investigation . Things are improving and activities are planned aboard the stricken ship , Carnival says . Carnival says the cruise ship will dock Thursday morning .