Carnival's Legend on another cruise

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TAMPA, Fla., March 18 (UPI) -- The Carnival Legend docked in Tampa, Fla., ahead of schedule after having mechanical issues, then headed back to sea on another cruise, officials said.

The Legend reached the Port of Tampa Sunday morning, the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times reported.

Last week, its propulsion system malfunctioned, causing the ship to move much more slowly than it normally would, officials said. To stay on schedule, Carnival Cruise Lines changed the ship's itinerary; Legend stopped in Mexico instead of Belize and canceled a stop in the Cayman Islands.

Carnival gave passengers a $100 credit, reimbursed them if they booked stays in the Cayman Islands and gave them 50 percent off future cruises with the line.

The itinerary change upset some passengers who said the compensation they received was not enough.

"We missed Belize but they don't feel like we missed a port because they replaced it," Matthew Spaccamonti, 24, said. "We missed half of our trip. That should be worth a 50 percent refund."

The Legend was the third Carnival ship in just over a week to lose power, propulsion or toilets.

On Thursday, the Carnival Dream became stranded in St. Maarten when a failing backup generator affected the elevators and bathrooms and on March 9, the Carnival Elation had to be accompanied by a tugboat along the Mississippi River after a propulsion Last month, more than 3,000 Carnival Triumph passengers were stranded in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine fire crippled the ship. It was eventually towed to shore.

Carnival sent the Legend back out to sea for another weeklong journey Sunday and said a specialist would be brought in to look at the ship's propulsion system.

"The repairs are still ongoing," spokesman Vance Gulliksen said Sunday. "The ship is sailing at reduced speed. It's only affecting the ship's speed to a slight degree. Everything else on board from entertaining, dining, shows and activities is all operating as normal."