Third Carnival cruise has problems

PHILIPSBURG, Netherlands, March 15 (UPI) -- Carnival Cruise Lines has experienced problems with one of its cruise ships for the third time in a month, a company representative said Friday.

The company representative said the Carnival Legend was experiencing a technical issue with one of its propulsion units, affecting the vessel's sailing speed, WKMG-TV, Orlando, reported.

The problem caused Carnival to cancel the Legend's Friday visit to Grand Cayman and the ship was to head to its home port of Tampa, arriving Sunday as scheduled.

Carnival said the ship's safety systems and hotel services were not affected, TV station said.

The passengers on the seven-day cruise would receive a $100 per person credit and a full refund on pre-purchased shore excursions for Grand Cayman, plus half off a future Carnival cruise, the company said.

The problem with the Legend came after Carnival said it was ending a Caribbean trip by another ship, the Carnival Dream, early and flying those passengers home after a problem developed in its backup diesel generator.

The company said it was keeping the Carnival Dream in the port of St. Maarten, USA Today reported Thursday.

On Feb. 10, another Carnival ship, the Triumph, lost power while en route from Texas to Mexico, leaving passengers with little lighting, clogged toilets and food shortages.

The company said passengers on the Dream were "safe and comfortable" and reports about seeping sewage were not true.