During a Carnival Sunrise cruise, passengers faced more than just seasickness as scorching heat led to the failure of some air conditioning systems on the ship last week.
The voyage departed from PortMiami (Florida USA) on July 24th, making stops in Ocho Rios Jamaica and Grand Cayman before returning to Miami on Saturday, July 29th. It is not clear when the air conditioning problem started, but during the 5-night Western Caribbean voyage, tourists complained that their staterooms were uncomfortably warm, with some taking photos and sharing them online, showing room temperatures hovering 80+ degrees Fahrenheit. The outside temperature reached 90+ degrees Fahrenheit.
A representative from CCL-Carnival Cruise Line confirmed that the Carnival Sunrise, which had her inaugural voyage in 1999, experienced an air conditioning "issue" that affected a limited number of staterooms and some public areas of the ship. The company attributed the AC failure to the extreme heat and record-setting ocean temperatures, which put stress on air conditioning systems both on land and at sea.
CCL didn't specify how long the air conditioning and other services (including in-cabin refrigerators) were impacted, and they didn't respond to inquiries about the solutions offered to affected passengers.
Passengers on board quickly took to social media to highlight how many people on the ship were affected, sharing pictures of long lines to speak to guest services. While the cruise line mentioned that the AC issues impacted only a limited number of people, they offered these affected passengers a 50% refund of their ticket price, and some were provided with buckets of ice to try to keep cool.
Tickets for the cruise cost upwards of $294 per person per night, depending on the itinerary and cabin type.