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Passengers disembark from the
The ship limped into in Mobile, Alabama on Wednesday evening and within an hour the first of the 4,229 passengers began trudging down the walkways onto dry land. It was expected to take up to four hours to fully evacuate the reeking vessel.
The Carnival Triumph has been without power since an engine room fire broke out on Sunday, leaving it drifting in the Gulf of Mexico. It took a complex rescue operation to eventually tow the boat into port at Alabama, with tug lines at one point snapping from the size of the ship.
About an hour after the ship pulled up, a steady stream of passengers began making their way down the glass-enclosed gang plank, some in wheelchairs and others pulling carry-on luggage.
For 24-year-old Brittany Ferguson of Texas, not knowing how long their ordeal was going to lost was the worst part of the experience.
"I feel great now, just being off the ship and just being on land and I get to see my family and I think that was the scariest part, just not knowing when we were going to be able to even be in Houston again," she added.
Hundreds gathered at the dockside for the arrival of the once stricken cruise liner.
Carnival announced on Wednesday that passengers would to get a full refund and discounts on future cruises along with £322 in compensation.
Contains video from APTN