Vacation From Hell

If it wasn’t so darn funny, we might feel sorry for the 4,466 people stranded aboard the engineless 952-ft cruise ship Carnival Splendor. The two-year-old ship left Long Beach Sunday on a seven-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera, but an engine room fire on Monday set the behemoth adrift with no electricty. No refrigeration, no AC, no hot water, nada. The Navy quickly scrambled helos to drop 70,000 lbs of ’emergency rations’ — from canned crab and croissants to Spam and Pop Tarts — to the ship, and tow boats intercepted it and are bringing it in to San Diego. It’s expected to arrive some time tomorrow. A reporter for a Denver TV station who happens to be aboard reported that passengers, none of whom were injured, are faring well, playing cards, singing songs, and generally making the best of what must be the most dissapointing vacation of their lives.