Chelmsford couple says cruise was far from splendid

Toilets couldn’t flush and there was no running water for the first of four days, said Guarnera. There was also no lighting or hot food for the duration of the time at sea.

“You couldn’t see at night. We had to use my wife’s cellphone as a flashlight in our cabin,” said Guarnera, who said they were lucky to have a cabin with a balcony, so they could see during the day. “People with inner rooms were in total darkness the whole time.”

He said it was also uncomfortably hot because there was no air conditioning, so passengers kept their doors open for circulation.

The majority of the food onboard was unusable because it had to be cooked, so the crew worked with what they could, including bread, cereal fruit, and salad. “They created many different types of sandwiches,” he said, using combinations of bread, cheese, mayonnaise, tomatoes, and more creative concoctions like hard-boiled eggs and pesto.

“We had to wait at least two hours in the line to get food—the entire length of the ship,” said Guarnera. “It was tough for the elderly and the handicapped because there were no elevators.”

After about a day, help finally arrived from the U.S. and Mexican navies, and the U.S. Coast Guard. “It was nice to know someone knew we were out there,” said Guarnera.

The USS Ronald Reagan brought additional supplies, water, and food, including hot dogs, Pop Tarts, and Spam.

“I had never tried Spam before—they said it was corned beef,” said Guarnera. “It was better than what we were having before, but I’m not a big fan.”

Despite the conditions, passengers were able to make the best of a bad situation. They were told they could help themselves to anything in their wet bars, and by the last night all of the bars were open.

“Everyone partook, but nobody went overboard,” said Guarnera. “It was pretty much relaxed and celebratory because we knew we were going ashore.” He said there was a lot of cardplaying over the four days.

“We were only able to have a good time because of the company we were with,” he said. The Guarneras traveled with their friends Jeff and Lucy Lee-Maiullari, also of Chelmsford. They were on the cruise to celebrate Jeff’s 50th birthday and the Guarneras’ 26th wedding anniversary.

The passengers finally arrived in San Diego Thursday night. The Guarneras plan to stay in California until Monday, when their cruise was originally supposed to end.

“We could’ve flown home today, but we’re already here and we already have the work off,” said Guarnera. “How often do we get to stay in California? [The cruise line] paid for out hotel, meals, and transportation.”

They will stay in San Diego until Sunday, and will then be transported to Los Angeles, where Guarnera’s brother lives. They will leave from LAX Sunday night and arrive in Boston Monday morning.

Although the Guarneras plan to enjoy their time in San Diego, they are eager to return home and see their children, 21, 19, and 15 -- “like you wouldn’t believe,” said Guarnera.

All the passengers on “Splendor” will be reimbursed for the trip and be given vouchers for a future cruise.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Guarnera, who had an issue with a cruise about four years ago. Their flight never came and they missed the first four days of the cruise. The cruise line blamed the airline and vice-versa, so he was never reimbursed. He said he has been on about eight cruises before.

Guarnera hopes Carnival keeps its word on the offer. “I’ll take them up on that one,” he said. “I definitely won’t be on the same ship. I’ll tell you that much.”