Tuesday, February 12th 2013, 5:47 pm
We have more information on that Carnival cruise ship that lost power more than 100 miles from shore.
A second Coast Guard tug boat is now helping pull the 900-foot luxury liner to Mobile, Alabama.
It's expected to reach dry land by Thursday.
The original plan was to tow the ship to a small town in Mexico, but strong currents pushed it too far north.
Meanwhile, in Muskogee, a family is waiting on pins and needles for their loved one to return from the stranded cruise ship.
Misty Brumm planned a week of relaxation, but all of that changed when a fire started in the cruise ship's engine room.
The ship was stranded with no power, limited access to bathrooms, and little ability to communicate with family members on land.
2/11/2013 Related Story: Piedmont Man Talks About Wife Being Stranded On Cruise Ship
"It was a short conversation. It was really fast, just seconds, and she said, 'There's been a fire. We're fine. Call family and let them know,'" said Brumm's sister, Amy Walters.
Walters' older sister is one of the 3,000 passengers on the Carnival Triumph.
"She told me that there was a fire. There was some blaze. She saw the blazing and everything," Walters said.
She said her mind immediately started racing.
"I was shocked and scared all at the same time, because you think fire on a boat in the middle of the ocean. First instinct is that you're scared," Walters said.
Brumm managed to make a couple phone calls to her sister and mother, but most only lasted about 20 seconds.
"I was scared for her, yeah, because she was scared, too, and she was crying," Brumm's mother, Janice Smith, said.
"She was crying and she was scared, because it was dark and there was all these lights going off on the boat, because it was an emergency," Walters said.
Since cell service is spotty, Walters was able to get a better understanding of what was happening through text messages with her sister.
"They were without electricity. They didn't have any running water. Everybody was on the top and it was really hot. All the air conditioner, everything was out," Walters said. "They couldn't use the restrooms or anything, so they gave them red bags to use."
The Carnival Triumph has been in service since 1999.
"It makes you re-think and want to investigate the boat a little bit more, because you hear things, especially about this particular boat, that there were some other things going on with it," Walters said.
Carnival says it will refund cruise and transportation expenses to all passengers. They will also get credit for a future cruise.
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