Carnival Splendor rescued 4 people and 3 dogs off a disabled catamaran drifting in the South Pacific. The rescue happened on Thursday, May 22, on the third day of the ship's 8-night cruise from Sydney, Australia.
Carnival Splendor was sailing south of New Caledonia when they were alerted about the catamaran's distress call from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Noumea.
It took Carnival Splendor five hours to reach the catamaran and successfully rescue two couples and their three dogs. According to Carnival Cruise Line, they were welcomed onboard the ship carrying 3,300 guests and are receiving food, water, and medical assistance.
9News reported that those on the disabled catamaran included Australian bloggers Dusty and Helena, who run the YouTube page called Sailing Barking Cat with over 91,000 followers.
They set off with another couple on a trip around the world on May 14. However, their engine failed, and the mast broke in rough weather.
The rescued sailors won't get off at the ship's next port of call, Mystery Island. According to Cruise Mapper, Carnival Splendor is slated to arrive around 8:00am (GMT+11), which is roughly 5:00pm EST.
Instead, 9News claimed they'll disembark in Noumea on May 24. Carnival Splendor, a Splendor (Concordia) Class ship measuring 113,300 gross tons, will return to Sydney on Tuesday, May 27.
The vessel is one of Carnival's 3 ships that are based year-round in the South Pacific — along with Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter. The latter two were recently acquired from P&O Australia after the line shuttered operations after over 90 years in service.
It's not uncommon for cruise ships to rescue stranded passengers in distress
A few days ago, another Carnival ship rescued 5 people from a small boat off the coast of Cuba.
Carnival Paradise departed from Tampa, Florida, on May 12 on a 6-night Western Caribbean cruise. The 26-year-old ship had already visited Key West and was en route to Montego Bay, Jamaica, when the officers spotted the small boat.
The crew launched a lifeboat to assist the individuals. In a YouTube video shared by Party of Two Cruising, the lifeboat returned to Carnival Paradise and loaded up on supplies like bananas and life jackets to give to those who chose to remain on their boat.
"The five people who requested rescue were part of a larger group on board the small boat," a statement sent to USA TODAY said, "The other occupants did not wish to join the ship but were given food and water by the ship's team."
Carnival Paradise officers notified the U.S. Coast Guard after the rescue and continued to Jamaica. Neither the identities of the rescued individual nor the cause of the distress were revealed.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
