Land â€" and with it, the prospect of warm showers, hot food and working toilets â€" is within sight but still, agonizingly, so far away for the more than 4,000 people who are stranded aboard the Carnival Cruise Line ship Triumph off the Alabama coast.
When a problem with a winch on a tugboat connected to the cruise ship further delayed the journey on Thursday afternoon, Alexa Benedetti, 32, a passenger on board the ship, said it was like a punch in the gut.
“Literally, people are crying,†she said.
Coast guard officials say a new tugboat has been secured, and the Carnival Triumph is again making its way into Mobile, Ala. It is expected to arrive late Thursday night.
As the ship inches closer to land, passengers have been posting photos, sending text messages and sending some video of the scene.
Updating…