Passengers of stranded Carnival cruise ship have little cause to sue

MOBILE, Alabama (REUTERS) - After four days on a crippled cruise ship with overflowing toilets, stifling heat and hours-long waits for food, at least one passenger from the Carnival Triumph is seeking legal revenge.

Lawyers familiar with cruise ship lawsuits, however, suggest angry passengers should think twice before rushing to the courts. Unless passengers suffered major injuries or other losses due to negligence by the cruise operator, they will be better off accepting compensation from Carnival Corp, they said.

The Carnival Triumph was towed into port in Mobile, Alabama, late on Thursday, giving disembarking passengers an opportunity to speak out about their ordeal. Within hours, Ms Cassie Terry, of Brazoria County, Texas, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Miami describing the ship as "a floating toilet, a floating Petri dish, a floating hell".

As the ship listed as it was being towed, Ms Terry was in constant fear of contracting serious illness from raw sewage spilling from non-functioning toilets. She had to wade through human faeces to reach food lines that were hours long, only to receive spoiled rations, according to the lawsuit.