Cranky Costa Allegra Passengers Return to Shore

The passengers of the Costa Allegra are back on dry land today, and while their voyage didn't end as tragically as the Costa Concordia, let's just say it wasn't the paradise they envisioned. "The toilets were running over, there was no electricity. It was very hot," one American passenger tells the Guardian. During their three days adrift at sea, she and her husband ate cold sandwiches and slept on the deck, since the ship had lost its air conditioning. But "it could have been worse than it was," her husband says. "It could have been disastrous … we're here, we're alive."

The Allegra, which set off Saturday and lost power after a fire in the generator room Monday, was towed by a French fishing vessel and docked in the Seychelles today—as many passengers applauded. More than half of the passengers are taking Costa Cruises up on its offer of a free vacation in the Seychelles. Says one travel agent who was on hand, "The focus of the operation is to get them a warm meal and a shower." (Sound familiar? Click for more horror stories from another stranded cruise ship.)