Aboard the Carnival Triumph cruise ship

The Carnival Triumph, with over 4,000 passengers aboard, idled for nearly a week in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine room fire and was being towed to port in Mobile, Ala. As passengers came within sight of land and a cellphone signal, a clearer picture of the scene aboard the ship began to emerge. They described overflowing toilets, sewage backed up in showers, scarce food, people getting sick and a tent city on what was supposed to be a tanning deck.

carnival, cruise, triumph, adrift, gulf of mexico — AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard- Lt. Cmdr. Paul McConnell

A small boat belonging to the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous patrols near the cruise ship Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 11, 2013.

The Carnival Triumph, with over 4,000 passengers aboard, idled for nearly a week in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine room fire and was being towed to port in Mobile, Ala. As passengers came within sight of land and a cellphone signal, a clearer picture of the scene aboard the ship began to emerge. They described overflowing toilets, sewage backed up in showers, scarce food, people getting sick and a tent city on what was supposed to be a tanning deck.

Passengers wait around a make-shift charging area aboard the vessel in the Gulf of Mexico in this undated photo. Passengers realized the ATM machines had power, so they unplugged them and daisy-chained power strips to charge mobile devices.

The Carnival Triumph, with over 4,000 passengers aboard, idled for nearly a week in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine room fire and was being towed to port in Mobile, Ala. As passengers came within sight of land and a cellphone signal, a clearer picture of the scene aboard the ship began to emerge. They described overflowing toilets, sewage backed up in showers, scarce food, people getting sick and a tent city on what was supposed to be a tanning deck.

Passengers with makeshift tents on the the deck of the Carnival Triumph cruise ship at sea in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 10, 2013.

Passengers spell out the word "HELP" aboard the disabled Carnival Lines cruise ship Triumph as it is towed to harbor off Mobile Bay, Ala., Feb. 14, 2013.

Passengers with makeshift tents on the the deck of the Carnival Triumph cruise ship at sea in the Gulf of Mexico.

Passengers with makeshift tents on the the deck of the Carnival Triumph cruise ship at sea in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 10, 2013.

The Carnival Triumph, with over 4,000 passengers aboard, idled for nearly a week in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine room fire and was being towed to port in Mobile, Ala. As passengers came within sight of land and a cellphone signal, a clearer picture of the scene aboard the ship began to emerge. They described overflowing toilets, sewage backed up in showers, scarce food, people getting sick and a tent city on what was supposed to be a tanning deck.

Passengers on the the deck of the Carnival cruise ship Triumph at sea in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 10, 2013 .

Lt. Cmdr. Paul McConnell,AP/U.S. Coast Guard

In this Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, a Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew delivers approximately 3,000 pounds of equipment, which included a generator and electrical cables, from the offshore supply vessel Lana Rose to the Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Carnival Triumph, with over 4,000 passengers aboard, idled for nearly a week in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine room fire and was being towed to port in Mobile, Ala. As passengers came within sight of land and a cellphone signal, a clearer picture of the scene aboard the ship began to emerge. They described overflowing toilets, sewage backed up in showers, scarce food, people getting sick and a tent city on what was supposed to be a tanning deck.

In this aerial photo, passengers congregate on an upper deck of the disabled Carnival Lines cruise ship Triumph as it is towed to harbor off Mobile Bay, Ala., Feb. 14, 2013.

Passengers stand on the upper deck of the disabled Carnival Lines cruise ship as it is towed to harbor off Mobile Bay, Ala.,Feb. 14, 2013.

The cruise ship Carnival Triumph is visible several miles beyond the Sand Island Light House near Dauphin Island, Ala., Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. — AP Photo/Dave Martin

The cruise ship Carnival Triumph is visible several miles beyond the Sand Island Light House near Dauphin Island, Ala., Feb. 14, 2013.

Rusty and Beth Adkins of Noblesville, Ind., await the arrival of their 18-year-old daughter Brianna aboard the disabled Carnival Triumph in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 14, 2013. The teenager went on a cruise with four aunts and cousins.

People on Spanish Fort watch as the disabled Carnival Lines cruise ship is towed to harbor off Mobile Bay, Ala., Feb. 14, 2013.