It almost makes up for the Spam dinners.
Passengers stranded on a Carnival cruise ship off San Diego shore had to forgo the lobster claws yesterday — but could still get as drunk as sailors.
“Alcohol is being served” for free, said Joyce Oliva, a Carnival spokeswoman.
Passengers on the 952-foot Splendor used the booze to wash down a limited menu of Spam and Pop-Tarts — which became the sole sustenance after fire swept through the engine room, crippling the vessel, Monday morning.
Military helicopters delivered the food, which was paid for by Carnival, according to Navy spokeswoman Terry Feeney.
She added that the Navy would not airlift a re-up of booze if supplies run out.
The cruise ship, packed with nearly 4,500 passengers, is expected to reach shore this afternoon with the aid of two tugboats.
“There is no power,” Oliva said. “We lost Internet and cell service.”
Air conditioning, refrigeration and hot water were also out of commission, leaving passengers with little to do but hang out on the deck and get loaded.
David Zambrano, a passenger on the Splendor, managed to get cellphone service Wednesday.
“It’s almost like a diet cruise because we’ve been eating salads and fruit and small sandwiches,” Zambrano said. “It’s nothing like anyone expected.”
The high-seas frat-house scene was certainly not what Westchester County Legislator Bernice Spreckman had in mind when she and her husband set sail from Long Beach, Calif., on Sunday for a trip to the Mexican Riviera.
Spreckman is traveling with a group of about 50 other senior citizens who belong to a theater group, according to Tara Martin, a spokeswoman with the Westchester County Board of Legislators.
“Half of her cast is on the ship,” Martin said. “We were joking around — she’s probably got those guys rehearsing.”