Mechanical problems interrupt 2 Carnival cruises

Two Carnival cruises were cut short this week in the latest mechanical headaches to beset the world's largest cruise line.

Passengers from the Carnival Dream were sent to the airport in St. Maarten instead of sailing to its home of Port Canaveral, Fla., after a generator problem halted their trip.

The Dream was on the final stop of a Caribbean cruise when the crew announced they would cut short the trip. Carnival Cruise Lines said the ship did not lose power but that there were periodic interruptions to elevators and restrooms.

Another ship in the Caribbean, the Carnival Legend, was forced to skip a stop in Grand Cayman because a propulsion system malfunction slowed its speed, the company said. It will return to Tampa, Fla., Sunday.

An engine fire crippled the Carnival Triumph in February, leaving 4,200 stranded for five days without working toilets or power.