Former UMD football star: Cruise passengers await flight to Florida

A former University of Minnesota Duluth football star is currently in St. Maarten waiting to fly to Florida after the Carnival Cruise Line ship he was traveling on had mechanical issues.

Issac Odim said the 4,000-plus passengers aboard the Carnival Dream have been in St. Maarten since Wednesday and were allowed to leave the boat late Thursday morning.

“The actual conditions on the ship are fine now,” Odim said in an e-mail to the News Tribune. “Power to the elevators, toilets and AC was shut down for a while Wednesday night while they worked on the mechanical issues, but everything seems to be functioning OK since then.”

Odim said passengers were being flown back to Florida today but that he hadn’t found out yet when he is scheduled to leave.

Odim originally posted about the situation from his Twitter account Thursday.

“Stranded on a #Carnival cruise. Seriously? And I’m pretty sure they shut down the wifi to keep people quiet,” he Tweeted. Then, later: “They offered 50% off my next #Carnival cruise. Is that supposed to be a joke?”

An engine fire last month crippled another Carnival ship, the Carnival Triumph, leaving 4,200 people stranded for five days without working toilets or power.

Odim played for UMD from 2008-201, helping the Bulldogs win two NCAA Division II titles, and graduated as UMD’s all-time leading running back.

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