Spam the torpedoes! Carnival Splendor returns home -- with some funny twists

Some people show great courage in the face of adversity; some just get silly. Here’s what happened when the Carnival Splendor cruise ship finally returned to San Diego on Thursday after being left powerless at sea by an engine fire:

Passenger Donna Hobbs and some fellow strandees put their ordeal into a snappy sea ditty sung to the tune of the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song. Thank goodness someone was laughing. (Click here for the ABC-TV video.)

But maybe those lyrics tell a bigger story. Hobbs sings of “more salad and more fruit, cucumber and cheese sandwiches...”

Really? Word on the sea was that Pop-Tarts and Spam were the plats du jour. But a tweet by Carnival personnel disputed that account: “Despite media reports to the contrary, Carnival Splendor guests were never served SPAM!” Of course, that provoked a slew of comments from Spam lovers everywhere. (Carnival later added that “while some SPAM was delivered, it was never served to guests.”)

That denial didn’t stop vendors from selling T-shirts for $20 each to returning passengers imprinted with the phrase: “I survived the 2010 Carnival cruise Spamcation,” the Associated Press reported.

Spamcation? Let’s hope that doesn’t turn into a travel trend.

Check out the “Carnival Splendor Twitter chatter” to stay on top of news about the returning cruise ship.