ATLANTA — There's a good chance Atlanta's most famous penny pincher will get a really good deal on his next cruise.
But first, he'd probably like to get off the one he's on.
Consumer advocate Clark Howard, who can be seen on WSB-TV and heard on News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB, is one of about 2,000 passengers currently sailing on Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas on a 7-night trip from Italy.
Clark says the fire started early Thursday morning in one of the ship's engine rooms while they were about 20 miles off the coast of Greece.
Using a WSB cellphone app, Howard was able to update his colleagues back in the newsroom — all while sailing in the Adriatic Sea.
"We had a severe engine fire that lasted just under two hours," Howard said in the voice recording. "Now we're moving on less than half power."
In an interview with Channel 2's Fred Blankenship via Skype, Howard said the passengers were awoken by alarms and announcements alerting everyone to the emergency.
Clark said two floors of the ship were evacuated because the "smoke was choking." He added the smell throughout the ship was "intensely gross."
No injuries were reported from the fire but Clark said the ship was operating on minimal power. He said they should arrive in Italy on Saturday.
Clark says he was very impressed with the crew members, they did everything they could to make sure people were comfortable and safe.
No information was released on whether current passengers will be compensated for the disruption.
WSBTV
