If you’ve caught yourself singing the words to the catchy theme song of the old television show “Gilligan’s Island” over the last week, there’s good reason. After the recent seagoing saga of a stricken cruise ship and the plight of its passengers, it’s no wonder the theme song might have been stuck in your head. For some though, the real-life experience was cause for new lyrical inspiration. Donna Hobbs was one of the stranded passengers aboard the disabled Carnival Splendor cruise ship that docked at San Diego’s B Street Pier at the Embarcadero on Nov. 11. Hobbs’ unplanned detour to San Diego Bay was created by a crippling engine fire that forced the ship to flounder without power at sea south of Ensenada for three days. The experience prompted Hobbs to pen her own lyrics to the show’s theme song: “No casino, shows, hot food or lights, our ship could only float. Bathrobes were worn throughout the boat on the four-day return, the four day return.” The song’s new version continues, but the point is clear. Passengers expecting a fabulous seven-day vacation experience out of Long Beach to the Mexican Riviera received something far more memorable — albeit not one full of fun and relaxation. It was an experience shared by all the cruise ship’s passengers, although some obviously took it more in stride than others. Kendall Brown and his wife, Gina, from Riverside had an eighth-deck balcony room. They were awakened during the 6 o’clock hour on Nov. 8 by a hard vibration, then smoke coming through the ventilation system. “It got a little crazy after that, with people coming out of their rooms into a smoky hallway,” Kendall said. “There were no lights and no flashlights available, so since we had a sea deck, we would leave our room door open so the interior cabins across the hall could at least get some light. Plus, the fire smell was pretty bad.” With power out on the 952-foot liner, there was also no refrigeration or cooking. So initially, there was only one eating area. “There were long lines like Disneyland for food,” said Hobbs. “They couldn’t cook anything, so we were eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, fruit and warm drinks. Eventually, they established three eating areas, and when the [USS] Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier delivered 46 pallets of food, we had other things like salami and Pop-Tarts.” Fellow passenger Debbie Blocker chimed in. “Some of the teenagers had food issues,” Blocker said with a smile. With toilets and showers not functioning initially — and people sleeping on decks and in hallways for more ventilation — there were frayed nerves and frustrations. But some of the stricken passengers were also complimentary of their hosts. The crew worked hard to do all they could to ease tensions and frustrations caused by the massive disruption to the onboard services, said some passengers. Eugene Turner of Sun City, who was traveling with his wife, Annette, and other family members, said, “The crew of 1,100 took very good care of us and it was an amazing adventure of humanity pulling together.” John Heald, the British senior cruise director, was praised for keeping passengers informed with updates and information — sometimes every 15 minutes. Debbie Carter and husband Sean were traveling with their two young children. “John, the cruise director, was fabulous,” Debbie said. “We love him. He saved us from ourselves.” Heald, in turn, praised the passengers in a brief blog. “Obviously, it has been a challenge,” Heald wrote. “But let me tell you the most important facts — and those are that the ship is safe, the guests are safe and that nobody was injured in what was a very difficult situation. I also want to tell you that the guests have been magnificent and have risen to the obvious challenges and difficult conditions onboard.” After arriving at the pier on North Harbor Drive last week, most of the 3,300 passengers were smiling as they debarked. Carnival made arrangements for all guests to either travel home that day or stay overnight in area hotels. In addition, passengers were told to expect a full refund, along with reimbursement for transportation costs, plus a complimentary future cruise equal to the amount paid for the ill-fated trip. Most voyagers accepted the nightmare vacation ending with a bit of humor. Said passenger Eugene Turner, “It’s the first cruise I’ve ever lost weight on!”