Lee Baker's daughter, Darcie, and her fiancee, Kade.
AMARILLO, TEXAS -- "Relieved!"
That's the one word Lee Baker exclaimed when asked how he's feeling now that his daughter is back on land.
Darcie Davis, 27, and her fiancee, Kade Boman, 27, were among the passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph cruise ship that left thousands of passengers in miserable conditions for days.
The couple told Pronews 7 they had a wonderful first few days at sea.
"Well, we had three really fun days on the cruise ship. We kind of did the whole cruising thing and laying out. We went and swam with the dolphins on our day in Mexico," Darcie said.
Kade even popped the question to which Darcie said yes. But then, their trip took a turn.
"We woke up the next morning and it was not so good after that," Darcie said.
"We got a siren going off in our room at about 5:30 in the morning. We kind of poked our head out and saw some black smoke coming down the hall. I never saw any of the flames or anything, but there was a lot of smoke."
Smoke is something Kade knows a thing or two about. He is a Lubbock firefighter.
The smoke was due to an engine-room fire Sunday that left the ship powerless and adrift. Carrying some 4,200 people, the ship was under tow by tugboats and arrived in Mobile, Alabama where passengers disembarked late Thursday evening.
Darcie and Kade say the crew was undergoing the same distress, but took care of the passengers.
"The crew was very, very nice. They were helping in anyway possible. They were in the same conditions that we were, but they were still very happy and chipper and smiling and doing whatever they could to accomodate us," Darci said.
After disembarking Thursday evening, Darcie and Kade took a bus to New Orleans, flew to Houston, then took another bus to Galveston to pick up their truck and head home.
Lee says it has been a tough week full of worry for him and his wife.
"She called the cruise line constantly for updates. She also waited by the phone for any word from Darcie," Lee said.
Both say they are happy that Darcie and Kade are on their way home and are safe.
Lee says his wife is ready to hug their daughter and start planning a wedding.
