Passengers have described the trying conditions on board the stricken cruise ship Costa Allegra, which arrived in port in the Seychelles after three days at sea without power.
There were about 630 customers on board, including 31 Britons and one Irish person, along with more than 400 crew members.
The ship, which is owned by the same company as the Costa Concordia , ran into trouble on Monday when a fire in the engine room disabled its main power supply.
No one was hurt by the fire and it was quickly put out.
But it left the vessel adrift in notorious pirate waters in the Indian Ocean with no working toilets, showers or lights.
Passenger Thomas Foaller, from Austria, said after the situation was calm after the blaze was brought under control.
"It was not dramatic. It was quiet. After (the fire was out) it was just boring," he said.
But American Gordon Bradwell said he and wife Eleanor ate cold sandwiches for three days and moved their bedding onto the deck to escape the stifling heat indoors.
Mrs Bradwell added: "The toilets were running over, there was no electricity. It was very hot."
Other passengers also said cabin temperatures and the sweltering Indian Ocean heat had been particularly difficult to endure.
"They were able to put the fire out and from that point on, it was just a matter of inconvenience, not having enough food, not being able to rest well at night," said another American holiday-maker.
"The heat is unbearable, so we had to spend most of our nights on the top deck of the ship."
Hans Schaffner, a passenger from Switzerland, said the cruise was "wonderful" before it was interrupted.
"They were very sorry and... they (said they) would compensate everything. This would not cost us anything at all.
"And that's generous from them. But of course we would've liked to go the whole trip, two weeks more, up into Italy.
"I even booked up to the volcano, Vesuvius, that was also included in an excursion."
Dozens of buses were waiting to take passengers to either the airport or a Seychelles resort, while the Red Cross set up tents to help anyone needing medical attention.
Officials from the British High Commission along with the French and Italian embassies were also at the port to assist their citizens as they disembarked from the vessel.
Joel Morgan, the Seychelles minister of transport, energy and environment, said: "I think the passengers will feel a sense of relief for being able to come ashore, go to a hotel, have a shower, relax, have something hot to eat and basically get over this ordeal."
After the passengers had disembarked, Nicola Alba, the captain of the Costa Allegra, told reporters he could not give any details on what caused the fire.
"There is an investigation in progress right now and I have to go board to see this investigation, to discuss why the generator does not work - it is damaged.
He added: "We will tell you the details when the investigation is finished."
Costa Cruises said more than 400 passengers had accepted its offer to continue their holiday in the Seychelles for one or two weeks before being flown home, all at the firm's expense.
The others will be flown home straight away, the company said.
It is understood that British passengers who are coming straight back to UK are due to board a flight to Rome and travel back to London by the end of the week.
