Ship survivor describes conditions

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Coming back to work is usually not what people look forward to right after their vacations, but in Howard Sellars' case there's an exception. Sellars was one of the 4,200-plus passengers onboard the stranded Carnival ship. He says it's good to be with all his friends again.

"I was looking forward to come back to work," said Sellars. "[I would] love to just be in my office just talking to someone, showing a car, whatever it could have been."

He says conditions on board are hard to describe and credits the use of an air mask, which kept him from "going insane."

"We slept outside, we dragged our mattresses outside," added Sellars. "The bottom two floors, they just smelled like sewage."

Sellers says he was able to keep his composure and sense of humor intact in light of the gross reality of what was happening all around him.

"So they started handing out these bags and you poop in them and you tie them up and you leave them outside your door," said Sellars. "At one point you'd see 10, 15 of these outside the doors.

But today is another day. He says all that's behind him now and says it's be a long time before he considers going on a cruise again.