They did pay for showers and warm food, while soldiers volunteered for their conditions.
That said, my favorite quotes from passengers were the ones who said they had a blast drinking through it, and the one who simply said “Stuff happens.” The guy who said “this was my first cruise and probably my last” came off as a whiner going for a free ticket, which they’ll all probably get anyway.
And some military paid with their lives, and limbs.