What happened on the Carnival Triumph ‘poop cruise'? Netflix Trainwreck documentary explained?
NEW Netflix documentary series Trainwreck explores some of the world's weirdest and most wonderful events, as well as its most disgusting.
Here we look at an episode of the show dedicated to an extreme example of the latter that took place on the Carnival Triumph — aptly titled Poop Cruise.
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The Carnival Triumph ran into trouble in the Gulf of Mexico in February 2013, causing the sewage system to fail
Credit: Getty
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Things got so bad passengers slept on the the deck
Credit: AP:Associated Press
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A passenger kissing the ground after stepping off the Carnival Triumph in Alabama
Credit: AFP
What happened on the Carnival Triumph?
In February 2013, the Carnival Triumph cruise ship became the center of an international media storm after a disastrous voyage that would later be dubbed the 'poop cruise'.
The ship, carrying more than 4,000 passengers and crew, set sail from Galveston, Texas, for what was supposed to be a relaxing four-day trip to the Caribbean.
But the journey took a dramatic turn for the worse on day three when a fire broke out in the aft engine room.
Although the crew quickly extinguished the blaze and no one was hurt, the fire knocked out the ship's main power supply.
This left it adrift in the Gulf of Mexico without propulsion and most of its essential systems.
With the loss of power, the Triumph's air conditioning, refrigeration and, most critically, its sewage and sanitation systems failed.
This unsurprisingly created nightmarish conditions for everyone on board the stricken luxury liner.
Toilets stopped working and raw sewage began seeping into hallways and cabins, producing an overwhelmingly unpleasant stench, as well as an unsafe and unsanitary environment.
Many passengers reported that they had to use plastic bags and red biohazard bags for waste — the restrooms were totally unusable.
The lack of air conditioning made the interior of the ship unbearably hot and humid, prompting many to sleep on open decks in an effort to escape the oppressive heat and foul smell.
Crippled cruise ships docks in Alabama
Food supplies quickly dwindled as refrigeration units failed.
While the crew did everything within their power to provide meals with what little they had, passengers were soon eating cold sandwiches and makeshift meals, often consisting of little more than bread and vegetables.
Water was rationed, with the overall atmosphere on the ship growing tense as the days dragged on.
Communication with the outside world was limited, but news of the dire conditions spread quickly, with images of the ship and its suffering passengers quickly spreading around the world.
After five days stranded at sea, the Carnival Triumph was finally towed to port in Mobile, Alabama, ending the horrific ordeal.
The situation on board was difficult and we are very sorry for what has happened. We pride ourselves on providing our guests with a great vacation experience and clearly we failed in this case
Former Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill
But the fallout was just beginning, with investigations revealing that Carnival had been aware of certain maintenance issues and fire risks on the ship prior to the voyage.
This raised serious questions about the company's safety protocols and preparedness.
CNN obtained documents showing only four of the six generators working, and the company knew about the fire hazard posed by the generators when they set sail.
These documents revealed that the company was also aware of the fuel line leaks that contributed to the fire, CNN reported.
The documents also showed that there had been nine incidents with fuel lines in just two years.
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Netflix's poster for Trainwreck: Poop Cruise
Credit: Netflix
Lawsuits followed and the cruise industry as a whole faced renewed scrutiny over its emergency procedures and passenger safety standards.
Former Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said: "I want to again apologize to our guests and their friends and families.
'The situation on board was difficult and we are very sorry for what has happened.
"We pride ourselves on providing our guests with a great vacation experience and clearly we failed in this case."
Poop Cruise
Netflix's documentary series Trainwreck revisits this infamous event in an episode titled Poop Cruise
Offering first-hand accounts from passengers and crew who endured the ordeal, the doc recounts how the technical failures occurred and squalid conditions this created.
Exploring how quickly a dream vacation can transform into hell on earth, Poop Cruise also looks into the psychological impact of the experience on the people involved.
Episodes of Trainwreck started dropping on Netflix on June 10, 2025, with Poop Cruise available for streaming from June 24.
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