Netflix’s documentary series Trainwreck just dropped its grossest episode yet: Poop Cruise, revisiting the 2013 Carnival Triumph ship disaster that left thousands of passengers stranded at sea.
Previous episodes of Trainwreck have explored the deadly Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy and the political meltdown of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, but Poop Cruise stands out for a very different reason: it’s disgusting rather than disturbing.
You see, on February 7, 2013, a fire broke out in the engine room, leaving the cruise ship without power – and no power meant no flushing toilets. Without a way to get rid of their waste, the 4,200 people onboard were effectively stuck on a floating latrine.
Sewage sloshed through the corridors, food spoiled in the heat, and morale collapsed. In other words, things got ugly fast – but did the Poop Cruise ever turn fatal?
Did anyone die on the Poop Cruise?
No one died on the Poop Cruise – but several passengers and crew became ill, and conditions onboard could have easily led to tragedy.
In the days following the engine fire, temperatures inside the ship soared above 100 degrees, turning cabins into sweltering ovens – so much so that passengers ended up dragging their mattresses to the decks to sleep outside.
They were also made to pee in showers and poop in red biohazard bags, some of which were left in the hallways. With overflowing toilets, limited sanitation, and food left to spoil without refrigeration, it was a perfect storm for illness.
Some passengers reported nausea and vomiting, with experts describing the ship as a “floating petri dish.”
In the Netflix documentary, a passenger named Devon says, “The next morning we woke up and everything had changed. I went down to the lower decks and saw and smelt and felt the air of sickness.”
To make matters worse, the crew later made the decision to open the bar and offer out free alcohol to raise morale. However, it led to drunken chaos, with passengers urinating off the side of the ship and throwing used red bags overboard.
Any one of these moments could have resulted in serious injury or far worse. Even though everyone made it out unscathed, this didn’t prevent Carnival Cruise Line from facing legal consequences.
Poop Cruise lawsuit explained
Carnival faced numerous lawsuits after the passengers made it back to the US. However, as is revealed in Trainwreck, the company was protected by a clause in the cruise ticket contract.
The contract states that it “makes absolutely no guarantee for safe passage, a seaworthy vessel, adequate and wholesome food, and sanitary and safe living conditions.”
Maritime lawyer Frank Spagnoletti, who represented a number of Triumph passengers in court cases against the company, says, “It’s amazing. I think if most people actually knew that existed at the time, they probably would never buy a ticket. I certainly wouldn’t.”
Even so, all of Spagnoletti’s cases were settled. In a separate lawsuit in 2015, a Florida federal judge awarded 27 passengers with a combined total of $118,500 in damages for the incident.
According to maritime lawyer Jim Walker, three passengers received $15,000 each and the remaining 24 passengers were handed varying amounts averaging less than $3,000 each.
However, Walker pointed out, “After deducting attorney fees and costs, and considering the passengers had to come to Miami for trial and incur lodging and travel expenses, they’re lucky if they didn’t lose money.”
In 2018, a separate lawsuit filed by over 100 passengers was dismissed due to a separate clause in the ticket contract, requiring a notice of personal injury claim within 185 days.
The company also offered all passengers compensation, including a full refund for the cruise and travel expenses, credit towards a cruise of the same value, and a check for $500.
How long was the Carnival Triumph ship stranded?
The Carnival Triumph fire started at approximately 5.30am on February 10, 2013, and it didn’t dock until around 9.20pm, meaning over 4,200 passengers and staff were stranded for just over four-and-a-half days.
As is revealed in the documentary, the trip itself – which set off from Galveston, Texas, to Cozumel, Mexico – was only supposed to be four days in total.
Despite emergency generators, food, and other supplies arriving within 24 hours, full restoration was impossible. And with so many people on board, they were unable to transfer all of them onto another ship.
Instead, they were forced to stay put and wait. Tugboats were supposed to arrive earlier, but the ship had drifted too far from the shore. Further delays were caused by stormy weather, until eventually a fleet of tugboats were able to bring the Poop Cruise home.
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