Cruise Vacation Turns Stinky Due to Sewage Backup
Disney’s magic is notorious with both the theme parks and a cruise line renowned for creating unexpected experiences for its guests.
But passengers on a recent Disney Cruise Line voyage found that magic turned sour when an unexpected sewage backup left feces seeping onto the carpet of multiple staterooms.
According to a guest’s post on Reddit, the problem was caused by pressure issues within Disney Magic’s plumbing system – and not by inappropriate items being flushed, as commonly assumed.
The incident appears to have occurred on the 2,700-passenger ship’s 6-night roundtrip Western Caribbean sailing from Galveston, Texas, where the ship is homeporting until April 2025.
“It was a ship issue and affected multiple rooms; no alternative rooms were available. Poop on the carpet,” said the passenger, who also said the cruise line cleaned and dealt with the issue immediately.
“It’s so gross,” the guest continued. “They are still running fans in the hallway two days later. No amount of cleaning makes this not gross.”
The passenger, who said the affected cabins were on Deck 6 in the high 6500s, wondered what sort of compensation one would find acceptable from the cruise line.
Read Also: What Do Cruise Ships Do with Sewage and Waste?
An equally unfortunate passenger said a similar incident took place on Disney Magic in October and they were only compensated $150 onboard credit plus some snacks.
“Our bathroom flooded with poop water three times. It was so gross,” the prior guest commented. “The whole deck seemed to smell of sewage, so I am sure we weren’t the only ones it was happening to.”
A former Disney Cruise Line cast member also responded regarding cleaner products. “I can tell you they are very effective. Poop particles are how [gastrointestinal illness] is spread, so they will take this incredibly seriously.”
“If a certain threshold of guests get sick, they won’t be able to run cruises with that ship until it’s completed a quarantine,” the cast member continued.
“Keeping the ships clean and ready for [US Public Health] inspection at all times is drilled into the crew.”
What Went Wrong?
Disney Cruise Line, which most recently introduced the Disney Treasure in December 2024 and will unveil its Disney Destiny in November 2025 and Disney Adventure in December 2025, currently operates a fleet of six ships.
Beyond 2025’s new additions, the company has plans for four new ships to be delivered between 2027 and 2031.
However, the sewage trouble is leading some guests to question if the cruise line should put more effort into its original ships, especially the sewage-troubled Disney Magic.
Making its maiden voyage on July 30, 1998, the 83,969-gross-ton ship is the oldest in the fleet and introduced Disney to the high seas.
That said, despite its age, the ship has been well maintained. Its last dry dock was completed in Freeport, Bahamas, in May 2023.
That 21-night dry dock – performed ahead of her 25th anniversary – had the ship run the gamut of routine cleaning, upgrades, and paint, as well as receiving shore power technology to help it reduce its carbon footprint.
Cruise ships typically undergo dry docking every few years for routine maintenance and refurbishment, and the ship is not behind schedule.
Still, plumbing systems on cruise ships are often a closed loop that relies on pumps to move wastewater from lower decks to treatment facilities found on higher ones.
If these pumps fail or pressure within the system isn’t properly regulated, backups can occur unexpectedly. It may be time for the cruise line to look at the pumps and pipes to ensure this stinky situation doesn’t become so routine.