Carnival Responds as Infamous Carnival Triumph “Poop Cruise” Resurfaces
It’s been over a decade since Carnival Triumph set sail on the infamous “poop cruise” in 2013, but a new documentary on Netflix has put the “crappy” event back in the public eye.
The eight episode documentary anthology, called “Trainweck,” releases a new episode every Tuesday about crazy events that have caused media frenzies in the past.
On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, “The Poop Cruise” episode dropped – reminding the cruise community of an event both Carnival’s PR team and the guests onboard would probably like to forget.
If you weren’t aware of the event, the “poop cruise” refers to a 4-night sailing to Cozumel, Mexico, in which an engine fire caused a ship-wide power outage.
Over 4,000 people were stranded at sea in the warm Gulf of Mexico for several days without working toilets, which is how the notorious voyage got its name.
But as consumers flock to Netflix to watch the 55-minute documentary about the incident, Carnival wants to make sure their voice is heard, too.
With this in mind, Carnival issued a statement to explain how the cruise line has learned from the disaster and has taken measures to make sure it never happens again.
“The Carnival Triumph incident over 12 years ago was a teachable moment for the entire cruise industry,” the statement began, which Brand Ambassador John Heald read in a video on his Facebook page.
“A thorough investigation following the incident revealed a design vulnerability which was corrected and led Carnival Cruise Line to invest more than $500 million across our entire fleet in comprehensive fire prevention and suppression, improved redundancy, and enhanced management systems, all in support of our commitment to robust safety standards,” the statement continued.
Carnival then went on to express their pride at the fact that over 53 million guests have sailed on their ships and “enjoyed safe and memorable vacations” since 2013.
Today, Carnival Triumph is still cruising, but under a new name. In 2019, she was renamed Carnival Sunrise after undergoing a massive $200 million refurbishment.
Directly after the incident in February of 2013, the ship remained out of service for approximately four months. During this time, the cruise line spent over $100 million to make her seaworthy again.
Should You Watch The Documentary?
The “Poop Cruise” documentary is likely to be viewed by millions of people and I will admit that I was among the first wave of watchers.
For context, the first “Trainwreck” episode in this series, which was released on June 10, 2025, and covered the Astroworld Tragedy, has been streamed more than 7.3 million times.
If you are debating if you should watch the documentary, let me just say that it had me laughing, crying, and cringing over the course of the hour. However, it is also not for the faint of heart.
At the end of the day, the passengers and crew members who lived this nightmare went through something that was extremely challenging, and often disgusting, with overflowing toilets, flooding sewage, and no air conditioning.
There is some use of foul language, and for lack of better terms, gross visuals that may not be suitable for all viewers. That said, I still found it really interesting to see the events unfold through the people who lived it.
I was particularly intrigued by how resourceful the guests were throughout the situation, such as by pouring soda on their life jackets to activate the flashing light when they needed to go inside while the power was out.
I also liked that the documentary delivers a balanced approach, featuring interviews from multiple cruise guests, the cruise director at the time (Jen Baxter), other crew members, lawyers, members of the media, and Carnival’s PR team.
Read Also: 10 Worst Cruise Fails You Can Prepare For
One key theme that surprised me as I watched was how the 1,090 crew members onboard were really the unsung heroes during the situation, which is not something I saw come through much in the media coverage at the time.
Throughout the documentary, I could see how the crew members were trying to keep guests at ease and make them as comfortable as possible despite their own worries and discomfort.
And when the ship finally made it to Mobile, Alabama, after being stranded for around four days, the guests were still thanking the crew members for going above and beyond their line of duty.
Carnival Responds as Infamous Carnival Triumph “Poop Cruise” Resurfaces