Netflix’s Trainwreck Documentary Dives into the 2013 Carnival Triumph Disaster
New York, N.Y. — In 2013, the Carnival Triumph set sail from Galveston, Texas, for a four-day round trip to Cozumel, Mexico, promising passengers a luxurious escape filled with sun, sea, and endless buffets. Instead, an engine room fire on February 10 turned the 14-story floating paradise into a drifting nightmare.
Netflix’s recent documentary, Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, part of its anthology series on headline-grabbing disasters, plunges into this infamous incident with a mix of raw passenger footage, crew testimonies, and a touch of scatological humor. The result is a gripping, if stomach-churning, exploration of human behavior under pressure and the cruise industry’s scramble to contain a public relations disaster.
My own experiences on Cunard Lines to Halifax and Southampton, Holland America Line to Rotterdam, and Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas were thankfully free of such chaos. Toilets functioned, buffets flowed, and the worst inconvenience was a crowded deck chair. But I’ve endured non-working toilets elsewhere—once on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and another time on the Trans-Siberian Express. There’s little worse than being unable to relieve oneself or facing a filthy facility. This personal connection made Trainwreck: Poop Cruise both repulsive and riveting, as it laid bare the visceral horror of 4,000 people trapped with nowhere to go—literally.
A Floating Fiasco Unfolds
The trouble began when a fire in the Carnival Triumph’s engine room severed the ship’s main power cables, halting propulsion, air conditioning, refrigeration, and, most critically, the flushing toilets. Stranded in the Gulf of Mexico (NOT Gulf of America), the ship became a 272-meter-long petri dish. Passengers were instructed to urinate in showers and defecate in red biohazard bags, which were to be left in corridors for collection.
So gross: As documented in the film, many passengers ignored these instructions,
clogging non-working toilets and creating what crew member Abhi vividly described
as a “poop lasagna”—layers of excrement and toilet paper piling up in stalls.
The documentary, directed by James Ross, uses passenger footage, like that of Devin Marble, who scoured the ship for a working toilet to avoid the biohazard bags, and interviews with crew members like the likable Australian cruise director Jen Baxter, who announced the grim bathroom protocols over the PA system.
The situation worsened when tugboats, towing the ship toward Mobile, Alabama, caused it to list, spilling sewage across floors and down walls. Passengers dragged mattresses to the deck to escape the stifling heat and stench, creating a makeshift tent city under the blazing sun.
Human Nature Under Pressure
Trainwreck: Poop Cruise doesn’t shy away from the absurdity of the situation, but it also reveals the spectrum of human responses to crisis. Some passengers, like Ashley, a bride-to-be on her bachelorette trip, popped Imodium to avoid the bags, while others hoarded dwindling food supplies or brawled over deck space. The decision to open the bar for free drinks, meant to lift spirits, backfired spectacularly. Intoxicated passengers urinated off the ship’s sides, tossed biohazard bags onto lifeboats, and, in one memorable moment, saw their waste blown back onto lower decks by the wind.
Crew members, meanwhile, emerge as the unsung heroes. Abhi, the chef, scrambled to make lettuce sandwiches with spoiling ingredients, while Jen Baxter and others worked tirelessly to maintain order. The documentary contrasts the passengers’ entitlement—some complained about missing margaritas—with the crew’s resilience, particularly Hanna, a bartender who likened the chaos to life in a “dictatorship country.” The film suggests that cultural differences shaped reactions: Americans, unaccustomed to such deprivation, panicked, while others, like Hanna, saw it as a grim but survivable inconvenience.
Media Frenzy and Corporate Fallout
The Carnival Triumph saga became a global sensation, dubbed the “Poop Cruise” by a gleeful media. Hashtags like #CruiseShipFromHell trended, and late-night shows like Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show parodied the debacle. Trainwreck captures this frenzy through archival news footage, showing how the story captivated an audience fascinated by the grotesque. One X (Twitter) user remarked, “Trainwreck: Poop Cruise on Netflix is a perfect documentary to show how Americans would not be surviving a war on their soil for a single week,” highlighting the perceived fragility of the passengers’ resolve.
Carnival Cruise Line faced a public relations nightmare. The documentary notes that the company spent $115 million to clean, repair, and refit the Triumph, which now sails as the Carnival Sunrise. Passengers received full refunds, $500 compensation, covered travel expenses, and a free future cruise—an offer few likely redeemed. A Carnival spokesperson called the incident a “teachable moment” for the industry, leading to improved safety protocols. Yet, as Trainwreck hints, the disaster exposed deeper issues, like Carnival’s decision to operate with only four of six generators, a cost-saving measure that exacerbated the crisis.
A Reflection on Resilience and Responsibility
What makes Trainwreck: Poop Cruise compelling is its balance of humor and humanity. The absurdity of defecating in bags or navigating sewage-soaked hallways is tempered by stories of bonding, like Devin Marble connecting with his fiancée’s family over shared flashlights and determination. The documentary also raises questions about the cruise industry’s promises of luxury versus its preparedness for disaster. While no lives were lost, the psychological toll on passengers—some still “haunted” 12 years later—underscores the fragility of modern conveniences.
For those who’ve cruised without incident, the film is a cautionary tale. It’s easy to take functioning toilets and abundant food for granted until they’re gone. Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is a wild ride, both disgusting and captivating, that reminds us how quickly paradise can turn to pandemonium. It’s a must-watch for anyone intrigued by human behavior, corporate accountability, or just a good, gross story.
Oh, Sh#t! Carnival’s Calamity: The Infamous ‘Poop Cruise’ (July 12, 2025)
Summary
Netflix’s Trainwreck: Poop Cruise recounts the 2013 Carnival Triumph disaster, where an engine fire left 4,000 passengers stranded in the Gulf of Mexico without power or working toilets. Passengers faced biohazard bags for sanitation, food shortages, and chaos, while the media frenzy dubbed it the “Poop Cruise.” The documentary blends humor and horror, revealing human resilience and corporate missteps in a bizarre maritime fiasco.
