The Trainwreck series covers chaotic and unsettling events like Woodstock ’99, Astroworld, and now, the infamous Trainwreck: Poop Cruise. On Valentine’s Day 2013, the Carnival Triumph took off on a journey to Mexico, only to experience an engine fire on the way back. From there, things only got crappier when the power went out, and with it, the toilets.
Although there are several funny moments throughout the documentary, the overall experience was understandably horrifying. And if you think broken toilets were the worst of it—well, they were definitely a top contender, but there were plenty of other disturbing things that happened on Carnival Triumph’s ill-fated voyage.
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The Red Poop Bags
At first, the passengers on Carnival Triumph were having a great time, partying, spending quality time with friends and family, and just generally enjoying the cruise. But all of this changed when the power went out, leaving 4,000+ people without a bathroom. The issue of where to pee was semi-fixed, with passengers being told to go in the shower, leaving number 2 as their number 1 issue. In response, Carnival had an unorthodox answer: red biohazard poop bags.
Seeing Red
The passengers were all mortified by the red poop bags, with some taking Immodium to avoid them entirely and others continuing to search for a working toilet. However, some people couldn’t hold it in, and inevitably, many of the bags were used. What made this situation even worse was when passengers started throwing their poop bags over the side of the ship, with at least one bag flying back and hitting a person. While disturbing, we do have to acknowledge that these bags were at least less disgusting than some of the other options, like Chef Abhi’s horrifying account of toilet paper lasagna.
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Sewage Overflows
After far too many days adrift at sea, the Carnival passengers were thrilled to see the arrival of tugboats. These boats attached themselves to the Carnival and began to pull, causing the ship to tilt. As a result, all the feces and pee that had been building up in the toilets and showers began flooding the lower levels. Already disgusting, the heat caused the waste to reek, causing a sensory nightmare that makes us nauseous to even write about.
A Hazardous Rescue
As gross as this moment was, what made it more disturbing was the timing. The passengers believed that they were finally safe, and they were excited to head home. Yet, in its final hour, Carnival Triumph pulled out one more shocking twist, leaving the passengers covered in their own waste. It wasn’t enough for the toilets to stop working: Carnival Triumph became one giant toilet itself.
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Tent City
With the AC broken, the passengers had little choice but to pull their mattresses up on the deck. Here, they created a tiny “Tent City” community with numerous deck chairs and blankets. On one level, this sounds like fun, almost like a giant sleepover. Only, it’s a sleepover with a bunch of strangers in the heat, where many have begun forming factions and only looking out for their own.
City Strife
The “residents” of Tent City quickly broke into groups and began hoarding resources. Some of these people began having sex in public while others fought each other. To make matters worse, children were on board, and it was difficult for their parents to hide what was happening. Although nothing too drastic happened, this was arguably the moment when the power issues felt less like a nuisance and more like an actual threat to survival.
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Rotten and Limited Food
Cruise ships are known for their delicious meals, and the same was true of Carnival Triumph–until the power went out. Now, the chefs had to scramble to preserve what they could while throwing out all perishable products. This resulted in passengers waiting in line over 2 hours for soggy sandwiches of bread, tomatoes, and lettuce. Combined with the open bar (which was meant to help people calm down), this resulted in many inebriated, hungry, and pissed off passengers.
Survival Mode
As if the soggy sandwiches weren’t enough, the food began to run low, leading to many people taking and hiding away extra portions for themselves. Unfortunately, this just contributed to the overall feeling of chaos and anarchy. As Hanna, a bartender on the Triumph who had grown up in the Soviet Union, succinctly said, “Now all these Americans somehow can feel what it was like in a dictatorship country, where shit like this happens and it doesn’t surprise anyone.”
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Lack of Signal
When Carnival Triumph lost power, cell service quickly went with it. This left multiple passengers with no way to reach their loved ones on land. In turn, many loved ones had no idea what was going on with their trapped friends and family members. Some of them only found out about the engine fire via the news, causing panic and chaos to spread far beyond the ship itself. Additionally, mid-cruise, a different ship floated nearby, causing passengers to desperately scramble to find a single bar of service.
Family Fears
One of the most notable stories in the documentary concerned a girl named Rebekah, who went on the cruise with her dad, Larry. Her mom, Mary, remained at home. At the time, Rebekah was 12, so it was horrifying for both her and Mary when they were unable to speak to each other. The experience left Rebekah afraid that she’d never see her mom again, Larry feeling like he had let his daughter down, and Mary completely in the dark about what was happening on board, and worried about how severe it was.
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Carnival’s Lack of Accountability
When Carnival first learned what was happening aboard the Triumph, their PR team tried to downplay the disaster. They shared only vague details with media and would later claim that they weren’t responsible for what had occurred, due to the disclaimer language in their contract. However, details would soon emerge showing that multiple other Carnival cruise ships had faced similar engine problems. In other words, Carnival Triumph’s plight could have, and should have, been avoided, but instead, Carnival continued to act as though it wasn’t their fault.
#cruiseshipfromhell
If not for CNN and other news stations, the truth about what was happening on the Carnival Triumph might not have gotten out. Social media also played a role in sharing the passengers’ stories, with #cruiseshipfromhell trending. As of today, a few refunds have been given and several technical upgrades were made to the company’s ships. They also reworded their disclaimers to make it even harder to sue Carnival. Perhaps most disturbing of all, the company repaired and refitted the Triumph into a new ship, Carnival Sunrise. The aim might have been for a symbolic restart, but given everything the passengers went through, the mental scars they still bare, and Carnival’s lack of accountability, the gesture kind of stinks.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
