IT should have been the trip of a lifetime… instead it turned into the ultimate holiday from hell.
Passengers went from sipping cocktails on deck and enjoying sumptuous dinners to wading through pools of raw sewage and sleeping in a makeshift tent city outside after a catastrophic power failure left the Carnival Triumph cruise liner floating adrift – with no flushing toilets.
© 2025 Netflix, Inc.Passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph slept in makeshift tents on board when a power failure left it floating adrift with no flushing toilets in 2013[/caption]
APDesperate holidaymakers were forced to defecate in bins or ‘poop sacks’ provided by staff – which many complained were too small[/caption]
AP:Associated PressThe ship drifted in the Gulf of Mexico for four days[/caption]
AP:Associated PressThe stench and heat from a lack of working air con became so unbearable that people decamped to the decks[/caption]
In the ultimate final degradation, holidaymakers were even asked to defecate in red plastic bags instead of using the over-flowing loos.
It was a huge PR disaster for the luxury Carnival cruise line and led to the ship being known around the world as the ‘Poop Cruise’.
Passenger Devin Marble tells The Sun none of the passengers were prepared for the horrifying announcement that the toilets were going to stop working.
“That was some rough news for sure,” he recalls. “And no-one expected the red bags at all. They were adult-sized poopy bags – and those bags aren’t very big.”
The 13 storey, 9,000ft long luxury liner embarked on a four day trip out of New Orleans throughout the Gulf of Mexico in February 2013.
For Devin it was the first time meeting his then wife-to-be’s extended family and he wanted to make a good impression.
“It was really important to me to make a good impression on my father-in-law,” he explains.
“I wanted to be the man who can provide, and he feels confident in me, we had just got engaged. I met her uncles, nephews, nieces and all the cousins. I just hoped everyone like me.
“When we landed at the first stop, we had a lot of fun. We went snorkelling, ate some delicious food, and that would have been really awesome to keep replicating for the next three days.
“Enjoy each other’s time and have great experiences together.”
But a day later an electrical fire broke out in the middle of the night and turned the entire trip into a horror movie.
At first passengers were panic-stricken thinking the ship was going down.
Devin says: “You know, smoke was probably a big indicator. Hearing ‘Alpha Team, Alpha Team’ waking you up out of a dead sleep, then the lights are out.
“We got out of bed and my brother-in-law and I went looking to see where the smoke was coming from.
“Our biggest concern was ‘Is this a cruise line or is this the Titanic? What is the problem here?’”
The crew soon reassured the passengers that the fire was contained and the ship was seaworthy.
“We certainly thought that they must have more than one engine,” says Devin.
“They described it as the door being shut and it is contained. So we thought they will put the fire out, we are going to be slower with one engine, but we are going to be punting along, but that did not happen.”
Foul stench
SWNSPassengers complained the cafeteria floors were swimming in urine and faeces[/caption]
Devin Marble was on board and tells how he walked around barefoot and felt the carpets ‘squelch’© 2025 Netflix, Inc.
AFPSome passengers continued to use the over-flowing toilets and even did their number twos in waste bins, leading to the entire ship smelling of faeces[/caption]
Crew member Abhi describes seeing what he described as a poop ‘lasagne’ in a bathroom© 2025 Netflix, Inc.
Nobody was prepared for what happened next. The loss of power had left 4,000 passengers and crew with no refrigeration, air conditioning or sanitation.
The giant cruise liner was effectively dead in the water and drifted powerlessly for four days in the Gulf of Mexico.
As the toilets stopped working, it was left to straight-talking British cruise director Jen Baxter to break the news to passengers to do ‘number ones’ in the showers and ‘number twos’ in the red plastic bio-hazard bags.
But some continued to use the over-flowing toilets and even did their number twos in waste bins, leading to the entire ship smelling of faeces.
Our biggest concern was ‘Is this a cruise line or is this the Titanic? What is the problem here?’
Devin Marble
The sewage system soon became overwhelmed and began leaking the excrement of thousands of people onto the floors and hallways.
Devin recalls: “It wasn’t long at all before we started to smell stuff.
“Everyday I would go out looking for a working bathroom. I used to go to the lower decks and the lower you go, the thicker the air gets, the more putrid the smell is.
“It was maybe two days into this when I was walking around barefoot, which you do on a cruise ship, and suddenly I felt the carpet squish, squish – and it doesn’t rain inside.
“Those moments I won’t forget.”
Meanwhile crew member Abhi describes seeing what he described as a poop “lasagne” in a bathroom – piles of excrement interspersed with layers of toilet paper – while the cafeteria floors were swimming in urine and faeces.
‘Tent city’
SWNSThe giant cruise liner was effectively dead in the water and drifted powerlessly for four days in the Gulf of Mexico, with passengers helplessly stranded on board[/caption]
SWNSPassengers used their bed sheets to create tents and shelter from the sun[/caption]
APMakeshift tents lined the decks of the ship for days[/caption]
With the rancid stench and suffocating heat due to the lack of aircon, passengers dragged their mattresses from their cabins and set up a ‘tent city’ on the upper decks to escape the smell and soaring temperatures.
The lack of refrigeration meant food soon ran low, and instead of five-course dinners the passengers were forced to survive on ham and cheese sandwiches.
Devin Marble says: “It was like more of a camping trip than we planned for. We were never without food, it is just that we went from eating lobster to cold cuts.
“The crew did a really good job of getting us supplies. One of the bigger challenges for me was that these types of crisis situations show people’s true colours.
It was maybe two days into this when I was walking around barefoot, which you do on a cruise ship, and suddenly I felt the carpet squish, squish – and it doesn’t rain inside
Devin Marble
“So when you see people in line and they are leaving with five plates and you just think to yourself, ‘I really hope you have a room full of kids and that is why you are taking five plates’.”
In a bid to cheer up the desperate passengers, the crew made a bizarre decision – to open up a free bar for the night.
“This is when people’s inhibitions really let loose,” says Devin. “I think people just allowed themselves to panic.
“We heard yelling, we heard disagreements.
“At the time we thought the bar was a great idea. We went and had drinks and played cards. But we weren’t panicking.
“In hindsight, probably not the best idea. The dehydration, the toilets were out, and alcohol makes you want to go to the toilet.”
Cabin fever
SWNSPeople slept on deck for days during the ordeal[/caption]
SWNSThe lack of refrigeration meant food soon ran low, and instead of five-course dinners the passengers were forced to survive on ham and cheese sandwiches[/caption]
APPassengers spell out the word ‘HELP’ aboard the disabled Carnival Lines cruise ship Triumph[/caption]
© 2025 Netflix, Inc.Help finally arrived on Valentine’s Day, when tug boats ushered the floundering ship from the Gulf to a nearby port in Mobile, Alabama, miles away from the cruise’s original docking point[/caption]
After days of ruined plans, rationed food and the desperate toilet situation, insanity started to creep in.
Passengers made help signs, and drew on robes and bed sheets to document the disaster. And whenever they got internet connection they desperately called relatives and friends, or posted on social media to let the world know of the disaster unfolding at sea.
“We would go right to the edge and hold our phones out to any cruise liners coming by to try to get some of their WiFi,” says Devin.
“We would run around the ship to see if we can get roaming. Our primary goals were to get the message to our families and friends that we were safe, or call my work and tell them I’m not coming in tomorrow.”
Help finally arrived on Valentine’s Day, February 14. Tug boats ushered the floundering ship from the Gulf to a nearby port in Mobile, Alabama, miles away from the cruise’s original docking point. And they sailed straight into a media frenzy.
Devin recalls: “I will never forget when we pulled in, there was a crowd of people, lights, flashbulbs. And when we walked down that ramp there were microphones, cameras, we were hit with a wall of media.
“And I will never forget the smell of a Happy Meal – it was great to see those golden arches. And a clean bathroom.”
I will never forget the smell of a Happy Meal – it was great to see those golden arches. And a clean bathroom
Devin Marble
Some passengers decided to take legal action against the cruise company – but ended up with a steak reminder always to read the small print.
Maritime lawyer Frank Spagnoletti, represented a number of passengers who took Carnival Cruise Line to court.
“This was something that was totally preventable, so we definitely had a good chance,” he told the Netflix Poop Cruise documentary. “The problem is, you run into the ticket.”
Carnival’s lawyers insisted that those on board the ship had no right to sue in the wake of the disaster, citing that when people booked their holidays with Carnival Cruise Line, they accepted a clause in the terms and conditions that eerily predicted what unfolded on board.
The ticket contract read: “[Carnival] makes absolutely no guarantee for safe passage, a seaworthy vessel, adequate and wholesome food, and sanitary and safe living conditions.”
APOne passenger declared she survived the ‘red bag special’ – a nod to the poop bags provided[/caption]
AP:Associated PressPassengers made help signs, and drew on robes and bed sheets to document the disaster[/caption]
AFPJubilant passengers celebrated with McDonald’s Happy Meals[/caption]
AFPA relieved passenger was pictured kissing the floor when they finally made it to dry land[/caption]
Frank added: “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.”
Carnival Triumph passengers received a refund, $500, transportation reimbursements, and a voucher for a free cruise.
Despite the ticket clause, in 2015 a Florida judge awarded 27 passengers compensation of between $3000 and $15,000.
Since the disaster, Carnival has changed their terms and conditions, removing the caveats about wholesome food, sanitary and safe living conditions, safe passage and a seaworthy vessel.
Devin and his family decided not to bother with legal action and just to go back to their lives.
“They gave us a free cruise ticket, but we were like, thanks but no thanks,” he laughs.
Carnival Triumph underwent a big refurb and as of 2019, it started sailing under a different name: Carnival Sunrise.
It is still operating today around The Bahamas and the Caribbean.
Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is streaming on Netflix now.
ReutersCarnival Triumph underwent a big refurb and as of 2019, it started sailing under a different name: Carnival Sunrise (pictured while adrift in 2013)[/caption]