Just when you thought cruise vacations were the ultimate escape, Netflix has dropped a chilling reminder of how fast paradise can turn into chaos.
A new episode of Netflix’s docuseries Trainwreck revisits one of the most revolting travel disasters in recent memory—an ordeal so infamous, it earned the nickname “The Poop Cruise.” And yes, it’s every bit as horrifying as it sounds.
In 2013, over 4,000 passengers boarded the Carnival Triumph expecting a relaxing getaway from Texas to Mexico. But what began as a four-day cruise quickly spiraled into a nightmare at sea, when a fire in the engine room knocked out the ship’s power—leaving passengers stranded in the Gulf of Mexico with no electricity, no air conditioning, no refrigeration, and worst of all, no working toilets.
Netflix’s Trainwreck—a series dedicated to jaw-dropping real-life disasters—dives headfirst into the chaos. From bizarre music festivals to failed political stunts, each episode unpacks headline-making moments through the eyes of those who lived them. And now, the series returns with weekly releases, including new episodes covering events like Astroworld, the downfall of American Apparel, and of course, the sewage-filled disaster at sea.
The “Poop Cruise” episode recounts how raw sewage began seeping into passenger cabins, forcing guests to use red biohazard bags as makeshift toilets and sleep in communal outdoor areas to escape the stench. Tensions flared, fights broke out, and what began as a luxury voyage devolved into survival mode.
Archival footage and first-hand interviews reveal horrifying conditions: feces on walls, pools of urine on the floors, and passengers resorting to cucumber-and-onion sandwiches when food ran low. Crew members and chefs describe the moment panic set in—and how there was literally nowhere to go when nature called.
One former guest summed it up best in the teaser: “It got bad fast.”
Some passengers even built makeshift “shantytowns” on the deck to escape the filth inside. The episode paints a vivid picture of human endurance and breakdown in the face of total infrastructural collapse.
Carnival’s then-CEO Gerry Cahill publicly apologized after the incident, saying: “We pride ourselves on providing our guests with a great vacation experience, and clearly we failed in this case.”
The Trainwreck episode covering the Carnival Triumph disaster premieres June 24 on Netflix, and it’s already stirring up seasick memories for anyone who remembers the headlines. New episodes of the series roll out weekly starting June 10.
