The true story behind Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, explained

Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is the third part of Netflix's Trainwreck anthology, which premiered on June 10, 2025. This anthology will cover some of the most shocking and often horrifying events that have taken place in the world in the past few decades.

Trainwreck was first released in 2022 and featured the '99 Woodstock festival incident. The newly revived Trainwreck series is an eight-part anthology, with the first two parts streaming on Netflix now.

The third event that will be covered by the anthology is entitled Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, directed by James Ross. It delves into the Carnival Triumph cruise ship's February 2013 journey, which ended in a disaster. When a fire broke out on the ship, resulting in power loss, over 4000 passengers were stranded without electricity, and more importantly, working toilets.

The official synopsis on Netflix reads:

"It was supposed to be a luxury cruise: a four day round trip from Galveston, Texas to Cozumel, Mexico. But for the 4,000 passengers and crew on board, the reality proves catastrophically different."

It further continues:

"After an engine room fire destroys electrical cables supplying the entire ship, the boat is left drifting with no power for propulsion, refrigeration, lighting, air-conditioning or… worst of all, flushing toilets. Soon raw sewage leaks out all over the ship, food supplies start dwindling and passengers begin to revolt. As the cruise company races to control the fallout, a media frenzy ensues. Soon everyone is talking about ‘The Poop Cruise’."

---

Trainwreck: Poop Cruise - the real story

As mentioned earlier, Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is the true story of the cruise ship, Carnival Triumph, which set sail in February 2013. The duration of the luxury cruise was four days, with the passengers embarking from Galveston in Texas on February 7, 2013, and traveling to Cozumel, Mexico.

Trainwreck: Poop Cruise covers the unexpected incident from the point of view of the passengers. One of the passengers, Rian Tipton, recounted the events in an interview with People magazine dated February 15, 2013.

In the early hours of the third day of the cruise, February 10, 2013, a fire reportedly broke out in the engine room of the cruise ship. Although the fire was extinguished, it led to power loss throughout the ship, resulting in a loss of propulsion.

Tipton told the outlet that while everyone realised they were stranded without power, AC, showers, and running water, it was initially unclear that the toilets were not working either. Thus, people kept using the restrooms, and human waste started accumulating, resulting in a biohazard situation.

However, once the situation became clear, crew members instructed passengers to use the sinks or showers for urination while red plastic biohazard bags were distributed for people to defecate in.

As per People magazine, chaos ensued over the next three days, with all the toilets and trash cans overflowing. Sewage reportedly started leaking on the lower decks of the ship, which started stinking badly, as most people gathered in the upper levels.

Tipton also told the outlet that by the end, people began to urinate and defecate directly in the trash cans. The walls of the restrooms were reportedly covered in feces, and the smell made people gag and throw up.

---

Trainwreck: Poop Cruise - what happened afterwards

An image of the ship (image via Netflix)

As per USA Today, the ship was finally docked in Mobile, Alabama, on the night of February 14, 2013. The President and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, Gerry Cahill, apologized profusely to the passengers for the incident.

All passengers on board received a full refund for the cruise, as well as transportation expenses, as per People magazine. They also received a future cruise credit, reimbursement for some of the purchases made on board, and an additional compensation of $500 per person.

---

For all the details, catch Trainwreck: Poop Cruise on Netflix, on June 24, 2025.

Edited by Meghna