People love a voyeuristic glimpse into chaos, which is likely one reason the Trainwreck documentary specials on Netflix continue to resonate with viewers. The series debuted its first installment in 2022 with Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99, and the streamer has since produced several subsequent installments looking back on disasters of monumental proportions. The latest installment is one you simply cannot unsee. Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is a faithful and often comical reflection on the infamous Carnival Triumph cruise that lost power at sea, rendering the toilets onboard useless and leaving passengers without access to the Internet or cell service for days on end.
The cruise was initially slated for just four days but wound up dragging on for a grand total of nine days. During the unfortunate ordeal, the ship began to run low on supplies, including food. Massive lines formed at the eateries, and the vessel ultimately began to take on a foul odor as urine and feces flooded out from the non-functional toilets. By the end of the voyage, people were camping out on deck, fornicating in public, and pooping in biohazard bags. You quite simply cannot make this stuff up.
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Director James Ross conveys the dire nature of the situation at hand via accounts from those who lived it, along with journalists and various experts, including a maritime attorney familiar with the unseemly ordeal. Some of those profiled are still so utterly uncomfortable with what they experienced aboard the Triumph that they appear barely able to bring themselves to relive it. Others are more readily able to see the inherent comedy given that more than a decade has passed since the disastrous voyage chronicled within transpired.
It feels almost wrong to describe what happened aboard the Triumph (which has since been renamed the Sunrise for anyone looking to avoid a repeat incident) as funny. But this is one of those cases where the unprecedented level of disaster makes it impossible not to laugh. I felt tremendous empathy for these poor souls who found themselves stranded at sea on a non-functional ship. But when you hear a crew member chronicling how those aboard were repeatedly defecating in the broken toilets and covering the excrement with toilet paper only for the process to repeat and comparing the result to “lasagna,” it’s nearly impossible not to laugh.
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One reason it feels almost safe to laugh at the harrowing ordeal is that no one died. As I was watching, I kept bracing myself for news that someone perished from heat exhaustion or succumbed to a similar fate, yet no such development ever occurred. All of the cruisers and crew members made it back to shore safely. Well, safely is a strong word; maybe it would be more accurate to say intact. I suspect many of those stranded on the voyage landed in therapy for help processing the intense nature of the trip.
Perhaps the absence of a death toll is what emboldened Carnival to seemingly try to shirk any and all responsibility for their perceived role in this. We see news footage and statements from the company attempting to mitigate their liability. A representative for Carnival even went so far as to invoke language in the ticket agreement stating that the organization “makes absolutely no guarantee for safe passage, a seaworthy vessel, adequate and wholesome food, and sanitary and safe living conditions.”
Following backlash, that jargon is no longer present in the terms and conditions, but its previous presence surely gives a person adequate reason to think thrice before booking a cruise with Carnival.
Overall, Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is a harrowing journey that captures a surreal and ridiculous voyage. If you’re game for a wild ride that you won’t soon forget, you can check the flick out on Netflix now.
Summary
If you enjoy a voyeuristic view to a disaster of epic proportions, you need to experience ‘Trainwreck: Poop Cruise.’
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