It should have been a trip a lifetime for 4,200 cruise ship goers but instead it turned into a living nightmare. In February 2013 Devin Marble had just proposed to his childhood sweetheart and was looking forward to a couple of days of relaxation on board a ship set for a loop around Galveston and Cozumel, Mexico after setting sail from Galveston, Texas.
However, the newly engaged couple and thousands of other passengers were left trapped at sea for days after a disastrous engine room fire struck thecruise liner. Trainwreck: Poop Cruise has just dropped on Netflix and tells the fateful story of the 14-storey Carnival Triumph cruise disaster which was stranded for five days in the Gulf of Mexico. As the ship floated in the Gulf of Mexico those on board were left adrift at sea without any lights, air conditioning, refrigeration and, worst of all – working toilets.
Passengers resorted to making makeshift tents outside on the dock and told of carpets soaked in urine. They were told to pee in their showers and defecate in red plastic bags instead of using the over-flowing loos.
This ordeal led to the ship being known around the world as the ‘Poop Cruise’ with some horrified passengers describing it as “the worst experience of their lives”.
Devin described the smell that soon began to waft through the cabins and corridors to The Metro: “Imagine going to a portable toilet in the middle of summer and someone turns the heating on and forgets to spray some Febreze – that’s what it smelt like on board. Just stagnant air.”
After days of ruined plans and no wifi anxiety started to creep in for many with some resorting to making help signs and others to stockpile food.
A few days into the disaster some passengers managed to get wifi from a passing ship and quickly notified loved ones of the ordeal spelling a catastrophe for the cruise liner.
Devin recalls: “I think this type of crisis shows people’s true colours. There were times where we’d see people with multiple plates and just hoped it was because they had kids or elderly family members who couldn’t walk to get food. It was easier for us to try and see the best in people.”
After five days stranded at sea, the Triumph finally made it back to port. 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.
As they disembarked, some passengers were photographed kissing the floor with McDonald’s handing out free meals to the stressed passengers.
Devin said: “We were so happy because we could see lights and crowds. We were taking pictures and even put our life jackets on for fun.
“We will never forget the first thing I saw was the Golden Arches. McDonald’s was there handing out Happy Meals – it was brilliant marketing!.”
A Netflix show titled ‘Trainwreck: Poop Cruise’ has just dropped which looks backs on the infamous ‘poop cruise’.
In a statement Carnival Cruises said: “The Carnival Triumph incident over 12 years ago was a teachable moment for the entire cruise industry.
“A thorough investigation following the incident revealed a design vulnerability which was corrected and led Carnival Cruise Line to invest more than $500 million across our entire fleet in comprehensive fire prevention and suppression, improved redundancy, and enhanced management systems, all in support of our commitment to robust safety standards.
“This is in addition to our vigorous Health, Environmental, Safety and Security (HESS) protocols that guide the entire Carnival Corporation fleet as we maintain our commitment to industry leadership in this area. We are proud of the fact that since 2013 over 53 million guests have enjoyed safe and memorable vacations with us, and we will continue to operate to these high standards.”