Thousands of holidaymakers on board a luxury cruise liner ended up living a nightmare after a fire wiped out power on board, leaving it stranded in the Gulf of Mexico.

The 2013 voyage descended into chaos after the fire caused damage to electrical cables that supplied the whole ship, meaning not only could the boat not propel itself forward, but there was no longer lighting, air conditioning or even flushing toilets.

The horrors that unfolded on board are the subject of a new Netflix documentary out today (June 24) called Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, which offers up a clue as to exactly what the Carnival Triumph's passengers endured.

Its synopsis teases: "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’."

The Carnival Triumph now sails under a different name
The Carnival Triumph now sails under a different name

Given what went down on the fateful voyage, viewers gripped by the story may be wondering what became of the ship at the heart of the new documentary. Even braver ones might even want to go on it themselves. So, could you?

As is typical for luxury cruise liners, the Carnival Triumph underwent a pretty 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. It has plenty of scheduled trips coming up this year too, including a four-day trip to The Bahamas from Miami in November. Price-wise, the voyage will set holidaymakers back around $284 per person for an indoor cabin, and those looking to splurge could spend up to $836 on a luxury suite.

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Free Netflix subscription
Get Netflix free with Sky

Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan. Members can watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish, including hit shows like The Last of Us, Black Mirror and all WWE programming.

from £15

Sky

Recent passengers have shared their experiences on board on TripAdvisor. One penned: "For an older ship, it's still a lot of fun - just temper your expectations. We stayed in a balcony cabin on deck 8. Yes, the bathroom looks outdated with its bright blue sink and shower curtain - but it's part of the charm."

"I loved every minute of being on the ship. The food and shows were amazing... It was everything I wanted and more!" said another.

Following the fire on board the Carnival Triumph and its fallout, Carnival Cruise Lines' then-president and CEO, Gerry Cahill, issued a statement promising holidaymakers that the disaster would "not happen again" as an investigation took place into the cause of the fire.

Passengers began living on deck after the power went out
Passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph in 2013 made makeshift towns out on deck

Addressing the upcoming Poop Cruise documentary, Carnival shared in a statement with Surrey Live's Screen Time team: "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."

Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is streaming on Netflix from June 24