Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Docu showcases cruise line's failures; some violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Hell of a Cruise
What's the Story?
In HELL OF A CRUSE, passengers find themselves trapped on cruise ships leading up to and at the beginning of the pandemic. Misled, lied to, and deceived, the passengers were told by Carnival Cruises that everything would be fine, that extra safety measures and protocols would be in place, but nothing was further from the truth. In the end, by March 25, 2020, 17% of all COVID-19 cases worldwide were linked to cruises.
Is It Any Good?
A bit long in the tooth, this docu is sobering and brutal. The decision-making of Carnival Cruises described in Hell of a Cruise reveals a company dead set on making as much money as possible while the rest of the world began shutting down. Because of their actions, thousands of people got sick and many died, all unnecessarily.
The movie starts well with lots of personal footage taken by passengers documenting their travel. As time goes on and they are stranded longer and longer, trapped inside tiny cabins, with no separation between the sick and not sick, everyone felt like they were just waiting to get sick. The film does well to convey these fears and dangers passengers and employees suffered. Unfortunately, there isn't a happy ending, as most passengers state afterward that they'd love to continue their "cruise life" once life gets back to normal.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whistleblowing in documentaries. Using Hell of a Cruise as an example, how important was it to get the word out to the world that thousands of people on cruise ships worldwide represented a massive danger to the world?
If this happened to you, what would you have done differently, if anything?
What do you think the punishment should be, if any, for Carnival Cruises? Why do you think so many passengers, when asked, will continue to do the "cruise life," despite their former experiences?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : September 14, 2022
- Cast : Arnold Donald , Jan Swartz , Spencer Fehrenbacher , Carl Seratti-Goldman
- Director : Nick Quested
- Studio : Peacock
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : STEM
- Run time : 78 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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