Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, gross sewage scenes in nightmare cruise docu.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Trainwreck: Poop Cruise
What's the Story?
In TRAINWRECK: POOP CRUISE, the Carnival cruise ship Triumph gets stranded in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship loses power, electricity, air-conditioning, refrigeration for food, and working toilets. Thousands of passengers and crew workers suffer horrible conditions for days before being rescued.
Is It Any Good?
Put together well enough, this documentary coasts on its content rather than making some kind of commentary about the cruise industry, Carnival, or this disaster specifically. So, it's a good thing that the content in Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is naturally watchable, fascinating, and shocking. The film does well to talk to crew members, the head chef, the cruise director, passengers, media presenters and reporters, and family members back on land. Getting the human stories within this story is part of what matters here, as this could happen to anyone going on a cruise, and it doesn't seem to be the direct fault of anyone.
The film does raise the question of whether or not Carnival should have sent out the Triumph in the first place, but beyond speaking with Frank Spagnoletti, who was suing Carnival, the film doesn't make any strong claim or comment. Nor does the film try to dig into what really went wrong on the ship or in the engine room that caused the fire that then caused the ship to lose power and electricity altogether. Yes, the fire burned the power cables, and the fire started maybe because of faulty fuel lines, but that's the extent of the coverage of the science or engineering behind what went wrong. Still, maybe give this a watch before thinking about your next cruise vacation.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about cruise ships and why some people enjoy them. How does Trainwreck: Poop Cruise depict cruises generally and Carnival the cruise company? How does it present what happened to the Triumph that led to the fire?
What do you think was the worst part of being stranded at sea without power or working toilets?
After watching what the passengers had to go through, do you think you'll ever want to go on a cruise? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : June 24, 2025
- Cast : Jen Baxter , Brooke Baldwin , Frank Spagnoletti , Buck Banks
- Director : James Ross
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Run time : 55 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : June 26, 2025
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