You see, the poop cruise drama was one of the most embarrassing events for many, and so much so that people even talk about it till today. And sure enough, for many it was so severe that the Carnival Triumph Lawsuit is still ongoing, and recently we saw some updates in this case. So, let’s get to the details of it all.
A Little Bit of Background on It All
The ship known as Carnival Triumph, which Carnival Sunrise was previously identified with, was built in 1999. It had a passenger capacity of more than 3,000 and could also carry over 1,000 crewmembers. At that time, it was one of the largest and most popular Carnival ships doing the Caribbean tours.
However, the ship was in trouble even before the February 2013 disaster. In January 2013, a cruise had to be rescheduled due to a propulsion system malfunction. One of the ship’s generators was also found with a problem by the Coast Guard, but it was still given the go-ahead for the voyage. That decision, unfortunately, would be the cause of the disaster that would affect everyone.
The February 2013 Fire: Like What Really Happened?
A fire was started in the engine compartment a little past midnight on February 10, 2013. The officials who did the investigative work later said that the fire was caused by a leaky fuel line. Although the fire was subdued, unfortunately, the damage, combined with the blackout on the ship, led to a power failure.
No power meant that the toilets were not working, there was no air conditioning, no water, and food could not be stored in the refrigerator. The passengers’ rooms smelled so bad that they had to sleep outside. Yup, out in the open.
At first, it was the idea to haul the vessel to Mexico, but the storm changed the direction towards Mobile, Alabama. Passengers were trapped for four and a half days with a very scarce supply of food and toilets that were used beyond capacity. When the ship was at the dock on February 14, everyone was worn out and longing to get off.
How Did It Affect Passengers and Crew?
More than 4,200 individuals were on the ship. Some of the passengers said that the situation on the vessel was terrible, with the presence of sewage in the corridors, a lack of food, and people sleeping on the decks.
The crew suffered the same but were forced to keep working to manage the crisis. A lot of passengers spoke about the traumatic experience that they suffered and are still affected by it, with stress and anxiety.
Carnival’s Response
Carnival’s CEO made a public statement of regret when the ship arrived at the port. The firm made it possible for every traveler to get:
- A full refund for the cruise
- $500 in cash
- Reimbursement for travel costs
- A voucher for a future cruise
Although this appeared as a nice gesture to some, a lot of consumers believed it fell behind. Subsequently, the lawsuits followed just like this Carnival Triumph Lawsuit.
What Were the Settlements?
The passengers were all given what is called the basic compensation package but a lot of them wanted more for themselves in terms of emotional distress, lost wages, and medical problems.
Most of the cases were settled amicably, and thus the exact amounts were not made public. Nonetheless, some attorneys said that they had runners talking about the checks that they were given in the range of a few tens of thousands of dollars.
Besides, Carnival took more than $200 million to fix and improve the ship. Therefore, part of the money was used for the installation of more efficient fire prevention systems, auxiliary power units, and water handling. They also changed the name of the ship to the Carnival Sunrise, probably to get rid of the “Poop Cruise” reputation.
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