Passenger Gives Gross Reminder for Cruisers to Watch Their Step

Some cruisers might not know the correct definition of a “poop deck.”

After a disgusting encounter on his first ever Princess Cruises sailing, one Redditor had an important message to share with the online community: Always wear shoes or at least watch your step carefully, because you never know what you could step in.

The cruiser was onboard an undisclosed Princess ship when a small crowd at the front of the Retreat caught his eye. 

“I saw there was a small crowd in front of the Retreat entrance by the elevators. A guy came walking by from the sun deck on the other side with no shoes on,” the Redditor wrote.

For context, the Retreat is a pool found adjacent to The Sanctuary, which is an adults-only area for relaxation, lounging, and swimming. 

As the poster moved closer, they watched in horror as a barefoot man nearly stepped in a pile of poop at the entrance to the adults-only pool. 

“He didn’t notice the crowd and was heading to the Retreat when someone suddenly stopped him. Man just about stepped into a pile of poo at the entrance to the Retreat,” the poster continued. 

At this point, crew members had started to clean up the mess, but still had quite a bit of work to do to fully clean and sanitize the area. 

“Staff were just starting to clean it up. I’ve honestly never seen a pile of poo out in the wild on a cruise. I thought it may have come from a kid but it was the Retreat and there are like 5 kids on the ship,” added the poster. 

Read Also: How Do Cruise Ships Get Rid of Human Waste?

While these types of sanitation emergencies are rare, crew members are trained to act quickly when they do happen. Standard protocol typically entails blocking the area so guests can’t walk through it, before cleaning and disinfecting the surface thoroughly. They will then let the area dry before re-opening it to guests to prevent slip hazards. 

Accidents Happen – Even on Cruise Ships

With bathrooms available in most public spaces onboard cruise ships and private restrooms included in each and every guest cabin, there is always a bathroom in close proximity – even in emergencies. 

That being said, sometimes accidents occur no matter how quickly people rush to the restroom, with the elderly, people with certain medical conditions, and families traveling with young kids perhaps sometimes struggling a bit more to hold it. 

Even in the comments section of the Reddit post, past cruisers had other examples to share of “poop in the wild.”

The first commenter was on a Norwegian Cruise Lines’ sailing, during which they were surprised by an elevator full of feces, which the crew members were working quickly to clean up.

“We were on an NCL cruise a few years ago and when the elevator doors opened and we went to step into the main deck with the shops, atrium etc. one of the staff members started screaming at us. Screaming. It was so out of character! And then we saw it,” said the commenter. 

“Someone had had an explosive accident in another elevator car, exited, and kept walking…Staff was warning people to stay away, not to step in it, while guys in hazmat suits and cleaning machines hurriedly arrived,” their story continued. 

Read Also: 10 Worst Cruise Fails You Can Prepare For

A third person also related to this gross experience – with their unfortunate discovery occurring in the adults-only Solarium pool and lounge area on a Royal Caribbean cruise. 

“We were in the Solarium which is for people over 18 years of age, and as we are placing our towels on the chairs we noticed a big pile of poop on the floor. We ended up putting a chair above it, and letting the pool attendant know that someone had an accident,” the Redditor wrote in the comments.

As this cruiser did, it’s always courteous to let crew members know if you are the first to stumble upon an unfortunate mess. Although it may feel embarrassing, which is why the offenders likely fled the scene, the right thing to do is to tell crew members so the accident can be cleaned up quickly. 

For the rest of the cruising community, this is definitely a good reminder to at least pack some sandals, if not closed-toed shoes, for their next sailing. 

If sandals get forgotten, the stores onboard will likely offer a selection for purchase – and many cruise cabins come with slippers that can be used in a ‘desperate times, desperate measures’ scenario.