Couple’s Cruise Ruined After They Wake Up to Horrific ‘Whooshing’ Noise and a Brown Flood

What was meant to be a dream Caribbean cruise quickly turned into a sludgy disaster for one unsuspecting couple onboard Marella Explorer 2. Pam and Ken Jackson had been enjoying the early days of their three week voyage when their peaceful break was abruptly interrupted, not by rough seas, but by something far messier.

Woken in the night by an ominous whooshing sound, the couple soon found themselves soaked head to toe in what can only be described as kitchen waste. And that was just the beginning.

Split image showing the Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship sailing smoothly on turquoise waters, alongside a contrasting photo of a stateroom interior with severe water leaks, stained ceilings, and soaked furnishings. The image highlights reported cabin issues aboard the Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship.

The Midnight Disaster: Waste From Above

While fast asleep in their cabin, Ken and Pam were jolted awake by a strange sound, then, without warning, a flood of brown sludge poured through the ceiling. It wasn’t just water. It was chewed-up food and foul-smelling kitchen waste, meant to be offloaded into the ship’s bilge system at the next port.

“I just heard this whooshing noise, then this horrible slush came through the ceiling and covered me head to toe,” Ken told reporters. “We were covered, the bed was covered, everything we had was covered. It stank like vomit.”

Caught on Camera: “It’s on My Slippers!”

Interior of a stateroom on the Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship showing severe water damage, with brown stains streaking down the ceiling and walls, visible leaks, and a soaked bed and artwork. The image highlights ongoing maintenance issues reported aboard the Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship.

The whole ordeal was captured in a video that quickly made its way to the press. In the footage, murky brown liquid streams from the ceiling, soaking the bed, walls, and belongings. Pam can be heard in the background, clearly distressed: “The lights are going on and off and everything. Oh it stinks, it’s everywhere. It’s on my slippers. It’s running down the walls.”

The video paints a grim picture, far from the tropical holiday the couple had envisioned. And while cruise ships occasionally face maintenance issues, this level of chaos is anything but normal.

From Bad to Worse: The Cabin Swap That Didn’t Help

After the sludge incident, the crew acted quickly and moved the couple to a balcony cabin. But any hope of salvaging the trip was soon dashed. Their clothes, taken away to be cleaned, came back shrunk, including Ken’s trousers and several of Pam’s dresses.

Then came the mattress. “After a couple of nights, we had a look and found it had completely collapsed,” Ken explained. “They’d piled 10 or 12 mattress toppers on top of it.” The replacement mattress didn’t fit the bed frame properly either, turning sleep into yet another ordeal.

And Then the Air Con Broke

Just when the couple thought things couldn’t get any worse, the air conditioning gave up. Their cabin heated up to a sweltering 28°C (82°F), making an already uncomfortable situation nearly unbearable.

There was no relief from the heat, and no sign of their luck turning around. At this point, it was less “cruise getaway” and more “test of endurance.”

A stateroom on the Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship shows extensive water damage, with a soaked bed, stained bedding, and visible ceiling leaks dripping onto the mattress. A plaid shirt lies on the bed, emphasizing the disruption caused by the leak aboard the Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship.

Cruise Line Response: An Apology and a Partial Refund

TUI Cruises, which operates Marella Explorer 2, issued an apology and tried to make amends. A spokesperson said, “We would like to apologise to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson for experiencing a broken pipe in their cabin during their Marella Cruises holiday.”

The cruise line refunded part of the cost of the sailing and offered an additional £470 (around $630) for the ruined clothing. The couple accepted the compensation, but the gesture didn’t quite smooth things over.

Still Not Happy

Despite the compensation, Pam and Ken say they were left feeling brushed off. They didn’t believe the cruise line truly understood the scale of their ordeal or the full extent of the damage.

Among the items not covered were fitness watches and wallets that were also ruined in the flood. “We didn’t feel listened to,” Ken said, frustrated that their cruise of a lifetime had turned into a story they wouldn’t soon forget, for all the wrong reasons.

A Warning or Just Bad Luck?

To be fair, this kind of incident is extremely rare. Marella Explorer 2 isn’t some rusting relic; it was last refurbished in 2019 and underwent routine maintenance in late 2023. But for Pam and Ken, none of that matters now.

Their experience is a reminder that even the most relaxing holidays can take a wild turn. So, would this put you off cruising, or do you chalk it up to freak misfortune?