Newlywed couple's honeymoon aboard notorious Carnival Triumph is ruined by black slime 'reeking of excrement' - but cruise line says it was just backed-up water

  • Christine Parker and John Shoemaker say their five-day honeymoon on board Carnival Triumph in November was marred by unsanitary conditions 
  • Newlyweds from Missouri were forced to use facilities at the spa because there was foul-smelling sludge oozing from their shower drain 
  • Carnival told DailyMail.com liquid in couple's shower was backed-up water, not sewage
  • Company later offered the pair compensation and discount for future booking 
  • When the Triumph docked in Florida, it failed a CDC inspection
  • Ship made headlines in 2013 when it was dubbed the 'poop cruise' after a fire in the engine room

A newlywed couple from Missouri say their honeymoon cruise was spoiled by unsanitary conditions on board Carnival Triumph, including foul-smelling sludge oozing from their shower drain.

Christine Parker and John Shoemaker got marred on November 4, 2017, in their hometown of St Louis and booked a five-day cruise aboard Carnival's 14-deck, 893-fot vessel, sailing from New Orleans.

But instead of a romantic getaway, the couple say they were left exhausted, angry and 'smelling of poop.'

Scroll down for video 

Couple's honeymoon nightmare: Christine Parker and John Shoemaker got marred on November 4, 2017,  and booked a five-day cruise aboard Carnival Triumph, which ended up marred by foul conditions in the bathroom 

Couple's honeymoon nightmare: Christine Parker and John Shoemaker got marred on November 4, 2017, and booked a five-day cruise aboard Carnival Triumph, which ended up marred by foul conditions in the bathroom 

The couple recorded a cellphone video showing a staffer inspecting their faulty drain and saying, 'This is very bad and it smells very bad'
Cellphone footage

The couple recorded a cellphone video showing a staffer inspecting their faulty drain and saying, 'This is very bad and it smells very bad'

Love boat:  The pair said they were left smelling of poop thanks to nasty black slime bubbling from the shower drain in their cabin on board the mega-ship (pictured)

Love boat:  The pair said they were left smelling of poop thanks to nasty black slime bubbling from the shower drain in their cabin on board the mega-ship (pictured)

Parker, who has a young daughter, accused crew members of trying to minimize the seriousness of the situation, even as they witnessed the stomach-turning spectacle of black liquid reeking of excrement rising out of the drain.

‘But what if that stuff had gotten into a cut on our feet and we would have gotten an infection?’ wondered the bride in an interview with the Miami Herald.

The disgruntled passengers recorded a cellphone video showing a staffer inspecting their faulty drain and saying, 'This is very bad and it smells very bad.' 

Jennifer de la Cruz, a spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Line, said in an email to DailyMail.com that the substance in the couple's shower was not sewage, bur rather water that had become trapped in a backed-up drain.

‘The plumbing systems for sewage and showers are separate. When water sits in pipes it can develop an odor and when drains back up sometimes there is debris,’ she explained. 

Unable to safely use the facilities in their cabin, the newly married couple were forced to bathe in the ship's spa facility. 

When Parker and Shoemaker complained to Carnival officials about their unsavory experience, the cruise line offered them a $300 credit to be used on the ship, plus 15 per cent discount off their next cruise booking, which they do not intend to use anytime soon.

 The Carnival spokesperson stressed in her statement to DailyMail.com that Parker and Shoemaker received multiple follow-up calls and apologies during their trip, and that they were repeatedly told by staff that the liquid in their shower ‘did not contain sewage.’ 

Carnival Triumph, which was launched in 1999, returned from the voyage on November 11, and upon docking in south Florida failed an inspection carried out by officials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program.

Newlyweds' woes: Unable to safely use the facilities in their cabin, the newly married couple were forced to bathe in the ship's spa facility

Newlyweds' woes: Unable to safely use the facilities in their cabin, the newly married couple were forced to bathe in the ship's spa facility

The cruise line offered Parker a $300 credit to be used on the ship, plus 15 per cent discount off her next cruise booking
Parker is pictured on her wedding day

Damage control: The cruise line offered Parker (left and right) a $300 credit to be used on the ship, plus 15 per cent discount off her next cruise booking

Unsanitary conditions cited by the CDC inspectors included flies in the food preparation areas; dairy products and eggs not stored in proper temperatures and clogged dishwashers 'extremely soiled with debris.'

The 2,754-passenger vessel received a score of 78 out of 100. Grades below 86 are considered failing. In December, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Vista also failed CDC inspections.

Carnival officials said the Triumph has since been reinspected and received a passing grade of 98.

'We voluntarily commit to the U.S. Public Health inspection program, which operates under the auspices of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and we fund the program, along with other cruise operators -- to ensure that we are continuously auditing our shipboard operations,' said Carnival's De La Cruz. 'We take these inspections very seriously and share lessons learned and best practices with every ship in our fleet.'  

The Triumph gained notoriety in 2013, earning the moniker the ‘poop cruise,’ after a fire in the engine room caused it to lose propulsion and left passengers with an insufficient number of working bathrooms and no air conditioning.