Toxic stench and dirty cabins: Carnival Adventure cruise ship passengers tell of their holiday hell: ‘I was dry retching’
A Queensland woman has claimed she suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after being exposed to a toxic stench aboard the Carnival Adventure cruise ship, with other passengers also reporting foul odours and unclean cabins that left several people vomiting in the corridors. Elicia Squires, 38, said she fell ill within minutes of boarding the four-day cruise from Sydney's White Bay in August, and blamed diesel exhaust fumes in her uncleaned cabin, which reportedly still contained a previous occupant's medication and needles. The claims raise concerns about hygiene and safety standards on the vessel, which affected multiple passengers across different areas of the ship.
Squires said she experienced high blood pressure, dry retching, a low heart rate, migraines, breathing difficulties and mild hypothermia throughout the trip, and was largely bedridden until the final day; her GP later told her the symptoms were consistent with severe carbon monoxide poisoning. Another passenger, known only as Natalie, said a strong sewage-like smell in her internal cabin forced her five-year-old son to sleep on the floor near Guest Services at 2am, and that staff described the odour as a common occurrence; despite being moved cabins, she said the smell persisted.
- Cruise passenger claims carbon monoxide poisoning from toxic ship fumes
- Multiple passengers report foul smells and dirty cabins on Carnival Adventure
- Child, 5, reportedly slept on ship's floor due to overpowering odour
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Elicia Squires, 38, said she fell seriously ill within minutes of boarding the Carnival Adventure for a four-day cruise from Sydney in August, blaming diesel exhaust fumes in an uncleaned cabin that reportedly still held a previous passenger's medication and needles. Her GP later said her symptoms, which included high blood pressure, breathing difficulties and mild hypothermia, were consistent with severe carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carnival Adventure is a cruise ship operated by Carnival, one of the world's largest cruise line brands, which runs regular short trips out of Sydney's White Bay terminal. Squires is not the only passenger to come forward: another woman, referred to only as Natalie, said a sewage-like smell in her internal cabin was so bad her five-year-old son had to sleep on the floor near the ship's Guest Services desk.
These accounts have raised broader questions about hygiene, cabin cleaning and passenger safety standards on the vessel, since the complaints involve different passengers, different areas of the ship and a range of physical symptoms rather than a single isolated incident.