Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is now streaming on Netflix
Jen Baxter is proud of her Liverpool roots(Image: Jen Baxter)
Jen Baxter from Woolton Village recently appeared on a hit Netflix show and owes her incredible career to her Scouse roots. The 51-year-old worked as cruise director on the Carnival Triumph ship when the “Poop Cruise” disaster occurred. Netflix retold the tale in a documentary, Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, which recently landed on the streaming platform and has already reached number two on Netflix’s top movie list.
On February 7, 2013, the Carnival Triumph set sail from Galveston, Texas and headed towards Cozumel, Mexico. Over 4000 passengers were hoping for a relaxing voyage when a fire erupted in the engine room and the trip soon turned into a nightmare. The ship was “dead in the water”, and all passengers faced immense disruption, with no hot meals, no air conditioning and most importantly, no working toilets.
It comes as no surprise that Netflix picked up such a shocking event, revisiting the horrors on board, which saw passengers provided with red plastic bags to go to the toilet. Jen Baxter, who hails from Woolton village, was the cruise director for Carnival Triumph at the time and took it upon herself to try and keep passengers at ease.
Carnival Triumph set sail on February 7, 2013(Image: Netflix)
In the Netflix show, she joked: “Half-jokingly, I said we could do a number one in the shower, then for the No. 2…that was definitely a trickier problem than No. 1.”
Passengers described Jen as the “voice of the triumph” onboard the ship, with one guest comparing her to “vacation barbie.” Speaking on the Netflix show, Jen explained: “I loved my job, I loved every aspect of it.”
The 51-year-old attended King David High in Childwall and Sandown Performing Arts College before she decided she wanted to travel the world.
Jen landed a job with Carnival Cruise as a host and worked her way up to the top as a cruise director. She stayed there for 20 years and has fond memories of her time on board.
Jen spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview, describing her experience of starring in one of Netflix’s most popular shows at the moment. Jen said: “It’s really really weird and it makes me laugh.”
Jen was the cruise director on Carnival Triumph at the time of the incident(Image: Jen Baxter)
She didn’t expect the show to be as popular as it is, and she has since been recognised for her role while out and about. But Jen almost missed the opportunity when she initially rejected the idea.
When she was first approached by the streaming platform last year, Jen told bosses there was no way she was going to be involved in the project.
She explained: “I said ‘no, no I’m not doing it’ because I didn’t want anything negative to be said about the company or what happened. I thought it was going to be like all doom and gloom.”
However, Jen soon changed her mind so she could “have her say” on the event. Now, Jen is “so pleased” that she decided to take part and is happy about the way she was portrayed.
Jen purposely didn’t tell anyone she was going to be a part of the production until a few days before it landed on Netflix. She was surprised to see it top Netflix’s charts and was flooded with supportive messages. Her friends and family are “made up.”
The cruise director owes her Scouse roots for her incredible success as cruise director. She thanks the Everyman Youth Theatre, which allowed her lovable personality to blossom early on.
She told the ECHO: “I’m super proud of being from Liverpool it’s such a great city.” She continued: “I always tell people I am from Liverpool and I love it. Even now when I’m on the ship, we have a lot of Americans coming on board and as soon as you say Liverpool they love it.”
Jen, who now lives in Llandudno, North Wales added: “You know what it’s like in Liverpool, everyone talks to each other and everyone is really nice. Even now, if I’m working away whenever I go home to Liverpool you really notice how friendly everyone is in the shops and in the bars and everything.”
Trainwreck: Poop Cruise is available to stream on Netflix