Plumbing Problems Aboard Symphony of the Seas Spark Passenger Concerns

Based on the article “Plumbing Issues Onboard Symphony of the Seas Cause Concern” by Catie Kovelman, published August 28, 2025 on Cruise Hive.

Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2025. The latest issue? Plumbing failures that left large portions of the vessel without functioning toilets.

Toilets Out of Order

Passengers reported that during the current 7-night Bahamas sailing (departed August 24, 2025), toilets across much of the ship suddenly stopped working. According to firsthand accounts, the problem began on embarkation day in Cape Liberty, NJ, or shortly after departure.

• One guest shared on Reddit: “Yesterday almost the entire ship was without toilets. We found out after our kids had used our stateroom toilet and it wouldn’t flush.”
• The disruption was reportedly caused by a blockage in the ship’s vacuum toilet system, which may have been triggered by passengers flushing non-dissolvable items like wet wipes or feminine products.

The incident reminded many of the infamous 2013 Carnival Triumph “poop cruise,” which was recently revisited in a Netflix documentary (Trainwreck, June 2025).

Not the First Plumbing Complaint

This isn’t an isolated problem. Other cruisers have reported toilet outages and foul odors aboard Symphony earlier in 2025:

• Guests on July sailings recalled toilets being out of order for days on multiple decks.
• Some complained about horrible septic-like smells lingering on higher decks.

Royal Caribbean frequently warns passengers that only toilet paper should be flushed to prevent blockages, but enforcement is difficult with over 5,500 guests onboard.

A Rough Year for Symphony

Beyond plumbing, Symphony of the Seas has faced several setbacks in 2025:

• A guest tested positive for Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.
• The ship’s February health inspection scored just one point above failing.
• There have also been three incidents of broken windows.

With recurring plumbing breakdowns now added to the list, Royal Caribbean faces increasing scrutiny over the vessel’s upkeep and guest experience.

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👉 In short: Plumbing on cruise ships is a delicate system — one wrong flush can cause massive disruptions. For Symphony of the Seas, repeated blockages and sewer-like odors have raised red flags, leaving passengers questioning whether the ship’s plumbing problems are part of a larger maintenance issue.