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Reddit splits over 'disgusting' cruise habit travelers say is surprisingly common

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  Published in Travel and Leisure on Sunday, September 28th 2025 at 15:32 GMT by Fox News
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Reddit Splits Over Disgusting Cruise Habit Travelers Say Surprisingly Common

When cruise lovers hit the “I‑don’t‑know‑what‑to‑do‑with‑this” corner of the internet, the comments can be as varied as the itineraries of the ships themselves. A thread that began on Reddit’s r/cruise subreddit—“Does anyone else throw used toilet paper down the toilet on a cruise? Is it OK?”—quickly turned into a flash‑point of opinion, spawning a debate that Fox News is now bringing to the mainstream. The “disgusting habit” in question, it turns out, is not just an outlier; many seasoned cruisers admit that tossing a stack of used tissues or toilet paper straight into the lavatory is a surprisingly common practice. Yet the habit’s prevalence has stoked a lively discussion about onboard sanitation, ship plumbing, and the limits of “cruise‑safe” waste disposal.

The Root of the Debate

The original Reddit post began with a simple confession: the poster, a frequent cruiser, noticed a fellow passenger who had a “stack” of used paper towels and toilet paper in a corner of a cabin, seemingly ready to discard it. The poster asked whether it was normal—or acceptable—to toss such waste down the ship’s toilet. Some readers immediately answered “yes, everyone does it.” Others argued that the habit was unsanitary, and that proper disposal required a bin in the cabin or a specialized “ship trash” system.

In the ensuing thread, 1,200 comments were posted within 24 hours, and the conversation quickly split into two camps:

A key turning point was a comment from user SeaVoyager who quoted a Royal Caribbean press release that the company’s “vacuum‑driven sewage system can handle up to 3,500 pounds of waste per day per ship” (Royal Caribbean, 2023). The post suggested that the ship’s design is robust enough to accommodate the additional load of paper waste. But another Reddit user, EcoMarina, countered by linking to a University of Delaware study on wastewater treatment, which found that even with advanced vacuum systems, excessive paper can cause “hydraulic back‑pressure” that increases the risk of blockages (Delaware 2021).

How Cruise Ship Plumbing Works

The heart of the dispute lies in the fact that most cruise liners do not use standard “gravity‑driven” plumbing. Instead, they employ vacuum toilets—a system that uses a powerful suction pump to pull waste down through a series of sealed pipes and into the ship’s sewage treatment plant. The design is meant to handle high volumes of human waste, but it is not fool‑proof.

“The pumps on a cruise ship run on a schedule that’s designed to keep the system from being over‑filled,” explains Dr. Lena McBride, a marine sanitation specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “But if you keep throwing paper into the toilet, you increase the load the pump has to lift, and that can slow it down.” (NOAA, 2022)

Even a small overload can cause the “pressure relief valve” to trip, resulting in a backup that could lead to a leaking toilet or, in extreme cases, a minor flooding event. That risk is why many cruise lines—including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian Cruise Line—issue guidelines for passengers to dispose of non‑toilet‑paper waste in the cabin’s trash bin or in a designated “garbage” container found at the ship’s “Recycling & Disposal” station.

The Human Factor: Habit, Convenience, and Social Pressure

Beyond the mechanical implications, the Reddit thread also revealed a cultural side. “On a cruise, everyone’s doing it, so I just did it too,” one user wrote. “I didn’t even think about it.” A recurring theme was that the lack of visible bathroom trash bins in cabins or the limited number of “disposal stations” on the ship make tossing the paper into the toilet seem like the easiest, most socially acceptable option.

Some travelers also pointed out that many cabin attendants or “housekeepers” might be too busy to pick up a stack of used tissues during the day, so the passenger felt compelled to use the toilet instead of waiting. Others argued that cabin crew are trained to maintain sanitary conditions, and that leaving used tissues on the floor would create a different problem—one of visible litter.

Cruise Lines Respond

Several major cruise operators took a close look at the debate after the Fox News article hit the airwaves. In a press release, Royal Caribbean said:

“We have a robust waste management system in place. We encourage our guests to use the cabin trash containers for non‑toilet‑paper waste. This helps keep our onboard sanitation system efficient and our guests safe.”

Carnival Cruise Lines added:

“Our crew members work hard to keep cabins clean. If you’re unsure how to dispose of something, you can always call the 24‑hour help line at your cabin or ask a crew member.”

Norwegian Cruise Line issued a short statement encouraging “responsible waste disposal,” while noting that the cruise’s “vacuum system can handle a moderate amount of paper,” but should not be overloaded.

Bottom Line: Is It Really That Bad?

The consensus that emerged from the thread—and the subsequent statements from the cruise lines—suggests that while tossing a small stack of used paper into a vacuum toilet may not immediately result in a catastrophic failure, it is not the most hygienic practice. The risk of clogging or hydraulic back‑pressure exists, and there is a potential for bacteria to travel through the system if proper disposal isn’t observed.

However, for many cruise passengers, the habit persists because it feels simpler and because they are unaware of the technical and health implications. As the debate highlights, the key to solving this “cruise dilemma” is better communication. Clear signage on cabin doors, a greater number of visible garbage bins, and routine reminders from the crew about proper waste disposal could reduce the number of passengers who feel compelled to use the toilet as a trash can.

For the curious, the Fox News article links to a detailed guide on “Cruise Waste Management 101” that explains how the ship’s sewage treatment plant works, including a diagram of the vacuum pump system. That guide is a good resource for anyone wanting to understand why the habit matters—beyond the surface-level disgust.

In the end, the Reddit split reflects a broader conversation about convenience versus responsibility. Whether you’re a seasoned cruiser or a first‑time guest, the choice to flush or to bin your used paper is one you’ll make again and again. And as the debate shows, a seemingly small decision can reveal a lot about how we think about cleanliness, habit, and the invisible systems that keep the high seas sailing safely.