Some characters and rooms were renamed to pay homage. The ship's Captain was named Captain Gallico for Writer Paul Gallico, on whose novel this movie was based; the ship's doctor was named Dr. Ballard for Robert Ballard, leader of the 1985 expedition that discovered the remains of R.M.S. Titanic; the ship's lounge was named Jak's Lounge for Jak Castro, President of The Poseidon Adventure Fan Club.
Many new characters were added to this adaptation, while only retaining a few of the original characters from the novel and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Some characters were simply renamed, and others were dropped altogether.
Director John Putch said he could not bring himself to watch the final product, after much was edited out at the studio's request.
Two paintings of the infamous ocean liner R.M.S. Titanic can be seen in this movie, one in Cruise Director Leo's cabin on-board the Poseidon, another in the Dulcet Cruise headquarters in Sydney, Australia.