Most items banned from cruise ships seem obvious.
You can't bring any sort of weapon or even a toy that looks like a weapon.
You can't bring illegal drugs, which include legally prescribed cannabis or CBD products. Even if you possess these items legally, they're still illegal under U.S. federal law. And the major cruise lines opt into that area of the law even though they don’t follow every federal law (including U.S. labor laws).
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Most of the items that are banned seem like bad ideas to bring anyway, but not everyone uses common sense. You can't, for example, pack a bike or a hoverboard, nor can you bring roller skates or any sort of shoes with wheels on them.
Carnival does have some banned items that might surprise you because they don't seem dangerous.
"Electrical and household appliances containing any kind of heating element, such as irons, clothes steamers, immersion heaters, heating blankets, water heaters, coffee machines, hot plates, toasters, heating pads, humidifiers, etc." are on the list.
If you like a certain kind of adult fun, know that "handcuffs or other restraining devices" are also banned. You're also not allowed to create private spaces in your cabins, so "curtains, drapes, or hanging room dividers" have been banned.
Some people also have clever ideas for circumventing the ship's internet technology, but "satellite dishes, routers, and other internet-related equipment" are also not allowed.
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Image source: Carnival Corp.
Carnival makes a big change to its banned list
Some items are allowed but with common-sense restrictions. You can, for example, bring a tablet for your child to watch videos on, but it's frowned upon to have the audio on if your kid is not wearing headphones.
In other words you're not supposed to do anything that bothers your fellow passengers. Some people, however, just weren't capable of doing that, so the cruise line recently made an addition to its banned list.
"Boomboxes, radios and all types of speakers (including bluetooth, portable and wireless," are now banned.
Previously, the cruise line allowed these items for passengers to use in their cabins. But repeated rule breakers in public spaces appear to have forced the cruise line's hand.
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald regularly fields complaints about people bringing speakers and playing music on the Serenity Deck, an adults-only pool area that is supposed to be, well, serene.
"I love Serenity, but on the Miracle in September, people were bringing speakers and blasting loud music," wrote Wendy Bright.
"The crew did tell them to turn it off, and then the next day, the speakers in Serenity were blasting loud music. Serenity means peace and if people want music they can go to the Lido deck party pool."
One passenger wanted to make clear that while many people blame the problem on younger cruisers, older folks can be loud, too.
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"We tried using Serenity on our Celebration cruise, but it was way too hot to be out in the sun, and so many of the chairs were full sun, so it sat empty," Andrea Kirschiling Newsom posted.
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"We did have a lovely older lady who decided to give everyone a concert badly singing along with her music on her headset. Another older gentleman watched TikTok on full volume for an hour, and several older people had full-volume phone calls on speakers. So for those complaining it's younger people we had just the opposite."
Banning these devices enables the cruise line to avert the problem before it becomes an enforcement issue on board.
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