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The Street
The Street
Daniel Kline

Carnival Cruise Line Sends Passengers a Warning (and a Threat)

When things go wrong on a cruise ship, they also tend to go viral. 

We've all seen videos of plumbing mishaps, the incredibly rare instances where two ships crash in port, and, of course, the occasional drunken shenanigans people catch on camera.

With literally every passenger carrying around a camera and everyone having access to YouTube, what happens on Carnival Cruise Line (CCL), Royal Caribbean (RCL), or any other major cruise line no longer stays among the passengers of that cruise line. 

That has been a problem for Carnival specifically, as videos of people fighting on board the cruise line's ships have been released.

DON'T MISS:  Carnival Cruise Line Makes a Fleetwide Beverage Change

Carnival has a reputation as a party cruise line, and it wants to lean into that while also protecting its position as a safe place for families. It calls its ships "Fun Ships," but it wants to make sure that the fun does not spill over to other guests.

Now, as an especially busy, and rowdy, time of year approaches, Carnival has sent an email to passengers on upcoming trips, and it contains both a warning and a bit of a threat.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Warns About Spring-Break Behavior

Carnival emailed passengers who are booked on upcoming trips to make clear what behavior won't be tolerated, CruiseHive first reported.

“You will be sailing with us during Spring Break, which is traditionally a period of high occupancy,” the email reads. “As part of our commitment to create the best environment to provide a fun and memorable vacation for all, we would like to remind you of our Safety First! guidelines.”

The letter lays out the cruise line's policy on drinking -- you must be 21 to consume alcohol on board and you will be shut off if you are visibly intoxicated. 

It also sets standards for how people act toward others on board, noting that "all guests should feel welcome and included, and that everyone [must demonstrate] care and respect towards each other.”

In addition, the email directs passengers to the cruise line's code of conduct and requires them to acknowledge that they've read it before they board. The code of conduct further outlines how passengers should act -- and what happens if they don't abide by the rules.

"Consistent with our commitment to safety, disruptive behavior is not tolerated and any guest whose conduct affects the comfort, enjoyment, safety or well-being of other guests or crew will be disembarked at their own expense and banned from sailing on Carnival in the future," the cruise line says on its website. 

"All guests must acknowledge and commit to our code of conduct during the check-in process, and any violation may result in a fine of $500, possible stateroom confinement, and removal from the ship," 

Carnival Also Wants to Cut Down on Annoying Behavior

While protecting its passengers is, of course, Carnival's first goal, the cruise line also wants to do its best to eliminate some common problems that affect people's enjoyment of a cruise. The email also shared some of the cruise line's policies related to simply being a good part of the onboard community.

This included warnings to listen to music and videos only on your phone, tablet, or laptop while you wear headphones. It also made clear that any personal speakers used in a public part of the ship would be confiscated and returned at the end of the trip.

Carnival also laid out a policy that Royal Caribbean, every other resort, and pretty much any shared venue with a pool struggles with: Saving chairs at the pool deck is not allowed. 

This is a perpetual problem on cruise lines as it's very difficult for people who enforce the policy to know whether someone left some belongings on a deck chair because they're swimming or whether they left their stuff on the chair and went to lunch.

In theory, if a Carnival customer saves a deck chair and then leaves the pool area, their belongings will be removed and will be waiting for them at the towel station.     

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