Balconies seem to be an invitation to trouble for some passengers.
It's not uncommon to smell smoke or even a waft of marijuana coming from the balcony next to or below yours. Every cruise line strictly forbids both those things, but the companies seem to have trouble enforcing those rules.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line passengers share their dining indulgences
If Carnival Cruise Line catches you smoking tobacco on your balcony, you will face a significant fine to pay for cleaning the room. If it catches you with cannabis products on your balcony or elsewhere, you might get banned from the cruise line for life.
Smoking is not the only dumb thing people do on cruise ship balconies. Some passengers "forget" that passengers on other ships, and sometimes other decks, can see them when they're outside engaging in adult activities.
In addition, multiple people die each year when they fall off balconies (usually in a drunken stunt).
Carnival wants to make clear, however, that one balcony practice, which seems like it should be okay, is actually not allowed.
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Cruise ship balconies are not your backyard
Popular Facebook personality Jayson Judson shared a recent message from Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald on his page. The message of the video was very clear.
Transcript:
Carnival Cruise Line has issued a warning to passengers that hanging a clothesline to dry your clothes isn't permitted on your balcony as two pictures were sent to John Heald, the brand ambassador for Carnival Cruise Line.
John said that cabin attendants will remove them due to environmental concerns and that it simply looks bad.
Carnival does offer self-service washers and dryers on their ships and many passengers use magnetic hooks in their cabin bathrooms to dry wet clothes.
Carnival Cruise Line passengers address stereotypes
These rules are not unique to Carnival Cruise Line, but many passengers took them as passengers reaffirming the stereotypes around the brand.
"A clothesline looks tacky. An item or 2 on the back of a chair is alright if attached securely," wrote @dawnb19.
(That is against the rules as well.)
@BillyBenson3834 sees it the same way.
"It perpetuates the stereotype of Carnival passengers. Might as well install screen doors and fry spam on your balcony," he wrote.
Some passengers pushed back, since Carnival's newest ships do not have self-serve laundries.
"Attempting to dry clothes in a cruise ship bathroom is an extremely long process. And they have removed the self service launderette from newer Carnival ships, I believe," posted @Nicho_ldn.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise).
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@MikePeterman1004 defended Carnival passengers, after a fashion.
"I have seen this on Royal, Princess, Disney, Celebrity...nothing exclusive to Carnival," he posted.
The rules are not just about esthetics. Items left to dry on a balcony run a real risk of blowing away
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