Cruise NewsCarnival Cruise Line7 Recent Carnival Cruise Line Bans You Might Have Missed

7 Recent Carnival Cruise Line Bans You Might Have Missed

If you haven’t taken a cruise with Carnival for a while, you might need to get up to speed with some of the recent bans that have been announced.  This year has already seen several new rules put into effect. 

Let’s look at 7 bans the cruise line has either announced or clarified in just the last few months.

Carnival Celebration Docked in PortMiami

Whenever it’s announced that a cruise line has banned a certain item or practice, it makes headlines right away.  Often, it’s just a clarification or more specific roll out of an existing rule.

But in the last several months, a more than usual number of “bans” have been announced by Carnival Cruise Line.

1. Bluetooth Speakers

I think any avid cruiser saw this one coming.  With Bluetooth speakers only getting bigger and louder in recent years, it didn’t take long for these portable devices to become a problem.

Not only was the music competing with the ship’s own music.  Carnival also stated that it was a safety issue as passengers need to hear any emergency information over the ship’s PA system.

On top of this, it was a general annoyance to passengers in public areas or even balconies where the music would naturally spill over into other cabins.

The goal here was the keep the adult-only Serenity area, actually serene.

The Bluetooth speaker ban was announced in November of 2024.

2. Friendly Gambling Outside the Casino

To be clear, Carnival has never allowed gambling outside of the casino.  So, this one was more of a clarification.

One of the games pointed out by the cruise line was Left-Center-Right or LCR.   The dice game was growing in popularity on cruise ships and winners of the game won a cash pot.

In January of 2025, John Heald, Carnival’s Brand Ambassador, was asked about the game and he took to Facebook to make the cruise line’s position clear.

You can play for no money, but I’m afraid that because of very important rules and regulations, we do not allow guests to gamble outside of the casino,” Heald stated.

The game, and others like it, can still be played.  But no exchange of money can be made.

3. Upside-Down Pineapple Door Decorations

Carnival Cruise Line announced the ban on upside-down pineapple door decorations in late November 2024. This decision was highlighted by Carnival’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, in response to a question on Facebook regarding meetups for singles.

He confirmed that upside-down pineapples, often used as a symbol by the swinging community, would no longer be allowed on stateroom doors and would be removed if noticed by the crew.

Heald stated that the decorations are “definitely no longer allowed on the ships”.

The move was made likely in response to a growing awareness of the symbol and the cruise line’s focus on a family-friendly atmosphere.

4. Satellite Dishes, Routers

In September 2024, a YouTuber found himself in hot water with Carnival when his Starlink Mini satellite dish was confiscated, and he was asked to speak with the ship’s hotel director.

Despite the device being technically allowed on board, the cruise line argued that it was a “satellite disk” rather than a “satellite dish,” a claim the YouTuber disputed when referring to the wording of the policy.

Carnival’s Prohibited Item list includes the following:

  • Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), communication scanners, wideband receivers, satellite phones, transformers, lasers and laser pointers. 
  • Satellite dish, routers and other internet related equipment  

But with Starlink now being integrated and available on T-Mobile cell phones, this will be a more difficult situation for cruise line’s to navigate.

Carnival cruise ship

5. Asking for Drinking Money

Just this month, Carnival began to crack down on a “buy me a drink” practice that started as a joke. 

The growing trend of putting signs on cabin doors with a request for drinking money has also fallen under the cruise line’s ban hammer.

A person asked the Brand Ambassador about the practice:

“John Heald, what are your thoughts about cruisers who post a sign on their cabin door or hand out flyers with a Venmo asking for people to send money for drinks? Does Carnival have a rule about that?”

But Heald was straight to the point in saying that this practice was simple not permitted on Carnival cruise ships.

Absolutely, we do. It is strictly forbidden,” he wrote. “If you have details of anybody doing this, would you please let me know those details now, and I will take care of it immediately. The solicitation of guests by guests is strictly forbidden. Thank you so much and I will be here to help so please send me the details,” Heald responded.

6. CBD Products

This one isn’t new exactly.  But it has fallen under the spotlight in the last few months. 

Just last year a couple was banned from the cruise line after a container of CBD mints were found in a backpack.

Before they could even board Carnival Conquest, the husband’s boarding pass was taken away and the couple was banned from all future cruises with the company.

State laws might allow CBD, but cruise ships follow stricter federal and international rules, plus they must comply with laws at their destinations like the Bahamas or Caribbean.

This has led to some confusion for passengers who think, “If CBD gummies are legal in my state, why not on a cruise?” But don’t do it, or you’ll be in for a change in vacation plans.

Carnival policy on deck chair hogs
Pool deck on Carnival Victory. Photo credit: Cruise Fever

7. Deck Chair Hogging

Reserving deck chairs and loungers for hours on end has always been against Carnival’s policy.  But it still happened.

Now Carnival is trying to solve this problem that has annoyed passengers for years.

If crew members notice that a lounger has been unoccupied for 40 minutes, a “40-Minute Rule” is put into place that allows them to remove that passenger’s items.

Crew will place notecards on chairs with the current time so they can keep track of how long a chair has been “hogged” and take the appropriate action.

Heald acknowledged the problem of deck chair hogging and stated the following about the new solution.

If they are not back by that time, we will remove it.  It’s only fair to make it that way.  Ever since I’ve worked on cruise ships, there’ve been people desperate to get the chairs.  We are doing our very best.  It’s not a perfect system, it would be silly of me to suggest otherwise. But it is something we need to do,” Heald stated.

So far, passengers have overwhelmingly praised the cruise line’s efforts as it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Royal Caribbean has also implemented a similar system that involves placing a slip cover over “reserved” loungers.

Bottom Line

So, if you’re hopping on a Carnival cruise, make sure you’re up to speed with these new bans.  And keep in mind, these are put into place to make everyone on the ship can have a great vacation.

The last thing you want is anarchy and a rule-less society while hundreds of miles from land, right?  After all, you’re sharing your vacation with thousands of other people, and a little kindness and politeness can go a long way.  

J. Souza
J. Souza
Jon is the co-founder of Cruise Fever and has been on 50+ cruises since his first in 2009. As an editor, 15-year writer on the cruise industry, and avid cruise enthusiast he has sailed with at least 10 cruise lines and is always looking for a great cruise deal. Jon lives in North Carolina and can be reached at [email protected].
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