Royal Caribbean has quietly banned personal speakers from its private island in the Bahamas.
Passengers on Icon of the Seas' March 15 cruise from Miami, Florida, reported seeing a new tip on the Cruise Compass advising guests not to bring personal speakers ashore on Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The notice reads, "Glass bottles and personal speakers are not permitted on the island."
The ban hasn't been acknowledged by Royal Caribbean, with speakers still noticeably absent from the line's prohibited items list as of Monday, Mar. 24.
Still, the potential change has excited some cruisers who find speakers annoying and disrespectful.
"We are all for this. In principle the speakers are fine if people using them would listen quietly. But sadly quietly and personal space mean different things to different people. So this seems like the best solution," commented Cruise News on a Royal Caribbean Blog Facebook post.
Steve Cohen added, "I wish they would ban them from bringing on the ship. I don't want to listen to someone else's music. That's what earbuds are for."
The decision to ban personal speakers on the island aims to create a more peaceful and respectful environment for all guests who want to enjoy Perfect Day at CocoCay.
However, it's up to Royal Caribbean crew to properly enforce the ban, as, inevitably, some cruisers will continue to bring their personal speakers ashore.
Speakers have been an issue on Royal Caribbean's private destinations in the past, with some cruisers heading to the internet to voice their frustrations
"Was at labadee at few weeks ago. My family was the first of a few to set up at Nellie’s beach in the front row. 20mins later a large family comes down and sets up in the front row. Loads up the speaker and sets it to top volume. THEN they all head into the water as far as they could from their seats," explained modestcouch on Reddit.
"The [lifeguard] came down. Looked around to see whose speaker it was. Finally he grabbed it. Turned it off. And put it down. The guy of the group starts screaming at the top of his lungs from waaaay out in the deep end. The lifeguard smiles. Grabs the speaker and brings it to the [lifeguard] shack."
The Redditor continued, saying how the guest proceeded to yell at the lifeguard who informed them that speakers aren't allowed:
"Finally the [lifeguard] says no speakers. He can get it back when he leaves. Or if he wants it back now he can have security make sure he gets it back on board. The guy picked security and the entire family left."
Another passenger added that they had a similar issue at Perfect Day at CocoCay, choosing to spend their day at Chill Island away from the rowdier crowds often found at Oasis Lagoon and South Beach.
"It definitely wasn’t deafeningly loud, but we chose to sit at chill island as far away as we could get from the pool and south beach for a reason. We also encountered 2 or 3 people walking around the inside of the ship with their speakers. It was mildly annoying," said Vivid-Syrup-3317.
Not the first cruise line to ban personal speakers
Carnival Cruise Line banned Bluetooth speakers in Nov. 2024. The cruise line's website was updated to include specific verbiage prohibiting guests from bringing speakers onboard their ships because of safety concerns.
The policy change was implemented so passengers could hear public announcements, whereas if guests had music blasting from personal speakers, important announcements could be drowned out and consequently missed.
For some passengers, the change was met with support, as many find other guests playing music from their personal speakers on vacation disruptive.
"I don't have a problem with this. It's rude to blast music in a public place and apparently the inconsideration has gotten out of hand. I understand if you're someone who likes listening to music. Music is [my] life and I've always got something playing. They make earbuds. If you're listening in your room, a phone should suffice," shared one cruiser on the r/CarnivalCruiseFans thread on Reddit.
Another cruiser added, "Good. No one else wants [to] hear your music or podcast when they’re trying to relax. Get headphones if you want to listen to something other than what is happening on the ship. It’s main character syndrome & it needs to stop everywhere."
Others, however, were upset with Carnival's ban.
"A prime example of how inconsiderate people ruin it for the rest of us. I always bring a speaker, but NEVER play it loudly,” wrote one user.
“Unpopular opinion, [but] I don’t like this at all. Some of us know how to responsibly use speakers and we are being punished instead of staff monitoring those who [are] rude with theirs,” commented another.
Read more: Carnival abruptly bans this essential travel item from its cruises and customers are fuming
Royal Caribbean banned another essential travel item last year
Multi-plug outlets were considered a must-have for many cruisers for years, especially when sailing on older ships like Vision of the Seas or Freedom of the Seas which may have just one or two standard American outlets.
However, the cruise line updated its list of prohibited items on its website to restrict passengers from bringing "Extension Cords and Multi-Plug Outlets/ Power Strips" on their ships.
Shortly after making the ban official, Royal Caribbean clarified that the ban on multi-plug outlets didn't include "consumer type power conversion device USB charger[s]."
Read more: Royal Caribbean suddenly bans this essential travel item from its cruises
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on nearly 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
