Most cruise passengers know to pack their best behavior, as forgetting to take the line's rules seriously can have lifelong consequences.
Rarely does anyone board a cruise anticipating a lifelong ban. However, disruptive behavior can lead to permanent blacklisting from any line, including Carnival.
Carnival has a zero-tolerance policy for actions jeopardizing onboard safety and comfort. Though you might feel inclined to let loose on vacation, the rules are clear, and enforcement is strict.
Recently, two dozen passengers were banned from sailing with Carnival after participating in a massive brawl in the line's Galveston terminal.
Carnival's Brand Ambassador spoke out about the incident, claiming that cruise passengers these days act like "a pack of starving hyenas."
While the average guest likely wouldn't start an unruly fight, there are other ways to get banned from cruising with Carnival. Here are the stories of five other guests who suffered a similar fate and can't sail with Carnival again.
Read more: 10 Reasons You Could Get Banned From A Cruise Ship
Fishing off your balcony
At least two passengers were permanently banned from sailing with Carnival after sharing footage of themselves fishing from their stateroom's balcony, Orlando's WDBO reported.
In the now-deleted TikTok video, one guest exclaims, "Oh my God, you actually caught a fish," before the other guest is seen reeling the greenish-yellow fish up from the ocean. An email statement shared with WDBO said, "Fishing from our ships is prohibited. We have identified the guests, and they will not be cruising on Carnival again."
While Carnival's cruise contract doesn't explicitly prohibit fishing from cabin balconies, bringing live animals (other than qualified service dogs) onboard violates Section 4(e).
Taking someone else's luggage
Many cruise guests take advantage of the terminal's porters, trusting their bags will be safely delivered to their cabins on embarkation day. Unfortunately, one unlucky Carnival passenger went without their suitcase for the entire cruise after it was taken by another cruiser.
Jason and Tammy Merritt sailed aboard Carnival Magic in February 2025 to celebrate their anniversary. However, the celebration came to a quick halt when Jason's bag never made it to their cabin.
His bag remained at large for the entire sailing, with Carnival compensating him around $600 for necessities like toiletries, clothing, and undergarments.
Read more: Cruise passenger banned for life after stealing someone else's bag
After disembarking, Jason kept tabs on his bag using his AirPods, which were inside, and discovered that it remained on the ship for weeks after his sailing.
“We kept showing [Carnival], ‘Hey, we’re tracking it. Hey, it’s here.’ You know, ‘Can you go to deck zero?’ No, it’s not going to be there. You know, we’ve searched all the floors, every room’s been checked. There’s nothing,” he told KFOR.
Thankfully, Carnival eventually located the missing bag, though some contents were taken. It was hidden in another guest's cabin, and the thief claimed she liked the bag, so she took it. Consequently, she's banned from all future sailings.
Smuggling drugs onboard
Cruise lines, including Carnival, have strict zero-tolerance policies for drugs. While marijuana might be legal in your state, all forms of the drug — including gummies, CBD oil, and joints — are prohibited on cruise ships.
The ban overrides guests with medical conditions. Even if you have a doctor's note saying you're legally prescribed medical marijuana, cruise lines still won't allow it onboard because they operate under federal maritime law, not state law.
One passenger learned this the hard way after trying to bring CBD gummies onboard Carnival Horizon. USA TODAY reported that Melinda Van Veldhuizen, 42, of Dallas, Texas, was detained for hours and denied boarding after security found a sealed pack of gummies in her carry-on.
“I was...freaking out because I don’t even have a parking ticket, like, I follow the rules,” she told The Washington Post.
Van Veldhuizen later received a letter saying she'd been banned from future cruises with Carnival.
"This decision was based on your actions on the current cruise, which were a violation of the ship rules, interfered with the safety and/or enjoyment of other guests on the ship or caused harm to Carnival," the letter signed by Captain Rocco Lubrano said, which her attorney Daren Stabinski shared with USA TODAY.
Stealing cruise ship property
Just like how you shouldn't steal other passengers' property, you shouldn't try and scam the cruise line, either. Even something as basic as bottled water should be paid for.
While many things onboard are complimentary (or included in your cruise fare), others aren't. For example, Carnival stocks each stateroom with two bottles of water. The convenience, however, comes at a cost, as each bottle costs over $4.50.
One TikTok user thought she was being savvy by sharing how to cheat the system and get free water by discreetly opening the water bottles, drinking them, and refilling them with tap water to avoid being charged.
However, John Heald, Carnival's Brand Ambassador, took to Facebook to share that corporate had caught wind of the video, and they wouldn't allow the guests to return to their fleet of "FUN" ships in the future.
"...[T]he lady who was also on [TikTok] showing how to drink water from the bottles in the cabin without breaking the seal [has] been banned from cruising with us ever again," he posted.
Read more: Carnival banned a cruise passenger who tried a hack to tamper with water bottles
Bringing weapons on the ship
Finally, you shouldn't bring any weapons on your Carnival cruise.
Kendra Gordon and Travis Rainey shared a video of themselves in their cabin aboard a Carnival ship, revealing they had successfully smuggled a handgun onboard, which was being kept in the stateroom's safe.
Gordon said that other items, including pickles, hot sausages, and an open bag of popcorn, were confiscated; however, the handgun was somehow overlooked. In the video, she said, "We [are] all good," referring to the handgun.
While they may have gotten away with bringing the weapon onboard, it was their first and last time smuggling a prohibited item on a Carnival cruise.
In response to the incident, Carnival stated, "The guests who recorded the video have not sailed with us since April and have been prohibited from sailing Carnival in the future."
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 over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
