A violent fight broke out aboard Carnival Sunrise over the weekend, resulting in passengers being banned from sailing with the line again.
The incident happened at around 5:30pm on Saturday, June 7, after Carnival Sunrise had departed from Half Moon Cay, the line's private island in the Bahamas.
Carnival Sunrise was halfway through a 4-night round-trip sailing from Miami, which departed on June 5, 2025.
Bystanders captured videos of the brawl and posted clips of it on social media. The video footage reveals guests throwing chairs while innocent passengers hustled out of the way.
The fight happened on the Lido Deck near the complimentary pizzeria, where many may have been trying to grab a snack after spending their day ashore in the Bahamian sun.
Thankfully, Carnival's security team quickly rushed to the scene and restrained the violent passengers, and the cruise line confirmed that the guests involved would be banned from future Carnival voyages.
According to guests onboard, at least one passenger was confined to their stateroom
Although cruise ships do have jail cells, disruptive passengers can also be kept in their cabins until disembarkation.
"I’m staying a couple of doors away from him. The man is locked up in his room with security outside 24/7," a guest aboard Carnival Sunrise shared on social media.
Not only that, but passengers can be kicked off sailings, rather than detained. Once kicked off, guests are responsible for getting themselves home, even if that means paying for last-minute flights and hotels. This is why it's important to read and understand the cruise contract before boarding your ship.
Carnival's Code of Conduct states that “...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.”
Additionally, all guests must agree to the Code of Conduct during the check-in process. Any violation may result in a hefty $500 fine, stateroom confinement, and removal from the ship.
In this case, it isn't clear whether the detained guest was removed from Carnival Sunrise in Nassau on June 8 or was allowed to stay onboard until the ship arrived in Miami on the 9th. Either way, the rest of their vacation was ruined.
Read more: 18 Surprising Things You Agree to in Your Cruise Contract
People aren't surprised by another fight aboard a Carnival ship
In April 2025, a massive fight broke out in Galveston's terminal during disembarkation after a weeklong sailing on Carnival Jubilee. The consequences were dire, as two dozen passengers were banned from sailing with Carnival again.
One passenger, Ethan Merritt-Clark, 21, from Chicago, Illinois, was charged with injury to the elderly and reckless serious bodily injury after pushing an older guest in the luggage area of Galveston's terminal.
Because of the often negative headlines that Carnival receives, the fight on Carnival Sunrise didn't shock many.
"This is why people call Carnival the Walmart of the seas. People need to learn how to act right," commented one person on Facebook.
"And that’s why I will never cruise [on] carnival," someone else wrote.
"It's SAD that Carnival receives a negative reputation due to the actions of ignorant individuals," added another.
Recently, a Carnival passenger was banned for a less violent infraction
Be careful what you post on social media. Courtney Murley learned this lesson the hard way when she was banned from future voyages after sharing a TikTok showing how she successfully smuggled alcohol onboard Carnival Conquest.
"Def waited until after I got home to post this! Hahahaha but it worked," reads the caption of the short video.
The TikTok shows Murley and her travel partner bringing their two suitcases into their cabin on the 110,000 gross registered ton (GT) vessel. They placed the bags on the bed and unzipped them to check whether their liquor was still inside.
Inside a box of tampons, the couple reveals plastic flasks in wrappers. Not only that, but they filled shampoo and conditioner bottles with liquor, too.
Later, however, Murley posted another video sharing that she had been banned from sailing with Carnival because of the TikTok that was brought to the attention of Carnival executives.
"This letter is to inform you that you will not be able to sail onboard any Carnival Cruise Line vessel in the future due to the smuggling of alcohol onboard the Carnival Conquest on March 31st, 2025, and subsequently posting about it on social media platforms," the letter from Carnival's Staff Investigator reads, "Your attempt to book a future cruise will result in cancellation and possible loss of deposit monies."
Read more: 5 cruise passengers got banned by Carnival for life (and how you can avoid a similar fate)
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!
