One parent received a written warning after their child was caught violating Carnival's curfew policy.
According to the cruise line's website, all passengers 17 and under who are not accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older in their travel party are required to leave all public areas on the ship by 1:00 a.m.
The curfew policy is in place to maintain order and promote safety, as late-night programming for minors is limited. Additionally, supervision from youth staff is minimal, placing the responsibility on parents or guardians to monitor their children and keep them out of trouble.
Phyllis Teacher, a mom who lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, shared a letter she received while sailing on Carnival Elation, dated December 10, 2025.
"Your child, Mr. Claudio Sarmiento Barra, 14 years have violated our curfew policy for minors," the letter began.
"As outlined in our guidelines, and reinforced during the safety briefing, unless accompanied by someone 21 years or older from their traveling party, all guests, 17 years and under, must be clear of all public areas by 1:00 AM."
Continuing on, the letter outlined the consequences should the curfew be violated again:
"If your child violates this policy again during this cruise, a fine of up to $500 will be imposed. A third violation will result in disembarkation from the ship, for all in the travel group, and placement on our no-sail list."
In Teacher's caption, she explains that her kids were with their cousins, who were 19 and older, but after receiving the curfew violation, she "wanted to keep [her kids] in the room for the rest of the 3 days."
At the time, Carnival Elation was on a 5-night cruise to The Bahamas from Jacksonville, Florida. The Fantasy Class ship departed on Dec. 8, called at Celebration Key and Princess Cays, and returned to Florida on Dec. 13.
Teacher's Facebook page shows the family enjoying their cruise, playing Uno, trying Guy's Burger Joint, and hanging out in The Bahamas.
"Had the best time with my family [on my] boys’ first cruise!!!" she shared. "They...made me dance and I DO NOT DANCE...I can’t wait to take them somewhere else next time."
Read more: I stayed in the cheapest cabin on Carnival Elation
Carnival isn't the only cruise line with a minor curfew policy
Most major lines have similar rules in place to protect younger passengers and keep them safe and out of trouble late at night. For example, Norwegian requires all unaccompanied teenagers to return to their staterooms by 1:30 a.m.
At the same time, Royal Caribbean's mandatory junior curfew stipulates that all guests 17 and under be in their cabins by 1:00 a.m., unless participating in a supervised Adventure Ocean program.
"They have to make the punishments harsh because the parents literally do not care"
Social media users have shared their reactions to the letter, with many agreeing that unsupervised children should not be running around late at night.
"Breaking rules has consequences seriously though what are kids doing up and about after 1am?" wrote one Redditor.
Someone else added, "I’m so ready for this to be enforced. Parents are not parenting anymore and these kids are running around getting into fights and ruining it for the adults."
About the Carnival Elation cruise ship
Carnival Elation is one of the oldest ships in Carnival's fleet, having set sail in 1998. She’s also one of the smallest ships in the fleet, measuring just 71,909 gross tons with a passenger capacity of 2,190 at double occupancy.
The ship sails year-round from Jacksonville, Florida, to The Bahamas. According to Cruise Mapper, Carnival Elation primarily offers 4- and 5-night cruises to ports like Celebration Key, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau.
A few longer voyages are also scheduled, including a 7-night cruise departing on Feb. 9, 2026, and a 6-night sailing leaving on Nov. 23, 2026.
The 28-year-old ship is set to undergo a routine dry dock after the conclusion of its current 5-night cruise. Passengers on the Jan. 15 sailing were notified last year that their cruise was canceled to allow for extended dry dock maintenance.
Passengers affected by the change were given the option of a full refund or to transfer to another sailing at a protected rate, along with a $50 onboard credit per person (up to $100 per cabin).
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. 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!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
