Carnival Cruises has said that it would be taking firm steps to stop poor behaviour on its cruises after a couple of incidents in the past year that saw disputes escalate into mass brawls.
Carnival said that they would be issuing $500 fines and additional detainment costs for those found guilty of unruly behaviour on board.
The change to the cruise line’s code of conduct comes after several announcements reminding passengers to maintain respectful behaviour while they are on board.
The updates section of the cruise line’s policies now reads:
“Consistent with our commitment to safety, disruptive behaviour 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. Any violation of our Code of Conduct may result in a fine of $500 and reimbursement of expenses incurred by Carnival as a result of the detainment or disembarkation.”
An email from the company in August appealed to the “better nature” of their guests and reminded passengers about their expectations while they were on board. The reminder was added to the company’s “Know Before You Go” emails. It stated that “experience has taught us that everyone has a better time when children are supervised, noise in the hallways is kept to a minimum, guests follow queues, and that a spirit of community and neighbourliness is shown by all.”
In June an altercation in a nightclub on the 128,048 gt, 2011-built Carnival Magic (IMO 9378486) saw several guests greeted by local law enforcement in New York back. Then in July a brawl broke out on the 1998-built, 71,909 gt Carnival Elation (IMO 9118721) as it returned back to Florida.