Whether you’re traveling on an airplane or on cruise ship, you should always expect your luggage to be thoroughly screened for dangerous items.
Cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean prohibit a number of things on board, including weapons and other items that pose a threat to passenger and crew safety.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line passengers reject key cabin change
All luggage brought on board a cruise ship undergoes security scanning and the cruise line reserves the right to confiscate any item that’s deemed dangerous.
To avoid the chance that your luggage will be held by a cruise ship’s security team, you should always review your cruise line’s prohibited items list before you pack and double check that your luggage does not contain anything that shouldn’t be brought on board.
If you make a mistake and bring a banned item, you should expect suspicious treatment from the cruise ship’s security team. Don’t make a second mistake in thinking that the cruise line shouldn’t hold passengers accountable when it comes to dangerous items, as one Carnival Cruise Line passenger recently did.
Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise.
Cruise passengers should be careful to avoid packing prohibited items in their luggage.
Image source: Shutterstock
Carnival passenger says security run-in ruined first day of cruise
“On our recent Breeze cruise, we received one of our two luggage pieces. We didn’t think much of it, but we checked back a couple of times, and then our cabin steward knocked on our door and said our bag was being held for inspection,” the unidentified passenger explained in a message to Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald.
It turned out that the passenger’s husband had unknowingly packed a banned item.
“So, I made my way down to the bilges to a room full of bags and asked to identify mine. When I did, they sent it through the scanner, identified the ‘suspicious item’, and asked me to open the bag. It was my husband’s dive knife, which he must have left in his bag from his Cancun trip a few weeks back.”
Related: Carnival Cruise Line shares big main dining room plan
In the passenger’s opinion, the cruise line’s vigilance around banned items was too severe, resulting in a negative passenger experience.
“He was made to feel like a criminal. He served in the US Air Force. Carnival gave us no apology or anything for being treated this way,” the passenger continued. “Mistakes happen, and you embarrass paying customers. It ruined the first day of the cruise completely. Just saying.”
Carnival’s brand ambassador shared the passenger’s message in a post on his Facebook page in order to warn other passengers not to make the same mistake.
“The reason I am posting this is to remind people to please check your bags completely before packing to make sure there is nothing there that should not be there,” Heald explained.
Most passengers appreciate Carnival’s vigilant security
More than 1,800 Carnival Cruise Line fans commented on the post, with many passengers posting messages to defend and praise the cruise line for their attention to security.
“I appreciate Carnival keeping everyone safe. You just never know what someone has in mind, they are not mind readers and it is their job to keep everyone safe which I would think the original poster would understand,” Susan Lynn Saunders Pemberton wrote.
Passengers were quick to point out that the passenger could have avoided the incident by being more careful with their luggage.
“Carnival does not owe an apology to you regardless if you were in the military or you’re a fry cook from a fast food restaurant,” Josh McGimsey said. “Take some self-responsibility, check your bag thoroughly before packing. People have been arrested in other countries for having less in their bags.”
More Carnival cruise news:
Carnival Cruise Line addresses disputed drink ruleCarnival Cruise Line casino players don’t want this new gameCarnival Cruise Line passengers ask for key smoking change
Another passenger who made a similar mistake shared an opposite take on their own security run-in.
“It’s not Carnival’s fault. You had something in your bag that wasn’t approved to bring onto the ship. It has happened to us too. Yes, it may have been an honest mistake, but it was still not allowed and you do not deserve special treatment,” Leslie Lasage Babineaux commented. “We weren’t given special treatment and we didn’t write a letter or accuse them of treating us like criminals. It was your fault…you got it resolved…move on with your cruise and enjoy!”
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me’s Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at [email protected] or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
