Carnival Cruise Line cracks down on new cruise ship scam

Miami Herald

22-05-2025

Ship-within-a-ship concepts have grown very popular in the cruise industry in recent years.
These private retreats within megaships are designed for cruise passengers who want to experience some small-ship luxury and exclusivity while still having access to all the attractions and entertainment that a megaship provides.
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Some cruise lines' ship-within-a-ship concepts are more luxurious than others, but all offer some type of exclusive amenities.
Carnival Cruise Line hasn't placed as much focus on ship-within-a-ship offerings as other major cruise lines, but it does have its own version on its newer ships. Carnival's exclusive cruise retreats are called Havana on Vista- and Excel-class ships, as well as Terrazza on Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze.
Booking a Havana or Terrazza stateroom on a Carnival cruise ship will give you a few exclusive perks - most notably access to an exclusive pool area away from the crowds of the main pool deck.
Of course, access to this desirable exclusive pool area comes at a higher cost, which has led some cruisers who book less expensive stateroom categories to consider ways to try to sneak into the popular Havana pool area without paying extra.
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"Some very naughty people have been selling their Havana wristbands on [eBay] and other auction sites," Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald shared in a post of his popular Facebook page.
The post included a photo of Havana-branded wristbands of various colors, which are given to passengers who book a Havana stateroom to wear in order to access the Havana pool area.
"These bands are checked by the staff working in the Havana area," Heald explained. "We used to have just two colours for these cabins in the Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Panorama, Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee."
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The photo showed that Carnival now has at least six colors of wristbands.
"And someone silly decided to buy two of these and tried to wear them to get into the Havana area on one of the ships. They were denied and I am sure were embarrassed because the wristband was the wrong colour," Heald noted. "You see, we have different colours; they are changed at random each cruise."
And no, that doesn't mean sneaky passengers should buy multiple colors of wristbands online. Having the right color might not get you in anyway.
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Wristbands aren't the only way Carnival crew members can identify those who are staying in Havana cabins, as one passenger pointed out in the comments on the post.
"We have been in a Havana cabin on five cruises. There have been occasions when a group comes into the Havana area without bands. They are asked politely to leave by cruise personnel. The personnel in the Havana area learn quickly who belongs and who does not even without the bands," Sue Duquette French wrote.
Passengers who pay for the popular Havana perks don't appreciate other cruisers trying to cheat the system, either.
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"We have cruised in a Havana cabin once, on Horizon. Best cruise ever! The appeal for us was truly in the exclusivity of the pool area - it was not crowded at all, and Horizon has such a lovely Havana deck," Tracey Pietron Perry commented. "It would make me angry if I paid extra for that perk and there were people lying/faking their way in who did not pay that extra, and I would never try to do this myself if I had not booked a Havana cabin."
Some cruisers also pointed out that Carnival could do a better job of protecting the exclusivity of this amenity by using technology – whether by requiring key card access or using wearable devices like sister cruise line Princess does on some of its ships.
"Princess uses a Medallion, automatic door locked and access denied 'Sanctuary Rooms.' Perhaps it's time to switch cards to Bluetooth technology," Miguel GT suggested.
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