Cruise company bans everyday item for 'bizarre' reason

Metro

24-06-2025

Carnival Cruise passengers will need to find alternative ways to cool down on the dancefloor, after the company announced a ban on handheld fans.
In a letter given to those boarding its ships, Carnival claimed the items were prohibited in nightclubs or on any indoor dancefloors 'for safety reasons'.
But the policy has proven unclear for travellers, who were told by brand ambassador John Heald that it only applies to paper fans 'made of cardboard' and 'not the electric mini ones'.
'This latest random Carnival Cruise Line ban both confuses and amuses me,' said @professormelissa on TikTok, while @angela.matherne added: 'That's so bizarre'.
Many questioned what led to the move too, including @adventures_in_retirement who asked: 'What could have really gone wrong to cause them to ban handheld fans? How could this ever have even come about?'
Although Carnival hasn't confirmed the reasoning behind this, it's been speculated that it may be due to the recent 'Boots on the Ground' trend.
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A number of videos show rows of cruisers doing a choreographed line-dance to the popular 803Fresh song, flipping open their fans in unison at the lyric: 'Where them fans at?'
And while this seems fairly innocuous, rumours have since surfaced of injuries resulting from these performances.
Content creator @mandythecruiseplanner claimed she'd heard of two incidents, including one where somebody needed stitches after being hit with a fan and another where the person was left with eye damage.
There was backlash from some, with comments online ranging from: 'They hate to see us together and having a great time,' to 'Let people have fun. My god.'
However, on the flip side, one commenter said, 'Flicking fans in people's faces around their personal space is a no no,' while another added: 'I can see drinking and clacking fans in a dance club could be very annoying.'
Dancefloor fans aren't the only thing that Carnival has cracked down on recently either.
The company also now prohibits passengers from bringing boom boxes, radios and all types of speakers on board, warning that these 'will be confiscated' if spotted by crew. Guests must use earphones when listening to their devices in public spaces, to ensure staff and fellow travellers can hear public announcements.
Similarly, 'electrical and household appliances containing any kind of heating element, such as irons, clothes steamers, immersion heaters, heating blankets, water heaters, coffee machines, hot plates, toasters, heating pads, and humidifiers' are listed on the Carnival website as no-gos — although this is the case on most cruises.
In a blog post, cruise expert Gary Bembridge detailed a number of other items banned with multiple carriers: extension cords being one of them.
'All cruise lines ban any extension cord with a surge protector feature as, unlike at home, they are not compatible and could affect the electrical system on ships and cause a fire in your cabin,' he explains.
Metro has contacted Carnival Cruise for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.
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