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Carnival bans cruise passengers over video of fishy behavior: ‘They will not be cruising on Carnival again’

A Carnival cruise ship is seen docked in Nassau, in the Bahamas, in 2019. (Getty Images)

(NEXSTAR) – If you want seafood, just head to the ship’s buffet, all right?

At least two passengers on a recent Carnival cruise have been banned for life from sailing with the company after footage appeared to show one of them fishing from the balcony of their room, Carnival confirmed.


“Fishing from our ships is prohibited,” a representative for the company wrote in an emailed statement shared with Nexstar on Wednesday. “We have identified the guests and they will not be cruising on Carnival again.”

The incident first came to light after a TikTok user posted footage of the couple’s behavior, according to Cruise Hive, a cruise news and resource site. It was unclear whether that now-deleted TikTok video, which reportedly amassed millions of views, was originally shared by one of the offending guests themselves.

Copies of the video, which remain on TikTok, appear to show one passenger reeling in what appears to be a greenish-yellow fish, about a foot in length. After pulling it up several stories to the balcony of a cabin, the passenger lifts the fish — now tangled in the fishing line — while the voice of another passenger remarks on the catch.

Cruise Hive reported that the incident took place near the port in Nassau, Bahamas.

A representative for Carnival did not immediately disclose where, when, or on what ship the incident took place, nor which specific policy prohibits fishing from the side of the ship. The company’s own terms and conditions for ticketholders, however, indicate the offending passengers potentially violated multiple rules.

For starters, guests on Carnival vessels are not permitted to bring any live animals onto the ships other than approved service dogs. Guests are also prohibited from throwing anything off the ship or “discharging or releasing any unauthorized item overboard.”

Another section specifically states that guests may be subject to fines or penalties for failing to comply with local requirements regarding “health, environment or any other government regulation whatsoever.” (Non-residents of the Bahamas are currently required to obtain fishing permits, which can be applied for upon entry at Customs and Immigration points. Carnival passengers can also sign up for inclusive fishing excursions approved by Carnival and local officials).

Carnival, too, reserves the right to boot a guest for pretty much any reason if the staff believes the passenger to be a nuisance.

“Carnival and the Master reserve the right to disembark any unfit Guest or any Guest whose behavior affects the comfort, enjoyment, safety or wellbeing of other Guests or crew members,” the company writes.