It’s been a rather tumultuous month for the cruise industry – and the cruise lines are proving that they won’t tolerate breaches to their code of conduct, and especially not acts of violence.

Multiple cruise guests were arrested in April 2025 alone between Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line for acts of violence. For example, one guest of Liberty of the Seas was taken into custody after striking another passenger in the face in one of the elevators.

Just a couple days ago on April 26, 2025, a large brawl broke out in the Galveston Cruise Port between Carnival passengers – which ultimately led 24 people to be placed on Carnival’s Do Not Sail list.

These recent events have sparked curiosity among members of the cruise community who want to know if that ban could extend to other cruise lines for the safety of guests who might run into past offenders while sailing with other brands.

“Do banned guests from RCCL get banned from other cruise lines as well? Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, and MSC should share info on guests that get banned for particularly egregious misbehavior so they can’t cruise again. I’m not talking about puking in the hot tub–but violent assaults, sexual harassment, etc…,” one cruise fan wrote on Reddit.

“I’m actually starting to wonder if I should even let my responsible kids walk around the ship without an adult after reading recent news stories,” they continued.

As of now, the cruise lines do not share data about banned passengers amongst themselves – at least not publicly. Carnival Cruise Line even said as much in a statement to Cruise Hive following the recent Galveston brawl.

“We will not tolerate such behavior, and 24 people have been placed on our Do Not Sail list. They can go on another cruise line if they want but are never welcome back with us,” the statement read, in part.

The only exception to this is that guests who are banned by a bigger parent company are usually also banned from sister brands – although this may be determined on a case by case basis.

For example, guests who are banned from Royal Caribbean could also be automatically prohibited from sailing with Celebrity Cruises, which is owned and operated by Royal Caribbean Group.

The same applies to Carnival Cruise Line – which is the name brand for the parent company that also owns Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and P&O Cruises.

There are also rare occasions where cruisers who have been convicted of certain crimes may be denied boarding, which is a situation where a ban could transcend different companies, but this likely wouldn’t be connected to another specific incident that landed a person on a Do Not Sail list with one cruise line.

Cruise Lines Do Not Tolerate Bad Behavior 

Once someone makes it onto a Do Not Sail list, their cruising career with that particular brand is over. The ban is almost always for life.

On rare instances, cruisers can appeal their ban if the decision was made due to a misunderstanding or the circumstances have been resolved in an acceptable way – but most of the time the decision is final.

All of the mainstream cruise lines – including Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line – enforce strict codes of conduct that ensure the safety of all guests and crew members.

In Royal Caribbean’s case, the policy clearly states that any guest who poses a threat will be met with a variety of consequences – including being detained in their stateroom or a holding cell, early removal from the voyage, and receiving a “denial of boarding on any future Royal Caribbean Group cruise vacation.”

Loyalty benefits may also be suspended temporarily or permanently, and guests could also receive a demotion from their current tier status in the Crown and Anchor Society depending on the circumstances.

As another example, Carnival has no problem levying these same consequences – but also takes things a step further by issuing a $500 fine to cruisers who violate their code of conduct.

“Consistent with our commitment to safety, disruptive behavior 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,” Carnival’s policy states.

“All guests must acknowledge and commit to our code of conduct during the check-in process, and any violation may result in a fine of $500, possible stateroom confinement and removal from the ship,” it continues.

Read Also: Are Cruises Safe? What You Really Need to Know

With this no tolerance stance in place across brands, rest assured that you will not be in danger if you encounter a past offender while sailing with another cruise line. 

Most likely, that person will have learned their lesson and will be keeping their head down to avoid another lifetime ban – so you likely wouldn’t even know it if you crossed paths.

Additionally, cruise ships are under constant surveillance and have their own security teams onboard to address any possible issues that might arise.

A cruise to Alaska can be a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list getaway. Part of the phenomenal attraction of the Last Frontier is the amazing wildlife in the region – whales, seals, bears, and plenty of birds.

Carnival cruise guests cannot enjoy one type of wildlife interaction while sailing to Alaska, however – feeding the birds. This activity is not permitted from any Carnival cruise ship, whether in Alaska, the Caribbean, or anywhere else.

One recent guest aboard Carnival Spirit reached out to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, about her disappointment about that restriction.

“[The guest] bombarded me with complaints about the crew on Carnival Spirit who told her children they could not feed the seagulls during their Alaska cruise,” Heald explained. “She is very angry about this.”

To be clear, the guest was attempting to have her children feed the birds from the ship, not on any shore excursion or organized tour.

“The feeding of any bird from any of the ships is not allowed,” Heald confirmed. “I explained that it is not safe for the guests because once you start feeding the seagulls they can become very vicious and take the food out of your hand with force.”

I love birds and always travel with a pair of binoculars and my favorite field guide. I’ve seen amazing birds from cruise ships, including bald eagles and sandhill cranes in Alaska.

Nevertheless, cruise lines have their restrictions for very good reasons. Gulls in particular can become very food-aggressive, and their pecks and bites can hurt if they’re grabbing fries, pizza crust, or ice cream cones from guests’ hands – especially the small hands of young cruisers.

But Other Cruise Lines Let Us!

Many cruisers seem to want to feed the gulls, but Carnival Cruise Line will not reverse their policy.

“What gobsmacked me was the number of you who agreed that telling her children not to throw food to the birds from the open decks was wrong,” Heald noted. “One person wrote that it was ‘cruel’ and another of you proudly said that ‘another cruise line in Alaska encouraged feeding the birds.'”

Worth Reading: Cold Reality of Alaska Cruise Has Carnival Guest Calling for Better Prep

It is highly unlikely that any cruise line encourages this type of behavior, which is also dangerous to the birds. Any foods gulls might nick from a cruise ship is not nutritious and can lead to health problems for the birds.

“I do not for one minute believe this allegation but if they do allow this on the ‘Letthebuggerscrapalloverthedeck of the Seas’ then that’s their decision,” Heald said. “We do not.”

Despite the fact that I do eagerly look for birds on every cruise, Carnival Cruise Line’s policy is absolutely correct and in the best interest of the ship, guests, crew members, and the birds.

Remember This? Carnival Cruise Passengers Surprised as Birds Cause Havoc

As gulls learn that cruise ships can be a source of food, they will begin to swarm ships searching for scraps. This can lead to unwelcome messes on tables, decks, and railings, as well as the birds harassing diners on the outer decks.

Other guests agree, and the overwhelming response to Heald’s response is that feeding the birds is inappropriate.

Many commenters shared their own experiences, particularly at the beach, where offering food to one gull brings on an entire flock.

“Saw 1 seagull. Fed it. Immediately it became a sequel of ‘The Birds,'” one guest described. “Never made that mistake again.”

Carnival guests should also be aware that the cruise line’s Cruise Ticket Contract – which all travelers agree to when they book their vacation – prohibits throwing anything from the cruise ship.

“Any dumping or pollution of any kind including discharge of any item into the ocean and/or waterways is strictly prohibited,” Section 9(i) of the contract reads.

It makes no difference that the “item” – a French fry, perhaps – could be caught by a bird before actually hitting the water. In extreme cases, feeding the birds could be interpreted as a violation of this environmental policy.

Furthermore, the cruise line’s Code of Conduct specifically notes that “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.”

Feeding gulls and instigating their aggressive flocking behavior could certainly be considered affecting the comfort, enjoyment, and safety of other travelers, especially if guests are asked to stop but refuse.

While Carnival Cruise Line has not yet enforced fines, debarkation, or lifetime bans for feeding the birds, if the behavior is out of control, these steps might become necessary.

Carnival Cruise Line is well known for its dynamic and energetic cruise directors who go all out to make every voyage a spectacular one for every guest onboard.

The very popularity of a cruise director, however, can create an opportunity for fraud and scams – but not for the CDs themselves. Instead, scam artists have begun usurping the names and activities of cruise directors to target unsuspecting guests.

One such cruise director is Kyndall “Fire” Magyar, one of the top cruise directors aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s flagship, Carnival Jubilee.

Fortunately, Magyar herself is very alert to potential scams and takes steps to warn her fans of illicit solicitations.

“Please never ever fall for any of these people. I have not and will not ever ask you to buy a package, promise special treatment or tours, or give you access to premier content for a cost,” Magyar noted. “If you are ever reached out to by anyone from “Kyndall Fire’s Team”, or “Kyndall’s Handler,” they are LYING TO YOU!”

Magyar’s dynamic personality and popular social media presence have led scammers to impersonate her in an attempt to trick unsuspecting fans and Carnival cruise guests. She has more than 150,000 followers on her Facebook page, plus nearly 50,000 on Instagram.

Magyar shared a screenshot of a recent scam message, which seemed to begin innocently enough – other than the obvious solicitation.

“Thank you for your generous decision to join us as a mid – level donor, grateful for your support and having you on this journey with us,” the message reads.

The first clue that the message is not legitimate is the spacing error for “mid – level” which is then followed by grammatical mistakes, missing punctuation, and missing words in the rest of the message.

The message goes on to offer a PayPal email address from a free email server, with a request that the “family and friends option” be used – without the proper capitalization, and incorrectly phrased. I’ve used PayPal for many years, and the phrase has always been “Friends and Family” never “family and friends.”

It is small inconsistencies like this that are often a sign of scams.

Even more alarming is that the scam goes on to request that guests send along their full name as well as a photo for their “donor ID card” – which can make anyone easy prey for identity theft.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Director Schedule for 2025-2026 – Updated!

Magyar urgers her online fans to report any fake accounts they find using her information for such solicitations. Of course, no guests should ever make payments or share their personal information with any unknown accounts.

Brand Ambassador Issues Similar Warnings

Carnival’s cruise directors aren’t the only popular cruise line figures to become scam-related targets. John Heald, the cruise line’s official brand ambassador, frequently has his image stolen by scammers creating fake accounts.

Just recently, one guest who had fallen for a scammer managed to reach out to the real Heald.

“I private messaged you several weeks ago to let you know how I loved Carnival Cruise Line. We have been chatting privately since then,” the guest explained.

Heald never uses private messages to communicate with guests, no matter what the situation. Even for more personal topics, such as spreading the ashes of a loved one, his communications are done publicly through his daily Facebook posts.

“Yesterday, you reached out to me in a private chat. At first nothing was amiss,” the guest continued. “Then you stated you were on a ship and you were low on your subscription to Apple and could I go buy you a subscription.”

The guest did not appear to be suspicious of the solicitation, just upset to be asked to buy something for someone they had never met in person.

“I’m sharing this because hopefully it will be a warning to all of you. I feel genuinely sorry for this poor lady and I have let her know how sorry I am,” Heald responded. “But this of course was not me. This is one of the many fake pages who are trying to make money from you by pretending to be me.”

As with Magyar, Heald has accounts on both Facebook and Instagram. Together, he has nearly 650,000 fans and followers.

It can be fun for cruise guests to like, follow, and interact with their favorite cruise personalities online, but it is always critical to protect one’s privacy.

In May 2024, a booked guest aboard Carnival Celebration had her family’s nearly $15,000 cruise cancelled shortly before embarkation because she had shared her booking information on social media, leaving her vulnerable to scammers.

It isn’t just Carnival Cruise Line guests who are subject to such fraud. Virgin Voyages has been issuing scam warnings to guests, and Royal Caribbean guests have likewise fallen victim to too-good-to-be-true booking scams.

Scams with shore tours, port transfers, onboard credit, and other aspects of a cruise vacation are always evolving.

Any travelers should remain vigilant about their plans and always work only with authorized cruise line representatives or through reputable booking engines for their next cruise vacation.