While some brands are stricter than others, most guest-facing companies – on land and at sea – have a dress code in place that they deem appropriate for their employees.
In Carnival Cruise Line’s case, this usually comes in the form of uniforms while working, practicing good personal hygiene and grooming, and wearing appropriate outfits even when off duty in guest areas.
However, one recent guest felt this didn’t go far enough and wanted to know Carnival’s stance about tattoos, which this particular person felt shouldn’t be seen by guests.
“I’m curious about tattoos in Carnival’s employee rule book…Many of the crew – our head waiter even – was covered in tattoos. Is Carnival allowing their crew people to have tattoos that are still visible?,” the guest asked Brand Ambassador John Heald on his public Facebook page.
“People in America are having tattoos removed before applying for jobs because most employers do not want their employees having them. They are intimidating to older people which many of Carnival Cruise Lines customers are,” the guest continued, making their anti-tattoo stance clear.
Likely to this passenger’s displeasure, Heald confirmed that crew members are allowed to show off their ink as long as the tattoos aren’t offensive, such as by featuring bad words or depicting violent imagery.
“We do allow the crew to have tattoos and as long as they are not offensive in any way they do not have to cover them up. My view is the tattoo does NOT change the service or fun the crew will bring you,” Heald replied.
This inclusive stance was appreciated by many who voiced their opinions in the more than 2,000 comments – and certainly by the tattoo-bearing crew members across the 27-ship fleet.
Cruise Guests Celebrate Tattoos
For many who choose to get tattoos, their ink celebrates a meaningful event or person in their life. Another way to think about it is the body art is a representation of their story.
There are also approximately 40,000 crew members currently working on Carnival cruise ships who come from 120 nations world wide – and tattoos hold extra special meaning to some cultures.
For Heald and many cruise guests, the tattoos are a source of fascination and intrigue – with the brand ambassador inquiring about tattoo etiquette in a later Facebook post.
“As somebody who does not have a tattoo, I have never been brave enough to get one, can I ask this question to those that do? Is it OK to ask somebody what a tattoo means, what its significance is or is that too personal [of a] question to ask?,” Heald asked.
The consensus in the more than 1,000 comments was that it’s okay to ask about the tattoos respectfully, as many said they would love to discuss the meaning of their designs.
“Tattoos are expressions and typically have significant meaning behind them. They are works of art. They are expensive. They are an investment in ourselves. Ask away!,” replied one enthusiastic Facebook user.
Read Also: Carnival Guest’s Shoe Choice Causes Dress Code Controversy
Ultimately, crew members have enough rules to follow without being policed on their tattoos, and the cruise lines certainly run a tight ship (pun intended).
Not only do they already have to adhere to role and rank-specific dress codes, but they also have strict rules to follow in terms of where onboard they are allowed to relax and unwind and when and how they interact with guests.
Crew members have to stick to strict rules on what gifts they are allowed to accept from guests and aren’t necessarily allowed to get too chummy with the passengers in the name of appropriate behavior and professionalism.
For example, one guest recently complained to Heald because a bartender they hit it off with couldn’t join them for dinner.
Between the strict rules and the struggles of working long hours while being away from their loved ones for months at a time, the tattoos are one thing the crew members can bring from home and be proud of without worry.
