Following an incident onboard Carnival Breeze and in response to guest inquiries, Carnival Cruise Line may soon be adding a seemingly innocuous item to their prohibited items list.
Confetti “cannons” – the party-popper type used in gender reveal parties or for other celebratory moments, may not be brought onboard Carnival cruise ships.
While the party item is not yet officially banned by the cruise line, one concerned guest has brought the matter to the attention of brand ambassador John Heald via his popular Facebook page.
“We just came off the Breeze. My daughter was having a gender reveal party for her and her significant other. They had planned to use the confetti cannons to show the rest of the family if she was having a boy or a girl,” the guest explained.
“The confetti cannons were confiscated. We were told that they are not allowed. There is nowhere that this is written! The party was ruined and nobody would help us. Why are they not allowed?”
The guest does not clarify the exact sailing of Carnival Breeze when they had planned the gender reveal party, but the ship is currently homeported from Galveston and offering 4- and 5-night Western Caribbean itineraries.
It is true that as of this writing, confetti cannons are not officially prohibited by Carnival Cruise Line. Nevertheless, Heald addressed the guest’s concerns and explained why they are not permitted.
“I can imagine the disappointment,” Heald began. “The biggest reason is that had you done this outdoors and some of the confetti had gone overboard we would be in breech of environmental rules and regulations.”
Many types of confetti use microplastics or may have dyes that are not environmentally safe. Cruise lines must follow strict regulations for the discharge of any items overboard, including anything that might accidentally be released.
Heald goes go on to explain that some confetti is used onboard Carnival cruise ships, but it is only used indoors and in a controlled manner where it does not pose a marine contamination hazard.
“We do use confetti in some of the show finales in the theatres but not outside. And indeed it is not something easy for housekeeping to clean up,” he explained. “We do allow confetti at the organized weddings we have on board but again only indoors.”
Heald is also planning to reach out to the appropriate executives at Carnival Cruise Line to see about getting confetti cannons specifically added to the prohibited items list. The wording of any new item ban has to be done carefully to ensure there is no confusion.
It should be noted that the prohibited items list does state that:
“Carnival conducts security scanning of all luggage and reserves the right to confiscate any item, which in Carnival’s sole discretion, is deemed dangerous or can pose a risk to the vessel or its guests.”
While party-popper-style confetti cannons may not seem “dangerous” per se, they can certainly be hazardous to the marine environment every cruise ship relies on. Furthermore, if a party cannon were aimed inappropriately, it could potentially cause injuries to those nearby.
Other Recent Prohibited Items on Carnival Cruise Line
Cruise lines can and do frequently update their prohibited items lists as new concerns may arise. At times, it can be confusing about why certain items are not permitted onboard, but there is always a reason.
For example, Carnival Cruise Line recently banned Bluetooth speakers, citing safety reasons as well as overall guest enjoyment. If speakers are too loud, onboard safety announcements or alarms might not be audible, and furthermore, loud speakers can disrupt other guests’ enjoyment of their cruise vacation.
Read Also: What Can You Not Bring on a Cruise?
Even small items with heating elements, such as clothes irons and steamers, immersion heaters, and heated blankets are not permitted as they can pose a fire hazard.
With respect to items going overboard and potentially contaminating the marine environment, Carnival Cruise Line already bans helium-filled balloons. Small single-use plastics, such as straws and coffee stirrers, have not been offered aboard Carnival ships for several years.
