Carnival Valor was visited by some stinging stowaways during her current 5-night Western Caribbean sailing.
On October 30, 2024, while the Conquest-class ship was docked in Cozumel, Mexico, for her first port call of the cruise, a swarm of bumble bees seemed to decide that a lounge chair toward the back of the lido deck would be the perfect spot for their next hive.
For guests with a bumble bee phobia, the swarm’s presence likely looked like something out of a scary horror movie – just in time for Halloween.
According to Purdue University, bees swarm when they are following a new queen and are looking to form a hive under their new leader and/or to promote reproduction.
And while swarms look scary, they usually aren’t very dangerous. Bumble bees typically aren’t aggressive while swarming, as they do not yet have a hive to protect – and in general, are less quick to anger than similar insects like wasps and hornets.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador also responded to the bees onboard:
“We had a nest of bees on the Lido deck of the Carnival Valor this cruise. Thank you to everybody, who let me know, and I am very grateful to the crew who made sure that these these bees were not harmed and protected while the nest was removed,” he said.
Anyone in the vicinity of a swarm like this – which in this case, included crew and cruise passengers – can stay safe by keeping a healthy distance to avoid provoking the bees and staying calm and still if a bee does come near.
Per witness accounts, experts were able to come onboard and locate the queen bee – which is key to removing an unwanted swarm (or hive).
While some speculated that the 2,980-passenger ship would be delayed leaving Cozumel because of the buzzing visitors, cruise tracking data showed that the vessel was able to depart on time – sailing away from the port at around 4 p.m. local time.
She is now on her way to Progreso, Mexico, which will be the second and final call of the New Orleans-based sailing.
Does Carnival Have a Bee Problem?
Just because one swarm of bumble bees visited Carnival Valor does not mean the cruise ship has an insect problem.
Cruise ships are required to adhere to strict sanitation and cleanliness protocols established by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which includes thorough pest and insect management.
Bees looking for spots to build new hives is simply a part of nature, and the cruise ship likely just happened to be in the right place at the right time to be deemed worthy by the insects.
Most outdoor locations on land and at sea likely have been visited by a swarm at least a time or two – especially during the warmer spring and summer months.
Read Also: Are Cruises Safe? What You Really Need to Know
But while bug infestations are rare, it’s not the first time something this has happened on a Carnival ship – or on vessels belonging to Carnival’s sister brands.
About a year ago, one redditor posted in the Carnival Cruise Fans forum that a hive had to be removed from Carnival Celebration during his sailing.
“When we were on [Carnival Celebration] in May, there was a hive they had to knock down that was in the corner of the ropes course. They weren’t bees though, they were wasps,” wrote the redditor.
In the comments of the Reddit post, other frequent cruisers said they saw more of the buzzing insects than they were used to on recent Carnival sailings, but didn’t necessarily find a swarm or a hive.
Toward the end of 2023, Pacific Encounter – a ship sailing under P&O Cruises Australia, which is one of Carnival’s sister brands – made headlines after the vessel was temporarily overrun with bugs.
In this case, the guests were terrorized by plague soldier beetles, which were seen congregating both indoors and outside in crevices, furniture, and even drinking glasses.
But while these tiny bugs may look gross or scary, they are thankfully harmless to humans and do not bite or sting.
