Lucy Southerton is an expert on all things cruising. As a crew member for around 10 years, she learned a lot working as a massage therapist, shopping ambassador, and cosmetic consultant and perfumer across mainstream brands like Virgin Voyages, Royal Caribbean, and Disney Cruise Line.
Along the way, she started her blog and YouTube channel, called Cruising As Crew, where she candidly shares about her experiences onboard and offers tips for future and current crew members.
But just like all crew members, Southerton had a lot to learn when she first started her career at sea – and a video of the influencer talking about how she accidentally discovered the hidden meaning behind cruisers who don upside down pineapples has recently resurfaced.
For context, Upside down pineapples are a common symbol to indicate that a couple is open to swinging or “wife swapping” – which is the practice of switching partners for a sexual encounter.
At the time, Southerton was working as a massage therapist in the onboard spa and was trying to make conversation with two guests that had come in for a couple’s massage.
She noticed they both wore the same upside-down pineapple necklaces, so she innocently asked what the jewelry meant – expecting to hear that it was something meaningful or sentimental for their relationship.
“They were both wearing silver pineapple or upside down pineapple necklaces, but they were very tasteful,” Southerton said in the video, which has been viewed nearly 906,000 times on YouTube.
“Oh, I love your necklaces. I think it’s so cute that you’re both wearing matching necklaces… But why the pineapple? What does that represent to you in your relationship?,” she recounted.
Naturally, the crew member was mortified when the couple burst out laughing and informed her that they were swingers and this is how other swingers could identify them – but she still shared her story to help save other crew members from making the same embarrassing mistake.
At the same time, she also warned that it’s never smart to assume – as passengers wearing pineapple jewelry might just simply like pineapples.
Are Upside Down Pineapples Going Away?
In addition to wearing upside down pineapples on their clothing or jewelry, some in the swinging community will also place an upside down pineapple on their cabin doors as a signal to other swingers.
However, Carnival has quietly banned this practice – and it’s possible other cruise lines could follow suit.
The news of the ban organically arose in the comments of another post on Brand Ambassador John Heald’s Facebook page – in which another guest asked for Carnival to add a feature to the HUB App that would allow single cruisers to meet.
One commenter replied that all the single guest really needed to do was put an upside down pineapple on her door to attract a potential love interest – which Heald immediately shot down.
“Thank you for mentioning that, those are definitely no longer allowed on the ships and they will be removed from any cabin door. Thank you for reminding me to mention that,” Heald said.
It’s unclear when the ban actually went into effect.
Read Also: Cruise Hive Discussion Boards – Upside Down Pineapple
While not everyone was happy about Carnival’s ban, no one seemed particularly surprised by it.
First, taking part in swinging can potentially lead to tense – or even dangerous – situations between passengers who have different boundaries and views on what their interaction should look like.
Some commenters also said that they saw pineapples pointed in all different directions – not just upside down – which led to confusion and mixed signals.
But more innocently, those who are unfamiliar with what the upside down pineapple symbol means – as Southerton was – may be able to avoid unwanted or awkward encounters by eliminating the risqué conversation starter.
