Toilet paper would seem to be a rather personal and intimate choice, but cruise travelers know they get no choice on such amenities.

The toilet paper provided onboard cruise ships can be – shall we say – less than luxurious (even in suites!), but one common solution should not be used onboard or else multiple other toilets can be affected.

Such a situation recently happened aboard an unnamed Carnival ship, when one guest’s indiscretion with a discretionary product impacted nine other toilets.

Every cruise ship restroom, including both individual stateroom lavatories as well as public restrooms, has signs reminding guests not to flush anything other than bodily waste and toilet paper.

For example, no feminine products, contraceptives, diapers, paper towels, or other products should be put down the toilet, as they can cause clogs and difficulties with the vacuum-assisted suction flush system.

One other product recently caused challenges aboard a Carnival ship. The cruise line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, brought it to the attention of his more than 600,000 Facebook followers to emphasize the seriousness of these toilet no-nos.

“We had a situation on a ship yesterday, and this is where somebody had flushed something down the toilet – wet wipes,” Heald noted. “Now, not only did it block their toilet, and not only did it have this person very upset that their toilet was blocked, but it also blocked and stopped the flushing of nine other toilets. Nine.”

Worth Reading: Carnival Cruise Guest Challenges Toilet Policy Over Wet Wipes

Cruise ship plumbing is interconnected between adjacent staterooms. It is rare that any major issue remains confined to just a single stateroom.

“Luigi the plumber gets very upset about this,” Heald said – a lighthearted joke about a not-so-lighthearted mishap.

“Listen, I’m not going to sit here and proclaim that our lavatory paper is the best toilet paper in the world – it’s not,” he acknowledged. “But it is designed to accommodate the suction toilet system. Please don’t flush anything, anything, anything down the toilet. Any other toilet paper, wet wipes, and all that kind of stuff, please don’t do it.”

Even wet wipes that claim to be “flushable” simply aren’t. They don’t always break down well and can quickly clog up all sorts of plumbing systems, especially the unique suction systems and narrow pipes of a cruise ship.

It does not matter the size of the cruise ship or when she was constructed. Both old and new Carnival ships use very similar plumbing and pipe systems, and are subject to the same delicacies of operation.

Aren’t Wipes Prohibited?

To be clear, however, wet wipes are not prohibited and guests can bring them onboard if they wish. What they should not do, however, is put the wipes down the toilet after use. The same goes for any similar products, including a guest’s preferred brand of toilet paper or any other bathroom hygiene products.

Instead, wipes or similar products should be carefully put into the disposable bags provided for feminine products, or else wrapped in tissue, paper towels, or toilet paper and placed in the trash can for disposal.

Read Also: What Do Cruise Ships Do With Sewage and Waste?

Okay, yes, it may seem gross – that’s a given, considering what the wipes are used for. But consider the alternative – flush wipes and suffer through a clogged toilet (and the accompanying embarrassment) and possibly overflowing toilet water (you’re lucky if it’s just water) in the bathroom and into the stateroom.

If a guest needs additional disposal bags during their cruise, a discreet request to the cabin attendant – leaving a note can be helpful if you don’t actually see them too often – will ensure you have plenty of options for proper wet wipes disposal.

Every frequent cruiser is always looking for tips, tricks, and hacks to make each voyage as smooth and easy as possible. Many of these hacks can be ways to save money, and one of the most popular of which is also one of the most well known – including to cruise line authorities.

With the high cost of alcohol on cruises, some of the most popular so-called hacks involve finding ways to sneak booze onboard.

Cruise lines have strict regulations on what type of alcohol guests can bring onboard, but clever cruisers think they know better by using hidden bottles or fluid-filled compartments, resealed packages, and other ways to try and smuggle spirits aboard.

What many cruisers don’t realize, however, is that cruise lines are well aware of these tricks and watch closely for them.

Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, noted the practice – and its hefty consequences – in a recent brief video on his Facebook page.

“This is crazy, right? We have known for years that you can go on Mrs. Amazon and you can get things to smuggle booze in,” Heald said. “We know about it, and we catch people. Don’t do it.”

He explained that at least a dozen people had written to him and shared a social media video with a guest bragging about their success in smuggling alcohol onboard.

Such videos have been around for years, with a variety of “techniques” for circumventing the rules. In the past, guests might receive a letter alerting them to the violation after the smuggled alcohol was confiscated. Now, however, the consequences are more severe.

What is actually surprising and new about this illicit trend is that people who happily post about their shenanigans on social media, bragging that they’ve beaten the rules.

Read Also: 15 Mistakes to Avoid on a Carnival Cruise

“It makes me laugh, to be very honest,” Heald commented. “When people get on the ship and they go, ‘Oooo, look what we smuggled onboard, a tube full of vodka! Ha ha ha HA! We’re so clever!’ Of course, of course we have people monitoring social media pages. Of course we do.”

Heald also noted that other cruisers share such videos, links, and photos with him, and Carnival Cruise Line does act on that information whenever possible.

“We go to their cabin and then we find it, and then we tell them they can’t cruise with us anymore,” he confirmed. “Don’t smuggle. We find it.”

So why do people take the risk of being banned for life from Carnival Cruise Line? Reasons can vary from someone wanting their preferred brands to feeling like a rebel for “beating” the rules to protesting the cost or policies of the Cheers! beverage package.

“I know why people do it, I get that. But don’t do it, don’t do it,” Heald emphasized. “And to put it on social media is absolutely ridiculous. Bonkers.”

Heald noted that it’s a sad situation when someone does have to be banned over what is typically such a small quantity of alcohol, but such strict reactions and consequences are necessary.

What Alcohol Can Guests Bring Onboard?

This does not mean that Carnival cruise guests can’t bring any alcohol onboard their cruise.

In fact, Carnival Cruise Line has always permitted guests to bring a bottle of wine or champagne onboard at embarkation, a maritime tradition that goes back to sailaway toasts.

To be clear, however, bottles must be no more than 750 mL and must be sealed, as well as placed in the guest’s carryon luggage. No fortified wines or other alcoholic beverages are permitted to be brought onboard.

“All liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic … beverages are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided,” the policy states.

Guests can purchase alcohol while in ports of call, but those purchases will likewise be confiscated when they reboard the ship. Those bottles will not be discarded but will be kept by ship’s security and can be picked up by guests on the morning of debarkation to take off the ship.

Of course, every Carnival ship is well-stocked with a wide variety of wine, beer, and liquor, with enthusiastic bartenders ready and willing to serve up any traveler’s favorite spirits – no need for any sneakiness!