For most creators on TikTok, the idea of reaching 1 million followers is exciting! One popular cruise content creator — Christine Kesteloo — was just about to reach this goal before her account got banned without warning.
After waking up on February 24th, 2025, Kesteloo noticed when she opened TikTok that her account (@dutchworld_americangirl) was banned.
Since starting this account in 2020, she has amassed 986k followers — plus her videos regularly receive over 100k views. More recently, she’s been posting from Holland America Line’s Zaandam cruise ship.
Despite having a verified account and directly contacting TikTok for help, she was given no reason as to why this account ban occurred.
“It did not tell me why — it did not tell me anything,” Kesteloo shared in an emotional video posted to her backup account (@christinestreets6).
For Kesteloo, getting her account back went beyond losing the audience she had built — what truly mattered the most was the memories that were captured in her content.
“I would really like my account back more than anything,” she shared, adding, “it has a lot of valuable videos of my dad and my mom and my daughter.”
In an attempt to get TikTok’s attention, she asked her followers on her new backup account to help report the incident. This account gained 35.5k followers in 1 day — with Kestaloo’s video about the ban garnering 393k views and 4,962 comments.
Thanks to the appeals and unwavering support of her followers, her primary TikTok account has been reinstated. However — the situation is not over yet.
Currently at sea, she lacks the cell signal or WiFi needed to complete the login process, which requires text verification.
Regardless, Kesteloo is hopeful that once on land she can regain full access to the account. Until then, the account will display the generic name “user65856586067” — a far cry from her former account name “I live on a cruise ship.”
For now, she is expressing her gratitude to her followers — thanking them in the comments and planning to make a dedicated thank-you video on her main account once she can.
Who is Christine Kesteloo?
Christine Kesteloo is not your average cruise content creator — which is part of why she now has such a dedicated follower base.
A former cruise director herself, Christine now travels for free alongside her husband, Pete, at least 6 months a year. Between the two of them, they have a combined experience of 46 years working and living at sea.
This arrangement is quite rare — as most cruise employees do not see their family during their work contracts. Pete Kesteloo is a staff chief engineer for Holland America Line, and the cruise line has continued to graciously offer for his wife to join him onboard while he is working.
In their unusual arrangement that has allowed for the couple to stay together, Christine began posting content to document their travels.
The very first video on her account about living on a cruise ship was posted on February 19, 2022 — which shared some clips of her travels to get to the ship.
She also shared that, to no ones surprise, she met her husband on a cruise ship! As her cruise content became more popular, an unexpected career path emerged.
Read Also: Wife of Officer Explains Pros and Cons of Living on a Cruise Ship
Christine initially did not return to cruise director work due to Covid-related reasons, but thanks to her content’s success on TikTok, she is a full-time content creator.
With her account being un-banned, she plans to return to posting on her account as soon as possible.
The Kesteloo’s loyal fan base was committed to supporting the content no matter where it was — but they are relived that the original account is already back up.
One user commented, “Woohoo!!! Just checked and yes your page is back up!!” sharing their excitement. Hundreds of similar comments have flooded both of Kesteloo’s accounts in the hours since the original account (@dutchworld_americangirl) was un-banned.
While it still remains unclear why the account was banned by TikTok in the first place, it could have happened for a number of reasons.
The platform takes the community guidelines very seriously — but sometimes their tools used to help identify harmful content miscalculates and causes preemptive account bans.
After everything, fans and followers alike cannot wait to set sail with the Kesteloo’s once again!
