Key Aspects:
- A recent Carnival guest was escorted to her stateroom, and the balcony door handle was removed after she overindulged in alcohol.
- The ship is identified as Carnival Firenze, but the sailing date of the incident has not been clearly disclosed.
- Carnival Cruise Line reserves the right to refuse service to guests and take other steps if guests do not drink responsibly.
Carnival Cruise Line takes safety very seriously, including how it pertains to consumption of the Cheers! beverage package and how guests may behave after consuming a few too many.
One recent cruiser learned just what types of steps Carnival will take to protect guests from potentially unsafe behavior, including removing key features of an individual’s stateroom, such as access to the balcony.
The guest posted a video of her experience to TikTok under the name @juicyloveboo, showing the security escort that returned her to her balcony stateroom.
The video was posted on Sunday, August 30, 2026 but there is no indication when it may actually have been filmed, as the guest does not identify the timing in her caption or the video itself.
She does note, however, “Yes, you should get the drinking packages, No you shouldn’t get 15 shots of patron reposado.”
Patron Reposado is premium brand of tequila aged at least four months and noted for its smoothness and slight oak and vanilla flavor.
The 15-second video shows the guest being escorted to her stateroom by three members of the ship’s security team. Once in her stateroom, the guest films walking toward her balcony only to discover that the interior handle had been removed from the balcony door.
“They took my balcony handle & revoked my drinking package,” she said, acknowledging that she was severely inebriated.
Carnival Cruise Line can take all necessary steps to prevent guests from harming themselves or damaging company property. With access to the balcony, a severely inebriated guest might attempt dangerous activities that could result in falling overboard, or else they might throw items overboard or otherwise be disruptive.
The caption includes the hashtag #carnivalfrienze [sic], undoubtedly referring to Carnival Firenze. The 4,126-guest ship is homeported from Long Beach, California, offering 3- and 4-night roundtrip sailings to Mexico.
Outside the closed balcony door, the Queen Mary can be seen, which confirms the location as the Port of Long Beach. The Queen Mary has been permanently moored in Long Beach since 1967 and currently serves as a tourist attraction, floating hotel, and event space.
When Did the Incident Happen?
On Sunday, August 30, Carnival Firenze was on the last full day of a 3-night weekend cruise that had departed on Friday, August 28, 2026, but the video could have been filmed long before that date.
In the comments on her video, the guest added a bit of further information that may clarify when the incident happened.
“Can I start by saying that a man died day 1 of the cruise so we had to turn around,” she noted, explaining that the guest’s alleged death had nothing to do with her alcohol consumption or video, just that it happened.
Cruise Hive previously reported that on August 25, 2026, a critically ill guest was evacuated from Carnival Firenze as the ship was sailing between Long Beach and Catalina on the first full day of the August 24, 2026 sailing. While there is no confirmation of a death or that guest’s updated condition, it is possible that is the incident she is referring to.
At that time, Carnival Firenze was sailing a 4-night itinerary to both Catalina and Ensenada, Mexico.
In addition to removing the handle from her stateroom balcony, the guest confirmed in further comments that the security officers confiscated her room key and her drink package was not refunded.
“No jail time they just took me to my room & took my key & balcony handle,” she said.
While she was not confined to the ship’s brig at any time, confiscating the key would effectively ensure she either cannot leave and return to her room or at least could not order more beverages.
The guest did note that she’s learned a bit about spacing out her drink orders for future cruises.
“So I’ve learned I have to start drinking early then space them out,” she explained. “Don’t start at 7pm trying to race the clock because the bars close at 1:30am.”
Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, has previously confirmed that the line’s bartenders and other crew members are trained to watch for signs of inebriation and may cut off guests who are no longer drinking safely, regardless of the time of day, whether guests have purchased the drink package, or how many beverages they have consumed.
