Shape Up or Ship Out: Carnival Brings in Clothing Guidelines

That colourful, expletive-laced t-shirt you like to wear might be fine for a rock concert. But it could get you or your clients in trouble on a Carnival Cruise ship.

Carnival recently enacted new rules that forbid passengers from wearing “offensive clothing” on board.

Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen told TravelPulse Canada that the rules were introduced in the last two or three weeks.

“Our crew is not onboard to be the clothing or expression police,” he said in an email. “We already have some basic clothing guidelines in place and our guests respect them and understand we are a family-focused business.

Gulliksen said the change “came about after some incidents were reported in the media about other travel sectors where customers were wearing clothing with very threatening messages. That started a discussion about how we were prepared to handle such a situation and the need for clarification to both guests and crew. But we really don’t anticipate this being an issue on board.

“At Carnival, we want to make sure that all of our guests feel comfortable when cruising with us and that includes being around guests wearing clothing with inappropriate images or language,” a Carnival statement said. “Our staff will look out for guests wearing clothes with inappropriate images or language and ask them to change as needed. We will evaluate situations on a case by case basis and take appropriate steps as necessary.

“Please note that this updated guideline only applies to inappropriate messaging or images, and (that) all of our other attire guidelines for the dining room and other public spaces remain the same.”

The change appears to be a positive one for Carnival. According to a poll on the Facebook page of Carnival ambassador John Heald, 97% of respondents feel it’s a good decision.