Carnival Cruise’s new rules spark backlash

Just pick an old people cruise line. Bring a book. Chill out.

Those aren’t new rules…? And a video of people line dancing to “Boots on the Ground” went viral last spring…?

If they want to salvage their reputation away from “booze cruise,” they need to increase their prices, make their cruises longer, and broaden their entertainment and excursion options, not develop random rules.

I think they should just embrace their party-boat image and roll with it. Looking at the bottom line, that’s where the money is at. Adult summer camp at sea cruise style is dying off.

ThatRobGuy said:

I wouldn't be going on any of them...they all kind of seem like overpriced petri dishes lol

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Nor I. Not my style of travel or even just relaxing. Plus it seems like a dirty industry environmentally.

I have done a couple cruises that family had arranged, so I went to be part of the get together. Told myself to have fun and not fight it, and that worked. They had a string quartet, which was nice. And 2 of my band mates had previously worked on the same boats as musicians, which was kind of neat.

My wife and I did a cruise for our honeymoon. It was a great experience. But then there wasnt a rap night. Lol. One of the stops we made was Jamaica. We had so many people try to sell us weed. The passengers were warned over and over again not to bring any back to the ship. Some didnt listen and wre discovered. They were kicked off at the next stop.

ThatRobGuy said:

The main story is is that some are claiming that the rules:

bans on specifically non-electric handheld fans on dance floors, along with drinks, children under 18 in public areas after 1 am unless accompanied by an adult or at a designated teen event, Bluetooth speakers, loud music, cannabis, smoking, and more. Meanwhile, recent cruisers with the cruise line have begun to complain on social media about what they claim is an unofficial ban on rap and hip hop music.

have "racist motives"...

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They claim that some of it plays to racial stereotypes and/or are designed to keep their old, white clientele happy. So racism via ignorance more than racism via “we hate black people.”

ThatRobGuy said:

But I think there are liability-based justifications for why they'd want these rules.

Cruise ships are governed under US Maritime laws (federal jurisdiction), so a zero tolerance policy for people sneaking weed on the boat makes perfect sense.

No unaccompanied minors after 1am makes perfect sense.

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These are not new rules that they have had. Just rules people have apparently just noticed.

ThatRobGuy said:

They claim about "unofficial ban on rap music" is likely due to the content that's ubiquitous in rap music.

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This would be the stereotype they’re leaning into in an attempt to appease their older, white, middle class clientele were they actually banning it, officially or otherwise… The idea that rap is all about drugs, violence, sex, and misogyny.

Banning it on that grounds would certainly be problematic.

Luckily, they’re not, so crisis averted.

ThatRobGuy said:

That one stemmed from people complaining on social media about how the ship has a "country night" "80's night" and "rock night" but no rap night. The reality is, try to put together a 2 hour set list of rap that doesn't gratuitously reference genitalia references, murder, and a plethora of F-bombs and N-word usage. If it was a 21+ cruise it would be a different story.

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You need to listen to more music if you think a DJ would have a hard time assembling a rap night playlist that was fit for a school dance, much less a cruise. You’re outing yourself as not informed.

Besides which, I’ve yet to do a cruise where they had a DJ playing music with no swears, sex, drugs, alcohol, etc etc. It’s a cruise with various night clubs, not an elementary school. If you’re looking for a rated G cruise, Disney cruises exist.

Carnival’s rules are more about safety as well as cleaning up its image as a party boat. The Six Flags boat, where tickets are cheap, the itinerary short, and the travelers there for budget-friendly debauchery.

Families do Disney cruises.

Old people looking for a scenic tour or various highly cultivated experiences do Holland, Viking, or Celebrity.

Young people who want a long weekend of partying, food, sex, and alcohol do Carnival.

Carnival should just lean into it, like Six Flags did. They’ll never be top tier, so they should embrace the clientele they get.

The Humpty Dance!

ThatRobGuy said:

I wouldn't be going on any of them...they all kind of seem like overpriced petri dishes lol

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What's interesting, though, is that some retired people on fixed incomes are able to live rather permanently going from cruise to cruise. Room, board, and entertainment actually for less than living in a retirement village.

durangodawood said:

Just pick an old people cruise line.

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I’m still not convinced that that sentence isn’t redundant.

durangodawood said:

Just pick an old people cruise line. Bring a book. Chill out.

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Years ago a 20-something friend had her parents call up and ask her to fly to New York to then join them on a cruise across the Atlantic on the QE2. She loved the ship and the service, but complained that there was almost no-one on the ship under 60.

iluvatar5150 said:

I’m still not convinced that that sentence isn’t redundant.

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My fam cruises have all been Holland America, which trends old, but not completely. I like the more sedate vibe. They still had a good rock band. And their string quartet is not something I would expect on Carnival, etc.

ThatRobGuy said:

And this "clean rap" is popular among people who listen to rap?

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Uh… Yes? It’s popular with all sorts of people.

ThatRobGuy said:

What are they playing? some Will Smith stuff from the early 90s... lol

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You need to update your playlist.

ThatRobGuy said:

Unless these cruises are still playing "Gettin Jiggy with it", "Ice Ice Baby" and "Who let the dogs out"...


If I were to pull up the Top 20 charts for Rap/Hip Hop right now, what percentage of those do you think would be "appropriate for all ages" if you had to venture a guess?

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Appropriate for all ages? I thought we were talking about songs appropriate for clubs on a cruise…? And giving a quick listen on ITunes (because I don’t do Spotify), I don’t hear one that is so shocking it can’t be played in an audience of teen and up.

And if it’s a top 20 song, that means it likely has a radio edit for the fragile souls who can’t tolerate hearing four-letter words while in a club on a cruise. Though I ask myself why those people would be in a club, much less on a Carnival cruise nightclub.

ThatRobGuy said:

I do listen to some of it on Spotify, I don't hear much that's "clean" anymore.

As I scroll through "Trending" list, I'm seeing a lot of The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, and Travis Scott.

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All of whom have clean edits for the puritan crowd who get pointlessly upset with swearing, at least one of whom had set lists long enough to fill a whole superbowl halftime show.

ThatRobGuy said:

Being that they do allow younger kids on these cruises, it's understandable someone wouldn't want their 9 year old to be walking out on the deck and hear one of those top 20 songs:
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Again, you need to get out more. All of those artists most kids know and have likely heard via their parents. And when I was on a cruise, they had zero issue playing “Pumped Up Kicks” to a sea of delighted people.

Besides which, if you’re bringing a 9 year old to a cruise ship club, it’s kind of on you when they hear club tracks that you feel are inappropriate.

ThatRobGuy said:

For the record, I'm aligned with Frank Zappa, I wouldn't want the government to be able to tell artists they can't make that kind of music, they have a right to make it and sell it and people have a right to buy it.

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Frank Zappa? You wild man.

ThatRobGuy said:

However, if that parental advisory label is going to basically be a staple of the genre (and something of a status symbol), artists/fans can't necessarily complain when it doesn't get the same treatment as other genres when it comes to commercial venues that are geared towards "all ages".

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Parental advisory label…? What year is it?

All of this is a moot point to begin with because you’re saying they’re justified in not playing it when, in fact, they are playing it just fine.

ThatRobGuy said:

It'd be like asking why, during their projection screen movie viewing nights for families, the action and horror genre is given less play time than PG rom-com pictures.

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You keep talking about families… Exactly how many children are wandering into the nightclubs? Anybody under 12 can’t go to any club, 12-14 can only go to one specific club, 15-17 go to another that closes at 10. The themed music nights they’re talking about being shadow-banned are all over 18. A quick search on the cruise forums shows they play what the kids ask for, which is apparently endless loops of “Pink Pony Club” and various Travis Scott songs, radio edit for the under 18 crowd, unedited for everybody else.

And I tend to think the people with kids who would be offended by spicy music wouldn’t find themselves on a Carnival Cruise… But even at Disney, you’re going to hear “Pink Pony Club” and “Tipsy” and Post Malone. People being offended by music and saying “won’t somebody please think of the children!” isn’t a thing for most post Gen X.

The generation the adults wanted to protect with the labels in the 80s/90s gets that listening to the Prince of Darkness (RIP) is not going to ruin your life.

iluvatar5150 said:

I’m still not convinced that that sentence isn’t redundant.

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Lots of them slant older. Early retirees and above.

Disney slants family, DINK, and younger people.

Carnival, especially short itineraries, is where spring breakers, big drinkers, big parties, stag/bachelorette groups, and the “what happens at sea, stays at sea” crowds. It’s basically the Six Flags of the Seas.

If you read about a brawl, see a viral video of people getting rowdy at a club, hear about a swingers cruise, or similar whatnots of unbridled behavior, I’d say 4 out of 5 times it was a Carnival Cruise 3 or 5 day cruise. It’s not a bad set of ships, it’s not gross or unkempt or poorly run, but it is the “Animal House” cruise line. Frankly, they’ve leaned into it to a degree. If they want to walk away from that reputation, whatever, but they need to raise their prices, cut their nightlife offerings, increase their excursions and on-ship activities.

That all being said, pretty sure they’re perfectly ok being the party cruise line.