Carnival Cruise Line Shuts Down Backlash Over Rules on Music and Curfews
Carnival Cruise Line is addressing backlash over recent onboard safety guidelines that some online critics have argued disproportionately impact Black passengers.
In recent weeks, passengers have shared formal notices from Carnival outlining what the company describes as a renewed commitment to onboard safety and 'respectful behavior.'
📌New Rules on Carnival Cruises targeting Loud Music, People, Hazardous Fans, Children on the Loose and More😅 @KABBFOX29 @News4SA pic.twitter.com/0DhfpBhOrx
— Darian Trotter-Thomas (@DarianTrotter) June 7, 2025
The rules cover curfews for minors, marijuana restrictions, and bans on Bluetooth speakers and handheld fans.
Minors under 18 must now be out of public areas by 1 a.m. unless accompanied by an adult in their party or participating in a supervised teen program. Handheld fans — particularly the non-battery kind often used in viral dance trends — are also prohibited due to the loud 'clack' sound, which Carnival says could cause injuries in crowded areas.
In a statement, the company emphasized that the rules are intended to promote a more peaceful environment, not to signal any form of cultural erasure. In fact, many of these policies have been in place for years — as explained in a Feb. 2023 video outlining what's appropriate while onboard their ships.
"Unfortunately, certain media outlets have blown this matter out proportion," Matt Lupoli, Senior Manager of Public Relations at Carnival Cruise Line, told Parade.
"We have always had a wide variety of entertainment options and for the last several years we have communicated our expectations about guest behavior,' he added.
Still, some passengers remain skeptical. As reported by The Root, several Black cruisers say they've noticed the quiet disappearance of hip-hop and rap music on board. DJs, they claim, have declined requests and stuck to more sanitized playlists.
For the record: Carnival has not confirmed any official ban on music genres. In a statement to the Daily Dot, a spokesperson said their DJs "play a wide variety of music, including hip-hop.'
As of June 2025, these are the new rules Carnival Cruise has implemented. pic.twitter.com/rfp1vXOnOs
— The Daily Sneed™ (@Tr00peRR) July 4, 2025
The backlash has been especially sharp on social media, where frustrated passengers — some of whom have canceled future trips — have weighed in.
'When people book Carnival, they know what they're booking,' said TikTok user @Kiarajaxn, who recently canceled a cruise she and her friends had planned to celebrate a 30th birthday. 'They know they are booking a 'turn up' cruise. Period. Everybody on there is looking to have a good time, party, and have fun.'
'Black women are mad, saying Carnival Cruises no longer want them on their boats, banning black music,' one tweet read, highlighting reactions on TikTok.
'Carnival Cruise you got it down bad,' added TikTok user @Msvanillascar. 'I don't know how your ticket sales are gonna be since you [changed] the rules and regulations because you don't like how certain people like to turn up. You got it down bad.'
'Carnival cruise said we aint playing no more rap music,' another commenter wrote on X. 'Tired of black folk is what they are saying.'
Not everyone is upset, however. Some commenters have defended the changes.
"It's not a crackdown on a color its a crackdown on people's behavior," one person shared, according to The Root.
'What's racist about asking ppl to act right?' another wrote.
Ultimately, the fallout may depend not just on the guidelines themselves, but on how consistently Carnival enforces them. For now, Bluetooth speakers are banned, fans are silenced, and curfews are in full effect.
Carnival Cruise Line Shuts Down Backlash Over Rules on Music and Curfews first appeared on Parade on Jul 5, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Goldendoodle Playing in His Ball Pit Equals Epic-Level Fun
Goldendoodle Playing in His Ball Pit Equals Epic-Level Fun originally appeared on PetHelpful. Dogs are playful by nature! They love to play with stuffies, frisbees, and—most of all—tennis balls! My Goldendoodle is an absolute fool for anything round. If it rolls, it becomes his and if it squeaks, you can forget about ever hearing yourself think again! Sampson is a 9-year-old Goldendoodle whose love for all round things started early in his life! His mom started posting on TikTok over five years ago and his ball pit game was strong even back then. His parents have upgraded him over the years, and he now has a luxury ball pit that is fit for royalty! His amazing ball pit is the perfect size just for him. It's a circular, soft-sided unit that holds way more plastic balls than you would imagine. Recently, his mom shared a video of Sampson in his ball pit, just as she had finished picking up all of the balls from the living room. We can barely see his furry little body among all the balls and then as he starts to move about in the pit, the balls start flying out and all over the place! He is literally buried in the balls and as he digs around in the pit more and more of them fly over the side! He even has a few stuffies in there—and they, too, exit the ball pit with quick succession! Just when you think he is slowing down, we spot his fluffy tail come to the surface, and then he starts digging around again causing more balls to waterfall over the edge. This little Goldendoodle makes the ball pit look like a fantastically fun time for all our four-legged friends!This Doodle has a large following of friends who just love his ball pit antics! They shared a few thoughts in the comment section including: 'You need to put a camera directly above the ball pit so we can see exactly what he's doing from above!' 'New goal in life: get a bigger house just so I have a place to put this for my dog!' 'He needs a net like the ones they put around trampolines.' Our favorite part of the video is near the end when a giant stuffed corn on the cob comes flying out of the pit and two seconds later Sampson lifts his head up to look for it! What a fun puppy with an amazing zest for life! Goldendoodle Playing in His Ball Pit Equals Epic-Level Fun first appeared on PetHelpful on Jul 1, 2025 This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Golden Retriever Hunts Lizards with True Focus Like It's His Full Time Job
Golden Retriever Hunts Lizards with True Focus Like It's His Full Time Job originally appeared on PetHelpful. Golden Retrievers are one of the most playful dog breeds around. They just love life, no matter what they are doing. Whether it's naptime, playtime, or dinnertime, it is always easy to tell when a Golden is living their best life! Marley, a 7-year-old Golden Retriever, loves being outside, soaking up some fun in the sun. Recently, his mom shared a video of him playing in the front garden and it has people cracking up. They live in Florida, and if you have ever been there, you know that as the sun goes down in the evenings, the lizards come out to play! Well, they likely come out to eat bugs for dinner, but as far as Marley is concerned, they are outside strictly for his entertainment. The video starts out, and you can tell that Marley has a lizard in his sight. He takes a brief moment to assess the situation. Then he jumps in to seize the opportunity to greet his new playmate, literally. One minute he is standing outside of the garden's edge, and the next minute all four of his paws leave the ground at the exact same time in the cutest little Golden Retriever bunny hop you have ever then uses his powerful sniffer to follow the lizard through the garden, one inch at a time. Unfortunately for Marley, the lizard won this round and got away without having to play. However, something tells me this Golden Retriever will be using his cat-like reflexes for another round of lizard-hunting in the near future! This pup is racking up fans left and right with many of them leaving fun comments about his lizard leaping antics, including: 'As the tail wags, that happy hunter is so amazingly special.' 'I'm gonna watch the hop a million times!' 'A golden gazelle hunting lizard gizzard, LOL!' 'I love watching when Golden bears do the FOOMP! That is what we call it when our Golden does it!!' Golden Retrievers, with their friendly and loyal personalities, have an adorable knack for making people fall in love with them. We can add Marley to the lengthy list of Goldens we love! Golden Retriever Hunts Lizards with True Focus Like It's His Full Time Job first appeared on PetHelpful on Jun 16, 2025 This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Entire team pays tribute to Diogo Jota with brilliant celebration
The tributes to Diogo Jota continue to roll in. Now an entire team has paid homage. The football world has done what it can to recognise Diogo Jota over the last few days. His tragic death has rocked absolutely everybody, even those with no real connection to him. Advertisement But it's become increasingly clear that few were as loved and respected as Jota. He appears to have been about as humble and down to earth as an elite footballer possibly can be. That, of course, makes this all look even more senseless. It's a genuine tragedy and one that will take even those with as small as a link as supporting his football team years to process. We may never really process it, in truth. It's all still so surreal and unbearably sad. Those playing at the moment, though, are looking to celebrate and pay tribute to Jota as best they can. We've seen it at the Club World Cup and now in MLS, too. Advertisement Nashville SC pay Diogo Jota tribute Nashville SC played out a dramatic win on Saturday. Down to 10 men against Philadelphia, they won a 101st-minute penalty. Up stepped Hany Mukhtar to convert and win the match. Even with all that emotion, though, Mukhtar composed himself after scoring to tell every teammate to drop to the ground and do Jota's video game celebration. That's become the trademark of Jota and something that certainly non-Liverpool fans remember him for. The most recognisable way to show some love to the man. Ousmane Dembélé did similar after scoring for Paris Saint-Germain at the FIFA Club World Cup and we imagine it's one that will be done a lot more over the next season. And with good reason - it's very Jota. Advertisement This was all wonderful to see, though. We'll continue to point out the tributes to Jota made across football because seeing him recognised over the world is honestly the only nice thing to come out of all of this. He deserves all the love.
