Key Aspects:
- One Carnival cruise guest is upset that their ceiling fan was not permitted onboard and was confiscated by security.
- Carnival’s John Heald has explained the safety reasons for why ceiling fans are not permitted and the crew was doing their job.
- The guest suggests that the Carnival security team should be after kids pushing elevator buttons instead of confiscating prohibited items.
Many cruise guests travel with small fans for better air circulation and cooling in sometimes cramped and stuffy staterooms. It is important to remember, however, that not all types of fans are permitted, and the cruise lines always have a reason why.
One Carnival Cruise Line guest wanted to bring a prohibited fan along on a recent sailing and was infuriated when it was confiscated. Upset at the enforcement of the rules, they reached out to John Heald, the cruise line’s brand ambassador, with their grievance.
“I was treated like a criminal by security,” the guest claimed. “They removed and took away my Bell and Howell Socket Ceiling Fan. I told him it was for medical purposes but he would not let me to keep it.”
Carnival Cruise Line has addressed the idea of ceiling fans before, and any such type of ceiling fan, even with a temporary mount that might not damage the ceiling, is not permitted.
“The reason ceiling fans are not allowed is that unlike your house the ship is moving. And if that movement happens it may dislodge the fan from the ceiling and cause it [to] fall on you causing injury,” Heald explained.
It’s unclear how the guest might have hoped to mount a socket ceiling fan, as most lights in Carnival staterooms would not have the appropriate connections.
Furthermore, the guest does not clarify what type of “medical purposes” require them to have a ceiling fan. Guests are permitted to bring along small personal travel fans less than 12 inches in diameter.
Some travel fan designs oscillate, or have adjustable bases, or can even be raised to different heights to accommodate different needs without attaching to the ceiling.
I myself travel with a small fan on every cruise and have never had any difficulty bringing it onboard Carnival or any other cruise line.
Other guests also responded to the “medical purposes” claim with skepticism.
“I’d like to know what medical condition requires the use of an overhead fan. I worked in the medical field for 30+ years and that’s a new one on me,” one guest commented.
This is not the first time Carnival Cruise Line has noted that ceiling fans are prohibited. In April 2024, guests jury-rigged a ceiling fan arrangement that was promptly taken down as a violation of onboard policies.
Did the Guest Overreact?
The guest goes on to rant about how the fan was confiscated and their opinion of high priorities.
“I know it was our cabin steward who ratted us out. I will not be giving our usual gratuity to her,” they said. “Security should be concentrating on kids pressing elevator buttons not my fan.”
Cabin stewards do have a duty to take note of any potentially unsafe situations or other violations of Carnival Cruise Line’s policies. This is not “ratting out” a guest, but rather enforcing the policies all guests agree to when they book a sailing.
“Security were also doing their job here by taking it down and it will be returned to you by the end of the cruise,” Heald confirmed.
To deny the steward any gratuity over this incident is, of course, the guest’s right, but it can also be seen as a very selfish and petty reaction when one has been caught breaking the rules.
Read Also: What a Cruise Ship Cabin Steward Really Does
As for the kids pressing elevator buttons? That type of naughty misbehavior certainly happens and can be frustrating, especially when lines at elevators are already long.
Onboard security does patrol corridors and elevator areas to attempt to minimize such behavior, but of course it’s all but impossible to catch.
Nevertheless, Carnival Cruise Line does have a youth curfew that can be helpful, depending on when such behavior happened. The age restrictions on board explicitly state:
“Guests 17 years of age and under who are not accompanied by an adult in their traveling party, 21 years of age or older, must be clear of all public areas by 1:00 a.m.”
Heald has often noted that kids will be kids, after all. Cruise guests should try not to let some simple pranks have such a dramatic impact on their vacation enjoyment.
