TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - One of the best ways to travel the world is by stepping onto a cruise ship. Floating resorts differ from staying in a hotel or villa, as there are different etiquette guides passengers would need to follow.
Throughout 2025, several cruise ship companies have announced prohibited items that passengers are barred from bringing on board. Citing Mirror, for those planning a cruise vacation in 2026, here is a list of items that passengers are not allowed to bring.
1. Satellite Internet
Internet access is a crucial necessity during a cruise trip, and it can be pricey. So, it's no surprise that some passengers bring satellite internet devices onto the ship.
However, several cruise companies prohibit passengers from bringing such devices, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. Cruise lines claim satellites can cause disruptions to the ship's systems and problems with the vessel's WiFi itself. Nevertheless, some of the cruise lines provide WiFi access for an additional fee.
2. Travel Routers
Generally, cruise ship WiFi packages can only be used on one device. Some passengers try to circumvent this by bringing a router to connect multiple devices to a single connection. Unfortunately, several cruise ship companies are cracking down on this previously popular cost-saving practice. Routers are suspected of causing cybersecurity issues on cruise ships.
3. Bluetooth Speakers
Some cruise ship companies, such as Celebrity, Carnival, and MSC, have now banned Bluetooth speakers, citing noise levels and disturbance to other passengers. This also includes the potential to interfere with important safety announcements.
4. Upside-Down Pineapple Stickers
According to the Australian news outlet, Cruise Passenger, upside-down pineapples, often used as a symbol that a couple is interested in swinging, will no longer be allowed on Carnival-operated cruise ships.
According to the company's guidelines, for passengers wanting to decorate their cabin door, displayed items during the cruise must not contain any messages that could be considered offensive or contain nudity, profanity, and sexual innuendo/suggestions.
5. Clack Fans
Carnival Cruises also prohibits passengers from bringing paper clack fans, in response to a viral dance trend on TikTok. The song Boots on the Ground by 803Fresh in 2024 spurred a popular TikTok dance on the cruise ship, involving the use of loud paper fans to accompany the rhythm. The American cruise company bans them in the nightclubs and indoor dance floors for safety reasons, although they can still be used in areas like the ship decks.
Read: Thailand to Build Cruise Ship Terminal on Koh Samui