Carnival Cruise Line Bans "Offensive" Clothing on Board

Carnival Cruise Line has changed its clothing policy to ban "offensive" clothing, a response to reports from other travel sectors about passengers displaying messages that others find offensive or threatening. 

Under the new policy, nothing worn on board should "contain any message that may be considered offensive or contain nudity, profanity, sexual innuendo/suggestions. In addition, clothing/accessories should not promote negative ethnic or racial, commentary, or hatred or violence in any form."

Carnival is a family-focused business, and the policy builds on existing clothing guidelines that reflect that atmosphere, spokesman Vance Gulliksen told CNN. 

Enforcement will be case-by-case, he said. If a crewmember sees a guest wearing clothing that violates the policy, staff will ask the guest to change clothing. "We will evaluate situations on a case by case basis and take appropriate steps as necessary," he said. 

No incident aboard a Carnival ship preceded the change, Gulliksen said. Rather, Carnival decided to add the policy after learning of an incident in which an airline had allowed a passenger wearing a threatening t-shirt message to board an aircraft. 

The Carnival dress code for formal nights - no sleeveless shirts, shorts, jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, etc. - remains the same.