When a passenger tries to bring something onboard that's allowed in a regular hotel room but not on a cruise ship, the item gets confiscated. In most cases, the item in question gets returned at a so-called "naughty" table in the terminal as people exit the ship.
Many of these items are pretty innocent. There are usually piles of power strips with surge protectors, the occasional coffee maker, and mountains of travel irons.
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In most cases, these items are brought onboard because the passengers do not realize that cruise ships have special rules.
If someone tries to sneak a weapon onboard, or even something that could have a viable use on a cruise like a fishing knife, the consequences might be more dire. (You can contact the cruise line ahead of time about getting fishing and diving knives onboard, as there is a procedure for them being taken into custody by ship staff and returned to you for your off-ship excursion).
Sometimes, however, cruise lines can make a mistake and confiscate an item that's allowed. One Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) passenger recently wrote to Brand Ambassador John Heald about a confiscation problem they had.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival makes a confiscation mistake (sort of)
One passenger recently wrote to Heald complaining that an item was confiscated from their luggage without them knowing it.
(This has been edited to make it easier to read and follow).
"Question. I had my little scissors removed from the case. I went nuts as I knew I packed. They removed them and never told me until the last day, So I have Gravol pills [a pill for seasickness]. I have to cut around. They don't just don’t pop out. We had a couple of outfits I brought the day before. I never took the labels off. Also, I order liquid hand soap. The bottle top have thick tape on, so I need my scissors. Someone told me you don’t need scissors. But. I do. So, how can I keep them? they wrote.
Heald gave an answer that's actually not in Carnival's printed prohibited policy or listed as an exception to it.
"Thank you. If they are the size of nail scissors, they are absolutely allowed on board. Please put them in your carry-on bag, and you will not have any problems. If you do when you get onboard, let me know, and I will take care of it immediately," he wrote.
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It's possible that the scissors are being confiscated because Carnival's Prohibited Items List contains the following language:
"Knives, scissors, and open razors. (Recreational dive knives are allowed but must be held in the custody of the Guest Services Manager or Chief Security Officer and must be checked out/in by the owner for dive excursions during the cruise. Large scissors used by scrapbook and quilting enthusiasts are at times permitted with prior notification from the Security Services Department but are held on board in the same manner as dive knives,)" the cruise line shared.
That list also has a long "Exceptions" section, but no further mention of scissors is made.
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