How To Get Kicked Off A Cruise Ship

For many people, going on a cruise is a luxury vacation. You get to float around in beautiful weather, have staff cater to your every need, and see a variety of fantastic locations. Cruises aren’t just in the Caribbean anymore; theme cruises go everywhere and center on every hobby. But with sails come essential rules that keep everyone on board safe. If you break these ten rules, you might get kicked off the ship – and you will not get a refund!

10. Being Late For Departure

Your cruise ship is not going to wait for you, either at your initial departure or any of your ports of call. Whenever you disembark, find out when you need to be back on the ship, and plan in a little bit of wiggle room. If the boat starts moving, it won’t stop for you, and you will need to find your way home to native waters. Many cruise passengers have reported watching people waving from the dock as the boat sails away.

9. Playing Pranks On Crew

Think it would be funny to shout “man overboard!” or joke about putting a virus into the pool water? It is not amusing to the other passengers or the crew. They are trained to take all threats too seriously; after all, a cruise ship is a closed environment, and danger or sickness can spread quickly. Just like you cannot shout “fire!” in a crowded theater, do not pretend that someone is in trouble when they are not.

8. Bringing (Non-Prescription) Drugs On Board

You might think that it is your vacation, and you should bring whatever you need to help you relax. Very wrong. Cruise ships are unfortunately used to bring illegal drugs into the United States, which means that drug dogs go over the luggage. Even tiny amounts of marijuana can cause the dogs to alert and get you kicked off the ship. Whatever you bring on board, make sure you have a prescription for it.

7. Avoiding Or Refusing Screening

You might think that you can get around being screened as a way to bring illicit substances on board. Don’t even try. Cruise staff has seen every trick in the book, and they will not allow you to board if you won’t go through the motions. Again: don’t try to sneak things on board. You will likely end up without your stash, out the money you paid for your vacation, and potentially having a conversation with the police about possession.

6. Forgetting Your Identification At Home

Before you leave home to set out on your cruise, make sure you have all your paperwork in order. Your state or federal ID, passport, visa, green card, whatever you might need, make sure you have it. If you don’t know what you will need when the cruise sets sail, call ahead and ask. If you need a particular document and don’t have it, you will not be allowed on the ship, and again, you will be out of your vacation fund.

5. Engaging In Disruptive Behavior

Vacation often feels like an excuse to cut loose. You might have an extra drink, be a little freer with expressing your opinion or be a bit more willing to respond to someone’s attitude with an attitude of your own. Fighting, breaking things, or being a general nuisance can get your butt dropped off at the next port of call without any real explanation. This can include pursuing or harassing other passengers after they have told you to stop.

4. Pretending To Be A Staff Member

This happens so often that most cruise lines have a specific policy to handle passengers who think it’s a hoot to dress up as staff and start ordering people around. Guess what it involves! Sending people home without ceremony or a refund. What might seem like a funny joke to you can confuse and put other passengers in danger. Save the costume for Halloween, and stick to your bathing suit for the cruise.

3. Dropping Things Overboard

A few years back, travel blogs were surprised to report that a couple was kicked off a cruise when the wife tossed her cigarette butt into the ocean instead of into the approved receptacle. It seems like a tiny thing, but pollution in the sea is at such high levels and causing so much damage to marine life that most cruise lines have taken a zero tolerance stance on this. Cruise ships have plenty of trash receptacles. Throw things out properly.

2. Bringing Prohibited Bottles On Board

This used to apply primarily to alcohol, but some cruise lines have included sodas and other bottled beverages purchased onshore or at ports of call on their list of banned items in the last few years. You might not get kicked off the ship just for trying to bring them on board, but you might need to turn them over. Sneaking them on would be a much more severe matter. Ask before you buy a bunch of items, and follow the rules.

1. Getting Seriously Sick

If you have a heart attack or a stroke onboard your cruise, getting dropped off at the nearest hospital is probably your least concern, but it is worth noting. If you get seriously ill while onboard, there isn’t an option to stick it out on board and then go to the nearest hospital once you are at your home port. You will be dropped off at the closest hospital, even if you don’t speak the language. It might be infuriating, but the crew handles only real health situations.