- Cruise ships are generally seen as ideal vacation spots, perfect for days of relaxing, sightseeing, and entertainment.
- But on most cruise lines, passengers must follow a set of rules to get the best experience out of their trip.
- While some rules are pretty self explanatory, others, such as not being allowed to wear jeans, can be shocking to passengers.
- Vacationers should also be wary of where they drink alcohol onboard and should avoid getting too friendly with staff members.
Whether you're a cruise-line veteran or have always dreamed of vacationing at sea, you probably have some idea of what the average cruise is like. And between the beautiful ocean views and opportunities to see new places, cruises undoubtedly have tons to offer.
But what most people don't realize is that cruise lines often require their guests to follow rules in order for everything to run smoothly. But the rules can sometimes be surprising, and a few might even seem absurd.
From not being allowed to wear jeans in certain areas to being barred from the swimming pool depending on your age, we've rounded up 17 things you're not allowed to do on some cruise lines.
Editor's note: These rules depend on the cruise line you travel with. If you're going on a cruise, it's worth reading the company's policies before you travel.
Royal Caribbean, for example, requires guests to be 16 years or olderbefore swimming in the ship's Solarium pool and Jacuzzis, and guests who swim in the Adventure Ocean pool must be between the ages of 3 and 17.
While some age restrictions are set to comply with regulations from the US Public Health Service, others are set to ensure that both experienced swimmers and newcomers get time to swim.
Some vacations are intended solely for adults. Windstar Cruises, for example, does not permit children under the age of 8 to board its ships, and any guest under the age of 21 must be accompanied by a guest who is 25 years or older.
Ships might seem like the perfect place to fly a camera-equipped drone, but most cruise lines ban them from being flown while onboard.
Carnival Cruise Line does permit drone cameras onboard but allows passengers to fly them only while off the ship.
To protect unsuspecting passengers from collisions, Carnival doesn't allow its guests to ride anything with wheels while onboard. That includes bikes, scooters, Heelys shoes, and hoverboards, among others.
If you absolutely have to fly a kite at some point during your cruise, Carnival allows passengers to bring kites onboard and fly them while stopped at ports.
While passengers are allowed to bring their handheld gaming devices onto the ship, any system that needs to be plugged into a TV is forbidden.
Corkage fees — the prices that some restaurants charge diners who drink their own wine — are popular in food establishments. Some cruise riders might be surprised to learn that the fees exist on ships, too.
Royal Caribbean, for example, allows its passengers to bring two bottles of wine — and no beer or hard liquor — with them on boarding day. While guests can drink their wine in their room for free, those who choose to do so in public areas of the ship will have to pay a $15 corkage fee.
Windstar passengers can smoke outside on decks, but doing so is prohibited basically everywhere else on the ship.
Most cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, don't allow pregnant people who are in their third trimester to head out to sea. The same goes for people who would enter their third trimester at any point during their vacation.
Most people want to look their best while on vacation, but you might be out of luck if you use a heated hairstyling tool.
Carnival is one of many companies that prohibit passengers from bringing items that generate heat onboard. The company's website says hairstyling tools can be excused from the rule but can be revoked at any time if deemed dangerous.
Cruise lines generally expect passengers to follow a "resort casual" dress code, meaning that guests can dress however they please so long as they don't look like they're lounging on a beach.
But many ships, including those owned by Azamara Club Cruises, have stricter dress codes for its onboard dining halls.
"Bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, bathing suits, shorts, and jeans are not allowed in the main dining room or two specialty restaurants," the Azamara Club Cruises website says. "When dining at Windows Café guests must wear footwear and a cover-up or shirt."
While the Disney Cruise Line has no policy against its passengers lounging in comfortable clothes throughout the day, it does prohibit guests from wearing hats and flip-flops at its adult-only restaurants.
You'll want to avoid packing camouflage clothes. Multiple countries in the Caribbean, including Barbados, Jamaica, and St. Lucia, reserve the print for the military.
Citizens and visitors can be fined or even jailed if caught wearing it.
If you have friends in a country your cruise ship is stopping at, it makes sense that you'd want to squeeze in a visit. But most cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, do not allow their passengers to bring guests onboard, even if they check in with cruise staff.
As is the case with most cruise lines, Royal Caribbean says that while employees are "friendly, outgoing and helpful," passengers should not "misinterpret their friendliness."
The policy goes on to say "crew members are prohibited from engaging in physical relationships with guests" and are also "not permitted to socialize with guests beyond their professional duties."
In 2015, Crystal Cruises created a policy in which ship captains and crew members were prohibited from shaking the hands of boarding passengers to help avoid the spread of viruses.
Many cruise lines followed suit, and the practice continues today, as discussed in a Reddit thread from 2018.
Some cruise lines, including Viking River Cruises, host visitation hours in which passengers can step into the ship's wheelhouse and ask their captain questions. But if you miss the scheduled visit, you likely won't be allowed back in.
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