As I always say, and as you probably know, cruise ships have rules that must be followed.
Failure to comply may result in a warning from the security team and, in more severe cases, may lead to disembarkation from the ship.
This is exactly what a couple had to learn during their vacation, as they were involved in a fairly common case, but this time the security team was called.
Let’s see why this happened!
The rule they didn’t follow
This story became public because the passengers reported the case to John Heald, the official ambassador of Carnival Cruise Line.
They were basically traveling on Carnival Luminosa, the ship that was recently moved from Costa Cruises to Carnival, on an itinerary leading to Alaska.
According to their version, at one point the ship was flanked by a group of seagulls. The passengers, who had some bread left over from lunch, decided to throw some pieces at them.
The email said:
On our cruise on the Luminosa around Alaska and while on our own personal balcony me and my husband were throwing some leftover bread from room service in the air for the seagulls to eat.
Some busybody reported us. We had someone from security knock on our door and humiliate us by telling us like we were school kids. Seagulls are God’s creatures. I like them, they don’t cause any bother.
This situation sparked a lot of controversy on the web, with some saying that the intervention of security was justified, and others saying that it was an overreaction.
But how did the company react? Let’s see the official response!
The company’s response
However, Heald’s response clarified the company’s position. He stated:
Thank you and I do understand, but I am sure the security team member did not ‘humiliate’ you but was doing his job to kindly ask you not to feed the birds.
I know our wonderful naturalist on board will make announcements not to feed them. When you have dozens of birds attracted to the ship they can make a huge mess as they drop massive dollops of poo all over the ship.
This answer is fairly obvious when you consider most cruise lines’ policy for things thrown off the ship.
For environmental reasons, you cannot throw any kind of objects, either from the outside decks or from your cabin, and that includes food intended for birds, fish, or any other animals.
Moreover, as we’ve already said in the article about the strange things people do on a cruise ship, seagulls that approach cruise ships are also quite aggressive.
They are used to human contact and do not hesitate to approach you to steal food from your hands or from inside your dishes.
In addition, as Heald said, you should consider the filth that these animals create. They often stand on balcony railings, and their droppings go onto the balconies of the lower decks.
Another good reason to carefully choose which deck is best on a cruise ship!
