Chaos at Sea: 24 Passengers Banned for Life After Brawl Shatters Carnival Cruise Holiday

You’ve heard of the no-fly list, right? The dreaded roster that keeps certain passengers off planes—but what if I told you there’s a maritime equivalent? Yep, apparently, you can earn yourself a one-way ticket to being banned from sailing the high seas, too. And guess what? Twenty-four folks just learned this the hard way after a wild brawl went down as they debarked the Carnival Jubilee in sunny Galveston, Texas. Imagine finishing a week-long Caribbean cruise only to throw down amidst a sea of luggage in the terminal. Chaos, punches, people crashing to the floor—it’s like Fight Club, but with sunblock and flip-flops. Carnival’s now slapped a life ban on those involved, proving that disruptive behavior doesn’t just get you kicked off a plane—it can sink your cruising dreams forever. Curious how a no-sail list works and why this whole thing blew up?

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You’ve probably heard of a no-fly list, but not many people are as familiar with the maritime equivalent of it.

But two dozen passengers have found out the hard way that you can also be banned from sailing the seven seas as well as jetting off, after chaos erupted when they disembarked a cruise ship.

A brawl reportedly broke out as a host of travellers were stepping off the Carnival Jubilee Cruise Ship on Saturday (26 April) after it docked in Galveston, Texas.

The swarm of people – who are believed to have enjoyed a week-long voyage of the Caribbean – came to blows as they returned to dry land.

Shocking footage of the huge scuffle, which unfolded among loads of suitcases in a luggage area of the cruise terminal, was shared to Facebook by a woman who captioned the video: “It went down this morning.”

The clip has since gone viral, while some of the consequences which those involved have also been revealed by the cruise company.

24 people have landed themselves on Carnival Cruise Line’s ‘Do Not Sail’ list (Facebook/Trelle Ray)

In the footage, people are seen falling onto the ground in the cruise terminal which is littered with holidaymakers luggage, while punches are thrown waywardly between passengers.

Security officers were seen attempting to intervene as the clash continued to spill across the room.

The cause of the incident remains unclear, although the Carnival Cruise Line has announced it has taken action against 24 people who were allegedly involved in the fracas.

According to Cruise Mapper the vessel, which has been in operation since December 2023, had visited a number of spots in Mexico and Honduras on the week-long voyage.

Carnival Cruise Line revealed law enforcement are now handling the investigation into the disturbance and that more than 20 people are now on the firm’s ‘Do Not Sail’ list.

In a statement, the firm told LADbible: “The incident occurred in the debarkation area under the authority of US Customs and Border (Protection). This matter has been turned over to law enforcement.

A huge brawl broke out after passengers disembarked in Galveston, Texas (Facebook/Trelle Ray)

“We will not tolerate such behaviour, and 24 people have been placed on our Do Not Sail list.”

This is believed to be a lifetime ban which prohibits those involved from stepping foot on a Carnival Cruise Line vessel ever again, although the specifics of it are unclear.

According to the company’s website, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) required the firm to submit a ‘final departure manifest with specific guest information at least 60 minutes prior to’ setting sail.

It explains that all guests must complete an online check-in prior to their travel date and they will then go through a ‘quick verification process’ when it’s time for their trip.

This is likely where those on a ‘Do Not Sail’ list would be caught out if they tried to sneak back onto one of the company’s ships.

Carnival Cruise Line also states that ‘disruptive behaviour is not tolerated and any guest whose conduct affects the comfort, enjoyment, safety or well-being of other guests or crew will be disembarked at their own expense and banned from sailing on Carnival in the future’.

The Port of Galveston Police Department also responded to what they described as an ‘altercation’ at Cruise Terminal 25, USA Today reported.