Hi guys. I've got myself in a really bad situation and would appreciate any help you all can offer. I'm supposed to go on a seven day Carnival Cruise next week. This is something that was arranged quite awhile ago and my entire dad's side of the family, whom I've been more or less estranged from for quite some time is going. When I was originally asked to go I said I would as long as I could smoke and I could bring an acoustic guitar (I'm a professional musician). I was told by my dad who's been on Carnival Cruises before that of course I would be able to bring a guitar and so I gave him the green light to set everything up. Fast forward to the last few weeks and slowly but surely I've been learning more about this cruise from him and from my own research on the internet. Having never been on a cruise ship before I had no idea about formal nights, set dinner times, assigned seating etc. etc. Beyond that, it seems most of the various onboard activities are geared towards middle aged couples which makes sense as I realize that's probably the main demographic for the cruises. To be quite honest, I'm not really interested in a lot of that stuff but I was looking forward to the island excursions and just sittin' around strumming my guitar during downtime. Well, long story short, I found out just last night whilst looking over the Carnival website that they have a ban on all musical instruments except those brought aboard by the performers! I had never heard of such a thing, nor had anyone in my family. It certainly wasn't listed in any of the literature that we initially signed on for and had it been I would have never gave my dad consent to buy me a ticket (the only place it appears is buried in the FAQ section of their website). After doing some more web browsing last night I read stories from people who've brought guitars aboard Carnival cruise ships without any problems, so now I'm not sure what to think. When I spoke to the rather patronizing Carnival representative on the phone today she claimed that those people must have been "performers" for the ship (they were not). She also informed me I couldn't even bring aboard a small ukulele as that's against "policy". She said if the policy is no musical instruments then that means no musical instruments. I was also informed that since my cruise is only a week away that if I choose not to go they will retain 100% of the price of my ticket!! Now, I really don't know what to do. I really, really do not want to go on this cruise. I didn't really wanna go in the first place but I was going to go for my dad and for my family, keepin' in mind that I've been estranged from everybody for so long. Really it's just the icing on the cake but the bottom line is I don't want to go away to sea for seven days if I can't bring an instrument of some sort with me. Of course, if I don't go it'll 'cause a rift in my family and we'll be out a good chunk of coin. Either way, it seems I'm kinda screwed.

I'm sorry for the length of this post but has anybody here ever tried to bring an acoustic guitar aboard a Carnival Cruise ship recently? If so, how much resistance were you met with if any? Do you think they would at least let my little ukulele slide if I plead ignorance? I really can't see how that would possibly disturb anybody. My other question is if I do choose not go which I'm heavily leaning towards, is there anyway for me to get my money back, or at least some of it? What are my options here, if any? I just really feel like I'm in a rock and a hard place and I wish there was some way I could get out of this "vacation". Any input or advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.....

Buy an inexpensive guitar in the first port you visit as a souvenir. It will be cheaper than losing the whole price of the cruise if you don't go. If you are willing to try to take a ukulele it can't really be THAT important to you. You sound like you're just looking for an excuse not to go.

Quite a post. I've never heard of a ban on instruments either but can see the reason behind it as the noise factor could be an issue for those in adjoining cabins if someone was not courteous about the times they played. Since it's not a well known or visible policy the folks checking you onboard may be unaware of it either, that would explain the folks you read of who brought thier instruments and had no issues. It may be a selectively enforced policy that gives them the right to take it from you onboard (and return it at the end of your cruise) if you cause any problems for others. But, who knows, they may have someone at the pier familliar and you may have an issue. No way to know for sure.

I don't think I'd miss the cruise over it. There will be many passengers onboard a Carnival ship your age. There will be musicians onboard with the various entertainment venues. I wouldn't be surprised if some would invite you to briefly participate in the lounges with their instruments. Some of the entertainment can be pretty relaxed and they often enteract with the audience.

The biggest factor is the fact that you have been estranged and your Dad has reached out to you to join. If you don't go, you have no one to blame in the future for the estrangment but yourself after this offering of an olive branch on his part to include you. I'd go, with or without your instruments and have a great time. I'm even willing to bet you'll enjoy it far more than your expectations which appear to be pretty low.

Cheers, Neil

Was posting while Rick answered, I like his idea too. A win, win. You get a new guitar and they can't really do much about something you buy as a souvenier. I see folks all the time buying souvenier steel drums.

Cheers, Neil

As noted by others, the reason for the instrument ban is that not everyone aboard would appreciate hearing your guitar - or mine (or one of my ukuleles too). They can't hold auditions on the pier to see who knows how to play and who would be the equivalent of fingernails on the chalkboard. Thus the rule about instruments.

The idea of a souvenir guitar is clever, although I have to wonder if Carnival security would take issue with you if you were playing in a public area.

You can't put it down for a few days? Is that too much to ask?

Carnival does have some great musicians aboard, and often one finds a jazz group that will set up in a public area and jam, in addition to the lounge bands. I've heard some good blues guitar on Carnival ships too.

quote:

Beyond that, it seems most of the various onboard activities are geared towards middle aged couples which makes sense as I realize that's probably the main demographic for the cruises.

Not always true, and particularly not true for Carnival. You had all the right reasons for agreeing to go in the first place. You're going to have a better time than you can picture.

Sandy

Hi midnightrambler, and Welcome to Cruise-Chat!

The reason for the ban is for the comfort of other guests as has been noted. Just like the rule about boom-boxes etc. having to be used in public areas with earphones.

There may be a way to bring it on board legally though. Say if you were going to try out for the Talent Show, or wanted to give a performance for your group. Since this is a multi cabin group..Have your Dad, or whoever has the booking numbers call Carnival's Group Department. Ask for Group Event Planning. They are the only ones that can give approval. The number is 1-800-327-5782. It is worth a shot.

Regardless, you should go on the cruise. The activities are for every age range. In fact there is so much to do, you won't be able to do everything you want to. You might even befriend some of the musicians. There is no shortage of fun on a Carnival cruise. And what a great way to become un-estranged from your Dad's family.

Dwayne

People bring instruments onboard all the time. (and no they are not performers)

It was more common on 7 day cruises when they had the Old Fashioned Talent Shows....because musicians would not allow guests to borrow their guitars for the show.

We have heard flutes, guitars, harmonicas etc.
played for the Guest Talent Show.

Now on the 7 day ships, they have The Legends Show (which eliminates the need for guests to bring their own instruments) HOWEVER on some 7 day cruises they also do a separate talent show at midnight...so just tell them you are bringing the guitar for that.

The cabin walls are very thin, so (since you smoke...this will work good as well)...do your playing in the piano bar during the day. No one uses it. It is a designated Smoking Area.

So both your smoke and your music will be harmless!!

In the Piano Bar during the day you can sing and play to your hearts content. You can also perform at karaoke. The guitar won't have a mic, but it will still be able to be heard well enough!!

Enjoy this time with your family.....

I sure haven't seen any passenger guitars, tubas, or oboes aboard lately.

The cruise-chat staff does not endorse violating cruise line rules, so we instead provide the official policy for the question at hand. Therefore, here is an excerpt from Carnival's rules about passenger restrictions:

"...For the comfort of all our guests, musical instruments can only be brought on board if the guest is performing and this performance has been pre-approved by the Group Department."

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Beers:
I sure haven't seen any passenger guitars, tubas, or oboes aboard lately.

The cruise-chat staff does not endorse violating cruise line rules, so we instead provide the official policy for the question at hand. Therefore, here is an excerpt from Carnival's rules about passenger restrictions:

"...For the comfort of all our guests, musical instruments can only be brought on board if the guest is performing and this performance has been pre-approved by the Group Department."

Dave is absolutely correct. Always try to get approval first. There was a guitar on the Holiday in December (but they do have the old fashioned talent show) and there was an Indian Flute (which one of the ladies played as her talent).

I have also seen several students headed to Julliard bring their instruments (flute, violin etc) because they had to practice while on vacation. Some played in the Talent Shows...some did not.

Let us know how it goes!!

I'll be happy to volunteer to go in your place. If someone offered me a free cruise, I think I'd be more than happy to leave my guitar at home. I truly believe that once on board, you'll find plenty to occupy your time and you won't miss your guitar. Happy sailing!

On our cruise a year ago I did buy a Guitar by our Granddaughter. We had no problems bring it onboard. It was not questioned at all. I am sure I would have been tossed over board if I would have played it.... I love to listen to music but you really do not want to hear me try to sing and play an instrument.
Penny the way I read it, he paid for the cruise. With that said would find alot of fun things to do ...if he wanted too. If not he will just have a bad time.

Thank you everybody for your replies. I guess I should do a little better job of explaining things. Like I said, I only just recently got back in touch with my dad and his side of the family after many years. They contacted me specifically to ask me to go on this cruise with them as our entire extended family is going (something like 30 people). Anyway, I was really excited to get back in touch with my dad so I pretty much agreed to go right off the bat without bothering to really look into what this would be like and that's my own fault. I just got caught up in the excitement of getting back in touch and it wasn't until recently that I found out more about what this was going to be like and I started getting really nervous about it. The truth is, I haven't seen most of these people in many years, a lot of them are virtual strangers and I really don't have much in common with most people in the family. Aside from all that I'm a very nervous person with a lot of anxiety issues (obviously). I can be painfully shy at times and taking part in something like this is really hard for me. Finding out about the guitar thing just put me over the edge. I know it may be difficult for some of the non musicians here to understand but I play at least a little bit every day and have not gone without a instrument of some sort by my side in SEVENTEEN YEARS! The last time being when I went on a week long vacation with my mom at the age of ten (I'll be turning twenty seven on the cruise)! I can assure you had I been able to bring a guitar onboard I wouldn't have disturbed a soul. I wasn't planning on singing on the top of my lungs and strumming away in my little cabin or even singing at all. For instance, I like to play very quiet fingerstyle guitar when I lay in bed and watch TV at night. Yes, it's a form of practice you could say but it's also like a nervous habit, same as my chain smoking. That sort of thing is absolutely inaudible to anybody but myself. You would barely hear it in the room with me let alone in the next one, regardless of the paper thin walls.

I'm going to try and call that number to see if I can bring the guitar to "perform" for our family (thank you for that!). If that fails I'm still hoping to at least be able to bring the ukulele just so I have something with me. That little thing is basically a glorified toy and part of the reason I bought it is because it is so easy to travel with. And ya know, even if you strum it with all your might it's not audible more than a couple feet away. It's quieter than a regular conversation between adults or your typical television set. Think of a solidbody electric guitar (which I might add can be played through headphones as not to disturb anybody, as can a keyboard) unplugged. Like that, maybe even quieter. And yeah, I had read about people who brought guitars in the past and sat in with the bands and participated in the talent but I wasn't planning on doing anything like that. I would feel kinda awkward inviting myself to sit in even if it's something they often do and like most pro players I would feel a little weird playing an unfamiliar guitar onstage, but that all depends on the guitar of course. Anyhow, I just wanted to have it with me. Even if I didn't end up playing it that much it's just nice to have there. That's just how I am.

Also, I forgot to mention my dad started taking lessons himself recently and I was planning on showing him a few things during downtime. This is something he was really looking forward to and he even bought an extra guitar for the occasion. Needles to say he's really disappointed to. Seems like most of the folks we've talked to within the Carnival organization weren't even aware of this ban themselves yet they refuse to bulge on even the little ukulele. My dad's travel agent told him after unsuccessfully trying to pull some strings we should try and bring it anyway, but even if we do get away with it not take it outside the room or they'll probably "confiscate" it for the duration of the trip! I'm sorry, but that's just absurd. If you saw this little thing I'm sure you'd agree. Yes, at the end of the day, you could say this is largely our own fault for not looking into all this but I really honestly never dreamed bringing an acoustic guitar or an instrument of some sort onboard would have been a problem and I reiterate again, I can guarantee I wouldn't have disturbed a soul. I would have gone out of my way not to. I can only hope that by bringing this to Carnival's attention they'll make this policy more widely known amongst their own employees as well as potential travelers so other people don't find themselves in the same boat, so to speak.

Sorry for another lengthy post. Thank you for letting me vent and thanks again for all your input. Part of me is really dreading this but there's just no way I can get out of it without creating more headaches than it's worth. So I'm going to go and try to make the most of it. I am looking forward to spending time with my dad and I'm especially looking forward to the island excursions and I found out there's four of them, two more than I first thought. So that's good news! Of course, I am kinda dreading the formal family dinners and what not that I found out about recently but I figure getting a few drinks in me prior to going should help! I'm sure I'll end up enjoying myself and all, and while I'm sure I'll be in some awkward situations to, having a guitar there wouldn't have changed any of that anyway. It just makes the whole thing that much more uncomfortable for a neurotic SOB like myself. I guess I'll just be doing a lot of smoking and a lot of drinking!

One last thing- to the poster who replied with that nasty message calling me a "spoiled brat" (the post has since been deleted), you don't know the first thing about me or my family or our situation obviously. Yes, my dad is trying hard to make this as comfortable as possible for me and the only reason I ever agreed to go in the first place was for him and for my grandpa and all. And that's why I'm still going as nervous as I now am with this whole thing. It just never ceases to amaze me what the anonymity of the internet can bring out in people. And for the record, I never said "middle aged people" I said middle aged couples and I didn't mean it in a derogatory fashion as I'm now pushing thirty myself and most of my closest friends are in their forties and fifties. All's I was trying to say is that a lot of the onboard activities aren't really geared towards somebody like myself. That doesn't mean I won't end up having a good time, but the fact remains I'm pretty far from Carnival's targeted demographic. Does anybody know if that person was a regular poster? I just hope it wasn't somebody in my own family. I doubt it but the thought crossed my mind....

Once again, sorry for the length of this post (I'm a really fast typist!). And thank you again all of you who've replied with helpful suggestions. I may end up checking in from the ship or when I get back home....

Until then! Wish me luck!

midnightrambler, I do hope you have a great time and I'm confident you will. My wife is seriously shy and I was in my youth, I'm long past that now, don't know when or why it changed but glad it did. Your post are certainly longer than most here but I've enjoyed reading about your situation. I think you'll be shocked at the demographic once you get to the ship. There will be a good percentage of cruisers in your age range.

The ship is very large and if it does turn out that you are uncomfortable with the extended family, get off with your dad and do some catching up away from the rest. You'll find it's easier to do than you might think. You can also enjoy plenty of alone time if you want it. There are plenty of venues for different entertainment. Comedians, shows, pools, clubs, the casino, eateries other then the main dining room and of course your cabin if all else fails and you find they like to follow and be a group. Just excuse yourself and head to your cabin. Then head out on your own later. If you come across them again, it's not uncomfortable just say you needed a smoke and were heading for one of the many areas where you could.

Most important, I'm glad you seem more upbeat about the trip than your first post. Bring the guitar, I'm not a rule breaker or advocate of it but if you don't bother others with it, it shouldn't be a biggie. If they take it, you'll certainly get it back. If not you'll have it for your practice and comfort level.

Cheers, Neil

I am the one who referred to you as a spoiled brat. I am truely sorry I didnt mean to offend you. I do think tho if you give cruising a try you will have the time of your life.
As a mother of grown children it would be my dream to have all of my children go on a cruise with us. try going with an open mind and you might even find your self smiling.

Hi midnightrambler, Glad to hear you are going on the cruise and feeling better about it. The policy is not readily available or disclosed when booking a cruise. It is something you have to ask about or search for, which you did, and I applaud you for it.

Best wishes for a wonderful cruise and family re-union.

Dwayne

Remember, Carnival is the Fun Ship Cruise. If you don't have a wonderful time, you can come to Alabama and smack me There will be plenty of people on board your age, you'll be in the beautiful Caribbean, and the crew members are fantastic. You just might change your mind about cruising. Best wishes.

GREAT NEWS!!!!! That number IslandCruz gave me was an absolute god send. Thank you so much for that my man! I passed it on to my dad and he was able to work it out (my old man's a much better wheeler and dealer than myself or most people for that matter). I'll be celebrating my twenty seventh birthday on the cruise and it turns out some of my other family members have birthdays in or around the week of the cruise so.... we were able to reserve some sort of private room for our group to have a birthday party of sorts. I think he said it's the last night of the cruise and me and my dad's girlfriend (who plays a mean violin) will be the "entertainment". Long story short, we now have permission to bring aboard two guitars and her violin! Once this all had a few days to sink in I had gotten used to the idea of not being able to bring anything and was really trying my best to be a good sport but honestly, this is still a huge relief and it just makes everything so much easier for me. We're still not going to be allowed to bring our instruments out of our respective rooms prior to that evening but I'm not worried about that. Not exactly sure what all we will play but I'm sure me and her will work something out the night prior to boarding. I met her a couple months back when I first got back in touch with my dad and we spent a couple days jamming then so it's not like we haven't played together before (part of the reason my dad had started playing himself was to maybe be able to play with us a bit by the time of the cruise). She very rarely if ever goes long without her instrument either so I'm sure she's going to be very relieved to hear this news. Thanks again IslandCruz and everybody else who chimed in. I'll be leaving for my dad's place Thursday night and I think we board the ship on Saturday. I will definitely stop in here when I get back home and let y'all know how everything goes!

And don't worry about that macmom. I'm long over it. Just wanted to make sure you weren't a member of my own extended family! LOL! I know it may seem far fetched but it's always possible one of them could come across this site and that just sounded like something one of them might say under the circumstances. They're generally not the type to mince words you could say!

That is wonderful to hear. Have a marvelous cruise.

As a music person myself, I can definately relate. Only sadly (since I can not lug a piano onboard) I must settle for karaoke. But they do allow me to use my own custom CDGs...so that is a good thing.

Happy Cruising and make a ton of wonderful memories!!!

That is good news. And you are welcome. Hope you have a great cruise with your family.

Dwayne