Gone toe far? Carnival Cruise Line responded to viral footage of a guest scratching her foot with a fork in a communal dining area on one of its ships.
“Hi Carnival cruisers,” the cruise line wrote to potential guests via Instagram on Wednesday, July 22. “We can confirm that forks are intended for food, not foot care. Once we became aware of the situation, our team quickly addressed it with the guest and removed the utensil from service.”
An online debate erupted when Instagram user Lucky_CharmedCourt shared multiple videos this week, showing a guest scratching her seemingly calloused foot during mealtime.
In the first video, the cruise guest vigorously scratched rough skin on her right foot before using the same hand to resume eating her meal. A second clip saw the guest using a fork to scratch the affected area.
Per Cruise Hive, the footage was shot onboard the Carnival Sunrise ship, which sails from Miami to the Bahamas and the Caribbean as part of multiday cruises. (The vessel was initially put into service as the Carnival Triumph in 1999 before undergoing a total refurbishment and renaming as the Carnival Sunrise in 2019.)
The clips quickly went viral, with people expressing a combination of shock and revulsion over the lack of hygiene on display.
“I’m bringing my own silverware to restaurants from now on lol,” one Instagram user vowed, with another quipping, “And this is why I don’t believe in walking barefoot anywhere! Hotel room- No. Public pool- No! Hotel shower- NO!”
“Dead skin cells just flying in the atmosphere,” a third commenter declared.
One user called for vengeance outright, asking, “Please tell me they put her in solitary until the cruise was over.”
Many questioned whether staff were alerted to the situation — and, indeed, Lucky_CharmedCourt posted multiple follow-up clips in which they reported the incident to Carnival crew.
In response, Carnival Cruise Line insisted that proper hygiene is a requirement on all of its vessels.
“While the video may be generating laughs and gasps online, cleanliness and hygiene are no joke to us. Our crew works hard every day to maintain high standards across our feet fleet and to ensure all guests enjoy a safe, clean, and comfortable vacation. See you onboard,” the company pledged.
Carnival Cruise Line perhaps wisely turned off the Instagram comments on its response to the viral controversy.
The Carnival Sunrise is currently in the middle of a five-day cruise, which set sail from Miami on Monday, July 20, according to CruiseMapper. The cruise will disembark at multiple locations in the Caribbean — including Nassau, Bahamas, and Carnival’s Celebration Key — before returning to Miami on Saturday, July 25.
