A couple decided to take a Carnival Cruise to celebrate their anniversary. Now, they are demanding answers from the cruise line after what they described as a nightmare experience aboard the vessel. But were the workers just doing their jobs, or were the passengers racially profiled as they claimed?
In a series of viral videos, TikToker @ba_lovestoryy breaks down the entire saga, starting with a random search they said was without “probable cause.”
Carnival Cruise trip gone awry
In her initial clip, @ba_lovestoryy films a drug-sniffing K9 and several cruise employees outside her bedroom. The dog searches her room, but even after it exits, one of the security workers is going through her belongings with gloved hands.
“It’s against protocol to continue searching once the dog doesn’t find anything,” the creator writes in the text overlay.
According to the creator, this occurred at 9pm, and the employees left without finding anything.
In a follow-up clip, @ba_lovestoryy speaks with someone who seems like a managerial employee about the situation.
“This is the worst trip ever,” @ba_lovestoryy says in between tears off-camera. She accuses the employees of discriminating against her and her partner because they are Black and gay.
The worker responds that the K9 patrols that area all day, and then stopped when he detected something outside the TikToker’s room.
According to the TikToker, they had been complaining about their room having a cigarette smoke smell ever since they boarded. However, she says if they wanted to search their room for the source of the smell, they could have done so “differently.”
Her partner claims the smell was eventually removed by one of the employees using a machine, but “came back last night.”
In a third post, the creator maintains that the staff should’ve let her know beforehand that the K9 would search her room due to the smell. She shares how she had reported the smell “every day” since they got on the ship. One of the workers tells the TikToker that they would “take it upon [themselves]” to personally follow up with her case.
@ba_lovestoryy Backstory coming soon, and yes, we have all of the receipts. #badexperience #carnivalcruise #fyp #crazystory #worstfeeling #racialprofiling #discriminacion #randomsearch ♬ original sound – Kendy
Can Carnival Cruise conduct random room searches?
In short, yes. In a passenger’s contractual agreement, they agree to having their cabin searched “with or without notice” for any prohibited items. These can include drugs, weapons, and other contraband.
“Guests and their luggage will be routinely and randomly screened by security personnel and screening tools and equipment, including narcotics and contraband sniffing dogs during embarkation, at ports of call and on board,” the ticket contract states. Failure to comply can lead to a passenger’s disembarkation.
However, there appears to be no protocol that a K9 has to be present during the cabin search, despite the TikToker saying that’s what the head of security told her.
@ba_lovestoryy posted a “storytime” summarizing the chain of events that led to the incident, but has not since updated viewers about what happened after their trip. However, she had continued to upload TikToks from her vacation, which included a visit to Mexico.
The Mary Sue has reached out to her for more information. We have also emailed Carnival Cruise for comment.
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