Storm on a cruise: Carnival forced to clarify that "forks are for food only"
A passenger on a Carnival Sunrise cruise was filmed scraping dry skin from her foot using a dining room fork before continuing to eat her pizza with it. The video has sparked widespread outrage online, forcing the cruise line to issue an official statement.
A video filmed on board the cruise ship Carnival Sunrise, which is currently sailing from Miami to the Bahamas, has sparked a widespread stir on social media in recent days.
In the footage, a woman is seen scratching her leg, then using a fork from the restaurant to scrape dry skin off her foot, and subsequently continuing to eat pizza with the same utensil.
Millions of views and calls to remove the passenger
Following the publication of the videos, which quickly garnered millions of views and hundreds of thousands of comments, passengers contacted the ship's customer service to inquire about how hygiene rules are enforced in common areas.
Many users expressed disgust and concern regarding the hygiene of cutlery on cruise ships, and some even stated they would consider bringing their own personal cutlery on future voyages. Others argued that the passenger should have been removed from the ship immediately. American singer SZA also joined the heated discussion and called on passengers to report such behavior to the staff in real time.
The company responded: "Hygiene is no joke"
Carnival Cruise Line issued an official statement following the incident, as reported by People magazine:
"The video may be causing laughter and shock online, but for us, cleanliness and hygiene are no joke. We can confirm that forks are for eating, not for foot care."
The company clarified that after the staff was updated on the incident, they spoke with the passenger and removed the fork from use. The company did not specify if further steps were taken, although Carnival's code of conduct allows for the imposition of fines, restricting passengers to their cabins, and even removing them from the ship in serious cases.
The affair has reignited the debate surrounding the level of sanitation on cruise ships. According to USA Today, the inspection program of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts periodic unannounced inspections on ships operating under U.S. jurisdiction, checking, among other things, dining areas and kitchens.
