Costa Cruises is warning passengers they could face fines for taking food from buffets and restaurants to cabins, pool decks, and other public areas onboard.
At least one cruise line will fine passengers for taking away food from the ship’s restaurants and buffets.
In a letter circulated on social media, Costa Cruises advised passengers that passengers would be forbidden to take food from the ship’s food service areas: “For reasons of health and hygiene, we wish to inform you that it is strictly forbidden to take food from the buffet areas and restaurants for consumption in the public areas of the ship, the pool zones, in cabins, or in other interior areas.”
In the letter, Costa adds that those found in violation will be charged €60 ($70) for each violation, and adds that only room service staff are trained in delivering food to cabins in accordance with the line’s sanitation and hygiene procedures.
In a statement to The Independent, Costa noted that the letter did not represent a fleet-wide policy change. “On a limited number of specific sailings, an onboard communication was shared as a preventive and deterrent measure, in line with our existing policies, to encourage guests to a responsible behavior.”
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The cruise news site Cruise Hive notes that leaving food and dishes in staterooms, lounges, pools, or other public areas outside of dining facilities has been a longtime complaint among veteran cruisers. However, no other cruise line appears to have implemented a similar policy, either on select voyages or across all ships and sailings.
Several news outlets and message boards reported that cruisers were mixed in sentiment about the rule. Some pointed out they preferred the convenience of taking food back to their cabins, particularly when buffet seating was tight or they noticed a number of other passengers coughing or engaging in unruly behavior. Others pointed out that Costa’s buffets weren’t open 24 hours, but room service—which carries an additional charge for passengers in standard staterooms—was available at any time. Other commenters express appreciation for the policy, complaining that dirty dishes and leftover food in all parts of the ship had marred their own experiences onboard.
Cruise lines have rolled out other rules and guidelines recently, which have put limits on some passenger habits. Royal Caribbean recently clarified that they had issued guidelines for decorating cabin doors (such as not putting decorations over peepholes or using decorations with lithium-powered lights), but had not issued a prohibition. Carnival Cruises has also put out statements on door decoration, requesting guests to keep to a similar set of guidelines for safety reasons. Carnival also banned upside-down pineapples on doors to “prevent misunderstandings” (an upside-down pineapple has sometimes been recognized as coded symbology for swingers).
Costa is a Genoa-based cruise line that is a subsidiary of Carnival Cruises Corp, and primarily operates cruises in the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Caribbean. The company’s ships are Italian-flagged and branded as providing a distinctly Italian onboard experience. Costa’s website does not include any information about restrictions on removing food from the ship’s food service areas. The company’s passage contract only mentions food in two places—the first indicating that “ordinary ship’s food” is included in the passage fare, and the second indicating that food bought onshore cannot be consumed onboard—it must be surrendered to staff for safekeeping until the end of the voyage.
Costa currently has nine ships in operation, although Costa Fortuna is slated to leave the fleet in September.