Avoid This Dangerous Cruise Ship Behavior That Could Get You Banned (Or Worse)

A cruise can feel like you've left the real world and entered paradise. There is no traffic to battle, no work meetings to attend, and your accommodations and endless activities are within walking distance of wherever you are. It's almost magical to be that removed from your usual, day-to-day life. However, there are still rules, and if you break them, there are consequences. For instance, if you skip the cruise safety briefing, you could be banned. The same goes if you try to do some fishing from the ship. However, one dangerous activity you may not have thought of could also get you banned and can even cause injury or death: taking risky selfies at sea. Photos and videos are all well and good for your social media posts, but if you do them in a precarious place, like the ship's railing, it's not going to end well.

In fact, in 2019, a woman stood up on the railing of the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas to take a picture. Someone alerted the crew because they thought she might've been preparing to jump, when it was really all just part of a photo op. The woman ended up getting banned for life from the cruise line. In another incident, a person jumped into the ocean from the 11th-floor balcony on a different Royal Caribbean ship while a friend recorded him, then posted it to Instagram. Not only was he injured, but he and his group were kicked off the ship right there and received a lifetime ban.

Standing on the railing for a photo is never a good idea. It's also against the rules. Royal Caribbean states on the company website guest conduct page, "Sitting, standing, jumping, laying or climbing on, over or across any exterior or interior railings or other protective barriers is strictly prohibited." Norwegian Cruise Line has the same policy, and while Carnival doesn't state anything about railings specifically, it does reserve the right to ban you for unsafe behavior. Lest you think that the railing is a dangerous place for selfies, photos, and videos only when the ship is moving, note that the aforementioned person who jumped from the balcony for an Instagram post did so while the ship was docked and still dealt with injuries and a ban. Crossing or climbing on railings is unsafe, period — and that goes for any other spot that isn't intended for cruise passengers.

Beyond your own safety, absolutely do not pose your children on the railing. In 2025, a small girl on a Disney cruise, posing for a picture for her mother on a porthole railing, fell overboard. While the mother wasn't criminally charged, the child and her father, who jumped in to save her, were both hurt. If you're going to take a selfie on board a cruise, make sure you're standing or sitting in a safe place, where neither you nor the people around you are in any danger. This is especially true if you've been drinking alcohol on board. A little forethought and caution make a cruise safer for everyone. Finally, if you're looking to book a vacation on the ocean, you may want to consider the cruise line ranked highest for customer satisfaction in 2026 by Consumer Reports.