Carnival Cruise Line Bans TikTok Influencer for Life After Alcohol Smuggling Video
Carnival Cruise Line has issued a lifetime ban to TikTok influencer Courtney Murley after she posted a viral video allegedly showing how she smuggled alcohol aboard the Carnival Conquest.
In the video, Murley and a companion are seen unpacking their luggage in their stateroom, revealing containers that appeared to conceal alcohol, including flasks hidden in toiletry bottles and a box of tampons. The caption read:
“Def waited until after I got home to post this! Hahahaha but it worked. Forget a drink package lol…. okay we ended up drinking probably what we would of paid for a drink package anyways but still was fun to try and see if the rum runners would work.”
The video quickly garnered attention, amassing over 300,000 views. However, the post also caught the eye of Carnival Cruise Line officials, leading to Murley receiving a formal letter stating she is banned from sailing on any Carnival vessel in the future due to the violation. The letter emphasized that any future booking attempts would result in cancellation and potential loss of deposit funds.
In response to the ban, Murley posted another TikTok video claiming the initial post was satirical and that no actual alcohol was smuggled onboard. She stated, “What you see on that video is not alcohol. Is everything on the Internet real? No….You guys saw an edited video. You saw juice in a tampon flask.”
Carnival Cruise Line has not publicly commented on the specific incident. However, Brand Ambassador John Heald has previously warned passengers about posting content that violates cruise policies, noting that the company monitors social media for such infractions. Heald remarked, “Of course, we have people monitoring social media pages… And then you monitor it, people watching it, and you send it to me, and you say, ‘Look, look!’”
This incident serves as a reminder that actions portrayed on social media, whether real or staged, can have serious consequences, especially when they suggest violations of company policies.