Carnival Cruise issues response after passenger filmed scratching foot with dining fork
Topics: Cruise ship, Health, Social Media, World News
Kit Roberts
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock
Topics: Cruise ship, Health, Social Media, World News
A cruise operator has issued a statement after a video of a guest scratching their foot with a fork went viral.
If the thought of restaurant cutlery being used by huge numbers of strangers makes you a little off, you might want to look away.
The short clip shows the dining room on one of the cruise ships with the guest, who is not identified, scratching her bare foot with her hand at first.
In a moment that left some feeling more than a little queazy, she then used the same hand she had scratched her foot with to eat food.
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But it seemed that her hand was not enough to relieve the irritation, and a subsequent shot shows her using a fork from the table to scratch at her foot in an attempt to provide some relief.
She continues scratching with the utensil for some time, not just quickly but in a sustained manner.
The video was filmed in the buffet area of the cruise ship, and soon went viral on social media, sparking disgust at the notion that someone else might be unknowingly using the same fork.
It didn't take long for the video to find its way back to Carnival themselves, who have issued an update about the incident reassuring customers on their Instagram page.
"Hi Carnival cruisers," they began, "We can confirm that forks are intended for food, not foot care."
They went on to clarify that once they realized what had happened they took it up with the person in the clip.
Guests on board cruise ships will also be relieved to know that they confirmed that the fork featured in the video has now been retired.
"Once we became aware of the situation, our team quickly addressed it with the guest and removed the utensil from service," the statement said.
The cruise operators went on to clarify that they take 'cleanliness and hygiene' extremely seriously on board their vessels.
"While the video may be generating laughs and gasps online, cleanliness and hygiene are no joke to us," they wrote. "Our crew works hard every day to maintain high standards across our feet fleet and to ensure all guests enjoy a safe, clean, and comfortable vacation."
The cruise operator also has suggestions about the guests' fashion choices while onboard.
This includes 'comfortable rubber-sole flat shoes, sneakers, water shoes or non-slip boat shoes with traction'.
Carnival also has different rules for different times of the day or events on board, for example day time wear is more casual including bathing suits or summer wear.
But some evening events have a much more formal tone, up to and including formal evening wear such as gowns and tuxedos, if you happened to pack your tuxedo that is.
While these apply at different times of day, the cruise line added that for locations such as shops, casinos, and some dining areas, there are still 'basic rules' which 'apply no matter the time of day'.
These include guests have 'no swimsuits, wet clothes, or bare feet', so that's not allowed in the dining area anyway.