A viral social media video showing a passenger using a dining utensil to scratch her foot aboard a Carnival Cruise ship prompted the cruise line to issue a public response emphasizing its hygiene standards and confirming the utensil was removed from service, as reported by The New York Post.

The footage, which spread across TikTok and Instagram, shows an unidentified woman wearing a maroon long-sleeve shirt sitting in a public dining area on a Carnival Cruise ship.

The video appears to show her scratching her foot, which viewers claimed showed signs of a skin condition, while eating. She is later seen using a fork for the same purpose.

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The clips were posted by social media user @lucky_charmedcourt, who divided the incident into six separate videos on TikTok and Instagram. According to the posts, the second video, which captured the woman using the fork, accumulated approximately 6.7 million views on TikTok.

The videos also documented the aftermath of the incident. According to the creator, the situation was reported to Carnival guest services before eventually being brought to the attention of the ship's captain.

Carnival addressed the incident publicly in an Instagram post published Wednesday.

The cruise line wrote, "Hi Carnival cruisers. We can confirm that forks are intended for food, not foot care. Once we became aware of the situation, our team quickly addressed it with the guest and removed the utensil from service."

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The company continued by emphasizing its sanitation practices.

"While the video may be generating laughs and gasps online, cleanliness and hygiene are no joke to us. 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."

 

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The company's humorous reference to its "feet fleet" drew attention online while reinforcing its message about onboard cleanliness.

Although Carnival disabled comments on its Instagram post, the statement still attracted significant engagement. The post received roughly 30,600 likes and was shared more than 1,000 times.

The original social media videos continued generating reactions from viewers who expressed concern over the incident.

One Instagram commenter wrote, "If y’all ain’t tell security so they can throw that fork away, I hope you end up eating off of it."

Another user commented, "I’m bringing my own silverware to restaurants from now on lol."

A third person added, "This is why I eat with plastic utensils."

According to the videos, the woman initially scratched her foot with her fingers before later using the fork while seated at the dining table.

The incident is the latest example of Carnival drawing widespread attention on social media over passenger behavior or onboard policies.

 

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Recently, Carnival also made headlines after reminding passengers aboard the Carnival Splendor to follow local dress expectations when visiting Lifou, an island in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.

Passengers were instructed to avoid wearing G-strings, thongs, monokinis, tankinis, and to refrain from topless sunbathing while ashore.

Carnival explains the policy in its online dress code guidance.

"We kindly ask guests to respect the local culture and rules in the ports we visit," the company states.

The cruise line also noted that Lifou has particularly strict expectations for visitors.

"Some destinations, such as Lifou, which is a tribal island, are populated by proud indigenous people whose culture is based on respect, and in many cases are highly religious," Carnival states.

The company said the guidance is intended to help passengers respect local customs while visiting ports of call during their vacations.

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