March 12, 2026, 3:25 pm | Read time: 3 minutes

With all their might, people lift the mattress off the bed, drag it across the floor, and spread it out on the balcony. Then they add a sheet, a few pillows, and a blanket–voilà, a new sleeping spot with a view of the sea as the cruise ship sails on the water. This is increasingly seen on social media. Many videos go viral, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes, and the “trend” continues to spread. But as special as this balcony sleeping spot on a cruise ship may seem, the cruise lines are not pleased.

Balcony Trend is “Absolutely Crazy”

Several cruise lines have already responded to the trend–Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, called the whole affair “absolutely crazy” on Facebook. In his post, he clarified that a video viewed millions of times was not filmed on a Carnival ship. He also hopes no one ever tries such a thing on one of their cruise ships.

Also interesting: On this cruise ship, robots provide entertainment

With a wink, he also reveals the consequences: Passengers caught doing this must spend the rest of their vacation working as a cabin steward, making beds and cleaning cabins.

He further explains that if you want to sleep in the night air, you can simply leave the balcony door open. That’s perfectly fine.

Here you will find content from third-party providers

To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.

Activate

In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.

Cruise Lines Fear Risks

But why are cruise lines against placing the mattress on the balcony and sleeping there? According to the travel blog “Your mileage may vary,” the companies primarily see safety risks. Mattresses could block emergency exits or pose a tripping hazard, leading to falls and injuries.

Another issue mentioned, less dangerous but more annoying, is that the mattress and bedding become damp from the high humidity of the sea air. The cleaning staff would then need to replace them entirely.

However, the house rules or terms of carriage of major cruise lines do not explicitly state that furniture in the cabin cannot be moved. Nor is there any information that passengers cannot sleep on their balcony with a mattress.

In a query from TRAVELBOOK to Aida Cruises, there is no clear prohibition against passengers sleeping on their balcony with a mattress during the cruise. However, it is noted that all balcony cabins have a hammock where you can enjoy the fresh sea air and listen to the ocean waves both during the day and in the evening. This combines the special outdoor experience at sea with a high standard of safety and comfort, they further state. Here, too, the focus is on safety.