Carnival crew allege meager pay, unsafe food and water on Australian cruises

Crew on Carnival’s three Australian-registered cruise ships claim they endure 12-hour workdays, seven days a week, for wages as low as $2.75 an hour, with occasional tips. They say the meals provided consist of reheated passenger leftovers that may be spoiled, and that the ship’s water supply is suspected of containing tiny worms, forcing them to purchase limited bottled water. Medical assistance is reportedly scarce, with sick workers pressured to return to duty or face ostracism.

These conditions persist because a temporary exemption, renewed since 1998, removes Australian Fair Work Act protections from foreign-flagged cruise vessels. Transport Minister Catherine King’s spokesperson called the allegations “horrifying,” and the Maritime Union of Australia has filed formal complaints, though an Australian Maritime Safety Authority inspection of the Carnival Encounter found no breaches. The federal government is reviewing the 2023 exemption, but findings remain unpublished.