This Unexpected Item Honeymooners Often Try To Pack Is Banned On Cruises

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and even Disney Cruise Lines have nothing against the proclivities of consenting honeymooners. However, these operators and others have many bizarre prohibitions against taking certain items on cruise ships, including an item available at your local Adam & Eve store: handcuffs. (In case you're curious, the TSA, incidentally, has no problem with them.)

So what's the harm in honeymooners with handcuffs? Nothing ... the vast majority of the time. But cruise industry policies prioritize safety and security over kinky fun, as you and thousands of other passengers are aboard a ship in the middle of the ocean for days or even weeks. Emergency protocols call for mobile passengers, not shackled honeymooners. Imagine searching for handcuff keys after the captain calls for an evacuation — you'll end up running for the lifeboats with your hands behind your back and the biggest blush of your life.

It won't come to that, fortunately. Security will flag your handcuffs at the dock and most likely confiscate them, depending on the handcuffs' functionality. Staff will keep them in storage and issue you a receipt so that you can claim them at the end of the cruise.

Handcuffs, leashes, zip ties, and straightjackets are all banned on cruise ships. In an emergency — be it a fire, rogue wave, power outage, or all-too-common food poisoning — freedom of movement is essential. Handcuffs, clearly, restrict movement and could make a bad situation infinitely worse for anyone wearing them.

It's health and safety gone mad, you may say. Well, don't get complacent. Strange things happen. The ocean is vast, cold, and unforgiving, and if you fall into it, you may be on your own. You might become a tabloid news story, too — champagne, fluffy pink cuffs, and balcony rooms with a 50-foot drop could see a honeymoon go from fun to the front page of The Daily Mail very quickly.

There could exceptions, though. Andrew Perry, maritime security officer at Securitas, wrote on Quora that cuffs that can be opened without keys are no problem. Still, operator rules vary. If you attempt to travel with keyless cuffs, expect questions and confiscation.