Key Aspects:
- One passenger of Carnival Elation, who was injured when a bench broke during a shore excursion, is suing Carnival for negligence.
- Her legal team alleges that Carnival should have been aware of the danger and was not clear that the tour would be operated by a third party.
- Carnival states on its website that tours are operated by independent companies and the brand does not control their operations.
A former guest of Carnival Elation was injured during a shore excursion, and now she wants Carnival Cruise Line to answer for their alleged role in her accident in court.
Karolrae Knight filed a lawsuit against Carnival Corporation in federal court in Florida on March 20, 2026, after getting injured on her way to a shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas, on March 24, 2025.
At the time, Knight was participating in the “Swimming with the Pigs: Express” shore excursion, which she booked through Carnival Cruise Line.
However, she never actually got to swim with the famous Bahamian pigs because the bench she was sitting on broke shortly into the boat ride to Pig Beach.
Per the lawsuit, which was sent to Cruise Hive by Knight’s attorneys, the Alabama resident was thrown onto the floor when the bench collapsed and nearly fell overboard from the small transport boat.
For context, the popular shore excursion is the shorter of the two pig tours that Carnival offers in Nassau. The experience, which lasts for about two hours, includes a 20-minute boat ride to and from the location and about 30 minutes of interaction with the animals.
“KNIGHT was seated on a bench along with two other passengers. Approximately ten (10) minutes after departure, while waters were calm, the bench suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed,” the claim states.
“The collapse caused KNIGHT to be violently thrown downward onto the floor of the vessel. KNIGHT nearly fell overboard into the ocean. The seating was not reasonably fit for its intended purpose and failed under normal and foreseeable passenger use,” it continues.
The cruise guest was too injured to continue with the tour. She was taken back to the 71,909-gross ton ship, where the onboard medical team diagnosed Knight with a fractured tail bone and provided immediate care.
Knight continued to pursue medical treatment on land after her symptoms worsened, and was subsequently diagnosed with significant spinal injuries, including a bulging disc and tear at L4-L5 and an additional tear at S1.
She is looking for compensation for medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and lost vacation costs. A jury trial is requested.
Transparency Around Independent Tours
Even though the shore excursion was operated by a vetted, independent tour company, Knight’s legal team have accused Carnival of five counts of negligence.
Knight’s legal team believes that Carnival was not transparent surrounding the fact that the tour would be operated by an independent company, nor did Knight interact with the tour provider until the day of the excursion.
Since Carnival marketed, sold, and profited off the shore excursion, Knight and her attorneys believe that they should be held at fault for her accident.
However, Carnival’s website clearly states that the cruise line does not operate any of its shore excursions. It simply sells tours as a convenience to its guests.
“All of the shore excursions, including any related transportation, are operated by local independent companies and they are solely responsible for their products, excursions and any related transportation,” Carnival’s website states.
“Carnival is not responsible for any losses, damage, death, injuries or claims whatsoever arising from, connected with, or related to any activities engaged in by guests while off of Carnival’s ships or tenders in any port of call. This includes all shore excursions, whether sold onboard or by third parties ashore,” the brand continues.
Currently, the cruise line sells 39 shore excursions for Nassau, which are usually enjoyed without any hiccups by guests of Carnival Elation and several other ships in the fleet.
Did Carnival Provide Proper Oversight?
The lawsuit also goes on to argue that the cruise line should have been aware of the dangers associated with the shore excursion and did not properly warn guests.
This argument suggests that Carnival did not provide proper oversight of its contracted vendors. However, the cruise line has made no promise to do so, beyond researching companies to select reputable tour providers.
“Carnival neither supervises nor controls tour operators actions, nor makes any representation either expressed or implied as to their suitability,” Carnival’s website added.
The exception to this is that the cruise line does monitor guest feedback on shore excursions seriously, and will consider switching to different providers if a pattern of problems arise.
At this time, the “Swimming with the Pigs: Express” tour is still available for purchase and has mostly been reviewed positively, with a rating of 4.4 stars out of five on Carnival’s website.
The 2,190-guest Carnival Elation is also still sailing to the Bahamas from Jacksonville, with its current 4- to 5-night itineraries frequently featuring Nassau.
