Carnival Cruise Line will fine passengers $500 for rowdy behavior

Carnival — the cruise line that bills itself as "all about fun vacations" and invites guests to "come as they are" — also wants passengers to keep a check on their unruly selves.

The cruise line is now cautioning rowdy guests that they could be hit with a $500 fine and have to cover any costs they cause if they have to be detained or taken off board ahead of time, according to a recent update to Carnival's ticket contract.

"Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and any guest whose conduct affects the comfort, enjoyment, safety or well-being of other guests or crew will be detained onboard and/or disembarked at their own expense and will [be] banned from sailing on Carnival in the future," the Miami-based company stated.

Outbreaks of passengers behaving badly on Carnival cruises have made the news in recent months. 

A video featured on Twitter shows a September brawl on the Carnival Sunrise in September, with about 30 people fighting between the pool and one of the ship's many bars, according to accounts by the Miami Herald and the blog Cruise Law News.

Another fight broke out on the Carnival Elation in July, according to media reports, including the Florida Times Union. And a huge brawl that began in a nightclub on the Carnival Magic in June required the Coast Guard to escort the ship as it returned to New York. 

Carnival confirmed its revised code of conduct in an email to CBS MoneyWatch.

"Cruise ships, like virtually all parts of travel and tourism — including airlines, amusement parks, sporting events and camping facilities — are experiencing an increase in more agitated behavior by a small number of guests," according to a spokesperson for the company. "Our commitment to the health, safety and security of all of our guests and team members is being demonstrated through the implementation of various measures to assure that our ships remain a welcoming, family-friendly place."

Airlines and flight crews have had their hands full with an increase in misbehavior by the flying public. There have been 2,011 reports of disruptive passengers this year as of October 4, with 721 investigations started, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, earlier this week called it "the most difficult time to work our jobs in the history of aviation."