Carnival Cruise Line bans Texas nurse for life after she was stopped from boarding a ship with a pack of CBD sleeping gum in Miami, leaving her family $10,000 out of pocket for tickets

A Texas woman has been banned from Carnival Cruises for life after she tried to board the ship with CBD gummies to help her sleep.

MelindaVan Veldhuizen, 42, of Texas planned to take her family on a Carnival cruise in August to celebrate her son’s 21st wedding anniversary and senior year.

The Dallas-based nurse was a regular on cruises — she even had priority boarding for her ocean voyages departing from Port Miami.

But Carnival Cruise Line has now banned her from ever setting foot on one of their ships again after a flight attendant discovered her CBD gummies – banned by the company – during a routine baggage search.

“I have trouble sleeping, so it was just to make sure I could sleep on the trip – so if there were any problems, I could sleep.” I’ve always traveled with them, no problem,” Van Veldhuizen said.

When an employee found rubber tires in her luggage, she was prevented from boarding the ship.

Her family decided they couldn’t board without her and didn’t end up going on vacation with the rest of the passengers.

Van Veldhuizen said: ‘It seems like an extreme measure to me. The captain finally came down and the man said based on the weight of your rubber tires you wouldn’t be able to get on board.’

Not only did they prevent her from boarding a Carnival ship for her cruise – they also banned her from ever traveling with the cruise line again.

The letter was sent to “confirm” Van Veldhuizen’s conversation with Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Horizon staff, where she was informed that she would be disembarked and “will not be allowed to sail on any Carnival Cruise Lines ship” in the future.

The papers said the decision was based on her ‘actions’ on the cruise – when she tried to bring non-THC CBD gummies onto the ship in her luggage.

Rocco Lubrano, the ship’s captain, justified the decision because the rubber tires apparently ‘interfered with the safety and/or enjoyment of other guests on board’.

A Carnival spokesperson told Local News 10 that there are messages about marijuana and related prohibited items before the cruise and on the cruise’s website

Carnival says it cites CBD as against the rules and claims it is banned in several ports it departs from.

Van Veldhuizen was told that she would be responsible for her own travel expenses and that any future bookings would result in cancellations.

A Texas woman is now $10,000 out of pocket.

Marijuana and marijuana derivatives are against the ship’s rules – but CBD gummies are not, says Van Veldhuizen’s lawyer – Darren Stabinski.

According to cruise expert Stuart Shearon, just because a substance is legal at point A doesn’t mean you can take it to point B.

“They have certain items that are not allowed on the ships,” he told Fok35.

“People need to follow those rules to keep themselves and everyone else safe.”

CBD is an extract from the hemp plant – which is a non-intoxicating type of cannabis.

The makers of CBD gummies claim that the candies are effective in relieving anxiety, depression, pain, inflammation and can help improve sleep.

Even as states across the U.S. continue to ease penalties for marijuana use, cruise lines have reaffirmed their stance that guest numbers are rising to pre-pandemic levels.

In August, the International Cruise Lines Association predicted that passenger numbers would exceed pre-pandemic levels, with 31.5 million passengers this year.

But with more guests, it’s more likely that at least a few will break the rules.

Passengers may want to think twice about bringing marijuana on board, as detection of the drug can lead to fines, arrest and a ban on future travel.

At Royal Caribbean International – home of the world’s largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas – the use of marijuana is strictly prohibited.