Carnival Cruise Line is facing a new personal injury lawsuit after a former Carnival Elation guest alleged she was hurt while travelling to a shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas, and is now seeking to hold the cruise operator responsible in federal court.
Court records show Karolrae Knight filed suit against Carnival Corporation on 20th March 2026 in the Southern District of Florida over an incident that allegedly took place on 24th March 2025.
According to the claim, Knight had booked Carnival’s “Swimming with the Pigs: Express” excursion in Nassau, a tour sold through the line that includes a short boat transfer to Pig Beach and around 30 minutes with the animals. Carnival’s excursion listing describes the experience as an express option built around a quick trip out to meet the swimming pigs.
Instead, the lawsuit alleges the outing went wrong before the excursion properly began. Knight says she was seated on a bench with two other passengers aboard the small transfer boat when the seat suddenly gave way about 10 minutes after departure.
The complaint states: “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 filing continues: “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.”
Passenger Claims Injuries Continued After Return To Ship
Knight alleges she was unable to continue with the tour and was instead taken back to Carnival Elation, where she was reportedly diagnosed by the ship’s medical team with a fractured tail bone.
The claim further alleges that her condition worsened after the cruise and that follow-up treatment ashore identified more serious spinal injuries, including a bulging disc and tear at L4-L5 and another tear at S1.
She is seeking damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and lost holiday costs, and has requested a jury trial.
The lawsuit argues that Carnival should still bear responsibility even though the excursion itself was run by an outside operator.
Knight’s legal team alleges the cruise line marketed the tour, sold it directly to guests and profited from it, while also failing to provide sufficient warning about the risks involved or clear enough notice that the excursion would be operated independently.
That point is likely to sit at the centre of the legal fight. Carnival’s own published shore excursion terms state that tours and related transportation are operated by independent contractors, not by the cruise line itself.
In its shore excursion FAQ, Carnival says: “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 legal terms go further, stating: “Carnival neither supervises nor controls their actions, nor makes any representation either expressed or implied as to their suitability. Carnival sells tickets for all such services as a convenience to Guests only.”
Another Test For Cruise Excursion Liability
The case is the latest example of the legal tension around cruise line-run shore excursion sales, where passengers often book through the ship but the on-the-ground operation is handled by a third party.
Similar arguments are appearing in other recent filings involving Carnival. In one lawsuit filed on 26th February 2026, three Carnival Sunrise passengers alleged they were injured on a tender ride to Princess Cays and accused Carnival of negligence linked to bench safety and the handling of the boat in rough conditions.
In another case reported on 2nd March 2026, a passenger sued Carnival over a Puerto Vallarta excursion accident involving an alleged fall into an unmarked ravine.
Cruise lines have often relied on their ticket contracts and excursion disclaimers in defending these claims.
A January 2026 order in a separate Norwegian Cruise Line shore excursion case found that written disclaimers in the passenger contract and excursion paperwork defeated apparent agency arguments, underlining how important those terms can be once a case reaches court.
That does not decide Knight’s claim, but it does show the kind of legal issues likely to shape Carnival’s defence.
For now, the Nassau case remains at an early stage. What is already clear is that the lawsuit once again puts scrutiny on the gap between how cruise lines market shore excursions to passengers and how much responsibility they ultimately carry when something goes wrong off the ship.
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