Princess Cruises Bans Visible Tattoos for Crew Members

Princess Cruises has announced a new appearance policy that will require all crew members to cover visible tattoos while on duty, starting 10th September 2025.

The change applies to roughly 30,000 staff across the line’s 17 ships and marks a significant shift from previous guidelines, which allowed visible tattoos provided they were not offensive or inappropriate.

According to the updated rules, tattoos on arms and legs may be covered with neutral or skin-tone sleeves, while makeup or bandages may be used for smaller areas.

The company has said the move is intended to create a more polished, consistent look across the fleet and support a “respectful and inclusive environment” for its wide-ranging guest base.

Supervisors and managers will be tasked with monitoring compliance, though Princess has not yet confirmed what disciplinary action might be taken for violations.

Crew members with concerns have been advised to contact Human Resources.

A Shift in Policy

Until now, Princess Cruises permitted tattoos that were considered “reasonable self-expression”, with restrictions only on neck and face tattoos or those featuring profanity, nudity or political and cultural references.

Smaller tattoos could be covered with makeup or bandages, but large wraps were discouraged.

The cruise line states that the stricter approach brings Princess more in line with Carnival Corporation, its parent company since 2003.

Ironically, Carnival Cruise Line reaffirmed just last year that its own crew members are still allowed to display tattoos onboard, highlighting a difference in corporate style.

Facial piercings remain banned for Princess crew, while jewellery is limited to discreet pieces that do not detract from the uniform.

The company maintains that all dress code rules are designed to ensure a polished image, with clean, pressed uniforms and visible name tags.

Exceptions may be made where tattoos hold religious or cultural significance, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by Princess Cruises’ Shoreside Head of Entertainment.

Opposite Move to NCL

The move is in direct contrast to one made by rival Norwegian Cruise Line in 2023, which previously had tougher rules on tattoos, facial hair and jewellery for crew members.

But in July of that year, the cruise line announced that rules were being relaxed and that visible tattoos were accepted, provided they weren’t on the face, head or the front of the neck (and, of course, that they weren’t offensive).

Those rules also saw crew members permitted to wear more jewellery, as long as it didn’t interfere with their duties, and strict rules on facial hair were also relaxed to allow crew members to have a moustache, beard or goatee, provided they were well maintained.

Of course, those changes are now a couple of years old -perhaps NCL will reverse them if that’s the direction the cruise industry is going in.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.