Two Carnival Cruise Line passengers are suing the company claiming they woke up covered in bed bug bites during a sailing earlier this year.
According to a complaint filed in the U.S. Southern District of Florida, Carnival customers Catherine Shockley and William Maycock were onboard the Horizon cruise ship for a voyage in mid-February. On the morning of Feb. 17, the customers claim they “felt something itchy on their legs and arms which resembled insect bite marks.” They discovered the spots after sleeping one night inside their cabin. However, the complaint alleges they were still unaware of the cause.
The next morning, the guests claim more itchy red marks had developed on their shoulders and upper arms. Later, they noticed even more red markings on their faces, hands and buttocks.
“Shockley searched the stateroom and discovered live bed bugs in multiple stages of life, fecal spotting and eggs,” the complaint alleges. “[She] identified the cause of the red markings as bed bug bites.”
The guests claim they found more than 30 individual bites and took photos of them.
According to the complaint, the guests then “notified their stateroom attendant and reported the incident to guest services.”
As a result, the complaint claims the guests suffered “painful welts that required medical treatment and mediation, multiple dark splotches, loss of sleep, mental distress, loss of personal property and economic loss.”
A representative for Carnival told PEOPLE they do not comment on pending litigation, but pointed to the company’s
Carnival Cruise Lines Passengers Allegedly Wake Up Covered in Bed Bug Bites: Complaint
