Cruise Door Decoration Rules by Cruise Line (2026)

Door decorations help you find your cabin in a hallway of 200 identical doors. They mark birthdays. They're fun. But each cruise line has different rules about what you can stick on your door.

Royal Caribbean welcomes them. Disney expects them. Carnival allows them with fire-safety conditions. Norwegian banned them in 2019, though crew enforcement varies ship to ship.

Quick Comparison: Door Decoration Policies

Cruise Line	Allowed?	Magnets OK?	Key Restrictions
Royal Caribbean	Yes	Yes	No tape/adhesives, keep it appropriate
Disney Cruise Line	Yes	Required	No tape, no over-door organizers outside
Carnival	Yes	Yes	Fire-retardant materials only, no string lights
Norwegian	No (officially)	Varies by ship	Banned since 2019, inconsistent enforcement

Royal Caribbean Door Decoration Rules

Royal Caribbean is decoration-friendly.

Official Policy

Use magnets only. No tape, nails, or adhesives that leave residue.¹
Keep it appropriate. Nothing offensive. Decorations that violate the code of conduct can be removed without notice.²
Stay on your door. Don't block passageways or extend onto walls.
No flammable materials.

What Works

Magnetic signs, frames, whiteboards for messages, flat vinyl decals, birthday banners.

One cruiser on their whiteboard: "We had a whiteboard on our door, supporting our favorite football team... We had a blast every time we came back to the room and saw different notes added to the board."³

What to Avoid

Skip metallic streamer curtains. One cruiser: "We had a metallic streamer curtain... HORRIBLE but also hilarious... it kept getting sucked into the room and we'd get all tangled up."⁴

Anything bulky that could jam the door or trip people.

Theft

Don't put anything on your door you'd be upset to lose. One cruiser on Utopia warned others about decorations going missing.⁵

Disney Cruise Line Door Decoration Rules

Disney takes door decorations seriously. It's a thing.

Official Policy

Magnets required. No adhesives, tape, or anything that scratches doors.⁶
Must be removable.
Family-friendly. This is Disney.
Stay on your door. Not walls, frames, or walkways.
No over-the-door organizers on the outside. Inside your cabin is fine.⁷
No flags or banners on balconies.

Fish extenders for gift exchanges are separate and permitted.⁸

The Disney Door Thing

Walk any hallway on a Disney ship and you'll see elaborate setups. Disney characters, movie themes, custom designs. First-timers are often surprised: "I had no idea people do this to their rooms on Disney Cruises."⁹

What Works

Custom Etsy magnets. DIY laminated designs with neodymium magnets on the back. The Mickey head door number trick (using the round door plaque as Mickey's head). Whiteboards with daily questions. Layered construction paper for 3D effects.

Or upload your own family photo and get a cartoon-style magnet that's uniquely yours.

One cruiser: "I decorate our door like I decorate our Christmas tree... it's not elegant but I can tell you the story of each one."¹⁰

Undercover Tourist recommends laminating for durability and using strong neodymium magnets to prevent sliding.¹¹

Theft

Happens even on Disney ships. One cruiser's wife had a personal magnet "swiped" after multiple trips. Don't bring anything sentimental.¹²

Carnival Cruise Door Decoration Rules

Carnival allows decorations but cares more about fire safety than the other lines.

Official Policy

Fire-retardant materials required. This is the big one.¹³
Door only. Not frames, walls, or railings.
Magnets or Command Strips.
No string lights. Including holiday lights. Wiring is a fire risk.¹⁴
PG-13 content.
Over-the-door organizers go inside and must be fire-retardant.

The Magnetic Door Problem

Not all Carnival cabin doors are magnetic. Some won't hold magnets at all. When this happens, cruisers use Command Strips or tape despite the policy.¹⁵

Test your door when you board.

Participation

Maybe 10-30% of passengers decorate on Carnival. Higher on themed cruises like Halloween.¹⁶

One cruiser decorated for elderly parents: "It helps us quickly know YAY correct floor."¹⁶

String Lights

Carnival explicitly bans them. Enforcement is inconsistent. Cruise Hive reported photos of illuminated doors despite the policy.¹⁴

Follow the rules. Getting decorations confiscated isn't worth it.

Last Night

Stewards often remove door decorations on the final night. Don't be surprised if your setup is gone when you return from dinner.¹⁷

Theft

"One of my magnets was stolen before we even left the embarkation port."¹⁸

Norwegian Cruise Line Door Decoration Rules

Norwegian banned door decorations in 2019. They're the outlier.

Official Policy

Norwegian's FAQ lists door decorations as prohibited items, citing fire hazards.¹⁹

Travel Weekly covered the ban when it happened.²⁰

All door decorations are banned. Including magnetic ones.

Reality: Inconsistent Enforcement

The ban exists. Enforcement varies by ship.

Some cruisers report decorations staying up the entire voyage. Others have them removed within hours.

One cruiser's experience: decorations stayed up on Encore. But on Escape: "We had door magnets up for a day and were told to take them down."²¹

Another cruiser with 75+ cruises had interactive letter decorations on Pride of America removed after they became popular with other guests.²²

What Cruisers Still Do

Simple name magnets. Family photos. Small magnetic plaques. Nothing that dangles.

Post-pandemic, fewer cruisers seem to bother. But on certain ships, the tradition continues quietly.²³

Industry Reaction

Travel agent Brenda Punchak: "I think it's sad that [Norwegian wants] to do away with that... People love seeing their face on the door."²⁰

Beth Chaffin: "It's really fun, and it really just sets a fun atmosphere in the hallway."²⁰

If You're Sailing Norwegian

Expect your decorations may be removed. Keep it minimal. Simple magnetic name tags draw less attention. Don't bring anything you'd be upset to lose. Comply if crew asks you to take them down.

Best Practices (All Cruise Lines)

Use Magnets

Most cruise cabin doors are metal. Magnets attach securely without damage. Strong neodymium magnets work best. Weak refrigerator magnets slide or fall. Custom photo magnets featuring your family are especially popular—they're conversation starters and you won't be heartbroken if they go missing.

Family-Friendly

All cruise lines require appropriate content. Skip anything offensive or political. A custom family cartoon magnet is always a safe, fun choice that kids love too.

Don't Display Valuables

Theft happens on every cruise line. Sentimental items, expensive custom magnets, irreplaceable photos: keep them inside your cabin.

Ask Your Steward

They know the current enforcement level on your ship. A small tip doesn't hurt.

Whiteboards

Message boards are popular across all lines. Other passengers leave notes. It's a social thing.

"We put a message board up and ask people to write us notes every day. It's fun!"¹⁸

Remove Before Last Night

Stewards clear decorations on the final evening. Take yours down before dinner to keep everything intact.

FAQ

Can I use tape on my cruise door?

No. All cruise lines prohibit tape and adhesives. Magnets are standard. Command Strips work as backup on non-magnetic doors.

Will my decorations get stolen?

Maybe. Theft is reported on every cruise line. Don't display anything irreplaceable.

Do I need to remove decorations before disembarkation?

Good idea. Stewards often clear them on the last night.

What happens if I break the rules?

Decorations get removed. On Norwegian, they may store items inside your cabin. On other lines, items might be confiscated or discarded. No serious consequences, but you lose your decorations.

Are cruise cabin doors magnetic?

Most are. Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Norwegian doors typically hold magnets. Carnival varies. Test when you board.

Can I decorate on Norwegian despite the ban?

Technically no. In practice, minimal decorations sometimes stay up. Depends on the ship and crew. Be prepared for removal.

References

Last updated: January 2025. Policies change. Check with your cruise line before sailing.

About the Author

Clayton LZ

Clayton has been cruising since 2005 when he got married aboard the Adventure of the Seas. Since then Clayton has cruised all over of the Caribbean and Alaska on multiple cruises. He plans to visit the Mediterranean and Northern Europe with his family in the coming summers. When he's not busy cruising he's busy coming up with fun cruise door decoration ideas for CruiseMagnets.