A cruise enthusiast has shone light on a secret symbol used on cruise ships that indicates a surprising fact about fellow passengers.

In an Instagram video shared by @travellers_411, the man films himself strolling along the corridors of a cruise ship, scanning cabin doors for a particular symbol – a pineapple.

“I am looking for pineapples on the doors because it means they are swingers”, he discloses.

He explains that passengers often decorate their doors and if you spot a pineapple, it’s a sign they’re swingers – people who sexually engage with others for fun outside of a relationship.

After passing numerous cabins, he finally spots a door with a sticker of an upside-down pineapple reading “will swing if pushed”.

The man jests: “Because I’ve had a drink I am going to go in” before knocking on the door as the video concludes.

In a follow-up video, he is seen holding a pineapple sticker, planning to place it on a random door, reports the Mirror.

“There is a swingers community on every cruise,” he asserts.

One follower responded: “So this is why you like cruises.”

Another added: “When we were on a cruise, we always turned the pineapples upside down because of this.”

A TikTok account of the same name has amassed millions of views, with one video being watched over nine million times. In November 2024, Carnival Cruise Line, the world’s largest cruise line, prohibited the use of a secret symbol on its ships.

The brand’s ambassador, John Heald, addressed the issue during a Facebook discussion about the cruise industry.

Responding to a passenger’s complaint about the lack of events for singles, Heald asked his followers how they might have met a significant other while cruising.

One Facebook user suggested that an “upside down pineapple will do the trick”, according to LadBible.

Heald expressed his gratitude for the comment, stating: “Thank you for mentioning that, those are definitely no longer allowed on the ships and they will be removed from any cabin door. Thank you for reminding me to mention that.”

Some users humorously proposed using other symbols, predicting that banning ‘pineapples’ would simply lead to the adoption of a new symbol.

However, others welcomed the ban, recalling instances when the symbol had been placed on their door by someone else.

Certain cruises market themselves as ‘spicy’, such as the Temptation Caribbean Cruise, which offers topless-optional areas, a clothing-optional hotspot, the couples-only Playroom, workshops, thematic pool parties, and theme nights.