Two passengers have filed a lawsuit against Carnival Cruise Line after claiming they were repeatedly bitten by bed bugs during a February cruise on the Carnival Horizon. The guests, Maryland residents Catherine Shockley and William Maycock, said they started noticing red and irritated marks on their arms, legs, and other parts of their bodies after sleeping in their cabin.

According to the complaint filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida, Shockley inspected the stateroom and reported finding live bed bugs in various stages of development, along with fecal spots and eggs, which are signs of an active infestation. The lawsuit states that photographs documented more than 30 bites on the passengers, although the images were not included in the filing.

Carnival responded by saying it does not comment on active legal cases, but noted that the company follows a detailed sanitation process and has specific procedures in place for the rare situations in which a bed bug concern is reported.

Carnival’s website explains that stateroom attendants are trained to recognize bed bug activity and are required to conduct weekly inspections that include beds, curtains, carpeting, and other parts of the room.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that bed bugs can be found in many environments, and cleanliness alone doesn’t determine their presence. These insects are not known to transmit disease, but their bites can cause itching, disrupt sleep, and sometimes trigger allergic reactions.