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 “extensive and thorough guest room sanitation process, including special procedures to address the rare instances when a guest might raise a concern.”
On Carnival’s website, the company outlines its “Detection and Treatment Plan for Bedbugs.” It claims all stateroom attendants are trained to recognize the presence of bed bugs and are required to complete weekly inspections of each cabin.
“If signs of infestation are present, the room is chemically treated along with all other cabins within that section,” the policy says.
However, the complaint claims neither Carnival’s cabin stewards nor the housekeepers ever took any action.
The plaintiffs are suing the cruise line on three counts of negligence, saying it would never had happened without negligence in their inspection and maintenance.
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According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bed bugs are not known to carry and spread diseases to humans. However, they can cause itching, loss of sleep and sometimes an allergic reaction.
“Bed bugs are in five-star hotels and resorts,” the department wrote. “How clean a place is does not determine whether bed bugs are present.”
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The CDC also runs the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) to help the cruise industry prevent and control public health issues. Each year, the department inspects every cruise ship under its purview and provides a score and corrective report to the cruise line.
Carnival Horizon’s last inspection took place on Feb. 23 and the ship scored 93 out of 100. The ship has consistently scored a 91 or higher since 2018. The department notes a score of 85 or less is not satisfactory.
The plaintiffs’ counsel replied to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but did not immediately offer a comment.
