Thanks for the helpful responses.  Carnival has not responded to my formal request and all agents involved have no clue.  They have apparently never been asked such a question.  The regs are the way I remembered (thanks for quoting them and interpreting them).  I will use no equipment without captain's approval...and no response is no approval.  I never thought that FRS (with it's many careless uses and some abuses)would be preferred over the careful and courteous transmissions of licensed amateurs.  This once again demonstrates the lack of knowledge that the general public has about Ham radio and the operators involved.  We need to expose more people to our hobby / service.  

Has anyone used 2 Meter HT's aboard cruise ships to communicate with licensed family members?  I know that this is up to the discretion of the Captain but I wonder if anyone has approached this subject with a criuse line.  We are planning a cruise in 2 weeks aboard Carnival. I know that many passengers use FRS but we would prefer 2M on low power setting