Carnival has recently admitted they are seeing a growing number of mobility scooters on their cruise ships, a number above that of pre-shutdown levels.
But not everyone is pleased with how people are using these scooters on board, in addition to the elevator issues they can sometimes present.
Scooters and elevators are often polarizing issues on cruise ships. Just this year, Carnival released a statement mentioning that any scooter or wheelchair must fit inside the doorway of the cabin to be allowed on the ship.
Now, recent comments by Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald during a Facebook Live video have brought the topic back into focus.
Heald read comments from two different passengers on the issue, adding his take to the complaints.
One passenger expressed frustration with the challenges of sharing elevator space with mobility scooter users.
“Why on the new ships can they not put a wheelchair mobility scooter elevator only for those people on mobility scooters or in wheelchairs,” the passenger wrote. “People do not automatically let us in and they jump on leaving no room for those on mobility scooters or who have walking challenges and in wheelchairs. This is really a must have.”
Heald acknowledged the passenger’s concerns but brought up the logistical nightmare of having dedicated elevators.
“The reason we cannot do this,” he explained, “They have a single elevator. We would have to have a crew member to control it and that crew member would have to be on every floor and in every elevator bank and we just don’t have the manpower to take 20 crew members to do that because not everybody would adhere to it.”
Heald did express openness to exploring potential solutions.
“I will continue to speak to a wonderful young lady who has recently taken charge of our ADA policies and programs and I will send that to her, and perhaps in the future days it’s something we can look at,” he said.
Another passenger was more upset with who was using these mobility scooters, expressing concern about the perceived misuse and abuse.
“The amount of mobility scooters on your ships is ridiculously gross,” she wrote. “I saw so many on scooters, plugged them by the restaurants, and then walk through past all the tables. Carnival is empowering and enabling more people to be lazy and it’s plain wrong.”
Heald addressed this issue directly, confirming the increase in mobility scooter usage.
“You know right now, you’re right, we do see a huge increase in the number of people on mobility scooters compared to even pre COVID,” he admitted.
However, he dismissed the suggestion that the cruise line was encouraging laziness.
“And with the greatest respect, to say that we are empowering and enabling people to be lazy here is nonsense,” he stated.

The brand ambassador also touched on the practicality of verifying the need for a mobility scooter.
“There is nothing that says you have to tell us,” Heald said, explaining that requiring passengers to prove their need for a scooter would be impractical.
The debate over mobility scooters has many different perspectives. As Heald has stated, 99% of the people on a cruise ship will make room for someone on a scooter in an elevator or will use a scooter only if it is necessary.
It’s often the ones abusing the system that receive most of the attention, so it’s important to point out that there are cruisers who very much need this mobility devices to enjoy a vacation.
As a side note, you can check out our article on cruise elevator etiquette to see some guidelines in being polite and respectful with elevator usage on a cruise.
As the number of scooter users continues to rise, it is likely that this issue will remain a topic of discussion for both passengers and cruise industry leaders.
While cruise lines strive to accommodate passengers with disabilities, they also face challenges in managing the increasing number of mobility scooters on board.
As someone who had his toe crushed by a mobility scooter in an elevator, I can say I still have the utmost respect for those who require mobility assistance on a cruise. I just wish the elevators were a tad larger.