Some cruisers are worried that the bag drop-off perk with Carnival will be taken away if cruise passengers keep trying to access their staterooms early. Just last week Carnival gave a warning for passengers with the perks not to take naps in their cabins, but instead to drop off their bags and leave.
Now in focus is a moment when a family had to be reminded not to access their cabins early, and Carnival’s Brand Ambassador himself gave the polite reminder. And inevitably there came a little backlash from people saying he was wrong for doing so.
Carnival Cruise Line’s John Heald recently offered his Facebook followers a behind-the-scenes look at embarkation day aboard Carnival Sunrise. His live video, streamed directly from the ship, showcased the preparations underway as the ship geared up for its latest sailing, including the ongoing work to ready passenger state rooms.
During the live broadcast, Heald informed viewers that cabins would not be accessible until the designated time of 1:30 PM, explaining that the crew was diligently cleaning and preparing them.
“So these are the state rooms, they’re not open yet until 1:30,” Heald stated. “The guys are getting them ready and cleaning and everything, but then they’ll be ready. So that’s why that’s on there.”
A candid moment occurred when a family was seen walking towards the cabins, seemingly before the designated time. Heald politely intervened, reminding them of the 1:30 PM access.
“1:30 the cabins are ready, guys. Guys, 1:30 they’ll be ready for you, alright? Okay, no worries. It’s just you can’t go to your cabin at the moment because they’re doing all the cleaning and everything, alright? Just give them a little bit of extra time, otherwise it won’t be ready. You can’t go just yet. I appreciate it, thank you,” he said.
Addressing this interaction with his viewers during the live stream, Heald explained the reason behind his gentle redirection.
“‘Obviously, that was me being polite and telling people,'” he noted. “And we can’t really afford the manpower or person power to have somebody standing on the door for three hours from embarkation till 1:30. So, you know, it’s just a thing where people’s natural right – people want to go to their room, it’s natural. But unless you’re Diamond, Platinum, unless you’re Faster to the Fun, or staying in a suite, please, please, please don’t do that.”
Heald stressed the importance of allowing housekeeping staff the necessary time to ensure rooms are fully prepared for arriving guests, with the goal of a positive first impression.
“We don’t want you to come to your room when it looks like this because first impressions are everything, right? So don’t come to your room because I want the first impression for you to have one where the room is absolutely ready.”
Later, Heald addressed the brief encounter in a written Facebook post, responding to feedback he had received.
“Some of you said that I was wrong to tell the gentleman and his family to come back at 1:30 before going to their cabin,” he wrote. “They ignored that huge sign, perhaps they didn’t see it, but it was at least another hour and a half before the cabin would have been ready.”
Heald firmly stood by his actions, emphasizing that yes, there are actual rules on a cruise ship.
“I’m not going to apologize because I was respectful and I was kind and the state room attendant did not have the cabins ready. They were not Diamond or Platinum, they did not have a suite or Faster to the Fun. So to those who think I should be apologizing to those guests, well, I respectfully don’t feel that I should because them are the rules as they say.”
It’s natural for any cruise passenger to want to check out their cabin as soon as they get on the ship. First-time cruisers are especially guilty of this, but it’s the veteran cruisers that might need this reminder even more.
Many in the Facebook comment section were encouraging Heald, defending how he addressed the family. The truth is, the more people walking the halls and going in and out of cabins while the crew is working, the longer it will take to get everything done.
