Carnival Cruise Line is warning passengers not to try to bring their home coffee makers onto their ships, after the cruise line’s Brand Ambassador revealed an interesting message he received.
We recently asked our own followers on Facebook, “If you could add ONE thing to your cruise cabin, what would it be?”. Overwhelmingly, the most mentioned item was either a coffee maker or a Keurig machine.
So, it seems cruisers love their coffee almost as much as cruising, and they’re really wishing they could brew it right by their stateroom.
But after a “Diamond” level cruise passenger’s coffee maker was confiscated, John Heald decided to take the opportunity to warn other passengers.
The passenger’s complaint, posted on Heald’s Facebook page, revealed a “brewing frustration” (pun definitely intended) with onboard coffee options and a perceived inconsistency in policy enforcement.
“We had our Mr. Coffee confiscated on our Radiance journey cruise John. This ruined the experience we had been looking forward to for many months,” the passenger wrote, detailing their disappointment with room service coffee that was “either luke warm, too strong or watered down.” They felt, as “diamond cruisers,” they should “a) have the right to bring a coffee pot with us. b) have a coffee maker in our room.”
Adding fuel to the fire, the passenger claimed to have encountered another cruiser who had successfully smuggled a “portable French Press (via Amazon)” past security. “I would like an explanation to this John,” they demanded.
Heald, known for his candid and often humorous responses, responded directly.
“Thank you so much for writing and thank you for your loyalty,” he began, before delivering the bad news. “Well, I checked on Uncle Google and our website and Mr Coffee cannot be brought on board just as Madam Le French Press cannot be brought on the ship either.”
Heald suggested alternatives, advising the passenger to “call 8000 for another pot and ask them to make it stronger or hotter and as always our crew will do their very best for you. We have excellent coffee on Lido and of course specialty coffees from the Java Blue café.”
He ended his post with a question for his followers: “Where do you get your morning coffee from everyone and what are your thoughts on this coffee post?”
The comments section of Heald’s post was quickly filled with caffeinated opinions and experiences.
“As Diamond you deserve to follow the rules like everyone else. Feel entitled much?” one commenter stated.
Others voiced their opinions on the onboard coffee quality. One admitted, “Lido coffee isn’t awesome sadly. Java Blue is better,” while others encouraged people to embrace the cruise experience as it is, saying, ‘if you want things like they are at home, then we need to just stay home.’
It should be noted that most cruise lines do not allow passengers to pack a coffee maker, so this is not a unique rule for Carnival.
A more common theme in the comments was simply being satisfied with what was offered, even if it wasn’t the same as their own coffee at home.
“I wasn’t thrilled with the coffee but it was no big deal and by far would t ruin my trip. Zero chance I would haul a coffee maker though,” another comment fairly stated.
Carnival’s policy page for prohibited items on their website clearly states that “coffee machines” are not allowed, in addition to several other electrical appliances that could cause issues.
“Electrical and household appliances containing any kind of heating element, such as irons, clothes steamers, immersion heaters, heating blankets, water heaters, coffee machines, hot plates, toasters, heating pads, humidifier, etc,” the policy states.
Coffee drama aside, it’s clear cruisers are passionate about their brews. Will Carnival ever budge on the coffee maker ban? As long as it’s a safety issue that’s unlikely to happen. While coffee quality can always be improved, this is more about the convenience of a morning cup of coffee than anything else.
And our readers were pretty clear that even though coffee makers aren’t allowed on board, it’s a dream that many wish would come true.
