Carnival Cruise Line Requests Guests Do One Important Thing
Every traveler wants their perfect cruise vacation with nothing but blue skies and smooth seas. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, and when things do go wrong, it can sour the whole experience.
Carnival Cruise Line guests are lucky they have someone to reach out to with comments, inquiries, requests, and yes, even complaints – the official Brand Ambassador, John Heald. Through his popular Facebook page, Heald interacts with hundreds of guests every week.
While he does always remain polite and humorous in his responses to guests (except when his less-than-courteous alter ego, Bob, makes a rare appearance), Heald does wish guests would do one thing before sending complaints to him.
“I read comments where people tell me what was wrong with the cruise. I get that, it’s my job to listen and I want people to tell me these things,” he explained.
“However, what drives me absolutely stark raving bonkers is when every day, and yes it is every day, that when I investigate with the ship … [I learn] ‘Um, there are no reports here from the guest.’ Nothing was reported, nothing was said.”
When following up on a complaint, Heald will contact the ship in question and the department head who would typically address the issue.
This could include the Guest Services Manager as well as the Hotel Director, Dining Room Manager, Security Chief, or any other department necessary.
For a bathroom issue, for example, Heald would check with the ship’s engineering, maintenance, and plumbing teams. For a dining issue, he would check with the associated Maitre ‘D, the Head Chef, and the assigned dining room team.
What is so frustrating, however, is when Heald follows up but learns that the guest – who has come to him with the complaint – has not actually filed a report onboard. He notes that the crew members he contacts always respond in the same way.
“They always add something along the lines of ‘I wish the guest had told us because we could have helped,’” he said.
Cruise crew members work spectacularly hard to try and ensure that every guest has an enjoyable vacation. When a problem arises, they can’t help correct it if they don’t know about it.
Issues Crew Members Can Set Right
Heald goes on to share examples from recent guests and how crew members might have been able to resolve different problems and preferences.
“What has happened to the warm chocolate melting cake on the Carnival Sunshine. I ordered it every night and it was overcooked each time. Your chef needs to go back to cooking school,” one guest noted.
Despite ordering the iconic dessert every night and being disappointed each time, the guest never reported their preferences to their dining team.
I have personally been in this situation and all it took was one mention to my waiter and every melting cake for the rest of the sailing was the perfect firmness I enjoy.
Heald shares another example, one even more serious for cruise ship safety.
“Every night the person on the balcony directly below us on Deck 8 was smoking. This woman can kill herself but why should I not be able to use my balcony because of her. Smokers are disgusting people and her disregard for me and others on balconies near hers proves my point. The crew did nothing to stop her,” one guest described.
“This is a very important one. The crew didn’t do anything to stop her because they didn’t know,” Heald said. “Having checked with the ship there were no reports made by this guest or indeed any guests from cabins around the area. … The cruise was 8 days long, the guest says this lady was doing it every night, yet there were no reports. If there had have been I promise the right steps would have been taken.”
Heald explains that smoking on balconies is of course absolutely forbidden – as is noted in every cruise ship safety briefing. Carnival Cruise Line’s Cruise Ticket Contract, section 9(b), explicitly outlines the smoking policy and consequences for violating it.
“Smoking is only permitted in designated areas. Guest agrees to refrain from smoking in non-designated areas and agrees that Carnival has the right to assess up to a $500 charge, per violation, and to disembark the Guest for failure to observe Carnival’s Tobacco and Marijuana Smoking Policy with no refund to the Guest,” the contract reads.
Smoking is not permitted on balconies, or indeed, in any guest staterooms of any kind. Yet if crew members are unaware of smoking violations, they cannot stop the behavior or issue any punishments.
Yes, I have reported a balcony smoker on a cruise, and yes, the ship’s security responded promptly and without mentioning my name or cabin number to the guest as they resolved the issue. For the rest of the cruise, there was no smoking.
Read Also: Can You Vape on a Cruise Ship and What Are the Policies?
“I get that some people do not like confrontation. But please, don’t be worried, the crew are there for you,” Heald said. “That’s why our crew are the best in the industry because they truly do care, they want to exceed your expectations.”
All Carnival cruise guests, no matter whether it is their first sailaway or their fiftieth, are urged to let crew members know if there is a problem or concern of any kind.
While not all problems may be able to be fixed, the crew will do everything possible to try and give every guest a memorable and fantastic FUN vacation.