Charging Challenges Spark Frustration for Carnival Guests
With the ever-increasing presence of technology in our lives every day, it’s more and more important to be sure devices are charged and ready for action. But what about onboard cruise ships?
One guest has found Carnival cruise ships lacking when it comes to being able to recharge. They reached out to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, about their frustration and what they feel the cruise line needs to do about it.
“We need Carnival to do better to help people who need to be able to charge things on the ship,” the guest explained. “My husband rents a scooter, which he had for our cruise on the Celebration. There is a charging station in the stateroom for your phones but it does not provide enough power to charge a scooter.”
“It took three hours plus to charge it. Not acceptable and with many cruise passengers needing a scooter this must change and change soon.”
Heald noted that he hasn’t heard of guests having difficulty charging scooters in their staterooms before, but promised to check with others and see if there was any possible solution or advice.
Many additional guests shared their thoughts, noting that scooters are often charged at night when they’re not in use. This provides more than ample time for a full recharge, ready for the next day.
Of course, if a scooter needs recharging during the day, it could certainly seem inconvenient if it might take several hours to fully recharge. This could also indicate a problem with the scooter’s battery or other technical issue that needs attention.
Are More Charging Stations Needed on Cruise Ships?
The guest continued with other charging concerns, bringing up charging areas throughout the ship.
“John, Carnival needs to add more wall plugs in the bar areas. We like to use our tablets in quiet bar areas during off hours. There are [no wall plugs],” they said. “There should also be power chargers at the tables on lido and in the [Main Dining Room]. There are not enough of these anywhere on the ship, rooms included.”
Some public areas – libraries, hospital waiting rooms, airports, hotel lobbies, etc. – do offer charging stations that are easily accessible to everyone. But should there be such charging stations in public areas throughout a cruise ship?
Heald offered the question up to his substantial Facebook following, asking if guests really want charging stations in bars, lounges, and on tables in the Lido Marketplace or main dining room restaurants.
The answers, however, may not be what the original guest expected. The overwhelming majority of respondents voted “No, I don’t want or need to have more charging stations around the ship.”
Many guests discussed how they prefer to unplug as much as possible while on a cruise. While it can be useful to read Carnival’s daily newsletter, the FunTimes, through the Carnival Hub app or use a phone for photos of those vacation memories, many travelers prefer to minimize tech usage onboard.
Others noted that if charging stations were available in public areas, this could make some areas even more crowded than usual if people are waiting to recharge instead of returning to their staterooms to do so.
Read Also: Carnival Asks How Cruisers Use Phones – With Surprising Results
Another common concern is that if charging stations were available on Lido Marketplace tables, seating would become even more scarce. This has already been a concern for Carnival Cruise Line, with guests asked not to take up valuable table space for crafts or games during peak mealtimes.
While newer ships may be able to be constructed with more easily accessible recharging options, it can be prohibitively challenging to rewire an older ship for such tech upgrades.
One option travelers can take advantage of is portable power banks that can permit fast recharging on-the-go, which is a great choice for long shore excursions or for devices that need more frequent recharges. Guests would have to purchase such a power bank and be sure they pack it along on their next cruise vacation.