Carnival Pleads for Guests to Obey Stateroom Access
Every cruiser is eager to start their vacation as soon as they step onboard the ship, but it can be hard to get into the spirit of the getaway when one is toting along carryon bags or every piece of luggage.
It’s a simple thing, just dash to the cabin and drop the bags off, right? It only takes a second, and doesn’t really matter, right?
Any crew members still working in staterooms can simply work around those extra bags – and the people walking to and from staterooms, and families with multiple cabins moving between different spaces.
Unfortunately, that attitude can actually slow down crew members and make their job much more difficult. To help correct that, Carnival Cruise Line is once again urging guests to obey the stateroom availability times.
“Well, here I am again, repeating myself,” began John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador. “This sign is for everybody. Everybody please follow this sign and the rule that it says on that sign.”
Heald accompanied his post with a sign every Carnival cruiser should be familiar with, which clearly states:
“Welcome Aboard! Your Stateroom Steward is adding the finishing touches to your room. Staterooms available from 1:30 PM. Please do not enter.”
These signs are posted on all stateroom corridor entry doors, the heavy fire doors that can close off individual corridors on every deck. They are posted from the time guests on the prior sailing leave the ship until the turnover work is complete and all cabins are open to incoming guests.
During that time period, the fire doors are closed as an additional reminder to new guests that the staterooms are not yet available.
There are three groups of guests, however, who can bypass the sign and still go to their cabin to drop off their bags.
High-level loyalty guests, those who are Platinum or Diamond in Carnival’s Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) program have earned the benefit.
Guests staying in suites and those who have purchased the Faster to the Fun program likewise have the benefit of dropping off luggage before staterooms are officially opened.
Unfortunately, it isn’t just those groups of people who try to take advantage of visiting their cabins early.
“I am posting this again at the bequest of my colleagues on board and for the benefit of our brilliant cabin attendants and housekeeping staff,” Heald said. “Some people will think that sign does not mean them, I know that, but I have to try and help the crew.”
If all guests obeyed the restrictions and only went to their staterooms when permitted, the hardworking cabin attendants would be able to complete their work more quickly. In that case, staterooms might actually be opened well before 1:30 p.m.
I’ve passed through the fire doors and dropped bags off in my stateroom early. As a Platinum guest with Carnival Cruise Line – I’ve been sailing with them for more than 20 years – it’s a privilege I’ve earned, but one I try very much not to take for granted.
Unfortunately, I’ve also seen many other guests ignore the sign and simply do as they wish, even without a Platinum (or Diamond) Sail & Sign card, entering a suite, or having Faster to the Fun printed on their boarding pass.
“The people who ignore this sign are probably the same people who ignored the request from flight attendants to stay seated on planes until it’s your turn to leave,” Heald commented – and he’s absolutely right.
The crowds jostling to get off an aircraft can actually make it take longer for everyone to deplane. Likewise, guests ignoring the closed staterooms make it take longer for everyone to have access to their cruise ship cabins.
Could the Benefit Be Removed?
Heald’s urging comes at a critical time for cruise guests eager to continue enjoying what may be the most desirable perk of the VIFP program.
He confirmed recently that the VIFP program is being majorly overhauled, with the new details to be revealed this summer before they fully take effect in 2026.
While no details of the new program have been confirmed, speculation is extremely high that there may be new loyalty levels or tiers added. Some benefits may be carefully reevaluated as well.
It would be easy to remove benefits that are rarely used, as cruise lines regularly examine the perks they offer to past guests and make adjustments based on popularity.
Read Also: 15 Mistakes to Avoid on a Carnival Cruise
While the early stateroom access perk is undeniably popular, it is also abused. If there can’t be a way to curtail that abuse, removing the perk altogether will guarantee it is no longer a problem.
Another option may be to restrict the perk only to a new, higher loyalty tier, or perhaps to restrict it only to longer sailings instead of every cruise.
Of course, the very longest cruises – Carnival Journeys voyages – often have many more high-level loyalty guests, and the early access perk is not always available on those sailings.
The best option for guests now is to obey the sign and only visit their staterooms when they are available, and to recognize that loyalty benefits can – and do – change as needed.