Key Aspects:

• One environmentally-concerned guest believes Carnival Cruise Line should discontinue printing the FunTimes newsletter because “NOBODY” reads it.
• On the contrary, thousands of guests responded and prefer the paper copy, whether it is easier to read, more convenient, less glitchy than the app, or just a fun souvenir.
• Carnival Cruise Line previously discontinued printed newsletters after the pandemic, but brought back the FunTimes in early 2023.

In years past, the daily ship newsletter was the only way guests knew what was going on aboard their ship, from games and contests to special events, showtimes, dining themes, retail sales, art auctions, and much more.

Now, as more cruise lines rely heavily on their own apps, are newsletters a waste of paper? One Carnival guest thinks so, and reached out to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, with their concerns.

“Just back from my Legend cruise. Don’t you agree by now Carnival should have come up with some kind of alternative to wasting ALL that paper in the Funtimes. NOBODY reads it,” the guest claimed. “We must protect nature, we must protect the rainforests. You have the Carnival app so why can’t you present this info to people only electronically. There just has to be a better way?”

The guest notes that they are a “proud member” of an environmental organization that seeks to protect ecosystems and combat global warming. There’s no doubt that wasted paper can be a conservation concern, but the key is whether or not Carnival’s FunTimes paper newsletters are useful.

While Heald did not express his personal thoughts on paper newsletters or environmental issues, he did open the discussion to his more than 640,000 followers, asking them:

• A – Yes, I still like the paper copy of the FunTimes.
• B – No, I only read FunTimes on the app.
• C – I do not read the FunTimes at all.

I voted A myself, as I enjoy the paper copy and find it easier on the eyes than a glowing screen. I also think it is more convenient to quickly skim the paper for all the day’s highlights, rather than needing to scroll-scroll-scroll to find out what’s going on.

In just a few hours, more than 2,300 comments from other Carnival fans shared an overwhelming agreement that the printed FunTimes should stick around.

“My wife and I just had this conversation last night. We prefer the paper copy,” one guest noted with an interesting reason. “Carnival’s App is still glitchy at best so until that App works 100 percent perfect 100 percent of the time paper it is.”

It’s true that the Carnival Hub app can be challenging at times, especially if the ship’s internet service is less than reliable.

Many people also prefer to unplug as completely as possible while on vacation and may not always have their phones available (or charged!) to check activities. The paper FunTimes is easy to tuck into a pocket for reference.

In addition to just reading the newsletter onboard each day, guests even shared other uses they have for them. Some guests keep the FunTimes as a souvenir to remember their cruise, or even add it to a scrapbook. Others show them to friends and family members as a way to encourage them to try cruising.

Are FunTimes Recycled?

While it’s true that plenty of paper is needed for printing the FunTimes newsletter, Carnival Cruise Line does recycle.

“Carnival does an awesome job at recycling. I did the Behind the Fun tour and saw if first hand,” one guest noted. “Kudos and a big high five to Carnival and the awesome crew members who sort through all our trash and recycle it all appropriately!”

Read Also: Do Cruise Ships Have Wi-Fi? 5 Things to Know

Of course, the recycling is more than just the FunTimes. Cans and bottles, other paper advertisements, packaging, and more are all carefully sorted for recycling.

Several guests did suggest that Carnival offer an “opt out” feature so guests could alert their stateroom stewards that they don’t need a paper copy. This might help reduce some paper use and provide a good compromise for those who prefer just to use the app.

This isn’t the first time the FunTimes (remember when it was called the Caper Paper?) has been criticized. In fact, Carnival Cruise Line stopped printing the newsletters following the pandemic as part of measures to limit how many people were in and out of staterooms.

The printed copies were so missed, however, that printing was resumed in early 2023 and the FunTimes has been printed ever since. The Carnival Hub app is also updated, so guests can use both options as they wish.

Key Aspects:

• John Heald has shared a rare behind-the-scenes look at the processing of lost items onboard Carnival Conquest on debarkation day.
• Popular items left onboard include sunglasses, jewelry, clothing, toys, shoes, water bottles, and much more.
• The process to reunite a guest with their lost items can take several weeks, depending on the ship’s individual sailing schedule and homeport.

Most experienced cruise passengers have done it at least once: lost an item onboard and hoped they might get it back. Lost-and-found claims can take some time to process, but why?

It can be especially frustrating if you know exactly where you left the item, such as that lip gloss I left on the top shelf in the bathroom, yet days later it still hasn’t been located or returned (honestly, I didn’t care about getting the lip gloss back).

One anxious guest wrote to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, about their frustrations on how long it has taken to track down their items.

“My husband and I were on the Glory. We left behind two bags of souvenirs,” the guest explained.

“I filled out the form on the very same day that I disembarked, describing the items in detail and explaining exactly where in my cabin I had left the bags. That was eight days ago and we still have not had the souvenirs returned. What is taking so long. This is not good customer service.”

Homeported from Port Canaveral, Carnival Glory offers 3- and 4-night Bahamas sailings. Based on the timing of the guest’s inquiry, they were likely on the ship’s September 29, 2025 departure, a 4-night trip that visited Celebration Key and Nassau, along with a fun day at sea.

Heald opted not to share the guest’s question right away because he knew he would be aboard several ships in mid-October and would have the opportunity for a firsthand look at the lost-and-found processing onboard.

Now, he’s shared a video showing exactly what goes on at the Guest Services desk when lost-and-found items are turned in.

While Heald was onboard Carnival Conquest rather than Carnival Glory, the two vessels are sister ships in the same class with the same guest capacity of 2,980 travelers at double occupancy, making their operations very similar.

First, Heald showed the piles and piles of items that were left onboard this one single cruise. Multiple boxes of lost-and-found items were stacked in the office, including:

• Sunglasses
• Jewelry
• Portable fans
• Water bottles
• Charging cables
• Walkie-talkies
• Cell phones
• Clothing
• Neck travel pillows
• Shoes
• Children’s toys
• An umbrella

“This is just from this cruise,” Heald confirmed. “And there is more stuff that is going to come.”

All the items are collected as the housekeeping teams clean out staterooms, making them ready for guests embarking that day.

Throughout the cruise, crew members would also have been collecting and turning in other items that might have been left behind in the casino, tucked under poolside loungers, dropped in the show lounge, or forgotten in other public spaces.

What Happens After Items Are Found?

Once a lost item is discovered, no matter where it was found, it will be turned in. That may first be to a supervisor in the immediate area, such as a casino manager, and later to Guest Services.

Read Also: 10 Worst Cruise Fails You Can Prepare For

Each individual item is then catalogued with notes on where and when it was found, what sailing, and which ship.

“Then it all has to go back to Miami,” Heald noted. “But it won’t go off this cruise, it will go off next cruise because it has to go through customs and all the other paperwork has to be done. And then – and THEN – we will try and get it back to you.”

Since Carnival Glory is homeported from Port Canaveral, when the original poster’s items actually left the ship would have been after the next sailing, on October 3. At that time, the packages would have been transported to Carnival Cruise Line’s headquarters in Miami.

That might take a day or two, depending on how the items were transported and when they were picked up from Port Canaveral.

Heald has previously explained what happens to lost items at the cruise line’s Miami headquarters. They must be sorted and logged by ship and sailing date again, and staff works to match up individual items with lost items reports that guests have submitted.

Once confirmed, Carnival does return the items to guests. The entire process can take two weeks or longer, even when items are lost aboard ships on shorter itineraries.

If a ship is sailing longer itineraries, such as a Carnival Journeys cruise or a transatlantic voyage, it may be even longer before lost items can be returned.