Every cruise passenger is given a great souvenir as soon as they board their ship on every single voyage – the credit-card-sized ship card, which serves as their room key, onboard charge card, and security identification.

Twice in recent weeks, however, Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests to ask if there would be interest in recycling the cards, rather than keeping them.

The question comes from John Heald, the cruise line’s official Brand Ambassador, following guest inquiries about such an option. Heald asked the question in his popular daily polls, with choices for both recycling keys as well as keeping them as souvenirs.

The first poll was conducted on Monday, September 30 as part of a round-up of several questions. In total, more than 21,550 votes (25%) agreed that “I do not want the keys to be collected at the gangway as I do keep mine as a souvenir.”

In contrast, just 2,580 votes (3%) were cast for “I agree, the cabin keys should be collected at the gangway and recycled. I do not use it again or keep it as a souvenir.”

To be clear, the percentages do not add up to 100% because the poll includes multiple questions on different topics, and voters can choose multiple selections.

A second poll with similar choices was posted nearly a month later, on Tuesday, October 22. While not as many votes have yet been cast in that more recent poll, the numbers favoring keeping souvenir cards is even higher.

As of this writing, more than 15,100 votes (31%) favor “I always keep my cabin key as a souvenir so I would not dispose of it as I left the ship.”

Just 2,440 votes (5%) would prefer “That there should be a place for people to dispose of their cabin key as they leave the ship so Carnival can recycle all the wasted plastic.”

While Carnival Cruise Line does not currently offer a ship card recycling option, it is an interesting idea. This is particularly true as the cruise line has taken other steps to remove single-use plastics from their ships, such as no longer offering pens in cabins, switching to edible or degradable straws, and not using plastic coffee stirrers.

While most cruise guests certainly seem to prefer keeping their cards as a fun souvenir – I have a whole stack myself – there are obviously thousands of travelers who would appreciate the recycling option, especially if it was voluntary.

“I believe there should be a bin to discard our S & S cards. It doesn’t mean you have to use it. If you want it as a souvenir, then by all means keep it. But having the option to recycle them is a great idea!”

“Some people save their cards and some don’t. Having a place for the latter to dispose of theirs if they see fit does not impede those who wish to keep their cards.”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a receptacle for the sail and sign cards so the ones that people don’t save for keepsakes can be recycled.”

Read Also: Tips to Disembarking a Cruise Ship

It would be very easy for the cruise line to install a “deposit unwanted cards here for recycling” bin on the ship gangway or in the cruise terminal for use during debarkation – after guests have successfully been processed off the vessel, of course.

This would be similar to the photo recycling bins available in the onboard Pixels photo galleries on ships where photos are still printed and not yet digital, giving guests the chance to properly discard photos they do not want to purchase.

Can Ship Cards Even Be Recycled?

Cruise travelers should know that recycling their ship cards once they reach home might not be easy. While the small squares of plastic are recyclable, not all municipal facilities may be able to accept such small plastic waste for effective recycling.

Carnival Cruise Line, on the other hand, could collect the cards in such massive quantities that it might be more easily possible for the cards to be effectively recycled.

Each week, Carnival Cruise Line welcomes more than 85,000 guests across the fleet – that is a LOT of shipboard cards. With just the numbers above, that would mean roughly 3,400 cards would be recycled each week, or more than 176,000 cards in a single year. Wow!

What do you do with your ship cards after a cruise ends? Mine simply live in a desk drawer, but I would love a better display option that doesn’t take up too much space. Share your display or souvenir ideas on the Cruise Hive boards!

With early voting now open in multiple states and Election Day just two weeks away for what is already a very contentious US presidential election, many cruise travelers are understandably concerned about following election results while on vacation.

Carnival Cruise Line has responded to multiple inquiries about whether or not election information or voting results would be broadcast in public areas, such as on the movie screen on many ships’ Lido Decks or in bars and lounges onboard.

“I had so many people asking about the election coverage next week on the ships,” said John Heald, the cruise line’s official Brand Ambassador. “Having spoken to our Chief Communications Officer Chris I can confirm there will be no public screening anywhere on the ship of any election coverage.”

To be clear, Carnival Cruise Line does offer a variety of news stations for viewing on individual televisions in guest staterooms. Those news stations are sure to be filled with election coverage up to and even beyond Election Day – Tuesday, November 5. There are no restrictions on travelers watching the coverage in their own staterooms.

What will not happen, however, is such coverage being broadcast in public areas on the Carnival fleet. Instead, the public screens will continue with sports events, scheduled movies, and other broadcasting.

This may be disappointing to some travelers who are following the election results closely, but many guests agree it is the right decision, particularly when opinions and party affiliations can become so heated.

“Exactly the correct decision. What you don’t need is people starting fights over politics.”

“This is the right decision. There is WAY too much derision regarding this election and having it on where people will be drinking and watching together is just a recipe for disaster.”

“Thank you for not showing anything political. I will be on vacation to get away from all of that for a few days.”

Some travelers, however, are upset that they won’t have the “freedom” to stay tuned to election coverage.

“That is ridiculous! This is America! It is our freedom to watch!” one commenter exclaimed, which encouraged further clarification from Heald.

“It has nothing to do with politics or freedom. You have the freedom to watch it in your cabin. You have the freedom to use the Internet to watch it and sit anywhere on the ship you wish to,” Heald confirmed.

“But we are not going to change out schedule of events, movies, and deck parties to broadcast politics on the big screen or any other bars or lounges where we normally have live music. Cheers.”

A number of commenters also point out that even while Carnival Cruise Line brands itself as “America’s Cruise Line,” not all passengers are Americans. Similarly, not all guests will have an interest in political news, regardless of their personal politics.

Read Also: What to Expect When You Go on a Carnival Cruise

Many cruise travelers use the opportunity to completely unplug while on vacation, enjoying their time at sea without worrying about news or problems back at home. Those issues will always be waiting when the ship returns to its homeport.

Contentious TV Broadcasts

It is not surprising that Carnival will not be offering election coverage across public areas onboard. This has been similar to other event coverage that often depends on which networks the cruise line is able to offer as well as whether or not some broadcasts may be troublesome to guests.

For example, Heald often fields questions and requests for sports coverage, such as favorite teams or competitive finals. It isn’t always possible to show every match or meetup, but Carnival Cruise Line does offer the NFL Syndication and Sunday Ticket package for the 2024-2025 season.

When a traveler’s favorite television show or network is not available, the cruise line’s Wi-Fi packages do offer fast enough speeds for individual streaming services if desired.

Two passengers aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s 110,000-gross-ton Carnival Liberty required emergency medical evacuations over the weekend, prompting quick action by the US Coast Guard.

On October 19, 2024, a 66-year-old man displaying stroke-like symptoms was airlifted while the cruise ship was about 55 miles southeast of Southwest Pass, Louisiana.

The following day, on October 20, a 30-year-old woman was rescued after she began experiencing appendicitis-like symptoms while the ship was near Port Sulphur, Louisiana.

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received both reports and coordinated the necessary rescue operations. For each case, a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station New Orleans was deployed to carry out the medevacs.

The emergencies occurred on two separate sailings aboard the 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty. The first rescue occurred as the vessel was completing a 7-night, roundtrip Eastern Caribbean voyage to Key West, Florida, and Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas. 

Occurring on the ship’s final sea day, the man was rescued a day before the cruise concluded its journey in New Orleans.

The following rescue occurred just hours after Carnival Liberty departed Port New Orleans for her subsequent 7-night, roundtrip Western Caribbean sailing to Roatan Island, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico. The ship had left port at 3:30 p.m.

Both the man and the woman were airlifted to University Medical Center in New Orleans, where emergency medical personnel awaited their arrival. At the time of the latest report, October 21, 2024, both passengers were in stable condition.

Prepared for Critical Emergencies at Seas

Though the ship’s medical staff can handle most illnesses and injuries on a cruise, there are times when conditions are too critical for onboard care.

When that happens, the US Coast Guard is notified and responds by swiftly transporting passengers to shore for further treatment. 

Highly trained to handle these urgent situations, the Coast Guard’s rigorous preparation includes extensive medical training, helicopter deployment skills, and physical endurance exercises to make sure they are ready for emergencies at sea.

Read Also: How to Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Cruise Vacation

In recent months, several Carnival passengers have required emergency airlifts. Most recently, on October 6, 2024, a guest aboard the 4,090-passenger Carnival Venezia was evacuated after suffering from a stroke just two days into a cruise that departed from New York City.

The female guest in her 80s was transported to a local hospital in North Carolina for treatment after an air rescue.

Earlier in the year, on August 22, 2024, the Coast Guard performed another critical rescue on Carnival Venezia hours after it departed New York for its 5-night journey to Bermuda. A female passenger in her 50s was airlifted to a New Jersey hospital.

In May 2024, the US Air Force also played a role in a long-range rescue from the same vessel. In that situation, a medevacked child required the support of two helicopters and two support aircraft to assist with refueling while the ship was 350 nautical miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.

And rescues are not limited to passengers. The Coast Guard has also airlifted crew members in need, as was the case on the 3,002-passenger Carnival Sunshine, when a Carnival crew member required urgent medical evacuation near Jacksonville, Florida, on April 27, 2024.

These rescues are a reminder of just how lucky we are to have such skilled Coast Guard and Air Force teams ready to jump into action.

The pen is mightier than the cruise ship – or is it? While much of our world has gone digital and paperless, having a pencil or pen available to jot a quick note on a cruise is still a useful tip for travelers.

But which writing implement is best? Individuals can be surprisingly firm in their preferences for pens or pencils, which has been brought to the attention of Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald.

A quite emphatic comment was made on Heald’s popular Facebook page, where he answers hundreds of questions every day about different onboard concerns, dining arrangements, celebration requests, cruise line policies, and much more.

“Carnival still provides pencils in the cabin. Really?,” the commenter said. “Carnival pencils are unusable. Every other cruise line in the world gives pens, nice pens to take home. What are we supposed to do with a pencil? I hate pencils & so do most adults. My guess is a passenger is less likely to take one as a souvenir. WE WANT PENS.”

The guest notes that they are currently onboard Carnival Horizon, which is sailing a 6-night Western Caribbean itinerary from Miami, with visits to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

As for the writing tools… The pencils Carnival cruise line provides are small golf pencils typically (but not always) in the cruise line’s signature blue. The style can vary by ship and may be with or without erasers or any embossing on the pencil.

Heald responded, explaining the cruise line’s decision to offer pencils rather than pens.

“Yes, we have for some years now replaced the pens with pencils as we work hard to stop single use plastic,” he said. “Respectfully, I don’t have time to ask Uncle Google if ‘every other cruise line in the world has pens in the cabin.’ Something tells me that that this may not be correct.”

It is true that some other cruise lines provide pens in guest staterooms, but other lines offer pencils.

Heald asked his more than 590,000 followers whether or not they use the pencils in the cabins, and many guests responded that yes, they use them for a variety of purposes, both while onboard or after a cruise.

“I may or may not carry a Carnival pencil in my purse at all times…

“Yes, I used the pencil to write my steward a little note every day. If nothing else just to say thank you or great job!”

“I love the pencils! (Also, would like an eraser on them.) They come in handy for the daily puzzles and Sudoku!”

Some travelers do note that pencils aren’t always suitable for writing on luggage tags, as the lead may not be dark enough to be easily legible. Similarly, if pencils aren’t evenly sharpened, they may not be as useful.

Many guests do note that a nice pen would make a fine loyalty gift for Platinum and Diamond VIFP guests. Carnival Cruise Line just recently revealed a canvas baseball cap as the next VIFP gift, but perhaps a pen would be considered as a future option.

Do You Need a Pencil Onboard?

How necessary is a pen or pencil onboard? While in years past, guests reading the paper Fun Times might have wanted a highlighter or pen to mark the activities they were interested in, today, many guests prefer using the Carnival Hub App.

Carnival Cruise Line does provide daily games and puzzles, however, that need a writing tool. Sudoku puzzles, word searches, and crosswords are all available for guests to enjoy at their leisure.

Some of the competitive activities onboard – trivia contests, for example – also require guests to write down answers, and small pencils are provided at those activities.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Addresses Cheating Claims at Trivia

A pen or pencil can also be very helpful for leaving a note for the cabin attendant, such as requesting an extra pillow, blanket, or hangers.

If guests want to tip their cabin attendant or dining team a little extra, a personal thank you note can also be a great touch to accompany that gesture.

Personally, I always try to bring my own pen or pencil just in case, but I don’t have a strong preference for which one to use. Do you? Share your writing implement preferences on the Cruise Hive boards!

With several Carnival cruise ships receiving significant updates during recent dry docks – including Carnival Panorama earlier this month – more and more non-smoking casinos are now available across the Fun Ship fleet.

Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald has confirmed exactly which ships offer a non-smoking casinos, which can help travelers plan which ship they next want to sail on, if such venues are significant to their preferences.

The ships that currently have non-smoking casinos are include all three Dream-class vessels: Carnival Dream, Carnival Magic, and Carnival Breeze. Likewise, four of the line’s Vista-class sister ships, Carnival Vista, Carnival Panorama, and two of the “Italian Style” ships, Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze, feature non-smoking casinos.

Finally, all three of Carnival’s largest ships, the Excel-class Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee have non-smoking casinos.

This brings the total of committed non-smoking casinos onboard Carnival ships to 10 with the new addition aboard Carnival Panorama, but there are also other non-smoking casinos in certain regions.

Carnival Splendor and Carnival Luminosa also have “no smoking rules” while the ships are homeported in Australia. When sailing in Alaska for the northern summer season or when deployed to other regions, the ships do not have non-smoking casinos as yet.

The move to add non-smoking casinos onboard has been increasing over the past few years, particularly as smoking rates in the US have declined. According to Statista.com, when Carnival Cruise Line was first founded in 1972, roughly 48 million adults in the US were smokers. In 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, that number had declined to 28 million.

Further adjustments may be coming to Carnival Cruise Line’s casinos if guest feedback is factored into future operational decisions.

Many travelers would prefer that the smaller casino rooms, sections, and annexes – which are currently designated as the non-smoking areas – be swapped into the smoking areas, with the larger main casinos used as non-smoking facilities.

Opinions can be sharp on either side, however, and every traveler is different. Some Carnival guests cite medical concerns, such as asthma or COPD, as reasoning for better separation between smoking and non-smoking venues.

Others note that the smell of smoke can permeate all nearby areas and waft into hallways and corridors, even if they are designated as non-smoking.

It should be noted that even inside the smoking casinos, Carnival Cruise Line does use sophisticated air filtration to help clean the air and control odors.

All travelers should be aware that during embarkation day when most ships’ casinos are serving as muster stations for guests to check in as part of their safety drill, all casinos are fully non-smoking spaces. Once the muster drill is complete, smoking will be allowed.

Where Is Smoking Permitted Onboard?

All Carnival ships do offer designated smoking areas. These are located on various outer decks and are clearly marked. Smoking in other areas, such as around the main pools, in restaurants, or in the adults-only Serenity area, is strictly prohibited.

Furthermore, the cruise line has strongly debunked an internet “hack” that an extra tip to one’s cabin attendant would encourage them to “look the other way” for smoking on a cabin balcony, which is simply not true. Any guest found to be smoking on the balcony would be subject to severe fines as per the cruise ticket contract.

Read Also: Can You Smoke on a Cruise Ship? – What to Know

All Carnival guests should note, however, that no smoking is permitted anywhere onboard during ship refueling operations, whether on embarkation day or if a ship is in a port of call. Once refueling is complete, an announcement would be made and smoking areas would reopen.

If guests are unable to locate a smoking area, a quick visit to Guest Services and a polite question would offer great help, as crew members would be happy to direct passengers to the nearest smoking area onboard.

It isn’t unusual for cruise passengers to accidentally overspend on vacation, whether from that can’t-be-missed souvenir in port to extra tips for a favorite bartender to little extras on a private island.

While many expenses can be put on credit cards or even on guests’ onboard ship accounts, if cash is running a little short, a trip to the ATM may be necessary.

Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, has hinted, however, that this popular onboard service may be under consideration to be discontinued.

While he makes no such confirmed announcement that ATMs will be removed from Carnival ships, he has recently asked guests about their popularity.

“Do you ever use the ATMs on board?” he asked. “Are they something you think we should keep? Thoughts please.”

While Heald answers hundreds of guest questions every day, it is much more rare that he asks for feedback on what could be a major change coming to the cruise line.

Guest feedback, however, is often instrumental in making such decisions, and cruise lines do want to take into consideration how their travelers feel about certain changes when possible.

More than 1,500 comments have been made answering Heald’s question, and by far, travelers prefer to have ATMs available for convenience or emergency use.

“In an emergency situation, I was thankful there was one and I’m sure anyone in an emergency situation would appreciate having one.”

“Yes, I used them. Please don’t get rid of them. Saves you from having to go to Guest Services if you need some extra cash before heading off to explore a port.”

“Absolutely keep them! We cruised on the Freedom a couple years ago and our cards kept getting declined! Luckily they worked in the ATM so we switched to a cash account.”

Quite a number of guests do mention that the high fees associated with ATMs make them less desirable to use. Onboard Carnival ships, that fee is currently $6.50 per transaction.

Carnival’s website discusses details of the onboard ATMs, including that there is a $500 per transaction withdrawal limit and that “the supply of money may be depleted prior to the end of the cruise,” in which case the ATMs will not be useful for travelers later on longer voyages.

Every Carnival ship has several ATMs available for guests to use. There is usually at least one located in the ship’s casino, and additional ATMs are often located either in the ship’s retail area (or areas) as well as near the Guest Services desk or the main atrium.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Gratuities – How Much and Why?

Onboard ATMs are available passengers whether a ship is at sea or in port, unlike other onboard services that may be required to be closed when a ship is in port.

In addition to withdrawing cash, many passengers also explained that they have used ATMs as a bill breaker to exchange large bills for smaller ones. This can be very convenient for tipping crew members or having small bills for use in port.

An ATM is not necessary to break bills, however. Specialized bill breaker machines are available in every ship’s casino, or guests can break large bills at he casino cashier’s desk or at the Guest Services desk onboard.

Why Remove the ATMs?

With ATMs so convenient for guests, why could Carnival Cruise Line be considering removing the cash-dispensing kiosks?

Outdated equipment, maintenance concerns, or even corporate fees for the convenience of having ATMs onboard could all be factors the cruise line may need to keep in mind as they make a final decision.

With Carnival ships sailing worldwide itineraries and vessels repositioning to new regions periodically, concerns about currency exchange rates and keeping the machines stocked with appropriate currency for different destinations may be a unique challenge as well.

Have you ever used ATMs onboard a Carnival cruise ship? Would you miss them if they were gone? Share your thoughts on the Cruise Hive boards!