Many travelers enjoy bringing a small gift to give their stateroom attendants or other crew members, such as favorite bartenders, youth counselors, or cruise directors in thanks for their dedicated and often personalized service.

Carnival Cruise Line is now adapting new guidelines that might mean some gifts are unacceptable. What can grateful cruisers to do to offer thanks without violating the guideline?

Not All Gifts Permitted to Crew Members

For many years, cruise travelers have brought small gifts to give to crew members as appreciation for their helpful service in creating amazing vacations. Items have ranged from treats such as cookies, candy, and snacks to more practical items like phone cards, socks, and toiletries.

Carnival Cruise Line is now introducing a policy to prohibit some gift items, however. Brand ambassador John Heald addressed the new policy on his Facebook page, in response to guests’ questions about items to give crew members.

“There is a new guideline for this,” Heald said. “Please only bring something that is factory sealed and still in the packet or box. Individual candy or cookies etc. won’t be able to be taken by the crew I am afraid. This is for their safety.”

This means that any opened or homemade items will not be able to be accepted, or may be immediately discarded regardless of the item or to whom it is given.

No further details about this restriction were made immediately available, but the new guideline is intended for the safety of the crew. There are several ways that even the most well-meaning gift could be unsafe. Homemade goodies, for example, might have unknown allergens in the recipe, such as nuts that could give a crew member a dangerous reaction.

To best safeguard crew members, Carnival Cruise Line is restricting any gift items that are not in the original, factory-sealed packaging. This will ensure that items have not been tampered with and are properly labeled so their safety is confirmed.

The Best Gifts You Can Give

The quickest, easiest gift to give any crew member who goes above-and-beyond with excellent service is an additional gratuity, a bit of extra cash they can spend on whatever they like. While extra gratuities are never expected, they can be greatly appreciated.

Many cruise ship crew members send their paychecks home to their family members, and a bit of extra onboard cash could be spent on their favorite treat in port when they have a break. This will also ensure that even factory-sealed treats aren’t inappropriate due to allergies or personal preferences.

Read Also: How to Help Out Your Stateroom Steward

While crew cabins onboard are small and space is limited, many crew members also enjoy small tokens to remember guests by.

“The crew love to remember you so if you want to bring them something like a baseball cap, a key ring, or something that will remind them of you and the kindness you showed them then that would be marvelous,” explained Heald.

Consider small items from your hometown like local postcards, magnets, or other fun keepsakes. Other great gifts include personalized notes or a sincere, face-to-face thank you acknowledging superior service. These greetings mean a lot to crew members and can brighten anyone’s day.

Taking extra steps to make crew members’ jobs easier is another way to show thanks. This can be as easy as returning empty glasses to the nearest bar so they don’t need to be collected, discarding trash in appropriate trash cans instead of leaving it on deck, or keeping your stateroom a little neater so it can be cleaned up more quickly by the stateroom attendant.

Have you ever brought gifts to give out to crew members? Share your favorite ways to say thanks on the Cruise Hive boards!

For the first time, Carnival Cruise Line is opening up bookings on a 31-day voyage that will take passengers across three continents, starting in Australia and ending on the US west coast. This will be one of the most unique journeys offered by the Miami-based cruise line, and will set sail in spring 2024.

Carnival Luminosa to Sail 31-Day Cruise

The recently refurbished Carnival Luminosa that transferred from the Costa Cruises fleet as part of the new “Carnival Fun – Italian Style” initiative will take guests on an epic journey spanning three continents across 31 days. It’s one of the longest and most unique voyages in the cruise line’s history and part of its Carnival Journeys offerings.

“This itinerary reads like a travel lover’s wish list. This transpacific voyage on Carnival Luminosa is a truly unique offering,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “As we continue to grow our fleet and our offerings, our team is taking every opportunity to create exceptional new experiences for our guests. This sailing is a perfect testament to that.”

The Carnival cruise ship will begin the long cruise on April 1, 2024, out of Brisbane, Australia, which is where the ship is currently based. In total, the voyage will include nine port visits and 19 sea days. There will also be one day of cruising the Hubbard Glacier for exceptional vistas and views.

There will be a visit to Guam, time in Tokyo, and stops in some of the most popular Alaskan ports of call, including Seward, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Of special interest is the stop in Okinawa, Japan, which will be Carnival Cruise Line’s first-ever visit to that historic and culturally-rich destination.

The cruise will conclude in Seattle, Washington on May 1, 2024, where the ship will remain homeported through mid-September for the Alaskan sailing season, offering 7-night roundtrip itineraries to the Last Frontier. After Alaska, Carnival Luminosa will return to Australia to homeport once more from Brisbane.

One of the Freshest Ships in the Fleet

The Spirit-class Carnival Luminosa is one of the newest ships in the Fun Ship fleet, and wasn’t originally a Carnival ship at all. The ship was transferred from Costa Cruises to Carnival in November 2022, becoming the first ship of the new “Costa by Carnival” program that will also revitalize and renovate the upcoming Carnival Venezia, which will begin sailing from New York in June 2023.

Carnival Firenze will be the third ship in the fleet transfer, setting sail with Carnival in 2024 from Long Beach, California.

To prepare for the transfer, Costa Luminosa became Carnival Luminosa with an extensive refit that brought popular Carnival-branded spaces to the vessel, including the Punchliner Comedy Club, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Bonsai Sushi Express, the Chef’s Table dining experience, and the adults-only Serenity retreat.

The ship also received new gold-and-blue livery during her refit, similar to the red-white-and-blue livery that debuted with Mardi Gras and is being added to the full Carnival fleet.

With a fresh new feel and unique Italian vibes throughout, Carnival Luminosa is a stunning vessel perfect for this stunning new itinerary, with the space to welcome 2,260 guests aboard with service from 926 international crew members.

Guests looking forward to a weekend getaway on Carnival Radiance later this year have just been informed that their cruise has been cancelled due to a full ship charter.

While this will be a disappointment to booked guests, the cancelled voyage is not until December, giving travelers plenty of time to make alternative plans and take advantage of the compensation Carnival Cruise Line is offering.

Carnival Radiance Cruise Cancelled

Guests booked on the December 8, 2023 sailing of the Sunshine-class Carnival Radiance have been informed that their cruise is now cancelled. The sailing was to have been a 3-night roundtrip sailing from Long Beach, California to Ensenada, Mexico, with one day at sea. Now, guests have received an email about the cancellation.

“We are very sorry to inform you that the ship has been chartered and your voyage will be cancelled,” the email read. “We have a variety of alternatives and are confident you will find another Carnival cruise that is filled with an equal amount of FUN.”

Booked guests do have several options. Full refunds of the cruise fare and pre-purchased items such as drink packages, pre-paid gratuities, shore tours, and spa treatments will be automatically returned to the original form of payment.

This also applies to Early Saver reservations, but guests should be aware that refunds can take up to three weeks to process, depending on guests’ bank or credit card policies.

If impacted guests prefer to reschedule to a comparable sailing, their cruise rate will be protected in any similar stateroom, regardless of the vessel. Carnival Radiance is offering 3- and 4-night sailings from Long Beach every week, giving guests plenty of alternative dates to choose from.

In addition to Carnival Radiance, two other Fun Ships are also sailing from Long Beach in December 2023 – Carnival Miracle and Carnival Panorama.

While Carnival Panorama is only offering longer 6-, 7-, and 8-night itineraries, Carnival Miracle is offering shorter 4- and 5- night sailings, as well as the occasional 3-night cruise, that may be eligible for the rate protection. Interested guests should reach out to Carnival or their travel agent for other possible cruises.

“Our team is ready to discuss options and rebook you on another Carnival cruise right away,” the email read.

Guests who do rebook on a different sailing will also receive an added bonus, $25 (USD) per person, up to $50 per stateroom, of onboard credit for the new cruise.

Carnival Cruise Line will also consider reimbursement for independent air arrangements, up to $200 per person for any nonrefundable tickets or change fees. Supporting documentation must be submitted for reimbursement consideration, and acceptance is not guaranteed.

Full Ship Charters

The email does not provide details about the charter, in order to protect the privacy of the charter company and its guests. Many different companies offer charter cruise arrangements through major cruise lines, including not only Carnival Cruise Line but also Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, and Princess Cruises.

Read Also: Norwegian Cruise Line to Host 13 Back-to-Back Charters

Full-ship charters are often arranged for larger groups and made available for purchase to anyone interested or affiliated with the group. These might be LGBTQ+ cruises, church group charters, music or entertainment themes, corporate retreats, or other groups.

While many full ship charters are arranged more than a year in advance to minimize any disruption to already booked guests and to provide the maximum amount of time for charter guests to book their cruise, these cancellations do happen occasionally.

For example, Royal Caribbean International cancelled the October 22, 2022 sailing of Navigator of the Seas just a few months before the sailing due to a charter sailing, and similarly cancelled the September 12, 2022 sailing of Spectrum of the Seas for a full-ship charter. Norwegian Cruise Line cancelled the January 22, 2023 sailing of the new Norwegian Prima for a private charter sailing.

While every cruise line has different policies for these types of arrangements, guests are often offered alternative sailing choices, future cruise credits, or onboard credit for new sailings. Full refunds are also an option if guests choose not to make, or cannot make, alternative plans.