Key Aspects:
- Carnival cruise guests have shared their luggage concerns, but aren’t going to get the help from the cruise line they might have hoped.
- There is no luggage wrapping service onboard Carnival cruise ships, but some repair services are available if luggage is damaged.
- Guests must store their luggage in their staterooms during the cruise, as there is no extra storage space available to keep guests’ bags.
Luggage can be a hassle on a cruise, from making sure you can fit everything in your bags to bringing them onboard the ship to where to store them in your stateroom. And never mind if one is lost or damaged along the way!
But if there are luggage problems, should they be the guests’ issues to deal with or should the cruise line help out? Carnival Cruise Line has addressed two different luggage concerns, and unfortunately, will not be helping with either one in the way guests wish.
The frustrated guests reached out to John Heald, the cruise line’s official brand ambassador, with their issues. Heald is the go-to guy for questions, concerns, and complaints about Carnival Cruise Line, but he can’t resolve every problem.
Should Carnival Provide Luggage Wrapping?
The first guest encountered a luggage issue before even reaching their cruise ship, but hoped the cruise line would be able to assist.
“Last week one piece of our hard-sided luggage must have been dropped from the plane or run over. It has a crack the length of it and there is a crack 3/4 of the way around one of the wheels,” the guest explained.
While the damage was not caused by the cruise line, the guest was upset that their new luggage was damaged. They were not asking Carnival to repair it, but to provide an interim solution once onboard Carnival Panorama.
“I was hoping to get the ship to wrap it in plastic like the saran wrap service all airports have. Come to find out that Carnival does not provide this service,” the guest said. “Why not? This kind of service makes a difference to those of us undecided where to cruise next.”
Carnival Panorama is homeported from Long Beach, California, offering 6- and 8-night Mexican Riviera itineraries. The current voyage, which the guest seems to be aboard, departed Long Beach on Sunday, October 5 and is sailing a modified itinerary thanks to Hurricane Priscilla.
Nevertheless, while Carnival Cruise Line does not offer luggage wrapping services, Heald is going to try and help as best he can.
“I am going to ask our repair shop on board take a look at Mrs. Samsonite and see if they can help with a repair, even though it was damaged by the airline,” he said. “As for the plastic wrapping of the suitcases, well we have never done that on board.”
The guest’s assertion that “this kind of service makes a difference to those of us undecided where to cruise next” is a bold one. In more than 40 cruises, I’ve never had a single thought about luggage wrapping services that determines what sailing I book.
Many other guests responded, sharing their own stories of damaged luggage (accidents happen!) and noting that they would not use a luggage wrapping service, even if it was available onboard.
And just for the record, “all” airports do not offer these services, though admittedly they can be helpful for some travelers.
No Luggage Storage Onboard
The second issue is not with damaged luggage or even porter services, but what to do with one’s luggage once onboard the ship.
“I wish Carnival would help with the storage of our bags,” the (different) guest commented. “[Another cruise line] offers this free of charge if you ask your cabin steward.”
I’ve sailed with six different cruise lines and not one of them offers luggage storage. Granted, I’ve never asked, and it may be a service available on very exclusive luxury lines beyond my cruising budget. For major cruise lines on ships with thousands of guests, however, this service is not practical.
“Unless you have a suite or extra large cabin there is no space for two people with big suitcases,” the guest claims. “I don’t want to see that suitcase until I have to repack to leave. Why can’t Carnival provide storage for suitcases and bags.”
While Heald understands the guest’s desire not to see their luggage until the end of the cruise, he notes that most people store their luggage under the bed and it fits without difficulty.
I can attest to this, having sailed in everything from interior cabins to mini-suites on various Carnival ships, without ever having trouble putting even larger roller bags underneath the bed frame.
If guests truly can’t fit their luggage under the bed, larger bags could be set into the closet or tucked in an out-of-the-way corner until needed again.
Other guests have similar experiences, but none of those experiences involve luggage not fitting.
“My wife uses a suitcase that can hold a small automobile and it still fits under the bed,” one guest described.
More From Cruise Hive
Some travelers do note that cabin stewards occasionally store extra bedding under the bed, which can take up that space. The original poster did not indicate this was a concern, however.
This is not the first time Carnival Cruise Line has addressed the idea of luggage storage, and it undoubtedly won’t be the last. Some travelers just can’t pack these types of concerns away.
