When the day finally arrives when a cruise is scheduled to depart, it’s difficult for passengers not to get excited and want to get onboard as soon as they can.
It’s the same for Carnival Cruise Line passengers, including those loyal cruisers who have earned priority status that allows the earliest embarkation times.
However, the cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, has an urgent request for the Diamond, Platinum, Faster to the Fun, and suite guests able to board before 1:30 p.m. on the day of their voyage.
Leave the room.
“This is another heartfelt plea to please leave straight away,” Heald recently posted on his Facebook page, followed by more than half a million people.
The message was a reminder for Diamond and Platinum status members, passengers staying in a Deluxe suite, and guests who purchased Faster to the Fun privileges. “If you have that, then yes, you can go to your cabin and drop off your luggage,” he stated.
But he continued, “You can’t tell – as happened on four different ships with a housekeeping attendant – ‘Please come back because you need a nap, you want to unpack, and other stuff or whatever’s going on in the cabin.’”
The reason is simple: Housekeeping is working hard to clean and flip cabins from the previous cruise, which may have seen guests disembark as late as 11 a.m.
This isn’t the first time Heald has pleaded for guests to stay out. He regularly has to deal with passengers who say they are having confrontations with housekeeping staff, demanding crew leave before a room has been properly cleaned.
“I am asking you this on behalf of the crew who are doing everything they can to make sure that the room is ready to the very highest of standards,” he said.
While Carnival Cruise Line allows some guests to drop their bags in their staterooms as soon as they board, it requests that’s all they do.
Passengers are, however, welcome to enjoy the ship, including grabbing a drink at a bar, sampling the fare at one of the open dining facilities, and taking a dip in the pool.
It’s also a great time to hit up Guest Services to make dinner reservations, book spa treatments, or find excursions if one hasn’t done so before the voyage using Carnival Cruise Line’s HUB app.
Housekeeping as Quick-Change Artists
Carnival Cruise Line passengers can select an arrival time for their cruise up to 14 days before it departs.
For members of the cruise line’s Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) loyalty program with Diamond and Platinum status – meaning those with 75 to more than 200 points – that window begins at 16 days.
This perk is also available at 16 days for guests who have booked Deluxe Suite category accommodations or the Faster to the Fun add-on. (The limited-availability perk varies by departure, with rates beginning at $79.95.)
Two extra days of choosing an arrival time means the best pickings. Arrivals may be as early as 10 a.m., with actual embarkation at 11 a.m.
Read Also: Tips for Embarking a Cruise Ship
But the problem is that embarkation day is also disembarkation day for most Carnival ships.
With thousands of passengers leaving a ship typically between 8 and 10 a.m., housekeeping staff have to work quickly to prepare cabins for the next group of passengers arriving.
This is why room availability doesn’t officially begin until after 1:30 p.m., as Heald, Carnival Cruise Line, and onboard signage remind passengers.
