Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed its firm stance on luggage drop off policies and which guests are entitled to that popular benefit.
Internet rumors have persisted that any passenger is able to visit their cabin immediately on embarkation day to drop off their luggage without being stopped, but this is not true.
The luggage drop-off benefit is only open to the higher levels of the cruise line’s Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) loyalty program, as well as travelers who have booked suites or those who have purchased the add-on Faster to the Fun program.
This has been confirmed by Carnival’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, in response to guest comments and inquiries.
“There’s been somebody on a Facebook page [who] has said that you don’t need to be Platinum, you don’t need to be Diamond, you don’t need to have Faster to the Fun, you don’t need to be staying in a suite in order to put your luggage in your cabin. Anybody can do it and nobody checks,” Heald explained.
“That is absolutely wrong. You cannot put your luggage in your cabin until 1:30 unless you are any of those levels – Diamond, Platinum, if you’re staying in a suite, or have Faster to the Fun.”
Heald goes on to note that the discussion has been ongoing with crew members, hotel directors, and executives within Carnival Cruise Line. While such persistent rumors – outright lies about the policy spread through social media – make more work for onboard crew members, it is important to stop this behavior.
“The crew members will be checking on this,” Heald said. “They will be checking and asking to see that you are Diamond, or Platinum, or have FTTF, they’ll have a list. And of course they’ll know if you’re staying in a suite. If you are not, please do not put your carry-on bags in the cabin because you will cause extra work for the crew member who will come and check and then he [or she] has to turn you away.”
Heald notes that this is not a good first impression on embarkation day and certainly not a fun way to start a cruise vacation.
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Unfortunately, different social media sites are full of so-called cruise hacks from posters and commenters who claim to absolutely know how policies work or how to circumvent the rules.
A similar situation was brought to light earlier this year with a video supposedly showing how to cheat on water purchases, which resulted in the individuals responsible for the video being banned from Carnival Cruise Line.
Priority Luggage Delivery Returning
In talking about luggage policies, Heald also noted that the priority luggage delivery is now being returned as a perk for Diamond, Platinum, Faster to the Fun, and suite guests.
This means that those select travelers can drop their larger bags with porters before checking in at the cruise terminal, and that luggage will be among the first bags delivered to staterooms onboard.
“We will be able to get your luggage to you quicker than we have been able to do so,” Heald confirmed. “They will make a concerted effort to do this on every ship starting this coming weekend.”
Heald does note that there may be certain unforeseen circumstances that do not make priority luggage delivery possible, such as if there is a US Coast Guard inspection on embarkation day or if there are delays with customs processing.
Of course, all guests – regardless of their loyalty status or what type of stateroom they have booked – can always “self assist” all their bags and bring all their luggage onboard, without turning anything over to porters.
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If travelers have the cabin access perk – Diamond, Platinum, Faster to the Fun, and suite guests – they can still drop their bags off in their stateroom even if they bring all their luggage aboard themselves. Guests without that perk would still need to manage their bags onboard until staterooms are open to everyone at 1:30 p.m.
