Could Carnival Cruise Line Be Planning to Remove Popular Service?

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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 Iโ€™m sure anyone in an emergency situation would appreciate having one.”

“Yes, I used them. Please donโ€™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.

Carnival Liberty Promenade Deck
Carnival Liberty Promenade Deck (Photo Credit: Ihor Koptilin / Shutterstock)

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!

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