As someone who is currently in a walking boot as I recover from surgery to repair torn ligaments in my ankle, I certainly understand the frustration of being delayed by an injury – especially when there is really nothing that can be done about it except to be patient.
But one Carnival cruiser, who has remained anonymous for privacy reasons, has not let her own torn ligament stop her – as she reported partaking in six sailings over the last six months.
But while she clearly enjoyed her sailings enough to keep coming back for more, delays due to crowded elevators during disembarkation have caused her voyages to end on a sour note – and she made sure Brand Ambassador John Heald was well aware of it.
“I am now walking with a cane due to a torn ligament in my leg. I cannot take the stairs. We have cruised six times in the last 6 months. When trying to disembark the ship I am waiting and waiting and waiting for elevators due to people carrying off their own luggage,” the woman offered as background.
“It seems it has gotten completely out of hand. The elevator opens up and it is completely full because everybody is carrying their own luggage off. Then when we get to the elevator at the port there is a long line of people who can’t take the escalator because they have their luggage,” she went on to explain.
Her request to Heald was that he find a way to encourage more guests to allow Carnival to pick up their luggage the night before disembarkation and deliver it to the cruise terminal for guests – as she does – to lessen the congestion in the elevators.
“I’m so sorry to read this and I do sincerely hope that you make a full recovery. We have to have people take off their own luggage. If we didn’t have this operation, then debarkation would still be going on at past midday and that would delay embarkation in the start of everybody’s cruise,” Heald replied on his public Facebook page.
While Heald sympathised with this guest’s request, what she asked for could derail the entire disembarkation process.
Preparing for Disembarkation on a Carnival Ship
All Carnival cruise ships currently offer two methods of disembarkation. The first choice is called express disembarkation, in which guests can disembark early and carry their own luggage off the ship – the prevalence of which is what the anonymous passenger was complaining about.
The other option is to check luggage by attaching new luggage tags, which are delivered to cruise cabins on the final day of the voyage, and leaving suitcases outside of the stateroom for cabin stewards to pick up the night before disembarkation.
Guests are supposed to select their chosen method and what time they would like to disembark by going to the “My Planner” section of the Hub App before 1:00 p.m. ship-time on the final day of their sailing.
As Heald’s more than 550,000 Facebook followers can attest, Carnival guests like having options.
While some do prefer the convenience of checking their luggage and letting the cruise line deliver it to the port, others voiced concerns about lost luggage or potential delays with their baggage leading to problems with their next travel plans – such as making an early flight.
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But while Heald can’t change how Carnival cruisers disembark at this time, he did have a suggestion to make things easier for the injured passenger on her next sailing.
“Can I please say that I would respectfully perhaps suggest the next time you cruise that you request wheelchair assistance. That way you don’t have to worry about anything and we will get you safely into the terminal. That would certainly be something that I would consider,” Heald recommended.
That said, this guest isn’t alone in feeling frustrated because of crowded elevators. Even earlier in February we covered a story about a passenger in a wheelchair who was left in tears after an unfortunate elevator incident – and the topic has certainly come up more than once in Carnival forums.
