Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald has spoken out about another rumor circulating on social media, this time addressing the cruise line’s beloved towel animals. Such rumors are easily spread but without substance, yet can still be of concern to eager cruise travelers.

Towel Animal Rumor Is Untrue

A new rumor circulating online has announced that starting November 1, Carnival Cruise Line will be implementing a new policy ending the practice of placing “towel animals” in guests’ staterooms.

Though the so-called announcement cites “Carnival corporate policy” and claims the information comes directly from a guest’s stateroom attendant, there is no such official announcement.

“This is 100% false, ridiculous, nonsensical information,” said John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador. “We are not removing the towel animals. They remain an iconic part of what we have been for 52 years, and they always will be.”

The reasoning given for the rumor is that the towel animals “take too much excessive time” and therefore detract from a stateroom attendant’s other duties as they clean multiple cabins.

About Towel Animals

Yes, it does take a couple of minutes to craft that fluffy white elephant, floppy-eared dog, or other towel animal. However, any Carnival guest who has attended the onboard instructional class to learn how to fold their own towel animals or seen towel-folding demonstrations knows that experienced attendants can make these creations quickly and efficiently.

Some of the favorite towel animals onboard include the long-necked dinosaur, quirky pig, romantic swans, the monkey or bat hanging from the stateroom ceiling, or even the bear, stingray, rabbit, or bullfrog.

Among the more elaborate creations include the huge alligator some guests might find lounging on their stateroom bed or even human-like figures crafted in part from guests’ own clothing or accessories such as hats and sunglasses.

Finding out which towel animal will make an appearance each day is a fun part of the cruise for many Carnival guests. Passengers can even request their favorite towel friends, and many travelers save their menagerie throughout their cruise to enjoy a growing zoo every day.

If they prefer, guests can ask attendants to skip the towel animals altogether.

On some sailings, Carnival crew members also put together a towel animal parade or showcase, when a full range of creations are displayed on the pool deck or in one of the ship’s lounges for guests to admire.

Other Recent Rumors

Heald has addressed a variety of rumors recently, always resulting from misinformation on social media.

For example, recent discussion about gratuities offered to crew members and how those tips are related to their overall salaries had to be clarified, ensuring guests that no, Carnival Cruise Line does not use gratuities to pay team member salaries.

Heald has also needed to quell concerns about priority boarding benefits and how procedures work at different embarkation ports, and also recently addressed guests’ thoughts on cheating at onboard trivia games.

Heald, who has served with Carnival Cruise Line since 1989, is the cruise line’s official “brand ambassador” and has more than 530,000 followers on social media.

He uses his enormous presence and his dry British wit to answer hundreds of questions every day, as well as keep all Carnival cruisers updated on the company’s goings-on.

Details about loyalty VIFP gifts, previews of menu or dining changes, dress code concerns, emergency itinerary or schedule updates, behind-the-scenes looks at ships under construction, and clarifications about onboard policies are just a few of the topics Heald regularly discusses.

He also joins special sailings every year, the wildly popular “For Fun’s Sake” cruises with special events and meet-and-greet opportunities available. The 2024 FFS Cruise will be aboard Carnival Horizon in February, visiting stunning Caribbean destinations.

A male passenger has been reported missing from Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Conquest after failing to debark the ship as scheduled on Monday, September 4, 2023.

Authorities are actively searching for the man, though the ship has been cleared and has already set sail on its next voyage to the Bahamas.

Man Missing From Carnival Conquest

As guests were debarking from the 110,000-gross ton Carnival Conquest in Miami on Monday, September 4, a male passenger failed to be recorded through either the onboard surveillance systems or US Customs and Border Patrol immigration checks.

Identified as 26-year-old Kevin McGrath, the guest is officially considered missing and authorities have instituted search procedures. McGrath is a black man with dark hair last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black shorts, and gray sneakers. He is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.

McGrath was reported missing on Monday, though he was seen at approximately 2 a.m. that morning by his traveling companion. The missing person report was made at roughly 7 a.m. as guests prepared to debark the ship.

Carnival Conquest had just returned from a 3-night cruise to Bimini in the Bahamas, and McGrath was not accounted for during standard debarkation procedures.

“The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process,” a statement from Carnival Cruise Line said. “Miami Dade police eventually cleared the ship to sail.”

Debarkation morning can be a chaotic experience for travelers, with different passengers able to debark at different times based on their assigned luggage tags or loyalty levels. Guests may also choose self-assist debarkation to be the first to leave the vessel if they carry off all their luggage without assistance.

It is unknown whether McGrath and his traveling companion were waiting for an assigned debarkation time or if they chose to leave the ship as soon as possible. It has also not been released whether or not McGrath lives locally in South Florida or if he also failed to check in for further post-cruise travel plans.

Search Underway

When McGrath’s absence was noted, authorities were alerted and a full shipwide search was initiated, as is standard procedure for any missing guests or possible overboard alert.

Read Also: What Happens During a Cruise Ship Overboard Alarm?

The US Coast Guard was informed and searched surrounding waters near PortMiami, but with no success. Also involved in the investigation is the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Special Victims Bureau, as officials have said the guest may need special services.

The nature of those services or other information about the guest has not been revealed to safeguard his privacy and keep from hampering the investigation.

Carnival Cruise Line’s care team is assisting McGrath’s family and keeping them updated on search efforts.

Carnival Conquest is now on its next cruise, a 4-night sailing to the Bahamas that will visit the cruise line’s private island destination, Half Moon Cay, as well as Nassau, before returning to PortMiami on Friday, September 8.

The first-in-its-class vessel can welcome 2,980 guests aboard, and is currently homeported from Miami offering 3- and 4-night sailings to the Bahamas, as well as occasional Western Caribbean itineraries that visit destinations such as Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Honduras, depending on the cruise length and departure date.

McGrath is not the only missing guest from a cruise ship to be searched for in recent days. A 19-year-old passenger was reported overboard from Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas on August 29, and family members have continued search efforts for that missing guest.

Cruise Hive hopes all search efforts will ultimately be successful and the missing guests will be safely located.

Details are emerging about how more than 50 cruise travelers were left in Auckland due to a paperwork miscommunication involving P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Explorer.

The incident happened in mid-July and nearly two months later many impacted guests are still dissatisfied with the way the cruise line has handled the fallout.

Paperwork Miscommunication Strands Travelers

When attempting to board Pacific Explorer for the July 17, 2023 departure, more than 50 prospective passengers were left without proper documentation and authorization to sail, which meant their cruise was forfeit and they were not permitted to board the ship.

The apparent mix-up occurred in Auckland, New Zealand, Pacific Explorer‘s current homeport, as guests were checking in for their 13-night “Bounty Adventure” cruise, scheduled to call on different Pacific Islands as well as destinations in both Australia and New Zealand.

Some guests failed to present the proper visas for one of the ship’s ports of call – Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia located 670 miles (1,078 kilometers) northwest of Auckland and 905 miles (1,456 km) east of Brisbane.

Though the island is technically under the governance of Australia, it does enjoy limited sovereignty and sets its own entry requirements for travelers. While traveling directly from the Australian mainland to Norfolk Island does not require a visa, foreign passport holders or those traveling from New Zealand must use a passport as identification and may require a visa, depending on the country of their passport.

Read Also: Do You Need a Passport to Go on a Cruise?

Impacted cruise passengers from Pacific Explorer reported to local news source NZ Herald that they were assured no visa was required so long as they were permanent New Zealand residents.

P&O Cruises has confirmed the incident, claiming that a travel agent was given the wrong advice on visa requirements, which was then passed along to cruise guests despite being advised to check entry requirements and other communications with the proper information.

“Guests and travel agents are sent emails and an SMS advising them of the need to check entry requirements. P&O Cruises’ pre-cruise communications stated the correct information,” said a P&O Cruises spokesperson.

Even though multiple guests were able to produce emails and text messages from P&O Cruises’ customer service department indicating they did not need a visa, that error was not sufficient to permit guests to board the ship and enjoy their cruise.

This miscommunication resulted in a number of guests not being able to set sail as planned. As individual travelers were denied boarding to the cruise ship, their luggage was retrieved from the vessel and they were on their own to return home as the ship sailed away.

Pacific Explorer is the oldest ship in P&O Cruises Australia’s fleet, having entered service in 2017 and previously known as Dawn Princess of Princess Cruises. The 77,441-gross ton, Sun-class vessel can welcome 1,998 guests aboard, and is also home to 900 international crew members.

The ship is currently homeported from Auckland, New Zealand, offering a variety of both short and long sailings. In December, the ship will reposition to Melbourne, Australia for different itineraries through mid-February, followed by Adelaide through March 2024.

Compensation Offered

Denied travelers were left wondering about refunds and reimbursement. P&O Cruises has said that affected passengers were “supported upon denial of boarding by providing full refunds and future cruise credits” but that may not cover all of each impacted guest’s individual expenses, depending on how they traveled to Auckland.

Individual travel insurance policies, if applicable, could help reimburse some of those expenses, depending on exact policy coverages and circumstances.

Passengers are understandably angry about the incident, and still seeking communication from P&O Cruises to address their complaints.

All cruise travelers, particularly when visiting more remote destinations or on sailings with multiple foreign ports of call, should always verify documentation requirements not just with their cruise line or travel agent, but also by confirming paperwork needs of each port of call they will be visiting to ensure they are not left on the dock.