Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald has responded to a range of wild rumors, questions, and concerns this week, addressing popular topics of concern to guests.
From tablecloths to toppings bars to loyalty gifts to ducks, Carnival Cruise Line remains responsive to guests concerns and ensuring everyone has a fun and enjoyable cruise.
Line Ambassador Addresses Rumors and Concerns
John Heald is the official “brand ambassador” for Carnival Cruise Line, and as such, he maintains a strong social media presence and regularly addresses guests’ questions and concerns.
At times, those concerns may seem silly, while other questions may be based on misinformation or asking about future options. What crazy topics has Heald addressed recently?
New Charges for the Guy’s Burgers Toppings Bar
Guy’s Burger Joint is one of the most popular eateries onboard Carnival ships, serving up fresh-grilled smash burgers and delicious fries. One of the biggest attractions of the burgers is the toppings bar, where guests can add onions, lettuce, tomatoes, condiments, and other deliciousness to truly make their burger unique.
A rash of comments to Heald have mentioned the toppings bar and the incessant rumor that Carnival Cruise Line will soon begin charging guests for access to customize their burger.
“As Jacinta [Heald’s assistant] and I have had to answer ‘this is not true’ countless times over the last few days I thought I would let everyone know. The toppings are at no charge,” Heald confirmed.
This rumor began as an April Fool’s post from another website, and quickly went viral as readers did not finish the article and see the “April Fools!” note at the end.
While the toppings bar does occasionally shift its offerings – bacon is not always available, for example, and lately there have been fewer mushrooms offered to smother one’s burger – it remains free and available for all Guy’s Burger Joint lovers to enjoy.
Lack of Tablecloths
Many cruise travelers love the elegance of the main dining room, and part of that elegance can be crisp linen tablecloths. Carnival Cruise Line, however, no longer uses tablecloths on all but one of its ships, and guests have noticed and wondered why.
Carnival Spirit does still use tablecloths, but the reason isn’t due to elegance, nor is Carnival Cruise Line working to have more casual dining room experiences by removing the linens – it’s just a matter of environmental sustainability.
“Carnival Spirit has them because the ship does not have the beautiful gloss finished tables that all the other ships have,” Heald explained. “The ship will, I am sure, eventually have these tables added.”
Likely, this change may be made during a future drydock or renovation, when there is time available to change out the hundreds of tables in Carnival Spirit‘s Empire restaurant, the two-story main dining room.
“Tablecloths will not be returning,” Heald confirmed for the rest of the fleet. “The cost to the environment of having to wash thousands of them each week is not something we will return to doing.”
VIFP Gift Delivery
With new VIFP gifts being offered to loyal cruisers in the coming weeks, some guests have asked about whether or not gifts will be hand-delivered to individual staterooms, as was done before protocols were implemented during the industry-wide shutdown to minimize how many people enter different cabins.
Heald did consult with management – which he calls “the beards” – about beginning stateroom gift delivery again.
“However, having read so many negative comments from people saying they do not want the gift and would either throw it away, etc., I think this is not the time to do this,” he said. “For now, please do collect the bag from the [Pixels] Photo Gallery.”
The new fanny pack / bum bag gift, a navy blue bag with a red zipper and VIFP patch, is scheduled to debut starting from April 6 on all Carnival cruise ships except Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor, which are still waiting for delivery of the items.
Cruising Ducks Discarded Overboard
The cruising duck phenomenon is making a splash aboard all cruise lines, but none more so than aboard Carnival, where the trend really took off in 2018. Hiding small rubber ducks around cruise ships has become a fun game and an expression of kindness.
While it is not an official cruise activity, Heald recently addressed the idea that crew members who find ducks are throwing them overboard.
“This is completely untrue,” Heald said. “If any crew member throws anything overboard they would be in serious trouble and would for sure face disciplinary action.”
Just as many cruisers enjoy finding ducks, so do many crew members enjoy discovering the quirky surprises. “Many of the crew love finding the ducks and have them in their cabins as they bring them cheer,” Heald explained.
Anyone who does not like the ducks does not need to participate in the activity, and can simply leave the cruising ducks wherever they have been hidden for another guest to discover.
Getting Your Questions Answered
No matter what type of question or concern a cruiser may have, Carnival Cruise Line always tries to provide correct and timely information.
This is why it is important for booked guests to be familiar with their cruise contract, to give the cruise line their updated contact information in case of alerts or changes, and to take the time to choose the very best cruise line to meet their travel expectations.
