Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador has issued a request for travelers who are unsatisfied with their experience onboard — file a complaint.
John Heald, who has 600,000 followers on Facebook and blogs about his career as a cruise director, is known for answering questions about the cruise industry and addressing guests’ issues. However, he recently addressed a common mistake he sees in passengers in a since-deleted Facebook post.
In the post, he explained that he normally receives complaints from passengers after their cruise is over and when the ship’s crew can no longer do anything to resolve the problem. “I read comments where people tell me what was wrong with the cruise,” his Facebook post read. “I get that, it’s my job to listen and I want people to tell me these things because as someone once said ‘a complaint is a gift’ and it is.”
“However, what drives me absolutely stark raving bonkers is when every day, and yes it is every day, that when I investigate with the ship and follow up with a guest comment the Hotel Director/Guest Services Manager/Dining Room Manager/Luigi the Plumber write back to me and say ‘Ummmm, there are no reports here from the guest.’”
Heald explained that these situations also upset the crew as by the time they are alerted about the complaint the passenger is “at home in Cleveland, Ohio and there is sod all they can do to help them now.”
He then provided two complaints he had recently received and how the crew members would have been able to help the guests. The first complaint was from someone who said the chocolate lava cake they ordered repeatedly was “overcooked.”
Heald pointed out that “nothing” was said to the waiter, who could have alerted the chef to make him another cake.
Another complaint was from a guest who couldn’t use their balcony because the person below them was smoking, claiming the crew did “nothing to stop her.”
“The crew didn’t do anything to stop her because they didn’t know,” Heald responded. “Having checked with the ship there were no reports made by this guest or indeed any guests from cabins around the area. If this lady or anyone is caught smoking in the cabin or on the balcony there would be serious consequences for them. It is forbidden for very important safety reasons as well as the discomfort it gives those around you.”
The brand ambassador said he understands some people may not like confrontation, but the staff members on the cruise are there to help the guests and to make their stay more enjoyable.
“If you see something you do not like, say something. I am not trying to get everyone to find something wrong, but if something really is troubling you, please give the crew a chance to make it right,” his post concluded.
Carnival Cruise Line announced last month that they were updating their passenger policy with new age restrictions that could affect young travelers.
As of February 1, passengers under the age of 21 were no longer allowed to travel alone on excursions departing from the U.S.
Travelers younger than 21, the legal drinking age in the country, must be accompanied by a relative or a guardian. The guardian, however, does not have to be a legal guardian.
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