Cruise Guest’s Complaint About Carnival Towels Gets Heald’s Attention

Anyone who’s ever been on a Carnival cruise knows that staterooms can be tiny, and the bathrooms even tinier. But what about one critical accessory inside those bathrooms – are the towels large enough?

One guest doesn’t think so, and has reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, with their bigger-than-the-towels frustrations.

Their complaints aren’t just about size, however, but also about quality. Are the towels in Carnival staterooms truly so terrible? For this guest, they claim the towels are the only thing they hated about their cruise ship cabin.

“They are by far worse than even the towels used in any cheap motel,” the guest claimed. “I thought Carnival had accidentally stocked us with the bath mat towels for soaking up the water at the base of the shower.”

The “bath mat towels” are typically rolled on the floor next to the shower or stocked on the shelf below the sink in the bathroom. They are a sturdier material, often scratchier and not as fluffy as a typical bath towel, and they are much smaller in overall size – similar to the size of a welcome mat.

“You would think that after getting washed every day, they would soften up a bit. But no, these towels are so stiff and rough that they stand up on their own,” the guest complained.

The only Carnival cruise towels I’ve ever seen stand up on their own are carefully rolled, twisted, and folded into the famous towel animals. My favorite is the dinosaur, but the elephant, dog, monkey, rabbit, and others are also classic towel friends.

Of course, some guests have had exceptionally talented cabin stewards who craft full-size human figures, often laying on the couch, the bed, or positioned strategically in that extra-small bathroom. I’ve never seen one standing, however.

The guest goes on to note that the size of the towels is also inadequate for their specific needs.

“They are also not large enough for big people,” the guest explained. “I am a proud 400-pound man. You will relate to this, John. The towels Carnival gives us are not big enough for big people. Cutbacks to towels are being noticed. Do better, Carnival!”

While Heald reserves his comments on the guest’s size – and their comments on his own appearance – for a joke, he does suggest that anyone who isn’t happy with their stateroom towels can ask for replacements.

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“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this kind of comment before,” Heald noted. “If you get a brand new towel it doesn’t maybe dry as well as one that’s been used before, but if you don’t like it, speak to your cabin steward, your cabin attendant, and he or she will take care of it immediately and give you different towels.”

Heald has frequently advocated that crew members are eager to fix all sorts of problems, but they can’t fix what they don’t know about.

Asking one’s cabin attendant or stopping by the Guest Services desk is a fast and easy way to correct many minor (and not so minor) concerns to get back to the cruising fun as soon as possible.

An Easy Towel Fix

Other guests quickly weighed in (pun definitely intended) on the poster’s towel-sized problems. The most common – and reasonable – solution is to simply use the pool towels, which are significantly larger than the bathroom towels.

These towels are free to use, and the stateroom steward will happily replace used ones every day, the same as with the bathroom towels.

Guests can also simply ask for extra towels, which is a common solution for individuals who might prefer to shower multiple times a day or who need extra towels for long hair, for example.

Of course, guests can also choose to pack along their own towels to use onboard. Some travelers choose to do this if they are especially sensitive to detergents, for example.

Other guests had even more creative solutions. My favorite?

“After the wife and I shower (not together of course) we like to stand naked at the front most point of the ship and air dry,” one guest suggested. “Similar to a scene from the Titanic.”

The movie may never be the same again.