Taking a cruise means sharing space with thousands of other people.
Aside from your cabin, a space that's usually under 200 square feet, nearly every other space on the ship gets shared with everyone. That situation requires a certain level of courtesy that not every passenger extends to others. In some cases the cruise lines can take steps to force people to be respectful of their fellow cruisers.
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Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) , for example, has begun using a warning system for passengers who leave items on chairs near the pool and then disappear. If a person doesn't return by a time left on a ticket on their seat, their items will be removed for them to collect from a towel station.
It's not always possible to force decency. Cruise lines have struggled with people not following elevator etiquette, where the first person to arrive should be the first to board when the car arrives.
Royal Caribbean has largely solved that issue on its brand-new Icon of the Seas by using a kiosk system, where passengers input their floors and get assigned to specific elevators.
Technology can't solve all problems, though, and Carnival's brand ambassador recently outlined a policy that his cruise line has decided to enforce.
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Carnival cracks down on scooters
The hallways in the passenger spaces on cruise ships are narrow. If passengers are walking in differing directions, one generally has to duck into a doorway for the other to pass.
That creates a challenge on embarkation day, when many passengers have their luggage delivered to their doors and the hallways fill with bags and suitcases. Once those bags are brought inside, the only hallway obstructions are the cleaning carts that the room stewards use.
In some cases, however, passengers who use mobility scooters leave them outside their rooms. That's something Heald addressed in a recent Facebook post.
"I would like to chat please with those of you who use a mobility scooter when you cruise with us. It is obvious of course the challenges of life you face have meant that you need to use a mobility scooter and I do wish you nothing but healthy and happy days," he wrote.
After that kind intro, Heald made clear that there are rules that will be enforced.
"However, we do need to try hard now to not allow anyone to leave their mobility scooter outside in the guest corridors at any time," he said. We are testing this on one of the ships as we speak, with guests sailing being sent emails with all the implications and rules ahead of time.
"The embarkation team will check if the cabin of any guest that comes with a scooter can accommodate the scooter, meaning if it is one of the extra large ones, then they will not be allowed to board the ship."
Carnival offers alternatives
Scooters left in hallways create hazards for guests who are trying to get to their rooms. The cruise line previously had largely ignored the situation, likely because scooters are common on ships, and kicking people off because their scooters wouldn't fit into their rooms seems a bit harsh.
Heald did share an alternative for passengers who need scooters.
"We will offer guests a chance to rent a new mobility scooter from Scootaround (our preferred vendor) who will have collapsible scooters available at the pier for guests to rent at their cost if needed," he wrote.
The brand ambassador made clear that the cruise line intended to enforce this rule.
"There will be much more on this in the days ahead, but we really are going to be working to make sure that for the safety of everyone on the ship that scooters must be kept in the cabins and never in the corridors," he added.
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