Carnival Cruise Line's Brand Ambassador John Heald who spends his day trying to help people, often faces abuse from some of his more outspoken followers. It's to be expected that someone on the customer service front lines might have to deal with angry people, but many of the attacks on Heald cross the line.
Customers have the right to be angry about something the cruise line does or complain about policies, changes, or anything else. You can be really mad that your cabin had a lumpy bed or that your toilet didn't flush properly without personally abusing the person you're complaining to.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line shares a strict dining policy
It's clearly not Heald's fault that your steak was overcooked or that the pool was too cold. In addition, the Brand Ambassador does not decide when to skip a port or to delay or move up a sailing due to weather.
Heald often acts as the cruise line's complaint desk and many times that helps Carnival's passengers get a solution, or at least an answer. On many occasions, however, the Brand Ambassador has to put up with wildly inappropriate comments that would be more than enough for an in-person customer service rep to call security on.
In most cases, however, he ignores the abuse — or makes light of it — and still answers the question. That's likely not because he feels a sense of duty to someone abusing him, but because he sees the value in the answer for his broader audience.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival has a strict boarding rule
Cruise lines have varying policies on whether you can drop your bag off in your cabin as soon as you board. Royal Caribbean largely does not allow it, while Celebrity Cruises, which is owned by Royal Caribbean Group, lets every passenger drop their bags off, and then leave their cabin until they are cleared to return.
Carnival Cruise Line has a policy where suites are ready to occupy as soon as passengers are allowed on the ship, while certain VIFP loyalty program members not in suites are allowed to drop their bags off before the rooms have been fully cleaned.
Heald shared a conversation he had with a passenger on the topic.
"Yesterday I was in a 'discussion' with a chap about the fact that as a Diamond guest his cabin would not be ready on arrival. I was, as I always try to be, cordial and polite in my response to him. I said that the suites were the only cabins to be ready, it is part of the suite perk but he could leave his carry-on bags in the cabin but to please leave straightaway so the cabin attendant could clean the room," he posted.
The response he got was not polite.
"Because you are in a suite, your cabin will be will ready when you board. Yet us Diamonds get shafted. Money is all you ******* care about. You are a fat over-hyped waste of space John Heald. You are losing credibility every day. Just go, quit already, and let someone who can get things done take your job," he wrote.
Diamond is the highest level of Carnival's VIFP loyalty program. Its members do get priority check-in and boarding.
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Carnival's Heald shows grace, gets support
Heald answered the question, but also in his own very dry way, called out the questioner for his personal attack.
"Thank you mate, thank you for telling me I am fat. I had no idea. If you hadn’t posted this to me on my Facebook page yesterday I would never have realised. I’m shocked! I’d never noticed even though I haven’t seen my dangly bits or my feet since 2011. Quick, I need to sit down in my reinforced ergonomic chair while wearing my stretch comfort trousers with the elasticated waist," he said.
Heald handles the random bullies on his page with grace, but he also makes sure that the cast majority of his followers who aren't mean get the information they need.
"Anyway, Diamond and Platinum guests and those that have purchased Faster to the Fun, your cabins will be ready at 1:30 p.m. but you can of course drop your luggage off and then go have fun while the brilliant crew prepare it for you," he added.
Heald also responded to the call for him to step aside.
"And as far as what the chap wrote about me leaving, well that will for sure happen one day sooner or later. I hope that whoever replaces me realizes that while they will get called names, and receive a massive dollop of online abuse they realize he or she is the luckiest person on earth to have this job," he shared.
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It should be noted, however, that the vast majority of the over 520 comments on the post were supportive.
"It will be a sad day for all Carnival cruisers the day you retire…which I hope is many years from now! I really don’t think there’s anyone that can do your job like you do and with the nastiness you receive sometimes, I’m not sure anyone else would do it. Thank you for all you do, it is appreciated," wrote Janice B VanWagoner.
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