Cruise ships have official rules and some unspoken ones that most people know to abide by.
People, of course, sometimes ignore the actual rules. You're not supposed to smoke tobacco, or anything else, on your balcony, but it's not uncommon to smell smoke that's clearly coming from someone breaking that rule.
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In other cases, there are rules, or at least printed policies, that cruisers openly ignore. Both Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) and Royal Caribbean ban shorts at dinner for men in the main dining room. If that rule were enforced, it would create confrontations that could inconvenience diners waiting to be seated.
Both cruise lines also have some unofficial rules that tend to be about courtesy. If you're sitting at a slot machine but not playing, for example, you should make way for someone who wants to play the machine.
The same logic applies to an open seat in the buffet. If you're at a table that has open seats in a crowded room and someone wants to sit down, it's generally expected that you will welcome them.
It's the grey area between actual rules and unofficial ones that can create problems. And that's something Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald addressed on his Facebook page.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet
Carnival addresses a key elevator controversy
Cruise ships follow unofficial rules when it comes to elevator etiquette.
Basically, the first people to arrive at an elevator bank get to be the first ones on, even if the elevator that arrives isn't where they are standing. That, of course, isn't always clear to everyone standing there, but people are generally courteous.
In addition, people generally give preferential treatment to anyone in a mobility scooter. Those passengers generally need a little time to maneuver into position, and fellow passengers will either board and press themselves into the back of the elevator or stand aside while the scooter-bound passenger boards.
One passenger who used a scooter does not think the cruise line has done enough and challenged Heald during a cruise on Carnival Horizon.
"His question started off nicely asking for one elevator on every elevator section be manned by a crew member to only allow those in mobility scooters and wheelchairs to use," Heald shared. "That would be lovely but honestly we don’t have the staff available to do this, we just don’t."
That answer did not make the questioner, who Heald dubbed "Mad Max," happy.
"His next statement to me was made with raised voice and a dollop of spittle as he got angry. He said we have cameras everywhere and we should look at those cameras and any guest not allowing mobility scooter riders/wheelchair guests to board the elevators first should be and I quote 'fined' or 'thrown off the ship,'” he continued.
Heald tried to play that request off with his trademark humor.
"I did smile and tried some humor in my answer suggesting we add some AI intelligence that has a detect and stun setting that would taze people who do not allow scooter rides on first. He didn’t laugh," wrote the brand ambassador.
Heald, along with his humor, also offered an empathetic answer.
"Look, it is a problem and I understand, I truly do and we can only hope that the vast majority of guests will be kind and considerate and honestly speaking I think, I really do that most are," he added.
Icon of the Seas has solved the elevator problem
Royal Caribbean introduced new technology on Icon of the Seas that changes how its elevators work. Passengers simply enter the floor to which they are heading on a keypad at the elevator bank. The tablet then displays a specific elevator (by letter) for them to wait for it.
This change means that a herd of people won't be waiting for an elevator, not knowing which one will arrive first. Instead, it sends a small group of people to specific elevators, where it's easier to see who is waiting to board. The enables the group to stand aside for anyone who needs more time.
The system also generally makes for less crowded elevators that stop only once or twice (if at all) on the way to your intended floor.
Royal Caribbean has not said whether the new technology will be used on its next ship, Utopia of the Seas, which begins sailing this summer.
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