Cruise passengers have all sorts of hacks to make their cabins feel bigger. Some people bring shoe bags for added storage while others swear by using magnetic clips since the walls of your stateroom are, in fact, metal.
The cruise lines have also been working to make their cabins as useful as possible. On newer ships, pretty much every available area has been turned into storage and on ships like Royal Caribbean's newest flagship, Icon of the Seas, passengers may not even discover all the storage, USB, and outlets the company has cleverly placed in even the most basic cabin.
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Cruise lines, however, are working with very limited space. The average interior cruise cabin comes in at about 160-185 square feet. That's about half the size of the average hotel room.
To make a room that size work, companies like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line put a lot of consideration into every inch of your cabin. Sofa beds and Pullman beds (beds that pull or fold down from the ceiling or wall) are obvious solutions, but in recent years, cabins have become more useful as the cruise lines continue to get more clever.
Sometimes, however, it appears, that that cleverness can lead to problems and cruise passengers might think that something isn't what it actually is. That can lead to a dangerous situation, according to Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) Brand Ambassador John Heald.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival cabins contain a useful item
Heald was largely absent from social media on May 25 because he was not feeling well. He did return briefly because he learned of a problem he wanted to correct.
"I have removed myself from my bed of sickness to post this and help," he wrote. "It appears somebody on another Facebook group page has been informing people that the box on the Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee cabins is in fact a cooler/refrigerator."
The box he's referring to is a standalone square that does not have a cord, plug, or any visible means of being powered up.
"This has resulted in people complaining that theirs is not cooling their drinks and possibly in one case their medication. They are not coolers. They are stools and they are storage units," he shared.
It's actually a clever use of space, but certainly not a place designed to keep things cold.
"Turn around the top lid and you have a side table," he added. "Thank you, just wanted to help, and a huge thanks to our brill Lead Hotel Director Pierre for bringing this to my attention."
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Carnival passengers share their disbelief
Most cruise ship cabins contain a cooler that can keep items cold that's not a full refrigerator. Passengers who need a refrigerator for medical or other reasons should contact their cruise line before their sailing.
Most of the more than 550 comments on Heald's post were surprised that people would make that particular mistake.
"Whatever takes out the human race, I think I've decided we deserve it. I can literally feel my IQ fall each time I read some of the questions/comments and requests here. I don't know how JH does this every day," Malcolm Landry wrote.
Others seemed shocked that anyone could make this mistake.
"Wow, and just how did they think it was supposed to stay cold? No plug, battery, or ice so how could it be a cooler?" added Missi Brown.
Many respondents also shared that they liked the stool/storage unit for its intended purposes.
"That was my favorite addition to the cabin...I really hope all the other ships get those...but I do hope people aren't using them as a cooler," posted Karen Deviney Racy.
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"We put our souvenirs in it! Awesome extra storage space," added Melinda Murphy Morris.
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