A cruise expert has revealed one common mistake that she recently saw onboard a new ship. Jenna DeLaurentis, who has been on a whopping 29 cruise holidays, recently tried out Carnival’s newest ship but noticed an error that passengers were making at dinner time.
She took a 4-night cruise on the Carnival Firenze earlier this month from Long Beach in California. During the short voyage, Jenna said she saw “countless passengers making poor decisions” and has now issued advice to people sailing on Carnival soon.
As well as passengers stressing at the cruise terminal and packing the wrong clothes, Jenna pointed out that a number of people incorrectly waited outside the dining room for dinner. She explained that passengers should instead check in using Carnival’s app when they are ready to eat.
Jenna said: “Carnival had one of the easiest flexible dining systems I’ve encountered on a cruise ship thus far. Instead of waiting in line for a dinner table, passengers can check in on Carnival’s app when they are ready to eat.
“An estimated wait time will populate – usually only 10-20 minutes. Once a table is ready, guests will be notified on the app, and they can head to the dining room to be seated.
“The process is extremely convenient, but I constantly saw passengers standing outside the dining room while waiting for the notification that a table was ready.”
Instead of waiting outside the dining room, cruise passengers should check in for dinner elsewhere. Then, once their table is ready, they can proceed to the dining room, the cruise fan said.
Jenna added: “There’s no need to wait in the cramped, narrow elevator lobby outside the dining room. Instead, passengers should check in for dinner while in their cabin, or perhaps at a bar or lounge near the dining room.
“Once a table is ready, they have ten minutes to get to the dining room, and this is easily achievable from almost anywhere onboard. Waiting in a comfortable lounge or in a cabin is far more comfortable than standing outside the dining room.”
She also noted that a number of people failed to print out their boarding passes for the cruise. Unlike other lines, Carnival still uses paper boarding passes and all guests must print a physical copy to bring to the cruise terminal.
Jenna also noted seeing people pack the wrong clothes for the cruise itineray, which included visits to Catalina Island, California, and Ensenada, Mexico. She said people didn’t have the appropiate clothing for the chillier weather and has urged people to make sure they’re prepared for their holiday.
