As summer heats up, Carnival is making things clearer when it comes to an item that many passengers pack, especially during the warmer months.
Anyone that’s cruised before knows cruise lines are generally relaxed when it comes to baggage rules, at least in comparison to flying on an airplane. There are no harsh rules regarding liquids, and you can generally pack as much as you want without seeing baggage fees.
There are rules, however, around what you can and can’t bring. Alcohol — outside of a bottle of wine/champagne — isn’t allowed. And generally, anything that might cause a fire or anything that would disturb other passengers are nixed.
But one item is something many people bring for their cabin that there always seems to be a question about. Now Carnival is making it clear that personal fans for your room are perfectly fine to bring… as long as they adhere to a size guideline.
Carnival Gives the Nod to Passengers Packing Fans
Similar to a hotel room, cruise cabins don’t have ceiling fans installed. While air does flow via the air conditioning, it’s not exactly a strong breeze. Passengers that book balcony rooms can open up their balcony doors to let in fresh air, but if it’s hot outside, that may not cool you down. As well, many ships are equipped with a feature that when the balcony door is open, the air conditioner turns off to save electricity.
Because of this, many passengers opt to bring a small fan for the cabin (it’s also a Cruzely suggestion). A fan allows you to have more air movement in the room, and you can also direct it exactly where you want. Not only can they cool you down, but we also like that they offer some white noise that can make sleeping easier.
Still, there are always some questions about whether they are allowed or not. On his Facebook page, Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald faced the question head on.
“As the summer temperatures rise, I have been asked more and more about bringing fans on board and if we allow this?” Heald wrote.
For fans of… fans… it was good news.
“The answer is yes we do and the fans must be no larger than 12″ in diameter. People have also written and said that their cabin attendant would not provide them with a fan. It’s not that they refused but because we only provide fans for unforeseen circumstances or for medical reasons. If you think you need a fan ( and most do not) then please, this summer, do bring your own.”
So there you have it from the cruise line itself. Yes, Carnival allows fans as long as they are less than one foot in diameter.
Isn’t the Cabin A/C Enough?
It does beg the question of why would passengers need a fan? Can’t you just turn down the thermostat in the cabin?
While we covered how it’s nice to have a little more airflow directed around the cabin, there’s also the issue of temperature control in the room.
Every cruise cabin comes with a thermostat in the room that you can adjust. In our experience, however, it’s questionable if it works. We’ve turned the temperature all the way down only to be hot in the cabin and also haven’t adjusted it at all and seen temperature swings.
It’s not clear if the thermostat actually controls anything in the cabin. Bringing your own fan is a more foolproof way to stay comfortable during your trip.
