Carnival Cruise Line passengers mixed over in-cabin change
One passenger says this cabin safety feature makes them feel like they’re in prison.
Sometimes, something that’s helpful to one person is a headache to another.
That’s the case with an in-cabin safety feature that Carnival Cruise Line has been adding to each of its ships when they enter dry dock for maintenance and updates.
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To help passengers avoid trip hazards in dark staterooms, Carnival made the decision to add motion-activated night lights to all of its ship’s cabins. Like most cruise line’s staterooms, Carnival’s cabins are smaller than traditional hotel rooms and it’s easy for passengers to trip in the cramped space, especially if they get up at night to go to the bathroom.
Carnival’s cabin night lights turn on when they sense motion in the cabin and then turn off shortly after motion stops, preventing the need for passengers to fumble for light switches during the night.
Although many passengers appreciate the new night lights, some really don’t like them and want Carnival to give them an option to turn them off in their cabins.
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Cabin night lights cause controversy among Carnival passengers
Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald recently shared a passenger’s message about the night lights on his popular Facebook page where he answers all types of passenger questions about the Carnival cruise experience.
“There has to be an option to turn off those dam invasive night lights that come on when you get out of bed. It’s like we are in prison,” the unnamed passenger wrote.
Heald reminded passengers that the night lights are a cabin safety feature intended to help people find their way to bathroom and avoid tripping during the night as he invited them to share their opinions on the lights in a Facebook poll.
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In the poll, more than 20,000 passengers indicated that the night lights don’t bother them while about 2,100 agreed that Carnival should offer passengers an option to turn off the night lights.
Though the poll results suggest that most passengers aren’t troubled by the night lights, the comments show that those who don’t like the night lights are vehemently opposed to them.
“I hate the motion lights,” wrote Gail Kapusnick. "This is something that people either love or hate, and it would be nice if those of us who hate them could turn them off.”
Passengers share concerns over light sensitivity
Some passengers noted that the lights’ motion sensors are very sensitive and that the light disrupts their sleep.
“Those nightlights are horrendous! You can't put your feet off the bed without waking up the whole cabin,” commented Stacy Sanchez. “And once I wake up to light, I can't fall back to sleep. I hate that I have to waste towels to keep them covered up at night.”
A number of passengers also shared how they cover the lights to block the motion sensor.
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“We use pillows or blankets to cover them up,” wrote Sharilyn Williams Yarsley. “There should be a way to turn them off. There’s so much light coming in from the hallway under the door to suffice light source. I guess this makes a bigger deal for those who are light sensitive and causes poor sleep.”
Some passengers noted that though the night lights are helpful, they may be brighter than necessary.
“The lights are fine, but they're very bright,” wrote Sarah Hankins. “A light coming on in a dark room could be half this bright while still being effective. A dimmer would be ideal as people have different needs with light levels.”
Perhaps rather than providing a way for passengers to turn off the cabin night lights completely, Carnival could offer options to adjust the motion sensor sensitivity and brightness levels.
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