Latest news with #cruiseShips
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line cruisers debate controversial elevator issue
Carnival Cruise Line cruisers debate controversial elevator issue originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. If you haven't sailed on a cruise ship equipped with an advanced elevator system, you might not be aware that not all elevators are the traditional push-button variety. It's a clear industry trend for smart elevators to be installed on newer cruise ships. In Carnival's fleet, they have been added to a handful of ships, including the Carnival Horizon, Carnival Vista, and a few elevators are designed to reduce congestion in the elevator lobbies and reduce wait times. Instead of getting on an elevator and then hitting the button for the desired floor, smart elevators have no buttons whatsoever. The basic idea is that you'll use a touchscreen in the elevator lobby to input your desired floor and the number of people in your party. The screen will then assign you an elevator, and if you get on that elevator when it arrives, it will take you to your destination. There are some obvious benefits to this. At least once per cruise on ships with traditional elevators, I encounter a situation where I get on an elevator, only to find out that someone has hit all of the buttons and it will be stopping at every floor (to be fair, at times it has been my young children who have done that). Smart elevators eliminate this problem. On the other hand, there are some pain points. As one example, let's say that you request an elevator to the lido deck, and once you get on, you remember you're meeting your party on the promenade deck. You can't simply hit the correct button – you have to get off, use the touchscreen again, and wait for another elevator. There can also be a learning curve, as getting on the wrong car or failing to select the correct number of passengers can be an inconvenient seems like there really is no middle ground. Cruisers either love the smart elevator systems on cruise ships or absolutely detest them. Carnival Brand Ambassador recently received a comment from one of his Facebook followers, stating 'Put the smart elevators on every ship. They are awesome. They really do work and take the annoyance away from ship elevators. Put them on every ship.' As Heald often does, he used this comment to conduct a poll among his followers to determine whether cruisers agree with the comment. After about 54,000 votes, the result was clear – although many cruisers haven't yet been on a ship equipped with smart elevators, of those who have, cruisers agreed that they should be on all Carnival cruise ships – and by a three-to-one the comments on Heald's poll, it sounds like the technology is well-received, but the biggest obstacle is educating the passengers on how to use them properly. As one example, Heald follower Don DeMarte said 'It's not the elevators that are annoying. It's the passengers that refuse to learn them that are the issue. Walking up with four or five in your party and requesting only one spot kills the whole system.' More Carnival cruise news: Carnival Cruise Line plans to bring back popular app feature Carnival Cruise Line sounds the alarm on new scam Carnival Cruise Line shares strict bathroom warning Kate Hanson agreed. 'The smart elevators are amazing, but rarely do people know how to use them correctly. Maybe at muster, the crew members should mention that they have smart elevators and people have to push it number of times for the number of people. Because they aren't doing it!' And Donna Speaks Meade said, 'Smart elevators are great once you learn how to use lol. They seem to disperse crowd[s] faster.' To be fair, as smart elevators start to become more of a standard feature on cruise ships and not just something you'll find on a handful of vessels, more cruisers will become accustomed to how they are designed to be used. But even for now, it sounds like they are a clear improvement over traditional elevator technology. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on May 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This Is the Grossest Part of a Cruise Ship, According to the CDC
Private hot tubs in cruise ship staterooms were found to be the source of disease outbreak by the CDC. Hot tubs on guests' private balconies caused 12 separate causes of Legionnaire's disease. The private hot tubs weren't subject to the same cleaning standards as public ones on board, leading to rapid bacteria growth.A private hot tub on your cruise ship balcony might seem like the ultimate luxury, but beware: they can be incubators of a severe respiratory disease, according to the CDC. In October 2024, the CDC released a study about outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease aboard cruise ships, contracting specifically from the private hot tubs in travellers' cabins. Between November 2022 and June 2024, the CDC was notified of 12 separate cases of Legionnaires' disease clustered around two separate cruise ships. Ten cases were serious enough that the travelers needed to be hospitalized. The CDC investigated, and it soon became apparent that the root of the outbreaks were private hot tubs. 'Epidemiologic, environmental, and laboratory evidence suggests that private balcony hot tubs were the likely source of exposure in two outbreaks of Legionnaires disease among cruise ship passengers,' the CDC's report states. 'These devices are subject to less stringent operating requirements than are public hot tubs, and operating protocols were insufficient to prevent Legionella growth.' Legionnaires' disease is a serious pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria. The temperature of hot tubs creates a perfect petri dish for the bacteria, and if they are not cleaned and disinfected properly after use, hot tubs can be a dangerous incubator of Legionella. Before this report, private hot tubs were not required to be cleaned with the same stringency as public hot tubs according to CDC guidelines. Related | CDC Cuts Impacted Cruise Ship Health Inspectors—Here's What It Means for Travelers | Learn More 'Hot tubs can be a source of Legionella growth and transmission when they are inadequately maintained and operated. It is important for cruise ship operators to inventory hot tub–style devices across their fleets, evaluate the design features that increase the risk for Legionella growth and transmission, and test for Legionella,' a CDC spokesperson said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure. Cruise ship travelers should be aware of the risks of private hot tubs, and make sure that they are well-cleaned and disinfected before using them. 'Travelers can also use test strips to test hot tub water to find out if the hot tub is being properly operated,' the CDC spokesperson said in their statement. If travelers develop any respiratory symptoms, it's important to report them to the cruise ship authorities as quickly as possible. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Don't splash out for this coveted cruise ship extra — it's a breeding ground for disease, experts warn
Cruising toward disaster? Cruise ship passengers splash out big bucks for private hot tubs in their own staterooms all the time — but the Center for Disease Control is warning against the exclusive amenity, calling them a bubbling breeding ground for Legionnaires' disease. In a damning statement reported on by Travel + Leisure, the CDC linked 12 cases of the severe pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria to private hot tubs on two cruise ships between November 2022 and June 2024. Ten passengers were hospitalized in those incidents. 'Epidemiologic, environmental, and laboratory evidence suggests that private balcony hot tubs were the likely source of exposure in two outbreaks of Legionnaires disease among cruise ship passengers,' the shocking report notes. 'These devices are subject to less stringent operating requirements than are public hot tubs, and operating protocols were insufficient to prevent Legionella growth.' Unlike public hot tubs, private hot tubs weren't required to meet certain rigorous cleaning standards, according to insiders. Hot tubs can be a source of Legionella growth and transmission when they are inadequately maintained and operated, a CDC spokesperson told T+L. 'It is important for cruise ship operators to inventory hot tub–style devices across their fleets, evaluate the design features that increase the risk for Legionella growth and transmission, and test for Legionella,' they told the outlet. For cruise-goers, the CDC advises testing the cleanliness of the hot tub before use. 'Travelers can use test strips to test hot tub water to find out if the hot tub is being properly operated,' the CDC spokesperson added. Meanwhile, Legionnaires isn't the only unwelcome guest on deck. Norovirus — a notorious cruise ship nemesis — is also making waves. This year, a new strain called GII.17 has fueled a surge in outbreaks, accounting for nearly 80% of the 2,400 reported norovirus cases in the U.S. since last summer, according to the CDC. 'It's new to the population,' Lee-Ann Jaykus, a food microbiologist and virologist at North Carolina State University, recently told the Associated Press. Most people don't have immunity to the germ, so it can spread more widely, she explained. And it spreads fast. People infected with norovirus typically shed 'literally billions of viral particles,' Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University, said, per the AP. 'And it only takes a few viral particles to make someone sick,' he informed the news agency company. If you see someone vomiting, Schaffner suggests, 'immediately walk away from them, ideally into the wind.' Adding insult to injury, the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program — the watchdog that inspects cruise ships and investigates outbreaks — recently lost key staffers due to federal budget cuts. 'If you want to have no disease outbreaks, all you have to do is fire all the epidemiologists,' Schaffner quipped. 'And there'll be no one there to investigate.' So, next time you book a cruise, consider skipping the hot tub — or at least bring your own test strips and plenty of soap.
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Travel + Leisure
09-05-2025
- Health
- Travel + Leisure
This Is the Grossest Part of a Cruise Ship, According to the CDC
A private hot tub on your cruise ship balcony might seem like the ultimate luxury, but beware: they can be incubators of a severe respiratory disease, according to the CDC. In October 2024, the CDC released a study about outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease aboard cruise ships, contracting specifically from the private hot tubs in travellers' cabins. Between November 2022 and June 2024, the CDC was notified of 12 separate cases of Legionnaires' disease clustered around two separate cruise ships. Ten cases were serious enough that the travelers needed to be hospitalized. The CDC investigated, and it soon became apparent that the root of the outbreaks were private hot tubs. 'Epidemiologic, environmental, and laboratory evidence suggests that private balcony hot tubs were the likely source of exposure in two outbreaks of Legionnaires disease among cruise ship passengers,' the CDC's report states. 'These devices are subject to less stringent operating requirements than are public hot tubs, and operating protocols were insufficient to prevent Legionella growth.' Legionnaires' disease is a serious pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria. The temperature of hot tubs creates a perfect petri dish for the bacteria, and if they are not cleaned and disinfected properly after use, hot tubs can be a dangerous incubator of Legionella. Before this report, private hot tubs were not required to be cleaned with the same stringency as public hot tubs according to CDC guidelines. 'Hot tubs can be a source of Legionella growth and transmission when they are inadequately maintained and operated. It is important for cruise ship operators to inventory hot tub–style devices across their fleets, evaluate the design features that increase the risk for Legionella growth and transmission, and test for Legionella,' a CDC spokesperson said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure . Cruise ship travelers should be aware of the risks of private hot tubs, and make sure that they are well-cleaned and disinfected before using them. 'Travelers can also use test strips to test hot tub water to find out if the hot tub is being properly operated,' the CDC spokesperson said in their statement. If travelers develop any respiratory symptoms, it's important to report them to the cruise ship authorities as quickly as possible.
