A lot can go wrong in a cruise cabin bathroom.
The problem is that unless you have a suite, the bathroom in you cabin is very small. It’s also part of a plumbing ecosystem. So, if you do something that causes an issue with your toilet, that could impact the entire ship.
That’s why many cruise lines have signs, videos, and other warnings telling passengers to only flush the cruise-line provided toilet paper down the toilet. It’s not soft nor is it close to what most people would expect in a hotel bathroom, but cruise ship toilet paper is designed to be flushable and not clog up the ship’s plumbing.
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When someone flushes baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, diapers, paper towels, banana peels, kids’ toys (all examples shown in a Royal Caribbean video on the subject) you can cause havoc not just for your cabin, but for hundreds of others.
Violating the nothing-but-toilet-paper-down-the-toilet rule also forces another human being elsewhere in the system to figure out how to clean your mess.
The size of the bathroom, however, also causes other problems. It’s not the easiest space, in many cases, to maneuver in, and that causes special problems for some passengers.
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald recently fielded a sensitive question about his cruise line’s cabin’s toilets and he gave the passengers an honest response.
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Image source: Dan Kline/Come Cruise With Me
Carnival won’t make this bathroom change
As you can see above, cruise cabin toilets often have the sink on one side and shower on the other. There’s not a lot of room available and that led Joe Davenport to make a request to Heald.
“John Heald, thank you for taking the time to answer all these questions. My question is that is there any way that you could put bidets on your commodes? I know this is an odd question, and the reason I ask is not because of just having it (because you can bring a portable one with you), but with the commodes being so jam-packed in the bathroom, it’s hard for a big guy like me to get where I need to be to get clean and sanitary after use due to a surgery that requires full cleanliness in that area,” he explained “I’m sure that I’m not the only one who would like to have these on the regular commodes if people were being honest.”
Bidets are not widely used in the United States, but they are common in parts of Europe where Carnival (CCL) does sail.
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Heald was direct with his response.
“Thank you. No, unfortunately we won’t be able to do that. In the old days, we had bidets in some of the cabins, but they were never used, and honestly, the plumbing required for them is very complicated on a ship. Thank you, I’m so sorry, but I do understand, of course, and if there is anything further I can do for you, please let me know. Thank you again and wishing you a very happy Christmas,” he responded.
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