No one wants to think about plumbing while taking a cruise. But what every cruise passenger needs to realize is that the toilet on a ship operates very differently than a toilet back home.
Carnival Cruise Line is once again reminding guests not to flush certain items down the toilet, as it wreaks havoc on cruise ship plumbing. In fact, a total of 10 cruise cabins were left with inoperable toilets after one guest committed the cardinal sin of flushing the “unflushable”.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, once again took to social media this morning to address a frustratingly familiar issue: passengers flushing wet wipes down cabin toilets.
This time, the seemingly innocent act by one guest resulted in a domino effect, not only blocking their own toilet but also causing nine other toilets to stop working. That’s not a great way to start a vacation.
“It not only had this person very upset that their toilet was blocked, but it also blocked and stopped the flushing of nine other toilets—nine!” Heald stated.
As many seasoned cruisers and Carnival followers may remember, this isn’t the first time Heald has had to deliver this particular message. In fact, as we previously reported, Heald has creatively addressed the problem of flushing wet wipes in the past, even highlighting the unpleasant task faced by the ship’s plumbers, affectionately known as “Luigi.”
Despite clear warnings displayed in bathrooms and on stateroom televisions, some passengers continue this habit, leading to blockages.
While household toilets can typically handle wet wipes and standard toilet paper, cruise ship plumbing is designed for rapid processing—you know that powerful vacuum sound that sounds like an airplane is taking off–and relies on a specific type of paper that breaks down easily.
Yes, wet wipes, even those marketed as “flushable,” often don’t disintegrate sufficiently in cruise ship toilets. Don’t use them on a ship.
This latest incident, not only affected the passenger that flushed the wet wipes, but it also interrupted the cruise vacations of nine other cabins as well.
Heald admitted that cruise ship toilet paper isn’t the comfiest stuff in the world, saying the following:
“Listen, I’m not going to stand here, or sit here, and proclaim that our laboratory paper is the best toilet paper in the world. It’s not. But it is designed to accommodate the suction toilet system. Please don’t flush anything, anything, anything down the toilet – any other toilet paper and wet wipes and all that kind of stuff. Please don’t do it because it does not just affect you, but it affects others as well.”
As we outlined in a previous article, beyond wet wipes, other items that should never be flushed down a cruise ship toilet include feminine hygiene products, diapers, cotton swabs, hair, bandaids, food scraps, cigarette butts, coffee grounds, dental floss, contact lenses, and essentially anything that isn’t toilet paper or human waste.
While cruise ship toilet paper might seem thin, it’s important for the comfort and convenience of everyone on board.