Toilet paper would seem to be a rather personal and intimate choice, but cruise travelers know they get no choice on such amenities.
The toilet paper provided onboard cruise ships can be – shall we say – less than luxurious (even in suites!), but one common solution should not be used onboard or else multiple other toilets can be affected.
Such a situation recently happened aboard an unnamed Carnival ship, when one guest’s indiscretion with a discretionary product impacted nine other toilets.
Every cruise ship restroom, including both individual stateroom lavatories as well as public restrooms, has signs reminding guests not to flush anything other than bodily waste and toilet paper.
For example, no feminine products, contraceptives, diapers, paper towels, or other products should be put down the toilet, as they can cause clogs and difficulties with the vacuum-assisted suction flush system.
One other product recently caused challenges aboard a Carnival ship. The cruise line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, brought it to the attention of his more than 600,000 Facebook followers to emphasize the seriousness of these toilet no-nos.
“We had a situation on a ship yesterday, and this is where somebody had flushed something down the toilet – wet wipes,” Heald noted. “Now, not only did it block their toilet, and not only did it have this person very upset that their toilet was blocked, but it also blocked and stopped the flushing of nine other toilets. Nine.”
Cruise ship plumbing is interconnected between adjacent staterooms. It is rare that any major issue remains confined to just a single stateroom.
“Luigi the plumber gets very upset about this,” Heald said – a lighthearted joke about a not-so-lighthearted mishap.
“Listen, I’m not going to sit here and proclaim that our lavatory paper is the best toilet paper in the world – it’s not,” he acknowledged. “But it is designed to accommodate the suction toilet system. Please don’t flush anything, anything, anything down the toilet. Any other toilet paper, wet wipes, and all that kind of stuff, please don’t do it.”
Even wet wipes that claim to be “flushable” simply aren’t. They don’t always break down well and can quickly clog up all sorts of plumbing systems, especially the unique suction systems and narrow pipes of a cruise ship.
It does not matter the size of the cruise ship or when she was constructed. Both old and new Carnival ships use very similar plumbing and pipe systems, and are subject to the same delicacies of operation.
Aren’t Wipes Prohibited?
To be clear, however, wet wipes are not prohibited and guests can bring them onboard if they wish. What they should not do, however, is put the wipes down the toilet after use. The same goes for any similar products, including a guest’s preferred brand of toilet paper or any other bathroom hygiene products.
Instead, wipes or similar products should be carefully put into the disposable bags provided for feminine products, or else wrapped in tissue, paper towels, or toilet paper and placed in the trash can for disposal.
Read Also: What Do Cruise Ships Do With Sewage and Waste?
Okay, yes, it may seem gross – that’s a given, considering what the wipes are used for. But consider the alternative – flush wipes and suffer through a clogged toilet (and the accompanying embarrassment) and possibly overflowing toilet water (you’re lucky if it’s just water) in the bathroom and into the stateroom.
If a guest needs additional disposal bags during their cruise, a discreet request to the cabin attendant – leaving a note can be helpful if you don’t actually see them too often – will ensure you have plenty of options for proper wet wipes disposal.
