Cruise lines have taken steps to protect the environment.

Many have implemented new types of fuel that are better for the planet, and the entire industry has taken an aggressive approach when it comes to waste.

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Carnival Cruise Line even took the bold step of installing over 600 food waste biodigesters across its fleet in 2022.

“The biodigester technology uses a natural aerobic digestion process inside each machine to efficiently break down food waste utilizing a mix of beneficial microorganisms, enabling the systems to process anything that can be consumed by a human,” the cruise line shared on its website. “Able to perform automated digestion 24 hours per day, the biodigesters are strategically placed in key areas of the ship where food is processed.”

Carnival has a stated goal of cutting down food waste by 50% by 2030. The cruise line has a broad range of environmental goals including:

• Increase fleetwide coverage of Advanced Waste Water Treatment Systems to more than 75% by 2030
• Send a larger percentage of waste to waste-to-energy facilities where practical by 2030 and aspire to send 100% by 2050
• Aspire to build ships without the need to discharge to the ocean or air (zero-emission ships) by 2050

The cruise line has also eliminated plastic straws but there’s one key area where it’s doing something wasteful, but passengers overwhelmingly don’t want it to stop.

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Carnival addresses towel animal concerns

Both Carnival and its chief rival in the family cruise market have its room stewards leave towel animals for guests. There are no real rules about how this works, but the room attendant will use items left in the room like sunglasses or loose change to enhance the animals.

In general, these towels are not used but must be laundered after they have been left in a cabin. That’s something one passenger expressed anger about in an email to Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald.

“John Heald! Just stop being the old irrelevant Carnival sock puppet. Towel animals are only cute if you are a child or have no life. Most adults do not like towel creatures so they end up back in the laundry using soap, water, and manpower just so children and those with childish minds are amused when they return to their cabins,” the angry passenger wrote.

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Heald defended the towel animal tradition.

“Let me say that this has been part of our Fun for 53 years and still brings a smile to so many people today. I may be an ‘old irrelevant sock puppet’ whatever that means, but I do truly believe there is a towel animal that will make everyone smile, even those who tell me they never cruise with us,” he responded.

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Carnival passengers love towel animals

Heald posed a simple question to his followers:

“Do the towel animals bring you joy and make you smile?”

• Yes (97%)
• No (3%)

That’s a pretty overwhelming majority in a poll that had more than 7,000 votes. 

Many people also made comments in favor of the towel animals.

“It’s a highlight of our cruise to see the smile on our grandson’s face each day. We keep them the whole time and take pictures,” shared Cindy Smith Adams.

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Others, even adults cruising without children, echoed the same idea.

“They are one of my favorite parts of cruising. I try to save them all week,” wrote Kayla Evans.

“My wife really enjoys them. She takes pictures of them all week,” added Jerry Gibson.

Some passengers do think the practice could be limited to rooms with children.

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“I think the towel animals are cute, but with the small rooms, there is no place to store them. I feel like it takes a lot of time for our stewards to make them being they care for so many rooms now. My suggestion is for the stewards to make them for the cabins with children in them,” shared Denise Kennedy.

Your Carnival room steward will not make towel animals if you request that they don’t.

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