Carnival breaks Guy’s Burgers joint hours record

If you know, you know there’s nothing better than a Guy’s burger on a Carnival cruise ship, piping hot from the grill and dripping with SMC (super melted cheese, for those who don’t know). You go to the toppings bar and top it with caramelized onions, chopped lettuce, pickles, and other toppings of your choice, ready for that first bite.

But if you really knew, you knew you wouldn’t be able to enjoy your favorite burger later in the evening. In fact, Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival cruise ships is usually only open from 12 noon to 6:30 p.m., but the exact hours may vary depending on the ship.

A cruise ship “influencer” claims to have the answer to why Carnival Cruise Line is keeping its venues open for such short hours.

“She pretty much wrote that the reason we don’t keep Guy’s Burgers open all night is to save money,” said John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador. “Some people have asked me to explain why we don’t allow Guy’s Burgers to open longer hours.”

This is not the first time Cruise Hive Reporting Guy’s Burgers opening hours And what happens in popular venues. Now, however, Heard is offering more insight behind the burger.

In today’s cruise operations, crew members must strictly adhere to labor law working hours. In years past, shifts may have seemed more flexible, but today’s crews commute to and from get off work digitally, with all hours worked being precisely recorded.

Guy’s Burgers staff hours include not only the actual hours the venue is open, but also the preparation time before opening and the cleaning and sanitizing time after the venue closes.

“They start their day preparing food in the morning, probably starting around 9 o’clock, getting everything ready and serving anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 burgers, depending on the day and the ship,” Hilde explained.

Heard noted that crew members do have breaks during their shifts, but working hours are still regulated and must be strictly adhered to.

Why not add more crew members?

The “influencer” then talked about overall staffing, suggesting that Carnival Cruise Line should add more crew members to keep Guy’s Burgers open later.

While this is feasible for land-based restaurants, adding staff on a cruise ship is not as easy.

“Every department has a budget, every department wants more people, every department is going to tell the bearded brother on the mothership, we need more crews,” Hilde said. “Here’s the thing, we can only count the number of crew members with beds on each ship. On every ship, on every voyage, almost every crew bed is occupied.”

Cruise ships cannot simply add more beds. Passenger capacity limits, lifeboat capacity, crew services and other factors are all part of a ship’s manning.

If Guy’s Burger needs more staff, might staffing be cut elsewhere? Fewer cabin crew, bartenders or performers? What about layoffs in customer service departments, entertainment stores, or casinos?

While every guest has their own preferences – I personally would have liked Guy’s Burgers to be open later, and since I didn’t spend much time at the casino, the staff wasn’t that helpful to my personal vacation experience – Carnival Cruise Lines need to balance their staffing needs to serve all guests, not just what one guest might want.

Also read: Guy’s Burgers on Carnival Cruise Lines – Menus, Routes, Details

Finally, the influencer pointed out that another cruise line’s burger joint opened later than Guy’s Burgers.

Without naming the cruise line (just as he didn’t name the influencer), Heard was adamant that every cruise line is different. He also commented that the specific cruise line mentioned by the influencer charges extra for burgers because they are not included in the cruise fare.

I’ll keep my free Guy’s burgers, thank you, and I’ll remember to enjoy them earlier in the day.