Occasionally, what draws tourists to a specific cruise line is their approach of doing things somewhat distinctively compared to others.
Simply because something is well-liked by guests of Royal Caribbean or Norwegian Cruise Line does not automatically make it appealing to those sailing with Carnival Cruise Line. This was evident in a recent conversation about onboard entertainment posted on John Heald’s Facebook page, where he serves as the brand ambassador for Carnival Cruise Line.
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A traveler reached out to Heald to inquire about why Carnival does not provide guests with the option to reserve spots for theatrical performances as some competing cruise lines do.
An anonymous passenger questioned why Carnival doesn’t necessitate reservations for performances or comedies as other cruise lines do, which typically don’t charge admission fees yet prioritize seating for their elite members.
The cruiser wanted to know why Carnival doesn’t offer priority access to show reservations to those who reach the highest tiers in its loyalty program. The suggestion is similar to what Norwegian Cruise Line does by allowing those with Platinum status and above in its loyalty program to pre-book entertainment a few days earlier than others.
"This is how Carnival ought to handle major productions and comedy performances, yet Carnival, you aren’t. Why? It’s unfair that Platinum members can’t secure reserved seats for these events," the passenger argued.
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The Carnival brand representative talks about reserving shows.
John Heald, who serves as Carnival’s Brand Ambassador, posted a customer message on his Facebook page to illustrate how Carnival manages the significant demand for shows and the difficulties associated with introducing a reservation/ticketing system at present.
I realize that on certain vessels, the performances can become quite crowded. This is why we've expanded the number of showings. Nonetheless, might selling tickets be an option worth considering?
“Heald highlighted that operating and managing this system is extremely difficult. When the Carnival Dream initially began sailing, we attempted it before. However, the primary issue was that individuals would queue up for tickets but fail to attend the event.”
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Even though Heald questioned if the cruise line’s HUB app could include show reservations similar to how it handles dinner bookings, he emphasized that he isn’t sure if this feature might be introduced by the cruise line at some point.
Maybe the App could be utilized? I'm uncertain," he went on. "Allow me to clarify that this is merely for discussion purposes, and I am unsure if we will actually proceed with this.
As he often does with passenger suggestions, Heald asked his followers to share their opinions on the matter in comments on the post.
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Passengers on the carnival cruises do not desire a reservation system for the onboard show events.
Browsing through the 5,000 comments on the post clearly shows the sentiment of most Carnival cruise passengers regarding reservations for onboard entertainment.
I prefer not to make extensive plans ahead of time. Even though I naturally tend to be organized, one of the aspects I enjoy most about cruises is that I don't have to," commented Gina DeAngelis DiSano, whose post garnered over 100 likes. "Maintain everything just as it currently is.
Even certain passengers with significant standing within the cruise line’s loyalty program concur.
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No tickets required. One of the reasons we love cruising with Carnival is that we don't have to organize every detail ahead of time; instead, we can make spontaneous decisions about our activities," said Michele Kreidler. "We don't need reservations or plan out destinations two days beforehand. As a Platinum member, I believe everyone should be treated equally for show seating—first come, first served works perfectly well.
Many Carnival cruise guests are fine with putting in some effort to plan ahead so they can get an early start and reserve seats for the more sought-after performances.
“I genuinely enjoy everything as it is,” Tamar Robbins penned. “I realize that if I arrive at the performance tardily, there’s a possibility I might not secure a seat, so I’ll aim to be a bit sooner for subsequent shows.”
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