Key Aspects:
- A future guest complained because their Carnival ship won’t show the final episodes of the hit Netflix show, “Stranger Things.”
- Guests who can’t wait to watch the series will need to splurge for a premium internet package to watch onboard.
- Other cruise fans felt that passengers should prioritize enjoying the onboard entertainment instead of binging content they can watch at home.
Reading some of the demands sent to Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald can make one feel like they are in the “Upside Down,” and this request is certainly one of them.
One future guest of Carnival Panorama has had their Christmas dreams crushed because the cruise line will not be broadcasting the next installment of “Stranger Things,” on the big screen. The popular Netflix show is currently in its final season.
“Really John Heald. [Your] answer to me is that Carnival Cruise Line does not have Netflix. You mean Carnival refuses to give us Netflix,” the fan ranted on Heald’s Facebook page.
For context, the next four episodes of season five (Volume 2) debut on Christmas Day, and the two-hour series finale premiers on New Year’s Eve.
The upset passenger will be onboard for the Vista-class ship’s 8-night Mexican Riviera sailing that lasts from December 20 to December 28, 2025.
“Across America everyone will sit down after Xmas dinner to binge on the final 4 episodes of Stranger Things unless you are on Carnival Panorama because you refuse to play this on the jumbotron. Way to ruin Xmas,” the future guest continued.
While Carnival Cruise Line occasionally broadcasts big events, such as major sports games, season 5 of this hit series does not fit into the same category – nor does the cruise line actually have access to Netflix.
Believe it or not, the cruise lines actually have to license content in order to show it onboard, which would likely be impossible (or insanely expensive) to do for a series as hot as “Stranger Things.”
Two Simple Solutions
Although Carnival isn’t going to provide free Netflix content anytime soon (despite other passengers sending Heald similar requests), guests do have two very simple options.
They can either be patient and wait to watch the show when they return home, or purchase a premium internet package to watch Netflix on their personal devices.
Notably, video streaming is only available as part of the top-tier premium internet package, which currently starts at $25.50 per person, per day.
“We do not have Netflix on our ships. You can purchase the Premium Internet for the day and stream Netflix onto your eye phone or eye pad,” Heald advised.
“You can perhaps watch it when you get home?…I do understand it is very popular but is Stranger Things really a show that everyone watches after Christmas Dinner. It isn’t exactly joyous, happy or funny Christmas viewing,” he continued.
This brings up another good point, in that “Stranger Things” can be rather intense or scary and is not the most suitable content to broadcast during a family-friendly sailing.
Cruisers React to “Strange” Request
More than 1,000 people sounded off in the comments section of Heald’s Facebook page, the majority of whom felt that the guests shouldn’t spend their expensive vacation holed up in their cruise cabin watching Netflix.
“See that’s the great thing about Netflix and other streaming services. The thing you want to watch will be there to watch whenever, so if you are busy doing other things, like being on vacation, your show will be waiting for you when you get home,” one cruise fan wrote.
“What’s the big deal? Watch it when you’re home from the cruise. I wouldn’t waste my cruise time on a show I can go back and watch once I’m home. In fact, I’d rather watch it at home (yes, I do watch Stranger Things) in my pj’s on my recliner,” another said.
Guests will indeed have plenty of other entertainment to partake in onboard – which they can’t enjoy at home – including musical performances, production shows, game shows, trivia, Dive-In Movies, and more.
