When you embark on a cruise, your ship becomes your home away from home for the duration of your sailing. However, it’s important to remember that you’re sharing your temporary home with thousands of other people.
Two recent Carnival passengers learned this the hard way when they were asked to relocate their card game from the busy Lido deck during prime lunch hour so that other guests could sit and eat. Of course, this caused offense.
When the incident occurred, the unidentified duo were taking part in a limited edition Carnival Journeys sailing, which are extended voyages to destinations like Hawaii, New Zealand, the Caribbean, and the Panama Canal, although it’s not clear which voyage the pair was on.
“Two people were playing cards at 12:45pm, the busy time on Lido for lunch. They were politely asked to stop because the guests wanted to sit there to eat. And so they wrote to me saying that the crew member was rude and, well you get the picture,” Brand Ambassador John Heald wrote on Facebook.
Carnival’s brand ambassador also defended the crew member, stating that the staff has been asked to help make sure the popular dining hours go more smoothly by making sure there are enough places for everyone to sit and eat.
“She was not rude, she was doing her job as we have been asking the crew to help us with this. I know that people want to play cards and this ship had the upper level of the dining room for this with tables cleared of cutlery, plates and starfish,” continued Heald in his post.
According to Heald, the two guests were taking up a table of six for their card game, when other guests could not find a place to sit and eat.
While the players could have relocated elsewhere on board, such as a lounge or the unused dining room Heald mentioned, the people trying to eat lunch don’t have quite as much flexibility.
Rush Hour on the Lido Deck
Across cruise lines, and certainly across Carnival’s 27 ships, few places onboard get busier than the Lido deck – especially during prime dining hours.
Along with being the home to pools, hot tubs, and lounge chairs, this deck is also where guests will find the popular Lido Marketplace buffet, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
With a wide array of options, such as deli, BBQ, salads, Asian cuisine, pasta, and desserts, Lido’s is a quick and popular dining option. The only problem is there is not always enough seating to go around on the Lido deck – especially during peak hours like during breakfast and from noon to 2 p.m.
With this in mind, the consensus among the hundreds of commenters on Heald’s Facebook post was that the card players were being inconsiderate of other passengers.
“So many places on board to play cards… I’m actually happy that the crew member asked the people to move. There are times where it feels like it’s impossible to get a seat for lunch,” wrote one person in the comments.
“Anyway, you can play cards on Lido but not during breakfast and not between noon and 2pm please,” Heald personally added.
Read Also: Free Carnival Cruise Dining Options You’ll Want to Know (With Menus!)
To be clear, Carnival Cruise Line has nothing against cruise passengers playing cards at sea – as long as they are mindful of their fellow passengers. It’s actually quite a popular activity.
According to a poll Heald posted on his Facebook page, playing cards is the second most popular activity onboard – only behind reading books.
But if guests see the area filling up for breakfast or lunch, the kind thing to do would be to relocate until prime dining hours have passed so other passengers can enjoy their meal.
