Carnival Clarifies Onboard Announcements – What Guests Need to Hear
Every cruise traveler is eventually faced with a critical dilemma – you’re in your stateroom and you hear the tell-tale sounds of a PA announcement, but you can’t quite hear what is being said.
Do you rush to the door to hold it open and hope to catch the announcement? Do you forcefully hush everyone in the cabin or fumble with the television’s mute button to try to hear the announcement more clearly? Why aren’t announcements piped into staterooms for everyone to hear more easily?
One concerned guest has reached out to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, wondering about that issue and what they ought to do.
Heald is very active through Facebook and answers hundreds of questions every week from his more than 600,000 followers. During one of his recent daily video posts, he addressed the concern about announcements.
The guest who raised the issue noted that they are onboard Carnival Pride, which is currently sailing a 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise from Baltimore, Maryland. The experience of muffled announcements, however, happens on all cruise ships.
Heald was clear to note that how announcements are broadcast onboard applies to all Carnival ships, regardless of where or when they are sailing.
“I do understand that you want to hear all the announcements,” he noted. “The announcements you can’t hear in the cabin are the general ones, with the cruise director saying what’s happening around the ship.”
These types of announcements would generally be reminders about upcoming activities and games, the evening’s entertainment, or updates on shopping specials, spa deals, art auctions, or other onboard events.
Some ship captains will also make daily announcements about the ship’s position, speed, ocean depth, and ongoing course. Those announcements are often made at the same time each day, such as around noon.
When emergencies happen, however, greater measures are taken to be sure all guests are aware of critical information.
“If there is anything … that you need to know, those announcements would be made inside the cabin,” Heald confirmed. “Whether it’s an emergency announcement, a need-to-know announcement, those would come in.”
Emergency announcements might be itinerary changes due to weather or explanations of any diversion. Updates on mechanical issues, storm updates during hurricane season, and similar concerns would all be broadcast directly into guests’ staterooms.
Of course, the ship’s emergency alert signals – seven short blasts followed by one long blast – are also always sounded in all staterooms (and wow, you can’t miss those no matter HOW deep you sleep, or even if you wear earplugs like I do!).
“If you do not hear an announcement in the cabin, please do not worry,” Heald reiterated. “It is not an emergency, it’s not a need-to-know announcement.”
Can’t Announcements Go on the Carnival Hub App?
Guests have wondered whether or not announcements could be listed on the Carnival Hub app so they can be reviewed anytime. Carnival Cruise Line has invested heavily in the app, posting daily schedules, menus, and more for guests to review at their fingertips.
Read Also: What to Expect When You Go on a Carnival Cruise
Certainly, this would be convenient for guests who might miss announcements because they’re napping, taking a shower, or otherwise unable to listen in.
Heald noted, however, that the general activity announcements made by cruise directors are not scripted. These ad-libbed announcements often include jokes or other fun, such as an individual cruise director’s catchphrase, silly accent, or other personalization. That would be difficult to capture with the app.
It is possible that someday, the technology might advance enough that individual announcements can be made on the app, but for now, travelers will need to keep their ears alert to hear all about what’s going on aboard the ship.
Carnival Clarifies Onboard Announcements – What Guests Need to Hear