Carnival Explains Show Opening Times – What Can Guests Do?
Carnival Cruise Line offers exciting Playlist Production shows featuring singers, dancers, music, special effects, and more. Many guests want to arrive early to the shows to get a good seat, but the main theater doors don’t always open early.
This can lead to late-arriving guests searching for seats and blocking the others’ views, taking away from the enjoyment of the evening’s entertainment. But is there anything the cruise line can do?
One upset traveler reached out to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, to explain the situation and ask about a potential solution.
“We just returned from sailing on the Paradise out of Tampa and had a wonderful time. My only complaint was they open the show 30 minutes prior to Showtime so everyone can get in and get a seat and get situated. You would think that was plenty of time for everyone to come in and sit down,” the guest explained.
“We were constantly interrupted with late arrivals coming in and trying to find seats in the dark. … Isn’t there any way that they could post someone at the doors that would turn away late arrivals?”
Carnival Paradise is homeported from Tampa, Florida and offers 4-, 5-, and 6-night itineraries to the Western Caribbean and the Bahamas, depending on the cruise length and departure date.
The ship’s two-story Normandie Main Lounge is located forward on Decks 8 (Atlantic Deck) and 9 (Promenade Deck), with entrances on both levels.
Those entrances, however, are closed off with heavy doors until just before each evening’s entertainment. This is true whether it is a production show or another popular event, such as the ever-hilarious Love and Marriage Show or the fun “Family Feud Live” gameshows.
But why aren’t the doors opened earlier so all guests can find a seat before the curtain rises? Heald offers behind-the-scenes insights that clarify the policy.
“The reason for this is because the stage is still being set,” he explained. “They only have a very limited time with previous activities taking place in the lounge and we can’t have guests in the lounge for safety reasons obviously while lighting is being set and rigging is being done.”
Because the show lounge is also used for bingo games, shore tour and shopping talks, jewelry presentations, and more, it makes sense that each activity would need its own lighting and sound setup.
Before a big show, stage props or music setups might also need positioning.
Furthermore, crew members need sufficient time between activities to clean up the show lounge, removing any glassware, napkins, and other debris from previous activities or earlier showtimes.
During some shows, confetti or streamers may be released during finale numbers. I know from cleaning up after similar finales while working at an amusement park many years ago, this can be a real challenge to clean up quickly!
How Can Guests Get the Best Seats?
The best way to get one’s preferred seats for a show is to arrive early. Even if the doors have not yet opened to admit guests, it’s easy enough to line up and wait for the doors to open and have first pick of the seats.
That will not stop others from arriving late, however. With the house lights down, it can be hard to see where friends or family members may be sitting, or just to find seats together to enjoy the rest of the performance.
Read Also: What to Expect When You Go on a Carnival Cruise
It would be impossible for Carnival Cruise Line to implement a turn-away policy, however, as many guests would be frustrated at being denied the opportunity to watch a one-night-only show. This would be especially true if they were delayed because of a previous activity or even dinner service running longer than expected.
Carnival Cruise Line has already said that requiring reservations for shows will not be an option, and other stern measures aren’t likely to be well-received.
Adding more performances could help ease the difficulty, as late arrivers could be turned away and reminded of additional available showtimes. On crowded cruise schedules, however, this isn’t always an option.
Another possibility could be to have some seating sections – such as in the back corners where fewer guests may be seated earlier – left available for late arrivals, while more prime seating is closed off. There would need to be crew members to direct guests to the appropriate section, however, which requires more staffing.