Carnival Shoots Down Guest’s Request to Publicize Chess Event
Carnival’s cruise ships are known as the Fun Ships for a reason. No matter who you are, there is likely something exciting going on that appeals to you at all hours of the day.
But sometimes, the Fun Squad’s packed roster of entertainment isn’t enough – especially for guests who have specific hobbies or unique requests.
One such guest, who is married to an avid chess player, recently complained to Brand Ambassador John Heald that her husband wasn’t able to advertise a self-hosted chess meetup in the Hub App or the Fun Times daily newsletter.
“My husband is an avid chess player and would like to find someone who’d join him in a game of chess when he cruises. We are on the —-. The cruise director is new and he refused to put an add on the funapp for chess players to meet up,” the wife wrote to Heald.
“Who do I speak to get this happening? My husband is a chess player and one of the highest ranked at the Temecula Chess Club. This has put a damper on his cruise,” she continued.
While Heald could understand the desire, asking Carnival to advertise and host the events doesn’t make sense logistically at this time.
“This is very important because I often get asked as do my colleagues on the ships to have events or private meetings placed in the Funtimes or on the Hub App. I am sure everyone understands the reasons behind this,” Heald said in response.
“Perhaps something like ‘Chess Players Meet.’ But then we have to make sure we have places to do this, have chess boards to use and I wonder these days if it is even something that enough people want to do on their cruises,” he continued.
Even if Carnival just allows guests to advertise their own themed meet-ups in the Hub App or Fun Times, there is still a safety factor to consider – as the Miami-based cruise line can still be held liable if something goes wrong at an event they promoted.
Meeting Like-Minded Cruisers
Although Carnival won’t be promoting any chess matches onboard, Heald’s more than 600,000 followers had another suggestion to find potential players.
In addition to bigger Carnival groups on Facebook, there are also usually ship-specific groups and even sailing-specific groups. The couple could post there to try to reach out to other chess fans who might be onboard at the same time.
“Join the fb page for her cruise and add an event on that page for a chess tournament or make a post about wanting to make contact with other cruisers on that cruise to play chess with. Easy peasy,” one person suggested.
“Ask on the Facebook group for the sailing if anyone is interested and bring your own games. Or, invite friends who have the same interests to come with you on the cruise,” another advised.
Read Also: Carnival Cruise Director Schedule for 2025-2026
But believe it or not, this isn’t the first time a cruise guest has asked for changes to the HUB App to bring compatible passengers together.
At the end of last year, one single mom wanted to use the HUB App for a whole different game: Dating. The guest was hoping a chat feature could be added to the app to allow cruisers who were single and ready to mingle to meet.
But while Heald was polite, he did confirm that there are no plans of introducing any dating-app features to the cruise line’s HUB App.
Carnival cannot add a feature that could lead to liability or safety risks – including sharing passenger information with strangers by letting them chat on the HUB to others that are not in their immediate travel party (even for romantic purposes) or promoting something that leads to a meet-up gone wrong.
That said, most Carnival itineraries usually do feature a cruise line-hosted singles mixer and an LGBTQ+ mixer.
And for the chess-loving married couple, they might also be able to meet some friends who share the same hobby at other get togethers onboard, such as at the military appreciation gathering or meet-and-greets for card players.
Carnival Shoots Down Guest’s Request to Publicize Chess Event