Has Cruise Camera Etiquette Disappeared? Carnival Responds
Everywhere you turn on a cruise, there is a camera, from our own smartphones and ship photographers to biometric facial recognition and security cameras.
But have cameras gone too far when embarrassing or even dangerous medical incidents are now being filmed by complete strangers?
Such an incident recently aboard one Carnival cruise ship, much to the dismay of other observant passengers as well as the cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald.
A guest onboard reported the incident to Heald, wondering about his thoughts on filming. While there isn’t much that can be done, unfortunately, the resulting discussion does illuminate some truths.
“I was recently on a cruise where a woman slipped on stairs near the hot tub on lido deck. It was an accident and the medical team was called and arrived quickly to assist her. Some crew were shielding the woman from view with beach towels while medics tended to her,” the guest described.
“This is my question, is it okay for another guest to be filming the incident? It upset me when I saw a young girl holding her phone high in the air to capture the incident.”
The guest goes on to note that one can no longer assume any privacy in public places, but it still feels disrespectful and out of place to film such an incident.
Carnival Cruise Line has previously addressed the idea of filming when medical evacuations are underway, as flashes and cameras can disrupt critical assistance and possibly endanger airlift crews.
Heald shared his thoughts during his daily quick video, noting that the public fascination with accidents and similar incidents is not confined to cruise ships.
“Wherever we are in the world, you see an accident on the road, somebody’s filming it. There is always somebody with a phone in the air filming everything,” he acknowledged. “Would I do it? Not in a million years.”
Heald goes on to note that many people doing such filming don’t take the time to put themselves in the position of the injured party.
“People don’t think ‘what if that was me laying at the bottom of the steps of the hot tub if I’d just slipped over? Would I want someone filming me?’” he said. “Of course you wouldn’t! But there’s nothing we can do. It is the world that we live in.”
Unfortunately, he is correct. With so many cameras all over and so easy to quickly tap to snap a shot or start recording, it is impossible to reasonably prohibit others from filming.
Instead, it is important for crew members to offer assistance to the injured guest, ensuring their well-being even if they aren’t quite able to protect their privacy as thoroughly as one would wish. Fortunately, this is exactly what the crew did during this incident.
Would Other Guests Have Gotten Out Their Cameras?
Heald went on to ask for guests’ thoughts on the incident. Overwhelmingly, other commenters felt such filming was in bad taste, insensitive, and very rude.
Read Also: 10 Pictures You Have to Take on a Carnival Cruise
Given that the original poster described the filmer as a “young girl” it is possible she didn’t realize how inappropriate her behavior may have been. There is no indication about whether or not her parents may have been nearby.
With today’s youth conditioned to post everything online for likes, clicks, and shares, unfortunately, any such incident might be seen as an opportunity for a viral video or internet fame.
Others note that since the incident occurred on the Lido Deck, it would have been impossible to ensure that no one at all could take a quick picture or video. That space on the open deck is highly visible not only from the pool and surrounding deck, but also upper decks that overlook the hot tubs.
Potentially, this could mean hundreds of other guests might have been able to film the incident, and there simply aren’t enough crew members to guarantee that no one did so.