After being on dozens of cruise ships and always trying to see the shows offered, I’ve seen both sides of the “reservation only” or “show-up-anytime” experiences. Carnival is one cruise line that does not offer reservations and recently explained why.
The Capacity Challenge
The ability to have room for those who want to see a show is a bigger deal on bigger cruise ships. Not every passenger can fit in the theater at the same time. In fact, not even half of the capacity of the cruise ship can usually fit in the main theater.
For instance, Carnival Celebration’s theater can hold a bit over 1,000 guests–maybe 1,200 at the most. And on any given sailing the ship can have almost 6,000 guests (5,374 at double-capacity).
While, sure, there are usually two shows to accommodate everyone, there’s usually one sitting that is a more popular time than the other.
To make sure it’s a seamless process, some cruise lines have adopted a ticket reservation policy. You simply use the cruise line’s app to reserve your spot, and you’re good to go.
Carnival’s Reasoning: No-Shows
Carnival Cruise Line was recently asked about this as they currently don’t take reservations for their shows.
Carnival’s Brand Ambassador John Heald acknowledged on Facebook that “on some ships the shows do get very full which is why we have increased the number of performances”.
He then asked the fans on social media if a ticket system would help.
But before the cruise blogs and Youtube accounts started announcing a policy change, Heald emphasized that this is not something they are announcing. It’s merely a discussion.
Reservations slots were actually offered on Carnival when Carnival Dream first started sailing.
So, why doesn’t Carnival offer reservation tickets and spots for their shows?
“The main problem was that people would line up for tickets and then not show up for the ummmm, show,” Heald simply put it.
And I’ve seen this happen on other cruise lines as well. It’s the very reason that even when a show is fully reserved, crew members will advise you to show up for the show anyway. There are always passengers who either forget or end up doing something else.
Sometimes people get reservations just because they want to avoid FOMO later on as well, so they get the show reserved out of panic. After all, on a cruise ship you never know what you’ll be doing in the next 10 minutes never mind in the next few hours, right?
Heald then asked for comments on the Facebook post to see how people would feel about ticket reservations.
Heald posted this poll:
“A. YES, PLEASE PROVIDE TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS
B. YES, PLEASE PROVIDE TICKETS FOR ALL THE SHOWS AND CHARGE A FEW DOLLARS TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ATTEND
C. NO TICKETS – THANK YOU”
The Fans Have Voted
So, the Carnival crowd spoke, and they spoke loudly for option C, a clear winner when reading through the comments.
It really underscores how much they appreciate the flexibility of the current system and not being tied down to reservations. It looks like Carnival is prioritizing that freedom based on what their passengers are telling them.
The reservation question is a classic trade-off: guaranteed entry versus the ability to be spontaneous. And right now, Carnival’s passengers are definitely leaning towards the spontaneous side.
Or maybe they’ve seen the same thing Heald as seen. People getting reservations only to not show up, causing more of a headache for everyone else.
