A recent incident on a Carnival cruise has been brought under the spotlight after one passenger was reportedly seen filming another who had slipped and fallen near a hot tub.
In a world where clicks and views are treated like currency, it appears that common decency is not as common as we would like to think.
The incident, which was recently the focus of a Facebook live video by Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald, is raising questions about cruise etiquette and privacy.
Heald addressed the issue head-on, asking his followers, “Would you do this?”
According to the account shared with Heald by a guest named Connie, the incident occurred on the Lido deck.
While the ship’s medical team responded quickly and crew members thoughtfully used beach towels to shield the injured woman who had fallen, Connie was disturbed to witness another guest holding their phone high in the air, seemingly recording the scene.
Heald quoted Connie’s message during his live broadcast:
“Is it OK for another guest to be filming the incident? It upset me when I saw someone holding her phone high in the air to capture the incident. I asked her why she would think it’s OK to film this and it was very disrespectful… to film an incident like this in my opinion is very disrespectful, John. What do you think?”
John Heald, known for his direct and creative communication style, didn’t mince words in his response. Admitting that phone cameras are everywhere and a part of reality, he stated:
“Well, you know, wherever we are in the world, you see an accident on the road, somebody’s filming it. There is always somebody with their phone in the air filming everything.”
Heald then gave his own feelings about the issue which seemed to echo the sentiment of the comments on the Facebook post as well
“Would I do it? Not in a million years. Do I think it’s awful? Yes.”
Heald further challenged his audience to consider the perspective of the person who had fallen:
“Do I think that people don’t think, ‘What if that was me laying at the bottom of the steps of the hot tub if I just slipped over, I want someone filming me now?’ Of course, you wouldn’t…”
While expressing his strong personal disapproval, Heald also offered a realistic view:
“…but there’s nothing we could do. It is the world that we live in, it really is.”
Heald’s message is a reminder that just because we can film something doesn’t mean we should. This isn’t about the legality of filming in a public space; it’s about basic human decency.
We can prioritize compassion over content, right? How’s that for alliteration!
