On land, you sometimes end up on the road, at a stop sign, next to one of those cars that seems to have the speakers on the outside. It's loud music that you're being forced to listen to whether you want to or not.
Sometimes, that happens outside of cars too as people opt to carry around Bluetooth speakers rather than wear headphones. That's often a problem at community pools and while it's usually against the rules, there's generally nobody around to enforce the rule.
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It's hard to know when someone doing this is being intentionally obnoxious or simply doesn't see how their actions impact other people. You may think the dogs barking Christmas songs or the latest death metal album should be heard by everyone around you, but at least some people don't agree.
This can be an even more serious problem on cruise ships, where personal space is limited. Some people bring a small speaker onboard to play white noise while they sleep or quiet music while they're relaxing.
Cabin walls, however, are thin, and even people trying to be respectful sometimes are bleeding their noise and/or music from their cabin into others. Some passengers, however, are not at all kind to others and openly violate the rules by using portable speakers to give their cruise a soundtrack that's shared with others.
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Image source: Carnival Corporation.
Carnival allows Bluetooth speakers
Carnival Cruise Line currently allows passengers to bring Bluetooth speakers, but they can't be used in public spaces. Brand Ambassador John Heald does not agree with that practice.
"If I listen to some Cleveland, Ohio folk music when I’m on a ship I use the very capable speaker on my eye phone or my headphones," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Cleveland is a frequent mock target for Heald who also always refers to Apple's iPhone as an "eye phone."
"My personal opinion and it is a personal opinion is that we should not allow Bluetooth speakers on board at any time. I do not see a circumstance where people need this when they can use the speaker on their phone or headphones," he added.
Heald, it should be noted is not speaking on behalf of the cruise line. He's sharing his own opinion, which he followed by asking his followers for theirs in a poll.
The poll offers two choices on Bluetooth portable speakers:
- They should not be allowed on ships
- I disagree, I bring one when I cruise. They should be allowed.
Carnival's passengers picked a clear winner.
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Carnival passengers want Bluetooth speakers banned
Nearly 90% of the over 15,000 votes cast (89%) want to ban Bluetooth speakers on ships. The vote is, of course, not binding, but Heald will pass the results on to "The Beards," his name for Carnival's upper management.
Some people shared stories about people being inconsiderate with Bluetooth speakers.
"I love music as background noise. But when someone, like one gentleman on a cruise I took, has a large Bluetooth speaker turned up so loud even his own party had to yell at each other while they walk around the pool deck, that's then just disruptive," shared Sandra Hart.
Kimberly Brooks offered a similar story.
"The last time we were on the cruise, we had to listen to somebody’s music on the Lido deck. I really prefer listening to the reggae and the DJs music. It was like this guy was competing with their music and nobody told him to turn it off. It was very frustrating. Yes, we could’ve got up and moved, but we had great seats right around the pool," she wrote.
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There were some people who made the case for respectfully using Bluetooth speakers in their cabin.
"I bring one every time I cruise. I only listen to it in my room, when I’m getting ready for the day and for dinner," posted La Sirene Dantor Feray.
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Jeniffer LeeAnn echoed that idea.
"I do as well. I don’t have it loud but the quality is better than my phone speaker. That’s the only reason I use it rather than just my phone," she wrote.
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