Many people take a cruise to escape reality.
They may want to get away from their job, their family, and the stress of everyday life. In addition, some people want to get a respite from the political strife dividing the nation and the world.
Cruises, however, are not the bubble they once were. A decade ago, internet was a luxury on cruise ships. People bought it by the hour so they could send emails, check web pages, and do other very basic things.
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The rise of Elon Musk's SpaceX's Starlink being added to most major cruise line ships has changed that. Not everyone pays for an internet connection, but many do and the internet on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and most major cruise lines has become much more useful.
That means that cruise ships are no longer isolated. You might be able to avoid certain aspects of your life, but you can no longer fully escape reality.
Cruise lines, however, do make choices about what passengers see onboard in public areas. They may show major sporting events on the big screen on the pool deck or in other public places.
Carnival, however, has drawn a clear line when it comes to one area, no matter how big a deal the event is.
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Carnival Cruise Line draws the line on politics
Most people on cruise ships tend to keep their politics to themselves. Yes, you may see provocative T-Shirts and red hats that aren't supporting the Arizona Cardinals, but most people try to respect the idea of a cruise being an escape.
Carnival has supported that idea by not showing any of the presidential debates in public areas on their cruise ships. Still, many passengers expected that the election itself might be such a big story that the cruise line would opt to televise it somewhere on their ships.
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The cruise line's Brand Ambassador, John Heald, made Carnival's position on that very clear in a post on his Facebook page.
"I had so many people asking about the election coverage next week on the ships. So please can I say that having spoken to our Chief Communications Officer Chris, I can confirm there will be no public screening anywhere on the ship of any election coverage. We will have the news playing as usual on your cabin TVs," he wrote.
Carnival passengers share their election opinions
Over 650 people commented on Heald's brief post.
Most agreed with the cruise line's decision.
"I will be on a ship during the election and I am grateful it won’t be played in public spaces. I do want to know what the results are, but I will check that in my cabin," Melissa Stalley Bennett posted.
Angie Moreau agreed with that.
"This is the right decision. There is WAY too much derision regarding this election and having it on where people will be drinking and watching together is just a recipe for disaster," she wrote,
Many posters cited alcohol as a reason not to show the election results in public places.
"Alcohol mixed with strong political opinions would certainly cause major chaos. We’re all friends while cruising and airing political news would definitely change the atmosphere," Dornese Kimberley Cole Coleman added.
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Not everyone agreed (although the vast majority of posts did support the cruise line's decision).
"That is ridiculous! This is America! It is our freedom to watch," Les Perry wrote.
It's worth noting Carnival's cruise ships are not flagged in the United States and would also be sailing in foreign waters. Some posters also pointed out that not every passenger onboard will be American.
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"We are cruising during the election time, we are not Americans and do not wish to have that ruin our cruise! Cruising is a way to get away from reality even for a few days!! if you really must see it then like everyone else has said, watch it in your cabin," Debbie Chambers Wilton shared.
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