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Many cruise ships have large movie screens on the pool deck. This is true of most Carnival ships and Royal Caribbean’s smaller Oasis-class ships.
These screens show movies, and before the pandemic, at least on Royal Caribbean ships, those movies played on an endless loop. Yes, there were more official showings advertised in the daily Cruise Compass, but movies were shown at other times, too.
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This must have been an added cost because both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have cut back on the number of shows. Royal Caribbean now offers Chive TV, a free channel that features funny pet videos, exciting sports games, and other background programming.
Cruise lines sometimes use their big screens to show major sporting events, and Carnival broadcasts its cruise director’s morning show. However, in the past, Carnival used to show cartoons on its big screens between movie showings.
This is a tradition that John Heald, a brand ambassador for Carnival Cruise Line, thought some people might want to bring back. He posted about it on his Facebook page and promised to take action if enough people responded positively.
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Image source&col; Carnival Cruise Line.
Carnival’s brand ambassador is asking for help
Heald was a Carnival Cruise manager and often shares his memories of those days. In a June 28 post, he called on the cruise company to bring back something from its past.
“Today I vote to refill the gaps on the Lido big screen with cartoons. We never grow old with cartoons, do we?” he said in agreement.
Heald also shared a challenge to his more than half a million followers.
“If 1,000 or more of you agree I will send the beards,” he wrote. “Beards” is Held’s name for the cruise line’s leadership. It’s an affectionate term, albeit a very loose one, as the carnival includes many non-bearded female CEOs as well as some male leaders who don’t actually have beards.
Heald concluded his article with a call to action.
“If you agree, please click on the happy face icon,” he added.
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Carnival Cruise Line passengers speak
The post has garnered more than 1,000 positive emojis, including 1,700 smiley faces, 1,100 thumbs up and 162 hearts as of 2:21 p.m. on June 28.
More than 1,200 people commented on Held’s post, most of whom supported the idea of the cartoon.
“We only watch Cartoon Network in our cabin. I’m glad I can still watch Adult Swim while relaxing at night before bed. I don’t recommend Adult Swim on the Lido Deck, but I am a big fan of Cartoons on the Lido,” wrote Sammy Sheldon.
Some passengers even have suggestions.
“I wish you had watched the old cartoons, like The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo. Even TV shows like Mama’s Family, The Golden Girls, and Family Matters,” Lucia Rucker said.
Many others expressed the same idea.
Lucia Rucker posted: “Yes!! Old cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Foghorn Leghorn, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, etc.”
However, there were some other suggestions.
Randy Hettenbaugh wrote: “I would prefer a documentary about the next island we go to. Tell us about the island, its people and its culture.”
While others prefer their screens to go dark.
“I absolutely enjoy listening to music. I don’t think cartooning all day would be fun,” Debbie Bayer Cooper said.
Tara Barringer suggested a hybrid approach.
“I love playing music. It gives a special atmosphere when you walk outside. The cartoons would be good if they were silent though,” she posted.
Some commentators have also called for a different kind of nostalgia.
“I vote to cut the big screen and bring back the steel drum bands,” wrote Tripp Moorhead.
Sue Aitken shared this view.
“Nooooo! How about bringing live music back to the Lido,” she shared.
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