Lately, it seems like someone new has taken offense to something that happens at Carnival’s Punchliner Comedy Club on an at least weekly basis.
In fact, Brand Ambassador John Heald has received so many complaints about the shows – and especially the late-night adult-only sets – that he has encouraged guests to skip the performances if they think they might be offended.
But usually, guests are upset about something the comedians said – not about the layout of the room itself or other guests.
However, Heald received an unusual complaint on his public Facebook page from a frequent cruiser who claims she couldn’t see during the comedy performance she attended – and was discriminated against because of her height.
“Anyone over 6ft should be required to sit at the back row at all of Carnival’s shows.These guys get enough privileges in life. Let us short people have this one thing and please do better Carnival,” her message said.
She claimed she was discriminated against because the entertainment crew members wouldn’t save her a seat in the front row to guarantee a prime view of the stage.
“I asked for reserved seats on the front row. I was told no!! This is discrimination for sure,” she wrote to Head.
There’s a couple issues with her argument – the first being that prioritizing shorter audience members in this way could be seen as discriminatory to taller passengers who arrive early to secure their desired seats.
The other issue – which is something that Heald couldn’t get past in his response – is that the woman, who says her height is 5’6”, isn’t actually all that short.
“I understand the inconvenience but I ask this respectfully, is 5ft’6 inches considered short?,” Heald asked in response.
The general consensus among the hundreds of replies, including from cruisers of the same height, is that the cruiser is not as short as she suggests. In fact, she is two inches taller than the national average in the United States.
Proper Theater Etiquette
Whether you are watching a show on land or at sea, there are a few common practices that theater-patrons should follow to enhance their enjoyment and be considerate of others around them.
For example, if this passenger really needed a front row seat, she should have planned to be at the comedy club early. Carnival posts the show times, and often the doors opening times in the HUB app, so it would have been easy to plan to be there in advance.
“If we reserved seating for her, wouldn’t we have to do so for everyone of that height? Perhaps the answer is to get there early?”, Heald wrote as part of his response.
The Punchliner Comedy Club does use raked seating, meaning the seating slopes upwards so that even guests in the back row can still see well.
However, it’s still a good idea to come to the theater early – especially if you have a big group and to avoid large support poles positioned throughout the club, which can restrict views.
Read Also: 15 Mistakes to Avoid on a Carnival Cruise
In addition to arriving early for your own enjoyment, the kind thing to do is also keep your fellow passengers in mind, as well.
For example, take off any large hats or head pieces that might block the view of people sitting behind you – and like a movie theater, don’t use your phone the whole time or talk over the performers.
If you do arrive late or aren’t sure if you will stay for the whole show, pick a seat in the back and/or on an end so you can slip in and out without causing too much of a disruption.
