Pizza is one of the most popular quick snacks onboard most cruise ships. Depending on the cruise line, it may be available round-the-clock, or at least from mid-morning until late night hours.
But what about if you’re not near the pizzeria and still want a slice? Carnival Cruise Line offers pizza delivery anywhere onboard, for a $5 charge per pie. But should delivery be curtailed at certain times and in certain spaces?
One disgruntled guest reached out to John Heald, the cruise line’s official Brand Ambassador, about an incident that happened during the “Celestial Strings” production show.
The guest claims to have been enjoying the pop-rock-symphonic show when a pizza was delivered to a group of people seated in front of them. They complained to Heald about how this impacted their entertainment experience.
“We had to watch the show with the smell of pizza and the sound of chomping,” the guest said.
While the guest did not reveal which ship they were sailing on, “Celestial Strings” is a show specifically designed for Center Stage on the three Excel-class ships – Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee.
Heald addressed their concern in a couple of ways, including the overall volume of the so-called “chomping” as well as whether or not food delivery really is necessary during performances.
“I do understand, however, could they really hear ‘chomping’ over the show music? Perhaps the guest had the eating habits of a hippopotamus eating a large lump of lettuce, but for me there is a bigger concern here,” he said.
“The show is 50 minutes long, that’s all, 50 minutes – so how about we try to just go without eating anything? I’m not a doctor, but I am overweight so I can tell you that not eating anything for 50 minutes won’t result in sudden death but possibly a mild rumble of the stomach.”
Of course, there is no way to know whether or not the guests who ordered the pizza had already enjoyed their dinner, or perhaps the pizza was their dinner.
“If our dancers are contorting themselves tirelessly on stage then the least we, sitting on our arses watching the show, can do is to lay off the sodding quattro formaggio,” Heald said (and that’s my favorite of Carnival’s pizzas! Now I want a slice…)
Read Also: Not Everyone Is Happy With Carnival’s New Late-Night Pizza
Should Pizza Be Delivered During Onboard Shows?
Heald did open up the discussion to other commenters on his Facebook page, interested in other perspectives and opinions about pizza delivery and production performances.
“Where do you sit on this one?” he asked. “Should we have delivered the pizza during showtime and did the guest who complained to me have a point or not?”
While I can certainly understand the pizza craving that might strike at any time, it does seem less than considerate of one’s fellow guests to have a full pie delivered during a planned show.
That said, it is possible the guests who ordered the pizza did not expect the wait time for their food to be quite so long and they might have intended to have finished their snack before the show began. Of course, there’s no way to know how long it took for their pizza to be delivered after they initially ordered it.
Many other commenters have expressed similar views, noting that such a delivery could also be distracting to performers, depending on how close to the stage it may be.
The cast of “Celestial Strings” and other Center Stage shows often move through the first few rows and main aisles of the entire space, and so a delivery – or moving tables to accommodate eating the delivered pizza – could cause problems.
Other guests do note that due to the central location and openness of the venue, there are already other distractions all around. Various bars, the Pixels Photo Gallery, the Fun Shops, and multiple entrances to the ship’s casino are all nearby.
Ultimately, the vast majority of respondents agree with one succinctly expressed sentiment:
“Food is great but it can wait!”
While Heald did not indicate that Carnival Cruise Line might consider temporarily stopping pizza deliveries to certain locations during performances, the idea could certainly use some thought.
Of course, eager guests can always bring their own pizza with them to the venue, or else simply wait until after the bold and expressive show to head to the pizzeria – starboard side on Deck 8 – to grab a fresh, hot slice.
