what's the dealio with bluetooth speakers?

[havanadaydreaming]

Did i hear correctly that CCL banned them recently?  

 

I've brought bluetooth speakers for every one of our cruises.   i listen to podcasts via ear buds but in the cabin i like to play some Caribbean music or Rat Pack songs when getting ready for dinner.  

 

i certainly understand why they might be unwelcome on a ship.  i cant walk through a grocery without hearing someone facetiming another person on speakerphone.  

 

 

[iamsteph]

Permitted in your stateroom

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4090/~/carnival-cruise-line-prohibited-items%2C-exemptions-and-other-considerations

[dallasdan]

I bring one every cruise to use in our room.  The issue is when others bring them to the pool areas and blast their own music.

[1025cruise]

For some cruises, Carnival did ban speakers. It is not a blanket ban.

[splash_in_the_water]

i think it was our last cruise, like 2 years ago maybe?....A cruiser had a larger speaker at the pool. music wasn't offensive but i was sorta like "really, dude?" i guess some people care and some don't.

[sanmarcosman]

OP, this is not new. Speakers in the public areas have been prohibited for over 12 years that I am aware of. Do people do it anyway? Yes, they do, it's called entitlement. 

[wemjam]

Not just the pool, but their balcony.  They think because it is THEIR balcony they can listen to whatever they want really loudly!

😖

[ProgRockCruiser]

As noted, the issue is not "Bluetooth speakers" but rather the size/power of some systems and how/where they are used.

 

A little hand-sized speaker, maybe 6 inches long, like an Anker or Oontz that you get from Amazon for $20, that you use in your cabin and gets no louder than the TV is fine.

 

The larger systems, I suppose like a Sony "Party" Bluetooth speaker that costs $400 on Amazon, is the kind of system no-one needs to bring on board.

[BrotherCraig]

I always bring my small Marshall one.  I keep it low where nobody outside of our cabin can hear it.  For balcony use, I just use my air pods.

[ibarrio]

You mean I can't play Slayer and Metallica out on the balcony at 3 am? 

[steveknj]

53 minutes ago, BrotherCraig said:

I always bring my small Marshall one.  I keep it low where nobody outside of our cabin can hear it.  For balcony use, I just use my air pods.

 

I wish everyone was like you.  I've been on cruises where people blast their speakers, especially on balconies.   It's a few bad people that wind up causing bans.  

 

I've actually never thought about bringing a bluetooth speaker.   Usually I'll put on a pair of headphones if I want to listen to music or podcast.  But I can certainly see the benefit.   But, it's very frustrating when someone blasts theirs.   Especially if there are genres of music you don't like and that's all you are hearing when you want to relax.   Plenty of places on a ship to listen to music, if that's your thing.

[mdin]

I cruised this past March, and Carnival sent out some rule reminders which included Bluetooth use prior to our sailing. Unfortunately a few people didn't get the memo or didn't care. Everyday someone was playing their personal playlist (probably a f@$#king masterpiece to their ears) by the pool or loungers in Serenity. Defeats the whole vibe of that space. 

 

I have no problem with them being used within their own cabin.

[Roscoe13]

1 hour ago, ibarrio said:

You mean I can't play Slayer and Metallica out on the balcony at 3 am? 

From past experience that might be preferable to the profanity laced stuff that some cruisers want YOU and your CHILDREN to listen to. 

[Lee Cruiser]

16 hours ago, wemjam said:

Not just the pool, but their balcony.  They think because it is THEIR balcony they can listen to whatever they want really loudly!

😖

We've had this happen several times.  Not sure why people think that others want to listen to their music several balconies down.  We always use headphones if we are listening to music or watching a video.

[ibarrio]

48 minutes ago, Roscoe13 said:

From past experience that might be preferable to the profanity laced stuff that some cruisers want YOU and your CHILDREN to listen to. 

 

True, but I probably like that stuff as well...just not at 3am. But I was joking, I would never even take a speaker on vacation. 

Edited May 12, 2023 by ibarrio

[Florings]

This rule is obviously not being passed along to everyone, because it has become more of an issue than in the past.  I prefer the sound of the sea when I am on my balcony, not someone's playlist.  And on the Serenity..  I don't know why people don't consider those around them.   

[1025cruise]

22 hours ago, mdin said:

I cruised this past March, and Carnival sent out some rule reminders which included Bluetooth use prior to our sailing. Unfortunately a few people didn't get the memo or didn't care. Everyday someone was playing their personal playlist (probably a f@$#king masterpiece to their ears) by the pool or loungers in Serenity. Defeats the whole vibe of that space. 

 

I have no problem with them being used within their own cabin.

What did security say when you brought it to their attention?

[mdin]

44 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

What did security say when you brought it to their attention?

We only brought it up to an attendant in Serenity and they said we needed to contact guest services. We ended up not contacting services about it.

 

It was was annoying having the speakers going, but by no means did it ruin our vacation. 

[kelkel2]

Ugh the speakers. I don’t mind them when people use them in their rooms. But one past cruise we had a balcony neighbor who had their own dance club on their balcony. Like dude, no one wants to hear it. 

[sapete]

Bluetooth speakers—this decade’s walkie-talkies.

[MoneyGuy]

Apple AirPods (and Android equivalent) for the win. I use them all the time. 

[klfrodo]

5 hours ago, mdin said:

We only brought it up to an attendant in Serenity and they said we needed to contact guest services. We ended up not contacting services about it.

 

It was was annoying having the speakers going, but by no means did it ruin our vacation. 

If it wasn’t a big enough problem then, why is it a problem now?

Anonymity maybe?

[Pellaz]

On 5/12/2023 at 11:02 AM, ProgRockCruiser said:

The larger systems, I suppose like a Sony "Party" Bluetooth speaker that costs $400 on Amazon, is the kind of system no-one needs to bring on board.

 

--Unless they're blasting Tales From Topographic Oceans, anyway.  😄  

 

On 5/12/2023 at 11:38 AM, ibarrio said:

You mean I can't play Slayer and Metallica out on the balcony at 3 am? 

 

"Sir, those bands are fine.  However, Cannibal Corpse and Cryptopsy are Right Out!"    🙂  

 

I'm a metalhead, and a metal broadcast radio deejay.  I enjoy the music, and many other genres of music besides, but I would NEVER assume that anyone else near me wants to hear the dulcet tones of Cradle of Filth or Behemoth unless I was specifically asked to play metal...in a reasonably contained space.   

 

I mean, that's just common courtesy, which, along with personal responsibility, has gone by the wayside in recent years...or decades.

 

[mz-s]

15 hours ago, klfrodo said:

If it wasn’t a big enough problem then, why is it a problem now?

Anonymity maybe?

 

Why does everyone have to pile on whenever people bring up issues they experienced during their cruise?

 

Unless the crew were deaf they saw and heard the speakers, they just don't care to do anything about it.

Edited May 14, 2023 by mz-s

[ibarrio]

13 hours ago, Pellaz said:

 

--Unless they're blasting Tales From Topographic Oceans, anyway.  😄  

 

 

"Sir, those bands are fine.  However, Cannibal Corpse and Cryptopsy are Right Out!"    🙂  

 

I'm a metalhead, and a metal broadcast radio deejay.  I enjoy the music, and many other genres of music besides, but I would NEVER assume that anyone else near me wants to hear the dulcet tones of Cradle of Filth or Behemoth unless I was specifically asked to play metal...in a reasonably contained space.   

 

I mean, that's just common courtesy, which, along with personal responsibility, has gone by the wayside in recent years...or decades.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't even pack a speaker to be honest.