waytoodeep03 Posted September 7, 2018 #1 Share Posted September 7, 2018 i just came off vista and it was dissappointing. Usually in staterooms they have more stations and channels. On vista its mainly carnvial specific channels, cnn and a few other random stations. No local stations from new York like they had on other ships. So when people want to watch sporting events the only place on the boat was the sports bar which was mega over crowded. There wasnt even a single tv in the casino. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossBluePerchance Posted September 7, 2018 #2 Share Posted September 7, 2018 One of the things I really LOVE about ship travel is the ability to watch TV. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrate13 Posted September 7, 2018 #3 Share Posted September 7, 2018 The tv channels changed a while ago. I seem to remember either late last year or earlier this year. I think it was something to do with satellite fee increases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProgRockCruiser Posted September 7, 2018 #4 Share Posted September 7, 2018 (edited) Yes, the "re-transmission fees" being demanded by the terrestrial US TV stations were getting exorbitant, apparently, and pretty well all cruise lines have stopped carrying them as a result. In the past the fees were very low or zero, because it was "eyeballs on ads". But it appears that the major networks, the vast majority owned by a few major players, have decided to try to increase their revenues, perhaps because there was no way to include those cruise-ship eyeballs-on-ads in their ad pricing, so they weren't contributing to the bottom line. That is all "as far as I know" - I am not an insider or expert on the matter. EDIT: Oh yeah, one more thing - "re-trans" fees have been increasing on your cable/sat bill too. Every few years you might hear about a TV station getting blacked out from a cable/sat provider, because the TV station wants more money for a signal that the consumer could in theory get for free OTA with an antenna. Edited September 7, 2018 by ProgRockCruiser grammar; add in Cable-Sat re-trans fees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bustersmom Posted September 7, 2018 #5 Share Posted September 7, 2018 I would like to know as well as is this across the board -not just carnival? other big lines as well? While we all understand that most do not care if they ever turn on the TV during the cruise, there are some that feel it diminishes the trip by not being able to stay up to date on news, current events via a few major networks-do not need HBO and premium stations just a few local media outlets. Again, for some this is a major letdown at the end of a long day not to veg and catch up. I think the opportunity should be there for those who want it and for those that cannot understand why any person would need or want to watch TV on a fab cruise, well they have the option of never turning on the TV in their stateroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProgRockCruiser Posted September 7, 2018 #6 Share Posted September 7, 2018 I would like to know as well as is this across the board -not just carnival? other big lines as well? Correct - as far as I know, none of the other major Cruise Lines carry the traditional network TV stations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micahs Grandad Posted September 7, 2018 #7 Share Posted September 7, 2018 One of the things I really LOVE about ship travel is the ability to watch TV. :D When DW is getting ready nice to have something to watch and also to keep up with my sports teams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanmarcosman Posted September 7, 2018 #8 Share Posted September 7, 2018 When DW is getting ready nice to have something to watch and also to keep up with my sports teams Well now you can't, Stu. It's probably now the same situation on Carnival's Princess brand that you and Sheila have been enjoying the past 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bustersmom Posted September 7, 2018 #9 Share Posted September 7, 2018 Correct - as far as I know, none of the other major Cruise Lines carry the traditional network TV stations. Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micahs Grandad Posted September 7, 2018 #10 Share Posted September 7, 2018 Well now you can't, Stu. It's probably now the same situation on Carnival's Princess brand that you and Sheila have been enjoying the past 3 years. Well ask me in December when we are back from our next Princess one. However I will be able to complain next month when we do a Carnival one.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiingj Posted September 7, 2018 #11 Share Posted September 7, 2018 Cutbacks. Carnival can provide a few more channels but unfortunately they choose not to. Funny my HOTELMARIOTINTERCONTINENTAL hotel still has all the channels. My DirecTV bill just went down $30 to only $30 a month. If you ask me Satellite has gotten cheaper the last few years. Probably thanks to cord cutters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisinCrow Posted September 7, 2018 #12 Share Posted September 7, 2018 We were on NCL a couple of months ago and it was the same. Very limited and odd channel selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotdog 52 Posted September 7, 2018 #13 Share Posted September 7, 2018 We were on Princess in Dec. and March, best TV package I've seen on 36 cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott4020 Posted September 7, 2018 #14 Share Posted September 7, 2018 Well now you can't, Stu. It's probably now the same situation on Carnival's Princess brand that you and Sheila have been enjoying the past 3 years. I don't recall Princess ever offering local TV stations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BlerkOne Posted September 7, 2018 #15 Share Posted September 7, 2018 Cutbacks. Carnival can provide a few more channels but unfortunately they choose not to. Funny my HOTELMARIOTINTERCONTINENTAL hotel still has all the channels. My DirecTV bill just went down $30 to only $30 a month. If you ask me Satellite has gotten cheaper the last few years. Probably thanks to cord cutters. Glad to hear you want a few more CNN channels. :D We appreciate Carnival's cost management efforts. Your DirecTV is via a DirecTV dish and not going through a 3rd party. Enjoy HOTELMARIOTINTERCONTINENTAL cruise lines! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comiso13 Posted September 7, 2018 #16 Share Posted September 7, 2018 I don't want to watch TV all the time on my cruise, but it is nice to hear a little about what is happening while I am getting ready to leave my cabin for a fun day of cruising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coevan Posted September 7, 2018 #17 Share Posted September 7, 2018 unless you still use rabbit ears, all stations are satellite. CNN and ESPN are land based studios. Yes, I have friends that only watch local channels on an antenna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lottacruises Posted September 8, 2018 #18 Share Posted September 8, 2018 TV channels went bye bye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maplemoose Posted September 8, 2018 #19 Share Posted September 8, 2018 What sports channels are shown in the sports bar, especially the Horizon? How is the picture quality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waytoodeep03 Posted September 8, 2018 Author #20 Share Posted September 8, 2018 What sports channels are shown in the sports bar, especially the Horizon? How is the picture quality? They had all espn channels, fs1 and local stations except ABC in the bar. I guess disney says abc is a no go. Airlines(southwest, jetblue etc) don't even have abc either. So this leads to a problem as half the ship wants to watch an nfl game and the bar cant hold all of these people. It would be nice to be able to watch from the stateroom. They had movies playing on the lido deck as that would be a nother good option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reader0108598 Posted September 8, 2018 #21 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Why would the cruise lines provide channels? If you are in your cabin watching TV you are not spending money! They do nothing for you if it does not make them money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bustersmom Posted September 8, 2018 #22 Share Posted September 8, 2018 I can see them perhaps offering "TV" as a paid option, much like internet packages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmichael1279 Posted September 8, 2018 #23 Share Posted September 8, 2018 They had all espn channels, fs1 and local stations except ABC in the bar. I guess disney says abc is a no go. Airlines(southwest, jetblue etc) don't even have abc either. So this leads to a problem as half the ship wants to watch an nfl game and the bar cant hold all of these people. It would be nice to be able to watch from the stateroom. They had movies playing on the lido deck as that would be a nother good option Disney owns ESPN too. From what we were told on the Vista in January - sports bar and casino can get just about whatever they want, it's essentially a form of pay-per-view I think for some of it. But, they're only paying for a couple of TVs, as opposed to thousands for each of the cabins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beffy1167 Posted September 8, 2018 #24 Share Posted September 8, 2018 My last two cruises were on Disney. They also had very limited TV channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmichael1279 Posted September 8, 2018 #25 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Disney owns ESPN too. From what we were told on the Vista in January - sports bar and casino can get just about whatever they want, it's essentially a form of pay-per-view I think for some of it. But, they're only paying for a couple of TVs, as opposed to thousands for each of the cabins. And... ESPN is already available as a satellite, ABC isn't - that would have to come from a local ABC station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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