A video depicting people sleeping on the balconies of their cruise ship cabin is drawing attention.
Not so much because of the hilarity of the spectacle, but rather because of its invasion of privacy implications.
One of the netizens to call foul was Mandy, The Cruise Planner. While admitting that she initially found it funny, she marveled at how the public accepted the footage.
Highlights
- A viral video shows cruise passengers asleep on their balcony beds, filmed from a nearby ship.
- TikToker Mandy The Cruise Planner says the public’s acceptance of such footage is “odd.”
- Others argue paying thousands for a cruise gives travelers freedom to “put their bed anywhere.”
Another person to vent their displeasure was a netizen with the handle Cartel Marcel. He felt that for the prices the ocean-bound expeditions cost, those caught on tape could put their beds wherever they saw fit.
The video in question showed the two cruise liners docked side by side
Image credits: Billy Pasco
Cartel Marcel reposted the contentious footage, which depicted two towering cruise liners moored side by side—so close that they appeared to be within striking distance of each other.
Both vessels stood no less than ten stories above the waterline, and both ships’ sides were lined with balconies.
Image credits: Kaitlin Thomas
Footage being captured, presumably from the balcony of one of the liners, caught at least two of its passengers snuggled up in bed, but said beds were on the balcony.
“They were making fun of those people because those people put their beds on the balconies of the cruise ship,” Cartel Marcel narrated.
Cartel Marcel believes that, for the prices cruise ships charge, travelers should be allowed to put their beds wherever they want
Image credits: @cartelmarcel
“If I’m paying $2,000, $3,000 for a cruise,” Cartel Marcel reasoned, “I’m putting my bed wherever I want.
“I don’t care what you all think.”
“If I want to put the bed on the water next to the boat, that’s where the bed is going,” he said to emphasize his point.
Mandy The Cruise Planner, however, saw the public’s reaction as symptomatic of a deeper issue.
Mandy marveled at how comfortable netizens were with the invasion of people’s privacy
The woman referred to “a couple” sleeping on their balconies, who she speculated were sleeping off an on land excursion or too much “fun.”
“I don’t know, we’ve all been there,” Mandy continued.
Image credits: mandythrcruiseplanner
“They were being filmed without their knowledge by somebody who was on a cruise ship across the way.
“And while I originally saw this funny and think that is funny, because like I say, we’ve all been there, it does seem a little odd to me that we’re this comfortable with filming complete and total strangers,” the TikToker observed.
Commenters allegedly took aim at the people in the video’s age and appearances
Mandy doubled down on the fact that these oblivious holiday makers were intentionally filmed and then made the main feature of someone’s video before being published on social media “for millions of people to see.”
She pointed out that it would have been different had they been accidentally caught in the background of someone filming themselves.
Image credits: kevgotheat
“A part of me wonders if this is just going too far.”
Mandy claimed that her second take on the action was spurred by the reactions to the original video in which netizens bashed unsuspecting holiday makers for their age and appearances.
“It just seems unfortunate for a couple who were on the balcony minding their own business.”
According to their assessment, the balcony nappers were undeserving of the treatment they received
Image credits: victorias.way
Mandy suggested that there would have been more merit for the video in question had the people been doing something “dangerous or provocative.”
“If they were to come on this app and look at the comments of random strangers just making critical strangers just making critical judgements of their appearance and their age, that would be very upsetting for them.”
The cruise ship industry TikToker also pointed out that due to the video’s virality, the person who shot the footage and posted it on the social media platform was likely making money off of it.
In certain countries, filming a person without their consent is a jailable offense
Netizens in the comment thread appeared, for most parts, to see things Mandy’s way.
“I think a balcony is an extension of your personal space and should not be filmed,” wrote one person.
“It’s not illegal,” remarked another, “but can we not be decent humans anymore?”
The conversation pivoted to territories where publishing footage and photos of other people without their consent – including Dubai, known for its draconian penal system – is illegal.
Countries such as China, Morocco, Germany, South Korea, and Italy have also made photography without consent a criminal offense.
One netizen feels that people are "too comfortable with filming strangers"
