We have never watched the Super Bowl from a cruise ship. Usually, we watch it at a hotel in Las Vegas because one of us likes to be able to put her money where her heart is. You didn’t know she was such a football fan, did you?
So the thought of watching the spectacle in Dallas (left…but it’s in Arlington, TX) from the waters of the Caribbean or off the coast of South America or crossing the Atlantic really isn’t that appealing. When the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers settle pro football supremacy on Sunday, there are two reasons why we’d like to be somewhere other than on a cruise.
One is that the ships are often having to re-aim the satellite system that provides them with a TV signal, which can cause a signal loss. She would not be happy about that.
The other reason is that almost without exception cruise ships, while sometimes called floating casinos, do not cater to sports wagering. That’s almost…because we were once on a ship that offered sports betting from ONE free-standing vending machine off in a corner where it was difficult to find, and of such importance that even getting directions to it was a problem.
It’s a mystery why cruise ships don’t offer more sports gambling — especially for Super Bowl, and especially when teams like the Packers and Steelers look so similar on paper — and given that once ships are in international waters, they’re free of whatever legal encumbrances exist on land. Most cruise ships adhere and/or subscribe to the guidelines of the International Council of Cruise Lines.
Maybe there’s not enough profit in it. Maybe the level of expertise and volume of equipment is too expensive. Maybe the cruise lines believe their passengers just aren’t interested, but if that were the case, then why are all the cruise lines throwing Super Bowl parties and showing the game on as many screens as they can, big and small?
Whatever the reason, on Super Bowl Sunday, Vegas is a better bet. She’s happy with that.