Met with my entertainment staff today to plan the cruise ahead. I have a wonderful staff of Stephanie, Gary, Lloyd, Mouna, Shawn and Adele. I must not forget my wife and Assistant Cruise Director Heidi – without her I am as useful as a hairbrush would be to Britney Spears.
After the meeting we began the embarkation process. It’s always good for me to walk around on embarkation day as many guests do not know me yet so I can blend in and see the guests boarding. This did not work very well as the first group of guests I saw came running over to hug me and shouting how wonderful it was to have me as a cruise Director again and they had planned their trip just to return to see me.
When something like this happens it really shows what an impact you can have on someone’s vacation. The fact that they have chosen their vacation based on what ship I am on is a humbling experience. I should point out that being hugged by a group of guests who have just endured a 13-hour trans-Atlantic flight is also a very “interesting ” experience!
Seriously though, I have guests return to see me every week and I am so very grateful to each and everyone of them, especially people like Robert and Suzann Schneider who have chosen their vacation around my schedule for the last 15 years. I have no words to express my gratitude to the Schneiders and many others like them.
The first night of the cruise is an overnight call in Venice. As such, it was rather quiet evening with everyone out exploring the city so Roger, Heidi and I met up with our friends Harry and Nadia Salmon who were staying in town.
We had a wonderful meal in a Venetian restaurant called Gaterpados which is Italian for “How Much!” Nadia is an expert guide in Venice and she led us all on a relaxing walk through the canal side streets of the most romantic city in the world. Roger insisted on having a gelato (ice cream) even though he had just finished dinner so Nadia took us to a fantastic shop just a few minutes from St Marks Square where we feasted on a single scoop of ice cream except Roger who had something called a “Tuutcha ” which translates into a triple scoop of ice cream and comes with a free roll of toilet paper!
We said goodbye to Danny and Nadia who were returning to England. If anyone visits England’s famous Tower of London make sure you stop by a the local Hot Dog Stand located next to the main entrance. Its run by Harry and is called “Harry the Hotdog” and if you say you have read this blog you get a free hot dog…they are the best!
Anyway, back to the ship and preparation begins for my travel talk the next day in which I will provide information on all the ports of call. Rhodes, Athens and Katakolon in Greece, Izmir in Turkey and Dubrovnik, Croatia.
If anyone reading this blog has never been to Europe and in particular these ports, I urge you to please come and visit me. The history and spectacular sights await your discovery and it will be a huge honor to be your guide and cruise director. So, as I walk out on stage now to tell 3,000 people what incomparable places they are about to visit, I hope that one day YOU will be on the other side of the curtain.
Showtime…will write more soon
Filed under: Tales from the Ship | Tagged: Tales from the Ship
Love the blog!
GREAT STUFF YOU BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY WIFE’S EYE WE LOVED CRUISING WITH YOU
John,
These updates are just fantastic! I own/manage the web site http://www.shipcafe.net and will be sailing aboard the Freedom myself this coming May 13th on personal holiday. You were the first cruise director I’ve experienced when I sailed aboard the Sensation in 1994.
I look forward to meeting you this May and wish you all of the best for a spectacular inaugural season.
Steve J. Garrod
how exciting to have found this blog! we are on this lovely ship for a med cruise and back to back t/a this fall! see you then…. and we’ll be reading this often!
smiles, s’dreams
Will be seeing you on March 14th! Can’t wait to get onboard! Thanks for the blog so we can get an idea of what is going on!
WOW!!!!!
This is so awesome!!!!
First, I find Cruise Critics website and all the threads and roll-calls for Carnival Freedom, which has led me to your website. We will be on the Freedom on May 1st for her 1st Grand Mediterranean Cruise, and to get to know you through this blog is almost like our cruise has started already. We will be reading it every day you write untill we arrive in Italy. We are taking this cruise to celebrate our 65th and 70th birthdays, although the actual days aren’t on the cruise (one before, one after) and it gets better and better – we are getting so excited!
What I really want to say is to wish you all the best as Cruise Director and to your wife Heidi and CONGRATULATIONS!!!
We look forward to meeting you on board Carnival Freedom
All the best,
Marion and Ron Reyno
Great Blog! Love your sense of humo(u)r! I hope that by this time next year you’re still (or back as) Cruise Director. The blog gives us some good insight of really how hard you CD’s really work!
Thanks!
Hi John ! My husband and I sailed with you on Randy’s group cruise–you even came to our cocktail party.
You are the best and thanks for the blog!
vicki and john
John,
my friend Jennifer and i were with you on the Liberty September ‘05, Med cruise. I am still laughing at the ‘bedtime’ story dvd i bought. ( God, i thought you had hurt yourself, you recovered nicely tho’) We never met on that cruise…you were busy… but i am going to make an effort to introduce myself when we catch you on the Freedom…….. we were hoping you woud not retire so soon!!!!!!
Theresa Taylor
South Carolina USA
john, my hubby wants to know if the freedom has the texas hold ‘em electronic wpt tables like the legend? thanks…..
s’dreams
Hello John:
Thank you for this blog. I have a group of 38 that I am hosting on the Freedom June 6, 2007 sailing – look forward to meeting you.
John,
My husband and I sailed on the Liberty in August of o5. I was so excited when I saw that you will be our CD on the Freedom’s May25 th sailing. We are sailing with a group of 32 this time and I e-mailed them and said what a fun time we will be having with you. The Cruise Director can make or break the cruise. You are great and my husband and I are counting the days. I have just finished scrapbooking my 05 cruise. and it has heightend our excitement. See you soon.
Hi John,
Love this new concept of keeping us informed and pretending we are all cruising with you and Heidi and your great team.
Hope I get the opportunity in the near future to sail on the Freedom experience, and enjoy this new vessel.
You are truly the best in the industry, and I wish you the best …
Keep me posted and sending much love,
Ciao,
Gloria Saponaro
Group Travel Coordinator
Travel Syndicate/American Express
John,
I’m so sad to hear you aren’t on the Liberty anymore. We sailed with you and your fantastic staff April ‘06. We came back with the best stories from that trip. We have been on 3 cruises with Carnival in 18 months and are in the process of planning our 4th for this summer. We will be back on the Liberty for the 8 day eastern cruise. We will miss you but now that we know you are aboard the Freedom that will be our next trip! You are the best cruise director we’ve had so far. Best of luck to you on your new ship! Hope to see you again soon!
Hi John, Loved reading your blog, I feel like I am almost there. My sister and our husbands are celebrating all of ours 35th anniversary aboard the Freedom on May 25th. We are so excited and hope many to meet you. Happy sailing, Vicky
Wish you all the best on the Carnival Freedom, good luck your mate Willy Banger
John! We sailed last July on the Freedom out of Rome and swore that in two years time we would return to sail out of Rome on the Freedom to Greece and Turkey. We are booking our trip tomorrow and this time bringing friends.
You made our time onboard the Liberty unforgettable with your incredible sense of humour and keeping track of “Willy Banger”.
I am so excited to see you are the Cruise Director on the Freedom and hoping you will be on her next May 10th sailing in 2008. We have told our friends what an incredible and unforgettable Cruise Director you are and it would be great if they could experience your talent first hand!
Thank-you so much for making our trip that much more special and fingers crossed, we will see you on the Freedom next year!
OMG! We are so happy to see you are still Cruise Director!
Bill and I met you on our first cruise in 1992, and with you (Director) on only 5 of our 30, but you had made our trip so perfect, we went on more (as you can see!). We still travel/cruise with one very special couple we met on that first cruise, and 5 other couples from other cruises.
In 1992, Bill was on stage with you and he was ‘Dick Golden’. Then we saw you in Boston when the Destiny came into the Black Falcon Pier for a tour of her. On the last cruise with you , you had said you and Heidi were going to England for your Parents. Do hope they are well.
Don’t know if we will be coming onboard the Freedom any time soon because we are caring for my Dad and Bill’s Mom, but as soon as we can………..we will try and get to see you and Heidi.
John, thank you for all the wonderful memories and making every time we were with you, a time to always remember!
Hugs,
Karen and Bill
Hi John, I just found out you got me. I’ve been telling all my friends about “Willy Banger” since our January 2006 cruise on the Liberty. Now reading the blogs I see he’s been around on other cruises with you. Like I said you got me then and I hope you will get me some how on our January 2008 cruise on the FREEDOM. Hope you will still be there, your a great CD.
John,
Wow..this is great! We have had you as our CD 4 times…last was May on the Liberty out of Rome. How you won everyone’s attention on the top deck as we entered into Venice…still brings tears and chills up my spine. We are sailing on the Freedom Oct. 28th from Rome to Miami…a first for us to cross the ocean…will you be on that glorious sailing? As Carnival’s song goes…You are the best.” You look great….PS we were on the cruise that you announced you would be retiring…..so glad you came back..you are an asset to CCL
Brenda & Pete
This blog is terrific. We are reading it everyday.From all the comments we have read I am sure we are going to have a wonderful time with you as Cruise Director.
It was interesting to read your note regarding Harry the Hot Dog stand. As it happens we have a friend who is a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London and we will be staying with him at the Tower prior to our leaving for Rome to join the cruise on the 13th May, so we will definitely say hello.
Peter & Glennis Turner (New Zealand)
[...] blog thingy using my name “Ed Konefe”. Here is that first comment of mine. Ed Konefe March 11th, 2007 at 3:26 pm Hi John, I just found out you got me. I’ve been telling all my friends about “Willy Banger” [...]