The day started with my morning show, which is shown live on the 270-square-foot LED screen on Lido Deck, as well as on the cabin TVs. I must say when I first started doing this show a few years ago, it basically consisted of information on the ship and the upcoming happenings of the day. However, in time, it morphed into a pure dedication show with guests sending in their wishes, their funny requests, their comments and sometimes letters that will bring a lump to your throat.

This morning’s show was one such show as it featured a letter from a family in praise of their Mum and Dad. It was a simple letter but written with such heart and soul that it was indeed a lump-in-the-throat moment.

Also for this particular morning show, I had a very strange request for…..wait for it………………..underwear.

Flying anywhere these days is becoming more challenging and flying trans Atlantic – with changing of planes and such – means there is a chance of the dreaded feeling when the baggage carousel stops and you realize your luggage is probably on the other side of the world.

Here was one such case for Mrs. Mary Strutt (who has given me permission to talk about this – thanks Mary ). Mary‘s suitcase was lost by an airline that I will not mention. Our fantastic and caring purser’s department handles these types of cases and eventually found her suitcase and noted that it would be returned to her upon our arrival in Livorno in three days time.

So, Mary wrote to me begging for help. You see as Mary put it in her letter, she is a size extra medium and she had been unable to find comfortable sizes in the ports of call we’ve visited so far or in the gift shop onboard. Her letter therefore was a request – and I quote directly from Mary – for ladies of "comfortable girth" to lend her some underwear.

I read this out at her request during the morning show. I followed up with a phone call to her tonight. My faith in the human race has been restored as she told me that she had received 7 pairs of the required size of undergarments! She gave me the cabin numbers of the women who provided the undergarments and I sent a bottle of champagne to each one with a thank you note from her.

Mary‘s sense of humor is so refreshing and the guests that answered her cry for help are to be praised. Could such a thing of have happened in a hotel or a vacation resort – no way. Cruising can really bring the best out in people, there is nothing like it.

For some strange reason she refused the offer of borrowing my underwear – I have no idea why. Maybe it is because I wear thongs and G Strings (Ropes).

I want to say a big hello tonight to all the people that have left messages. Please do not think bad of me because I have not replied. I wish time allowed but again I read everyone of them so please keep them coming.

There has been some discussion on when this blog should end. What do you all think. Shall we keep meeting in cyber space for a few more days? Let me know.

Goodnight, sleep well, especially Mary in her borrowed underwear given to her the special people who cruise on Carnival ships.

This web site is sponsored tonight by Fruit of the Loom.

Istanbul or Constantinople, as it used to be known, was our port of call today.

I woke at 7:30 am and after running three miles on the treadmill and doing my daily 100 sit ups, I decided it was time for my normal breakfast of 1/2 a grapefruit and some bran flakes.

OK, so I entered the realm of fantasy there for a moment. Let’s start again.

I woke at 7:30am and after walking to the computer to check my e mails, I ran a bath and contemplated whether or not to have sausage with my eggs and bacon.

By 8:45 am I was on the bridge. There are some special moments in the cruising world and many of them are made when a ship enters port for the first time. Until today, my top three were:

1. Venice – there is nothing like it in the world as ancient beauty meets modern fantasia
2. New York – on the Carnival Destiny in 1996, sailing past the Twin Towers. No other words are needed to describe why!
3. Amsterdam – my wife’s home and memories of a personal nature

And now there is another to add to my list:

Istanbul — Picture the scene. 50-plus small boats following us down the Bospherous which made for a navigating headache for the Captain. Turning to port, we sailed past the mosques and palaces just as the call to prayer sounded by the Imams. This is something you all have to experience for yourself as I just am not talented enough to explain the exhilaration this gives your senses.

We arrived about 15 minutes behind schedule, again due to the busy traffic, and then began the challenging task of debarking 2,000 guests on organized tours. The team of shore excursion staff and the cruise staff do a wonderful job with this and I truly am blessed to work alongside each and every one of them.

Within 1 hour and 15 minutes 2,000 plus guests were ashore…….fantastic.

I spent the next hour doing paper work. Why do we call it paper work these days as it is all computer based?! Anyway, I did that what I dislike most about my job and then Heidi and I set off with our fabulous tour operator Karen. Karen is the managing director of Seasong which runs our tours in both Turkish ports. The tours they offer are simply the best and her guides are truly the most educated and passionate I have met.

Now, you might think this next bit is false propaganda but I promise and assure you that it is not. At the time of writing ( 11:02 pm ) we have had just a single complaint about a tour today – and that’s out of 2,000 people!

I can hear thousands of you saying, “What was the complaint?” Well, it was a valid comment about a guest who felt very claustrophobic in the Grand Bazaar. I will have to make sure I mention this during my next port talk as the bazaar can get very crowded but is still part of my must see list. Thank you Karen and thank your guides for allowing our guests to experience the best of Turkish hospitality and to share with them your beautiful and exciting city.

We had a lunch of Turkish Kebab – mmmmmmmmmmmmmm – and then it was back on board.

Being a cruise director, you never know what is waiting for you. I returned to find a message telling me that the entertainer who was due to fly to the ship to entertain that night would not be arriving. He, like thousands of others, was stranded in New York due to the bad weather which was affecting much of the Eastern Seaboard. I then made plans with my staff to change the program for the evening around.

So, another day is over. I want to again apologize that time does not allow me to answer all the individual questions you may post but rest assured I will meet with each and every one of you when you cruise.

Please, though, keep posting your comments. I read each and every one of them and hope more people continue to post their remarks. As of tonight we are a group of 41,000 and I am hoping for 50,000 readers. If I reach this goal our President, Mr Bob Dickinson, has promised to buy me a brand new Moped

Oh, I misunderstood. Apparently, he has promised to buy me a brand new Mop Head

On that bombshell, I will say goodnight to you all in blog land, and see you all in the morning.

First, I want to apologize for not being able to post a blog over the weekend as I have to do them via the office in Miami. Anyway, here I am writing to you at 12:32am.

I have just enjoyed the incredible music of Penny Matheson, our guest entertainer. Penny is a beautiful songstress who charmed our audiences with her spectacular renditions from The Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera as well as some opera classics. It marked a pleasant end to an otherwise very mixed day, hence the title.

Let’s start with the bad

We have had some teething problems with our public address system and this morning after most of the guests had left the vessel in Izmir, Turkey, I had to do an hour of testing the system. I was very conscious that I would be disturbing the remaining guests onboard but it had to be done. Thank goodness we ironed out the problems and all is now well. This got my day off to a bit of a grumpy start, however.

Things did not improve when at around 1:00 pm I received a phone call to tell me that I had a guest wanting to speak to me at the Information Desk. I went to meet him and was immediately met by a torrent of anger and waving of fingers.

The guest (who will remain nameless) was so very upset and getting so irate that I actually was concerned he would do himself harm. Anyway, I asked him into my office where I discovered what was wrong. It turns out that he felt it was very wrong of me to promote tours that featured visits to mosques in Turkey (The Blue Mosque etc). He felt that for various reasons I will not mention, it was wrong, and by doing so, I was promoting terrorism.

I have been doing this job for twenty years in June and I have heard and seen a lot of things but I was not prepared for this.

I explained that The Blue Mosque is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year from all over the world and, in fact, tomorrow we would have over 2,000 guests from the ship on tours visiting this and other Islamic treasures. He would not hear my reasoning and, as I tried to explain further, he left by calling me “the Sperm of the Devil.” I sat there stunned and somewhat angry myself. I then got even more angry as I started to second guess myself. Had I done a bad thing by suggesting guests visit these places? Then I realized that I was an idiot just for thinking that. I hope you all agree.

I will try and talk to this gentlemen again tomorrow if for no other reason than to see what new name he has for me.

Now the good

Being a cruise director is a funny thing. Just when you think that it’s just not worth it and that nobody appreciates you, along comes something that makes this the best job in the world. Here is a letter from a disabled guest with obvious challenges in life but she has taken the time to write to me and, without her knowing it, rejuvenated me.

Here is her letter.

You can also view our guest’s letter.

Now the ugly – photos of me on stage
(Click on the image to view it in a larger format)

A special hello to Ayr’s mum (she is one of our backstage managers) – Mum, your daughter is a wonderful employee and you should be very proud of her.

So, it was a mixed bag of a day but at the end of it I find myself writing to my new blogging friends and thank you all once again for your valuable time.

Goodnight from me ………John Heald………………………The Sperm of the Devil

It is now 7:50pm and we have just spent a glorious day in Rhodes, Greece. I did not have time to get off the ship today and that led me to think about what happens while the guests are ashore.

Although we make sure each and every crew member has time off, there is a constant 24-hour operation on board the vessel while everyone is ashore having a great time. So, for guests past, present and future who read this blog thingy, I thought I would provide you with the following facts.

While the Carnival Freedom was in Rhodes, Greece today and most guests were ashore:

• A crew of 20 housekeeping staff spent the day cleaning all the public lounges and corridors.
• 37 cooks prepared lunch for guests at our fantastic Lido restaurant.
• There are always two officers and two sailors on the bridge even when the ship is in port.
• A team of engineers did a public address system check throughout the ship.
• A team of four crew spent the day separating garbage. Imagine how much we generate onboard.
• The cast of 20 dancers and singers rehearsed the new show which will open in 5 day’s time.

Our crew come from 50 different countries. That includes every creed, colour and religion, and all work and live in harmony together. If only the world were like that.

So, today I salute the crew, not just on this ship, but on every Carnival cruise ship for their hard work, their friendliness, their hospitality and hard work all of which they do even though they spend so much of their time away from the ones they love. You are simply the best.

Time for the show, I will write again tomorrow and until then have a great weekend

P.S. To my mate Alan Adkins who I know is reading this site…put $1,000 in a brown envelope and leave it on my doorstep otherwise 25,000 readers get to hear about your blind date with a girl called Sandra Scott and why the story hit the headlines in the U.K.

Blogging gives you power

The good news is she said yes. The proposal was very romantic and live on the show she said yes as a very nervous young man called Rick proposed to his Latin beauty Isabella. She was truly amazed as his face appeared as large as life on the Seaside Theatre LED Screen and asked her to marry him. There was a slight pause but then she shouted yes and they were reunited in the studio and embraced. We will give them a free copy of the DVD of the proposal and if she changes her mind he can play it backwards and it will have a happy ending. She showed me the ring which was beautiful and had a wonderful engraving on it with the initials T.I.N.

Seriously, I wish them many years of happiness together.

I treated them both to dinner at the Supper Club Restaurant called The Sun King (named after King Louis of France).

If you have never eaten in our Supper Clubs you really have missed one of the best aspects of cruising on our ships. We have these restaurants on all our Spirit and Conquest Class ships, including the Carnival Freedom.

We have come a long way from the early days of Carnival which now offers these truly incomparable dining experiences.

Where in the world can you have this for $30 per person (with a variety of steakhouse specialties from a vast menu).

This is all accompanied by beautiful live music for dancing, amidst an elegant and sophisticated setting. Please give this a try and see what Today’s Carnival has to offer.

Back in a minute, its time for my dinner. I am often asked if the crew eat the same food as the guests. Yes we do, so please leave more on your plates than you usually do:)

There is always a lot of chatter about formal nights/wear on the various web sites. Should we have them, should we not etc. My opinion (and it is my blog and this maybe not Carnival’s opinion) is that we absolutely should have them. For many people the chance to dress up these days are getting fewer and I love to see everyone looking elegant. I wonder what the readers think about this..let me know.

It is 10:28pm and I am off now to introduce the 10:45pm show but before I go I want to say hello to the following people who left messages.

A special message to Mrs. Sally Petrowski who wrote to me on the morning show and whose family is reading this web site. I am truly sorry for your loss and I know this cruise must be so difficult without your loving husband Bill. You have my deepest sympathies and I as we spoke about today, he would have wanted you to come on the cruise and see the places you had planned to see together. I look forward to our cup of tea together and want your daughters Julia, Sam and Chantelle to know that your Mum is doing well and myself and the crew are looking after her. Dad would have been proud!

We will be in Rhodes, Greece tomorrow…..wish you were here.

Life is short, love and laugh while you can.

Showtime……see you tomorrow

Right, I have to get my head around the fact that 25,000 people have now logged on this blog thing of mine and I want all 24,998 of you know that you have all made me feel very special and totally overwhelmed. My Mum and Dad log on just to make sure my spelling and grammar are correct. It is actually amazing to think that my Dad can indeed log on a web site as up until last year he was using his CD Rom as a cup holder

So, why is “Love in the Air” my title of the day? Well, Naples is a romantic city but today the Shore Excursion team and myself went to see a new area we will be sending some lucky guests on the Carnival Freedom — POSITANO ).

We arrived in Positano with our host Adolfo Aloschi. His family own the tour company that Carnival and her sister companies use in Naples. The tours they offer are simply spectacular including one of my top five picks: Sorrento, Capri and Pompeii.

As soon as we arrived I began to get this strange feeling of wanting to be romantic — a feeling that I must admit to not having very often. There was something magical about this place. It just made me want to grab my wife’s hand and hug and kiss her. I was swept up in a wave of romance and indeed felt next to for my wife’s hand and squeezed it in a pure act of love. Unfortunately the wave of romance had so engulfed me that I had forgotten that Heidi my wife was back on the ship and I was actually holding the Shore Excursion Manager’s hand! My wife is a beautiful Dutch girl while Wayne is .ummmmmm…………..well…………………not beautiful…….still he didn’t seem to mind. And we skipped down the beach together.

Seriously, is there any other place like Italy in the world. The best food and wine, the most romantic regions and of course the best ship’s officers, as well!

Positano is a very special place and it is another exclusive addition to the fantastic Shore Excursion program set up by Mico Cascais and his fantastic shoreside team based in Miami. Carnival certainly has the best and most diverse excursion program in the business.

Here are some photos I took today of Positano (Click on the photos to view them in a larger format).

Talking of love…I had a guest ask me today if I could arrange a special proposal of marriage for them. I had better not mention their name just in case — but I have decided to use the big screen known as the Seaside Theatre on our Lido Deck. I am going to film him live tomorrow from our studio while his wife is on deck. His proposal will be on this giant screen and we can then film her reply live which will also play on the big screen and all the in-cabin TV’s. I will let you know how this goes but if you don’t see a follow up on this you will realize she said “NO.”

A couple of quick replies to comments left on the site.

Off to the Welcome Aboard Show now………until tomorrow………………………..be romantic and hold another man’s hand.

There are many supposed cures for jet lag. I have tried them all and I can promise you none of them work. I always feel like somebody has given me a wake up call with a baseball bat, my mouth feels like the inside of a basketball player’s shoe after overtime and I generate a smell that a skunk would be proud of.

So, why is it that after similar flights, 3,000 guests are fresh-looking and smelling like a rose on a summer day. As I walk around during embarkation, I see the excitement in the air as people wander around getting to know their brand new home for the next 12 days.

Someone once asked me if they should do a pre- or post-package in Rome. Personally, I would see Rome at the end of the cruise. Why not let the friendly crew serve and entertain you on that first night, just walk into your cabin unpack for 12 days and then at the end of the cruise you will be able to see the wonders of Rome without the feeling that is unique to long distance flying.

On the Carnival Freedom run to the eastern Mediterranean we now have a 24-hour stop in Rome at the end of the cruise. You can now use the ship as a hotel and take one of our exclusive tours and then come home to the ship rather than booking into a hotel….it is fantastic.

One of the questions I was asked on the web site was for a top FIVE list of must see places and things to do in Europe on our current Itinerary. After much thought, here is my personal list.

1. Visit the Vatican by taking our unique, exclusive behind the scenes tour – it is one of a kind, and regardless of your beliefs, will leave you speechless.
2. Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia – Islam and Christianity living together side by side in this architectural masterpiece. (Here’s a picture of the skyline of Istanbul)
3. Ephesus – walking the path of emperors. (This is my wife Heidi at Ephesus)
4. Sorrento, Pompeii and Capri – the three must-see places while the Freedom is in Naples.
5. The Leaning Tower of Pisa and Miracle Square

Now, I did not include any food in that list so I will add my top 5 “must-EAT” items sometime soon.

We are currently sailing to Naples. 3,023 guests are onboard and the weather in Naples tomorrow is expected to be 68 degrees and sunny. Heidi has just made me a cup of tea and 18,000 people have read my new blog on the Freedom web site. I am truly blessed to have found a job that allows me to entertain and now allows me to share my experiences in public.

I want to say a special hello to all the people who have added comments. I am sorry that time does not allow me to write to you all but please know I read every single one. If anyone does cruise with me in the future, please drop me a line at the Information Desk saying you read this site and I will send you a little thank you gift for doing so.

Now it is 10:50 pm. I have two hours of paper work in front of me and then a 7 am start tomorrow. I am tired, but you know what, I do not care. Why? Because 18,000 people read my site, I may not be rich, I may look like someone who has run a 100-yard sprint in a 90-yard gym, but tonight, I feel fantastic.

Below are some additional pictures I took during the inaugural cruise. One is of me during at tour of Pergamum and the other is one of my favorite signs that I saw in Turkey. (Click on the images to view them in a larger format.)

I LOVE BLOGGING!GOODNIGHT – SLEEP WELL

It is 6 am and I am sitting here typing between announcements for the debarkation process in Civitavechia. The first cruise has flown by and now we start our regular 12-day Mediterranean & Greek Isles cruise program calling at ports in Greece, Turkey and Italy. I am particularly looking forward to Istanbul, which is a city that really feels vibrant and still has mysterious qualities that give it a certain edge.

This cruise went well. You only really know if what you have planned is going to work until you put 3,000 guests onboard. It is only then that you can see the traffic flow and what works and what does not. Overall though, it does appear that the guests had a great time. Although we need to change a few small things, I think everyone left happy.

As usual, I was asked some great questions throughout the cruise, some of which were unforgettable. Yesterday while walking off the ship in Naples, Heidi and I were stopped by a guest who was very upset because the local shops refused to take U.S. dollars. I explained that in Europe the euro was the accepted currency but this lady was adamant that the dollar is accepted all over the world. (Hope she is not reading this ).

One of the hardest things about working on a cruise ship is, of course, being away from your family. I am sure all of the 1,200 crew feel the same emotions in this regard. I was speaking to a housekeeping assistant who is on his first contract. His name is Alex and he is from Russia. He was telling me that he is able to support both his parents by working on the ship and also help his young brother through school. He has a degree in civil engineering but by working here on the ship he is able to earn more money – not for himself, but for his family. This is not uncommon and often the reason so many of our crew are here. I salute them all for their hard work and dedication to their families.

Talking of the dining room, I want to welcome back maitre d’ Ken Byrne. Ken was with us for many years and left in 2005 for some time at home. He is back now and I hope some of you will have him as your host in the dining room when you cruise. He is as warm-hearted a man as you will ever meet and also a lover of big band music. You will be treated to some great songs by him during your dinner. It is great to have him back as he really is one of a kind.

It is now 8:30 am and we are nearly done with our debarkation. So, it is one last announcement for me and then a staff meeting before which I had better put some clothes on

I’ve included some pictures below of some of the sights we’ve seen. (Click on the picture to see it in a larger version as well as location information.)
  

We opened the brand new, never-before-seen show this evening called BIG EASY. It is a tribute to the music, history and culture of New Orleans. When we hear that city’s name, we of course think about Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath of Mother Nature’s fury. So, it was incredible to see a celebration of what we should remember the city for.  And this was certainly portrayed in this incredible show.

Even by Carnival’s high standards, the show is visually breathtaking. Not only is the show a tribute to the Big Easy itself but it also a tribute to the amazing team — on and off stage — who bring this show to life.

So, after the show we all got together for a glass of champagne (Diet Coke for me ) and we toasted New Orleans and each other. I was very proud to be part of the best entertainment offered on the Seven Seas.

The other proud man onboard must have been the Captain. He sailed through the Straits of Messina in Sicily past the place of his birth.

They rang the church bells for him and I saw a very proud and emotional Captain D’Aita tonight..what a feeling.

So, it is past midnight again and it is bedtime. This first 9-day cruise has gone very quickly and tomorrow we will be in Naples. I have a busy day but maybe, just maybe, Heidi and I will get off the ship and go and have a traditional Neapolitan Lunch of………………………………………….McDONALDS (mmmmmmm )

A quick personal note to my mate Alan Adkins who is at home in the U.K. Alan was recently injured whilst on active military service and I want to wish him a speedy recovery as he undergoes therapy at a special rehabilitation clinic called The Cliff in Southend On Sea Essex. Alan, I know you will get better soon mate and a few days in the Cliff and you will feel like a new man. I am very proud of you as is your country.

Right, bedtime – is anyone still reading this – please let me know if you are.

For the first time this cruise the ship is moving a little as a cold front is on our stern. Sorry I have not written for a few days but as I am sure you all realize it has been quite busy here aboard ship. We have had first call functions in each port where local dignitaries exchange plaques with the Captain to mark the inaugural visit in their respective ports of call. Although a very traditional and somewhat important ceremony, I have longed to be ashore and not dressed up in my suit at 11:00am each day.

I must confess to being a little tired tonight as well. Heidi and I have averaged 16-hour days for the last two weeks and it is starting to catch up on us. I need extra energy tonight as its my signature piece “The Talent Show.” I love hosting this show as it is different each week and in this day and age of T.V. Talent Shows — where thousands of people every week are told that they are not good enough — it is great to have a show where everyone’s talent makes them a winner.

During the Talent Show I perform the bedtime story with three guests. I have been trying not to do this for the last few years but every time I don’t do it I get repeat guests who say how much they love it and are disappointed when I don’t perform it.

So, if you have seen it, please don’t give any secrets away..sssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  I hope you enjoy it.
I want to say hello to all the people who have written posts on the web site. I am so sorry I cannot reply to each of you individually but with the new ship launch my time is very limited but I do read every posting and really appreciate readers taking the time to respond.

And I want to say hello to:

THE FRANKLINS ( ALL 400 OF YOU )
KYLEE  ( PRETTY NAME )
SPYROS ( IRISH ?)
MR PETE ( KNOW YOUR BROTHER ED )
STEVE GARROD – CANT THINK OF ANYTHING FUNNY – ME – NOT YOU
SOUTHERN DREAMS – HAD A FEW OF THOSE IN MY TIME BUT DON’T TELL THE WIFE
ALICE – HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON
MARION  – U 2
FAST FREDDIE – HOPE YOUR WIFE DID NOT GIVE YOU THAT NAME
VICKI – RANDY’S GROUP WAS SO MUCH FUN – I REMEMBER THE PARTY WELL.
KAREN AND BILL – I REMEMBER YOU WELL AND I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN AS IS HEIDI
WILLY – YOU SEEM TO CRUISE A LOT
ROBERT & SUZANN – WISH IT WAS APRIL ALREADY
THERESA,KATHY JEAN, KWAYH,VICKY, MARY BRENDA AND PETE, – I HOPE WE ARE TOGETHER SOON

Right, enough typing, I am off to the Talent Show but first, its time to listen to some AC/DC and run around the cabin naked – don’t you wish I had a web cam