Good Afternoon Everyone.

How are you?

Here we are in Naples again. It started as an overcast day but by 11 am, the sun had dissipated the clouds (that word is now being used by Willard Scott and other professional weather forecasters) and the day has been warm and sunny. Heidi and I just went for an afternoon stroll (to get a pizza ) and you can smell something in the air (before and after the Pizza).  The before the Pizza smell is …………….summer. It’s here already, there is a certain smell you associate with summer. I can’t describe it but it was definitely there today. The temperature was around 75 degrees but more humid than the last few days. For the first time I had that summer feeling as we walked around.

We shared a Pizza Diablo…..this is a famous Neapolitan pizza which is made with cheese and very spicy tomato sauce with spicy salami on top. Heidi has a love/hate relationship with this Pizza. She loves eating it but hates the way it um, well I always, …um………….well, you know !

Yesterday during debarkation, I did my usual walk around the ship one hour before my welcome aboard talk. I like doing this because most people do not know who you are and you can get a feel for the people before you go on stage. I noticed this cruise we have a lot of Russian guests sailing. In fact, we have over 300 of them booked as one group and more booked individually. Luckily we have Russian-speaking purser’s at our information desk and they are able to give them some advice and help as most of them do not speak English.

I always find it frustrating when we have a large group of non-English-speaking passengers because I feel I am letting them down because I cannot communicate with them, especially during the shows. Hopefully, though, the international language of music will be understood by them and we will provide this with our amazing shows Ticket to Ride, Jump, Jive and Wail and The Big Easy.
Oh, by the way, we did our boat drill yesterday both in English and Russian and my thanks to Roman Mountski for helping with this.

One other interesting point about the Russian guests……………none of them have credit cards and carry huge amounts of cash with them. I spoke to the group leader this morning, a lovely lady called Anna Noncinov (hope I spelt it correctly) who was telling Heidi and I that credit cards in Russia are held by less than 10% of the population as most Russians prefer to work for and spend cash. Anyway, they all seem to be having a good time and hopefully I will learn some Russian so I can at least say “hello,”  “goodbye” and “can I borrow some money please?”

OK, time for the Q & A with the first two questions answered by Heidi.

Hello Leona,
I would love one of those T-shirts you are talking about, maybe it can be my new uniform…..maybe not.
I am trying to get the Italian lingo down as much as possible and practice with the officers here on board, who are all from Italy (and good looking…..shhhh). So for John’s birthday, I can choose a card myself *(hee hee)
I am glad that you start the day with our blog, that’s what I miss when we are out here on the ship, your local newspaper with the first cup of coffee in the morning. Well, I am now writing to you and when I look from the window I see the Vesuvius….so, I suppose I can’t complain.
All the best
Heidi
———————-
Over to my Dutch friends. Actually living in the village next door to the one where I grew up.
They own a supermarket (what a shame, as now I am going to let them know in a sneaky way what I like and then maybe they get the hint and bring me some of my favorite Dutch things when they come and sail…)
Goeie Middag!
Wat leuk dat jullie nog steeds onze “blog” lezen. Zal wel een gekte geweest zijn op de plassen met het mooie weer.
Mis Koninginnedag wel hoor, rustig wakker worden, lekker ontbijtje (met veel smeerleverworst op bruin brood – alleen van UNOX…..van die kleine blikjes..Mmmmm, heerlijk!! – hint hint, verkopen jullie die??, oh, als we het toch over lekkernijen hebben…roze koeken~!!!!)
Dan een koud pilsje in een van de kroegen aan het water, dan naar Amsterdam om de dag te beginnen en af te maken.
Maarja, je kunt niet overal tegelijk zijn. Ik was in Rome op Koninginnedag, ook niet slecht toch.
Ik kom op 11 mei voor 3 dagen naar Nederland voor een bruiloft, dus m’n moeder moet maar even naar de Albert Heijn (oh, sorry….maar het is te ver voor haar op de fiets naar jullie winkel) om in te slaan voor me.

Blijf lezen!!
Lieve groeten van ons.
Heidi & John

Thanks, Heidi. Of couse, none of us have any idea what the last one says as its in Dutch, but my guess it says that I am the best looking man in the world and she is so lucky to have me……..or words to that effect. Let us continue, in English.

LINDA AND MIKE THE STRIPPER (PAINT) – Thank you for your comment and lets start by answering the question about a Bloggers Cruise on the Splendor. Although we have not set anything up as yet for this, I have asked if we can discuss it and hopefully I will have news later this week. I will be there and it is a wonderful itinerary with St. Petersburg (there’s a Russian theme today) being a major highlight. Heidi and I were ther on the Leg End and although I did not get to spend much time ashore the place that struck me the most was THE CHURCH OF THE SAVIOR ON SPILLED BLOOD. I do not remember much about it’s history but it is an amazing building.
  
Now, you ask why I look upset in that now infamous photo of me in bed. I think the answer is premonition because one day I new she would use it against me. Can a man not gaze longingly at a Angelina Jolie movie without being interrupted? See you soon and stand by for more Splendor information.  Oh, and yes, I meant the Carnival Glory of course…sorry.
RAY McTEAGUE – I will indeed call your aunt and uncle (cabin 2381) and also send them a bottle of champagne from you as well. I will do my best to give them a wonderful first cruise and hope you enjoy yours on the Carnival Miracle. Please let me know if you need any information about your cruise or the ports of call. Cheers.
DON IN KENTUCKY – I am investigating your question concerning if there is a sushi bar on the Carnival Destiny…………stand by, I will have the answer tomorrow.
BIG ED – I agree with you mate. We need to do another cruise for us addicted Bloggers. I am not sure I can see as far as 2009 yet but certainly if the one in 2008 is successful then we can do as many as we want including as requested by others a bloggers cruise in July in the Baltic on the Splendor. How is Mrs. Ed, is she still reluctant to sail? Please send her my best and tell her if she comes on the Bloggers Cruise that me, you and my mate Alan will perform a Chippendales routine.
JENNIFER – A beautiful story and this portion of the blog thingy is sponsored by Kleenex as I have a little tear in my eye.What a wonderful story and what a great advertisement for cruising. You do indeed have a wonderful history with Carnival and to share your honeymoon would be a huge honor. May I suggest that if you do indeed plan to get married on board then you let me know so I can put you in touch with our special department who will handle everything for you. It is run by a lovely lady called Carol Lynman from our Bon Voyage department and I am sure she will be able to put together a beautiful and memorable day for you. I can tell you are a teacher as you graded my performances  I do remember the Gomer Pyle reference (I was not happy) and assure you that if you sail on your honeymoon then I will have lots of new shows that will I hope make it an even more special vacation for you. However, if you are on your honeymoon won’t you be providing your own entertainment? Please let me know how I can help and thanks for reading the blog thingy.
LYNN AND MIKE SAGARA – Tomorrow’s posting will have details on the best tours for you in Panama and Costa Rica. Thanks and best to you both.
KEVIN – What a cruise you and your family are going to have. I would love to have a drink (Diet Coke ) with you and friend except I cannot let you pay – it will be my treat. Can I ask that you drop me a letter at the information desk when you get onboard so I don’t forget and until then have a safe flight here and I look forward to our rendezvous.
SHARON – My taste buds are salivating at thought of Angelina. Sorry, I mean the Tim Horton’s doughnuts (spelled  the correct way ). Please leave me a note at the information desk as soon as you board and I will give you a call. Looking forward to meeting you and my doughnut.
TERI910 – I look forward to seeing a blaze of yellow as bright as Angelina’s smile on the 13th. Heidi will place an advertisement in Carnival Capers as requested and we will both come and say hello. See you soon and have a safe flight.
NINA – Thank you for booking the BLOGGERS CRUISE. I promise that I will do all I can to make this a wonderful experience. Please let me know if I can be of any other assistance. See you in January.
KENA AND DAVID – So how was the Kentucky Derby? Who won? Heidi says thank you for the birthday wishes. As for guest bloggers, please see the first one below as I introduce the Chief Engineer. Please keep reading the blog thingy.
KATHY KROLL – Heidi here, thank you to you all of the bloggers for my birthday wishes, they were much better than my birthday card from John.

Q & A WILL CONTINUE AFTER I HAVE PULLED THE KNIFE FROM MY BACK

That’s better……….let us continue.

TAZMAN – You have sailed on some beautiful ships and Seabourn must have been a truly amazing experience. Although sailing with me on the Carnival Freedom will be a different sort of cruise, I assure you that it also will provide memories that you will never forget. As for asking if you can eat in the Supper Club every night, the answer is YES. If I ate there every night I would be overweight ………………….all my friends and people who know me are laughing right now. Thank you for your nice comments about the blog thingy and please keep reading.
ANDY – I saw on the news about MOUNT ETNA. It is a little quieter today but if it is still being naughty than this will effect our tours in Messina. Did you know we have a tour to the top of the MOUNT. It is called Mount Etna at 2900. This takes you up by cable car and then down into the crater by a four-wheel drive vehicle and it is truly astonishing. Let’s see how it is when we are there on May 8. I appreciate your support of the blog thingy so very much.
ESSEX DIAMOND GEEZERS……………..Welcome to the official Bloggers Cruise and to think you are from my home county. There really is no difference between the tropical sun-soaked beaches of Southend to those of the Caribbean but I promise the trip will be worth it. I am truly honored by your support and I look forward to swapping Essex girl jokes with you in January. See you then.
YES YOU ARE ALL BLOGGAI !
MATT AND VICKI – Thanks for the questions and here are the answers.
1). The Carnival Freedom will depart from Puerto Rico at midnight however I am sure that most guests will return onboard by 10 pm which is when we let ‘THE PARTY BEGIN.”  Our New Year’s Eve parties are famous throughout the industry and are so good that most people cannot remember what happened in the morning  I suggest that you take the City Tour and then get back to the ship and get ready to welcome in 2008.
2). As a Diabetic your wife will have no problems or concerns bringing on her medication or her needles and testing kit. No letter is needed but our friendly infirmary staff will be available when and if needed 24 hours a day
3).You are right to be excited about the Supper Club. I suggest you call 1078 from your cabin as soon as you board to make a reservation. Please allow 2 hours and 30 minutes to enjoy this one of a kind dining experience. No chocolate desserts for the wife though 
4).Not sure yet about 2009 and more Baltic cruising. I am sure we will no more by the end of this year.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
CAROL – Due to the popularity of this blog thingy then I agree we need to do as many Blog cruises as we can. I am going to discuss this with the powers that be and I will let you all know as soon as I can. Please never stop laughing, it’s the best preventative medicine in the world.
KERSPLOTT – START COUNTING !……………………I have a bottle of wine with your name on it!
MAYLA MARTIN – My crystal ball is not showing any more London to New York cruises as we did on the Leg End. Your friends were correct, it was awesome. I think for now we will leave this up to our good friends at Cunard who operate many trans- Atlantic cruises from Southampton to New York. Hopefully Heidi and I will be doing one next year, so maybe we will see you there. Check out www.cunard.com
The Carnival Splendor is going to be brilliant so I hope you will indeed consider sailing with us. My best to you and Jill and hope we see you soon.
CATMAMA – Trust me, she has NOT forgiven me for the divorce card and has stored it away to be used for maximum effect at a later date. I promise there will be more Bloggers Cruises as I realize not everyone can make the date we have scheduled it for. Watch this space.
KAY – YOU HAVE NEVER CRUISED! OK, we need to do something about that. Bloggers, please give Kay an answer in 10 words or less why cruising is the BEST VACATION you can take……………don’t take my word for it, let my blog friends tell you themselves. Thanks for reading and hopefully my daily words have brought you a little closer to taking that first step to calling your travel agent. The next step will be assisted by others who read this thingy. One day the dream will come true.
BELLA – The blog is really not ship specific. I am not sure how many directions it has gone off to in the last few weeks but certainly the Carnival Splendor is getting lots of press but rightfully so. On the June 6 cruise there is no official get together but I know that you, Heidi and I will meet and have a laugh together. Do you have any questions about your cruise? If so, please let me know. Thanks for reading every day and looking forward to meeting you.
ANN MARIE – Thank you for the vote plug………………I am just going to vote myself. is that wrong?
JOSE – Trust me, if you loved Sweden, you will be thrilled with TALLIN, ESTONIA and COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. Thanks for reading each day.
INEZ – I am so sorry to hear about the last time you were in Grand Cayman. Having to be taken off the ship for medical reasons must have been a very trying time for your husband and yourself of course. I am glad to hear that the Carnival staff were so good though and this time on the BLOGGERS CRUISE I promise your stay in the Cayman Islands will be much more enjoyable. My best to you both and see you in January.
SOUTHERN DREAMS – Looks like the Prince and Heidi, you and I are going to get along very well. See you soon.
ROBERT AND SUZANN – I have no words to express our thanks for your loyal support to Carnival Cruise Lines and Heidi and I over the last few years and your 30-something cruises. You have become great friends and you always will be. See you in January (or before 
RICHARD GREEN – I spoke personally to the chief purser on the Carnival Destiny, Marcus, who will have a fridge ready for Mum. Have a great cruise and write when you return.
KATHY – Your travel agent should now have the rates for the Carnival Splendor.  How about one last dance with me? See you soon.
LORRAINE AND BOB – By the way, Lorraine is a favorite name of mine. I used to have a huge crush on a girl called LORRAINE BRIDGES, but that’s another story. As I just told Kathy, your travel agent should now have the rates for the Carnival Splendor so book away and I promise it will be even better than your Carnival Freedom cruise. I will see you there.
KERSPLOTT – Wow, I do not know what to say, let me ask my dad…..Dad (he reads this blog thingy), would you like some railway books? If he says yes, I will let you know the address and I will pay for the shipping. You are to kind. As for Stephanie, I owe her because last week she dipped the end of my cigar in hot sauce.
BARBARA – I would take a photo of the birthday card but it is now swimming with the fishes
3 GIRLS FROM NEW ZEALAND – I understand your desire to visit Gallipoli but it is a long way from both Izmir and Istanbul and you would not be back in time to make the ship. We do pass the monument on the sea day after Istanbul at 10 am so you can pause for thought. What are your names as I cannot keep calling you ‘ 3 girls from New Zealand “.
BARBARA – AS REQUESTED

TERRI – The lines for the Vatican were unusually long and it was just for the museum. I did try and explain to the guest that we could not control the Pope but she said she would complain directly to the Pope. Does he have a guest relations department?
BIG ED – BIG MAN = BIG BUSINESS CARD…………………you forgot to add “John’s mate”
I know there are other questions posted that I have not answered but I promise I will do so on tomorrows blog thingy.

May I introduce our CHIEF ENGINEER…………here he is and he has taken the time to answer a few questions. I hope you enjoy it.

FULL NAME  : Gastone Lazzari
WHERE YOU WERE BORN  : Padova, Italy
1.) How long have you been a Chief Engineer?  Eight years.
2.) What was your first ship as Chief Engineer?  Fantasy
3.) What are the biggest differences between the first ship you were Chief on and the Carnival Freedom? Beside certain new innovative equipment that are present on Carnival Freedom (and not on the Fantasy), Carnival Freedom size is far larger, featuring a far proportionally wider equipment range, which increase the demanding control and the related challenge.  
4.) What do you enjoy most about your job?  “To orchestrate the concert.”
5). How many people work in the Engineering Department ?  74
6). Can you give us a few facts about the Engines and Power Plant. 
Ours is an electrical driven sShip, meaning that the propellers are driven by electric motors. Therefore the six Diesel-Alternators (12 MW each) that represents our power plant produce the electric power that is made available to a main switchboard for the various consumers. For this reason our power plant can be seen exactly as a shore-based one. Our power plant can produce a total of 72 Megawatts (MW). The propulsion at full load takes 42 MW. The rest remains to supply the auxiliaries equipment such as stern and bow thrusters, air conditioning (the biggest consumption), engine room equipment (such as boilers, stabilizers, pumps, etc.), navigation, safety and emergency equipment, and the hotel services-related equipment (such as lighting, catering, entertainment, laundries, F&B, etc..).
7). They say that chief engineers are always great chefs. Is this true and if so what is your favorite dish to cook? Unfortunately, this is not my case…  I do like cooking, but I do not consider myself a good chef (yet). I am struggling to find the time, while on vacation, to take a good course of cuisine.
5.) If you could be the Chief Engineer on one of these 2, which one would you choose?
-  the Space Shuttle 
- a Nuclear Submarine
Definitely the Space Shuttle!

Thanks Chief.
The Chief Engineer is always one of the unsung people on any ship and we thank them for all the work they and their department do.

I was just thinking about the lady who was dreaming of a cruise. I wonder if people still have misconceptions about cruising? If they do, then let it be our job to tell at least one person we know who has never taken a cruise to get on the phone and book one, today.
It does not matter what cruise line (as long as it is, Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Costa, Cunard, AIDA, P & O, or Seabourn) as long as they see what they are missing.

So, go tell a friend, let them read this site and then see for themselves why cruising is THE BEST VACATION IN THE WORLD……………EVER.
Heidi has said to stop writing now. Who does she think she is – the boss.
If she was, then her world would look like this

GOODNIGHT

YOUR FRIENDS

JOHN AND HEIDI

Good Morning Bloggers

Let us start with breaking news about the brilliant itinerary that the Carnival Splendor will be doing in 2008.

Here it is: Carnival Splendor is slated to debut July 13, 2008, with a 12-day Northern Europe cruise departing from London (Dover) – the first of five voyages within the program. Other departure dates include July 25 and August 6, 18 and 30, 2008.
Featured ports on these voyages include Copenhagen, Denmark; Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany; Helsinki, Finland; St. Petersburg, Russia (two-day call); Tallin, Estonia; and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Guests will have the opportunity to experience and explore a spectacular variety of historical and cultural attractions including St. Petersburg’s extraordinary palaces, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, Amsterdam’s Vincent Van Gogh Museum, and Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens just to name just a few.
12-Day Mediterranean, Greek Isles Voyages.

Following its Northern Europe cruises, Carnival Splendor will operate on a special one-time 12-day western Mediterranean cruise departing London (Dover) Sept. 11, 2008, and arriving Rome (Civitavecchia) Sept. 23, 2008. The voyage includes port calls to Le Havre (Paris), France; Vigo, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Malaga and Barcelona, Spain; Cannes, France; and Livorno, Italy.
Carnival Splendor will then operate one Grand Mediterranean and two Mediterranean & Greek Isles cruises round-trip from Rome (Civitavecchia) Sept. 23 – Oct. 17, 2008. The 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruise will depart Sept. 23, 2008, and call at Naples and Venice (two-day call), Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Messina, Sicily; Barcelona, Spain; Cannes, France; and Livorno, Italy.
The two 12-day Mediterranean & Greek Isles cruises will depart Oct. 5 and 17, 2008, calling at Naples, Italy; Marmaris, Izmir (Ephesus) and Istanbul, Turkey, with scenic cruising of the Dardanelles; Athens (Piraeus) and Katakolon, Greece; and Livorno, Italy, as well as an overnight call in Rome (Civitavecchia).

HERE BELOW IS THE WEB SITE LINK THING SO CLICK ON THIS AND SOMETHING WILL TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE TO GET TO THE PAGE ABOUT THE SHIP.

THE BALTIC CRUISES are expected to SELL OUT very quickly …………..BOOK NOW AND LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE BOOKED AND I WILL MAKE SURE WE HAVE A ‘BLOGGERS GET TOGETHER’ ONBOARD.

How does that tickle your fancy ?

The Baltic Run is the same that we did on the Leg End and I can tell you it is astonishing. Let me know what questions you have about it but I can tell you that that first cruise on July 13th will be extraordinary…………………anyone coming?. I am…………………Let me know if you are.
So many of you have booked for the BLOGGERS CRUISE on the Carnival Freedom in January already which is fantastic, I hope many more of you will do so as well.

Today, we are in Civitavecchia and the last day of the cruise brought some early morning drizzle which was the first bad weather of the cruise…shame really but overall has been beautiful.
However, today we encountered a problem which although impacted many of our guests was something we could not control.

The Vatican is the most visited tourist destination in the world and there are always lines to get in. However, today the lines were excessively long with waits up to three hours to get in. This meant that some of our guests on the regular tours to the Vatican had such long waits that some did not make it into the Vatican before it closed. Luckily, because of the tour operator we use who has great connections with the Vatican itself we were able to have them visit after it closed to the general public giving them an private view of the Vatican City which is a most memorable experience. However, some guests were still upset at the wait and wanted to know why I had not told them the lines would be so long and that it should be something Carnival should control better. Of course, I tried to explain that the Vatican was not under our control and that today 25,000 people had attempted to visit. Some understood, some did not.
My advice, if you can, take our private View Tour which offers a full tour of this incomparable place after it closes. There are no lines and no waiting. Whatever you decide to do though, the Vatican remains a “must see” destination .

So, quite a stressful day for me and I sit here at 5:45 am ready to start debarkation feeling quite tired. Overall it has been a good cruise with some great characters and some great people especially Robert and Suzann Schneider who were sailing on their 40th cruise and most of those have been with me. Great people and great friends.

Heidi is on the gangway organizing everything and I am sitting here…………………time for a visual…………….in my Carnival Bathrobe and I can tell you that the label is not correct as one size does not fit all!
And now, back by international demand it’s time for the Q & A

CAROLINE HUDDLESTON – First of all let me say that at age 15, for you to write a review like this is really cool. I am sure you have thanked your family for taking you on an adventure like this. When I was 15, we went to the Red Shield Hotel which served frozen chicken every night. When I say frozen, it still had lumps of ice in it after it had been cooked. Anyway, that’s not important, what is important, though, is that you say that it was a great experience and I hope it one you will always remember. Sorry to learn that you had to wait outside for such a long time for your transportation, I will look into this. Please come and sail with us again soon, I think it would be great for you to go to St. Petersburg, Russia next year on our new ship Carnival Splendor. Send my best to your family and “stay cool”  
MRSMISSINGTHESMOKEFREEPARADISE – I have as you suggested, dropped some subtle hints on this blog to see if I can get passage on a Cunard ship later this year. If my subtle hints do not work then I shall be less subtle which something Heidi says I am very good at. Now, regarding the question about your young discus champion. While I am sure Olympia will not be a problem for him to throw at I think the golf cage may present a problem. I am not sure if the netting is designed to handle a young man at the peak of his career hurl a large metal object at it at the speed of light. Also, with the ship being a moving object itself I am not sure how popular a discus flying around the Lido Deck would be   
Thank you for your kind words and the reference to the Love Boat. Julie McCoy has always been a role model in my life. We are very similar except I have nicer legs. Please keep reading the blog thingy and I hope to see you and the rest of the Missingthesmokefreeparadise family.
SHARON S – I just spoke to our Shore Excursion team and we will be adding more tours for Positano, Pompeii and Sorrento. The terraced houses are a little more difficult as entrance is restricted. Let me know if you are undecided what to book and I will help you out. My suggestion for Naples is the POMPEII, SORRENTO AND CAPRI tour. Here is a photo of one of the many tiny streets in Sorrento. Hope to hear from you soon and of course I will see you very soon.

SUMMAIYA – We are very happy you got home safely. I am sorry to say I have now finished all the tea, it was so tasty and I thank you so much for giving it to us. Please pass our best regards to your family and I am happy to hear you enjoyed the cruise so much, Hope to see you again soon – with more tea
FRED AND CHRIS – Please send me your cabin number, etc a week before you sail and I will start pulling the strings. A piece of string walks into a bar. The bartender says ‘are you a piece of string?” and the piece of string says “No, sorry, I am afraid not ”
BILL – 4500 PHOTOS, now that’s a man who likes to take pictures. I will take some photos of the Club O2 and add them to your very impressive web site. Thanks for adding the link as well and for the offer to “stuff my ballot box” …..sounds painful but I am sure the rewards will be worth it. The Carnival Pride is a beautiful ship so I understand that having booked it you will not be able to do the bloggers cruise…although a back to back may be a great idea? Carnival Splendor is going to be a new design as well with lots of new features so I am very excited to see her and hopefully you as well and YES  we will have ice cream cones! Until the next time, stay well and hope to see you soon and thanks for being such a great supporter of the cruise industry and this blog thingy.
PAM – Good news all round really, as you will be on the Splendor and so will I. As you can see from the itinerary above that it is going to be an exciting cruise and I suggest you do book quickly as I am sure it will go quickly, especially the Baltic Cruises. I think you will get to meet quite a few bloggers on the ship and we can all discover this fascinating part of the world together. Also as we sail from Dover you can all come to my house for tea and then we go to Amsterdam so we can all go round to Heidi’s for dinner. Thank you also for your kind words about Wee Jimmy and Amanda, I have also forwarded them a copy of this. See you soon and my best regards to you and your family. P.S. – as you work for Office Depot, can I get discount on stapler?
PETER TURNER – How’s Manchester? It will not belong before you are here so pack your shorts and sun cream as the weather looks great. We will not be showing the FA CUP on the big screen but it will be broadcast in our Sports Bar………….so we can watch Manchester hopefully beat the blues. Looking forward to meeting you all.
BIG ED – 2009, now hang on a minute mate, I know you are my head of security and chief C.R.A.P. but I did not know you were organizing my CHIEF OF LOGISTICAL OCEAN  NUMBERS ( C.O.L.O.N. ). The Carnival Splendor would be a great place to have a bloggers cruise though. By the way mate, your business card is going to look great after all these new jobs you have. BIG ED. C.R.A.P., P.I.S.S.E.R, C.O.L.O.N. …………….
As far as the cruise is concerned I have again asked the office to look into this for you and you will get something today. Now, just in case you do not get to come on the bloggers cruise, I will stay onboard and be the CD for the 26 so that we can meet, as you have given so much to this site. Say hi to Mrs. Big Ed and tell her Ocho Rios is wonderful, let me prove it to her.
MARCIA – I love the idea of an FAQ site and I will discuss this later today with the guys in the office. You are correct in saying that it does take a lot of time to answer all the questions and I will keep doing so as long as time permits. It would be marvelous if you could sail on the bloggers cruise and we could all meet together. I think it would be the start of many new friendships. Thanks again for your support of the blog thingy and please keep reading.
ANN MARIE – THANK YOU !
LINDA AND MIKE THE MAN WHO IS HANDY – Thaks for your interest in the Bloggers Cruise and if it goes well (which I am sure it will) there will be another one for sure. The Sensation and Carnival Triumph will be docked close to each other in Nassau. I suggest that you arrange to meet by the main entrance to the pier itself, that way you won’t have to walk to each others ship. Just meet by the security building which leads to all the piers. Please let me know if you do not receive the information on the Bloggers Cruise and I will investigate for you. Have fun on the Carnival Triumph and keep Mike out of the engine room!
PAUL – No need to thank me. Your loss is felt by Heidi and I and you and your family have been in our thoughts. I also am happy to see that I am not the only one who has messed up with a birthday card. I am still in the dog house but have a cunning plan to get myself out of it. I will let you know mate.
MARTY – Stephanie is actually from MECHANICSVILLE VIRGINIA. How kind of you to ask if there is anything you can bring her. She is a country girl and has asked for some magazines that are not available here in Europe, they are:
PIG FARMERS WEEKLY
HOMES ON WHEELS MAGAZINE
HELLO Y’ALL
MAXWELL1100 – I am not familiar with the Rome Shuttle Service however some of the readers of this blog thingy may be. However, we do start debarkation at 6 am so a 7:30 am pick up is no problem. I am glad you like the photos and I will keep posting more for you and the other blogerists. Hope to see you soon.
ROBERT KERR – Can I be the first to wish you and Mrs. Kerr a very happy 50th wedding anniversary. I hope Heidi and I will be lucky to be with each other for 50 years as well. I understand that this celebration means that you will be going to Hawaii. We have the Carnival Spirit sailing there and for information here is the link thing. http://www.carnival.com/Itinerary.aspx?embkCode=HNL&itinCode=HWT&groupInd=&shipCode=SP&durDays=12&subRegionCode=H
My Dad is a huge collector of steam trains and American classics and will be very jealous when he hears that you worked with trains. His favorite engine is called a “Big Boy”…………….rather like his son !
KATHY KROLL – SID NELLER was a real trip and he became quite famous last cruise. I am sure you will be a bit sad that you cannot be with the rest of your dancing alumni but you will be in Athens exploring the Acropolis and having the time of your life. I had a look at the Web site and I bet they could still put on a great show. Are you going to dance in our Talent Show? The weather is going to beautiful and I am m sure it will be a cruise to remember.
BIG ED – Heidi here. Your photo album is beautiful and I have forwarded the link to all my friends on other ships and back home in Holland. John is really looking forward to seeing you and sitting in the booth! You two will for sure have lots of fun together.
DALE BENDER – I cannot believe you will be visiting my home town of Southend on Sea. I recommend THE ARCHES for lunch or dinner (taxis will know where to take you) and as for a local pub, you must go to the CLIFF PUB. My mate Alan Adkins is a regular and there every night. Just ask the bartender for Alan and I will make sure he looks after you. Have a great time and let me know how your trip goes.
VICKI AND MATT – Heidi here. Thanks for the offer of the gift. I think I should wear the blood vile around my neck and Angelina should be forced into wearing a pair of his underwear round her neck and see what’s she is missing. Thanks for the birthday wishes, did you hear about my Happy Divorce card?
JO AND DAVE – OK. As requested here is something about Athens. Carnival Freedom actually docks in Piraeus which is about 30 km outside of Athens. Athens is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. Named after goddess Athena, Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world with a recorded history of at least 3,000 years. The most visited site in Athens is, of course, The Acropolis. We have many tours that go to the foot of the Acropolis as well as actual visits inside. Come along to my adventure talk and I will hopefully tell you which package is best for you. Here is a great photo of the Acropolis for you. Hope to see you soon.
 
BONNIE PRINCE CAHRLIE AND HIS PRINCESS – I am so excited to hear that you are taking THREE CARNIVAL FREEDOM CRUISES with me. I am going to have a guest blogger this cruise who will go over in detail the Platinum Club Awards and I will address again your request. I have a HUGE HUG waiting for you. See you soon.
LEONA – I have a feeling I am not going to live down my little faux paus with the birthday card. Heidi is now reading your comment and laughing about the T-Shirt. Thank goodness they don’t make it in my size. I am still well in with the dogs but I hope to be out soon and have a plan underway to assure that I am crowned the King Of Romantics…fingers crossed.
Matt – here is the answer from the great guys in the office who look after the site.
We try to update the blog as much as possible and at times, especially on the weekend, it may be a little bit more difficult for us to update. Just know that we’re working to provide all our of great bloggers with great information and the latest updates.
As for maintaining a word count of 2,000 words, I don’t really have time to count them but I do try and post as often as I can. Thanks for reading and let me know any other suggestions you have. Hope to see you soon.

It is now 11 am and we have just started embarkation for the first of this seasons Grand Med cruise. I am particularly looking forward to going back to Venice, Dubrovnik and Cannes, three of my favorite ports of call.

I have many happy memories of these ports from last year on the Carnival Liberty and it will be great to visit them again.

Here are some photos of Dubrovnik and Venice:

Just finished looking at the guest list for this cruise. We have 250 passengers from Russia and 120 from Australia with most other guests coming from the U.S.A. and Canada.
Did you know that we rent Motorola radios onboard? Indeed, we do.  Ladies, they are great to keep in contact with your husbands if your man successfully loses you onboard. However, they have become so popular that everyone has them on 24 hours a day including in the showroom. This happened two days ago during the Debarkation talk. There is a lot to remember and concentration is vital to make sure you get across, precise and clear information.

So, there I was in full flow when I hear the squelch and static of a radio. I stopped and asked whose radio it was. A rather sheepish man put his hand up and said  “Me” in a very guilty voice. I asked who he was talking to on the radio, and he said “My wife on the Lido Deck.” I asked him (on the microphone) why she was not here with him at the Debarkation Talk. He said, she didn’t want to come and is relaxing in the sun and made me come on my own. I asked the man for his wife’s name and excusing myself to the 1,500 guests in the lounge I ran (OK, walked fast ) to the purser’s information desk. I then made an announcement over the PA system that we had just completed a raffle and the winner was DORIS GILSON (the man’s wife) and she had five minutes to come to the main lounge and collect her valuable prize.

The audience had of course heard this and were laughing hysterically when I got back to the lounge. I carried on with the talk and sure enough three minutes later in walked Doris Gilson resplendent in her Lido Bikini and wrap thingy. She walked in looking very bemused and on cue I said “Ladies and gentlemen…Doris Gilson!” They gave her a standing ovation as her husband waved her over and gave her a hug. As the audience settled down, she looked at me and shouted, “Where’s my prize!”
Those little walkie talkie radios are also great fun. Last year I taped one underneath the toilet seat in the ladies bathroom. Then, when I saw a lady go inside I would wait a few minutes until they were seated and the shout “HEY LADY, DO YOU MIND? WE ARE PAINTING DOWN HERE!”

Yesterday, we reached over 186,000 hits and I continue to be amazed.

Your Friends,

John and Heidi