Good Morning Everyone from Venice.

Today’s blog is a little different. There will be none of the usual sections (they will be back in another blog later this evening) because I am dedicating this blog to a very special lady.

Yesterday, (Tuesday August 21) Heidi and I were privileged to be taken on a tour of Cunard’s new ship, Queen Victoria.

We were accompanied by Cunard’s Vice President of Newbuildings Stuart Hawkins who had been sailing on the Emerald Princess which was docked with us in Venice. Once at the Fincantieri Shipyard we were met by three very important gentlemen, Paolo Capobianco who is the Shipyard Director, Pierluigi Punter who is the Fincantieri Project Manager and, from Carnival Corporation, our own Project Manager, Giovanni Esposito.

Heidi and I had not been back to the shipyard since February when we spent one month there preparing the Carnival Freedom so it was sort of like a “homecoming” for us. Disembarking the water taxi right under the bow of the Queen Victoria was simply breathtaking. The last time I had seen her was six months ago and already I could tell how far along the work had progressed.

First impressions are for me and many others so very important and the first impression of seeing the Queen Victoria was ……well, let’s just say this. There is no need for her to have the word Cunard on her bow or anywhere else. You don’t need to be in the business we are in to know that this is a Cunard ship……..you just know………..some sixth sense tells you that those lines, those colours, (and, yes, we are spelling that the British way ) means it can only be a Cunard ship.

The Queen Victoria is due to enter service in December so there is still lots of work to be done. There is no furniture, no art, no Captain, no crew onboard. The lounges are not finished yet, the library has no books in it…..but you know what, it did not matter. The ship was alive……………I cannot explain it, I had not felt this on any of the many ships I had delivered as a Cruise Director.

At this point you are probably thinking………OK, John’s smoked a palm tree….what the heck is he talking about? The answer is, I don’t know…….there was just something that, even in its yet-to-be-completed state, the ship had a heart and a soul. You could see, imagine and feel what she would be like once at sea…………was she alive or did I have water on the brain from my Turkish bath experience ?

I am not a travel writer and in the weeks and months to come, the brilliant minds of the press will write their newspaper, magazine and Internet articles for all to read but if you will, please allow me to describe some of the features that will, I know, make this ship incomparable.

Where to start………well, first off let me say the ship’s architect has created a vessel that feels open and airy (is that a word?)

The public spaces are designed in such a way that you really feel that you must be on a ship twice the size and the 2,014 lucky guests who will cruise on her will, I am positive, never feel that there are indeed that many people on board.

The signature public room is the Queens Room, which even in the incomplete stage that it is currently in, I could already feel that this room was something special. We stood on the Promenade looking down on the dance floor and you could imagine the orchestra playing, the well dressed Cunarders dancing before returning to their martini’s and gin and tonics and I could imagine Heidi and I sitting at one of the tables, me with my diet coke and Heidi begging me to dance. In the afternoon’s they will serve the great British tradition of Tea Time.

In the U.K. everything stops for tea……..it does not matter – 3 pm is tea time and no matter what you are doing you must drink tea……..it’s the law. So, again my imagination was in overdrive and I could see the white-gloved waiters serving the Earl Grey from the finest Royal Dolton and Wedgwood china and the look of horror and the ship’s alarm sounding, security rushing in because someone had dared to order Iced Tea!

The Queens Room will be the heartbeat of the vessel and standing there you know without a doubt, you are on a Cunard ship. Here is a photo of the Queens Room. Forget about the wires and the construction and think of the orchestra playing your favorite love song as you dance before dinner……………this will be one very extraordinary room.

Talking of dining……………well, the three dining rooms continue the Cunard tradition of your assigned dining room being decided upon by the cabin you reserve. However, personally, I could see little difference between the Princess Grill & the Britannia Restaurant; they were both amazing and oozed elegance and class. The Queens Grill has amazing views with floor-to-ceiling windows to watch the ocean go by while enjoying the finest food and service afloat.

The main dining room, the Britannia Restaurant will be dominated by a huge globe which sits behind the Captain’s table. Again, a sense of nostalgia washed over me as I imagined the Commodore and his special guests discussing their cruising experience, I could feel the air of quality and luxury in the food and the service and I could picture Heidi and I sitting at our corner table, me in the doghouse because I spilt gravy down my shirt.

I really could sense that the dining experience would be, regardless of what dining room you were assigned, something that would uphold and exceed the high standards associated with the Cunard brand.

Then from five-star we move to well, unlimited stars as we mention the specialty restaurant with the menu designed and created by celebrity Chef Todd English. How wonderful that in order to enjoy a culinary journey like this you don’t need to go to Massachusetts, you just walk out of your cabin and there you are. Walking around the restaurant where the lush linens and fine silverware will very soon be laid out I could imagine the diners trying to decide if they should have the Pan Roasted Rib Eye with Gorgonzola or the Baked Whole Bass with Apple and fennel…………….and I could see Heidi getting embarrassed for asking the waiter if the fish comes with chips.

Oh, yes, just to the side of the Queens Grill, there is an outside dining area called The Courtyard which is an area where, weather permitting guests can dine under the stars. Now, we Brits still find the idea of eating outside a little……..well…………not proper………but I think if this area is marketed correctly the Europeans, The North Americans and eventually us Brits will enjoy. Imagine, sitting under the stars being served fine food and wine. I am sure, many guests will take this option and I am even more certain that many guests will ask for their coffee and after dinner drinks to be served in the Courtyard. I can imagine Heidi and I sitting under the stars drinking our espressos and discussing the joys of life, cruising, marriage and why I left my underwear on the bathroom floor again. I do urge the management to really utilize this area as it is something that could be very unique. This might be a great area where, after dinner has been completed smoking is allowed……………especially cigars…………under the stars……WOW !

Talking of smoking, most of the vessel will be non-smoking with the exception of one or two areas which include the Cigar Bar. This area is smaller than I imagined but as trends go, I guess cigar smoking may not be as popular as it was during the late nineties. Now, here is an interesting thought. Smoking is banned in public places in the U.K. Does this mean that once in U.K. waters there will be a smoking ban on the entire ship? Anyway, regardless the cigar bar will be a place where I would probably enjoy a cigar more than anywhere.

Talking of public areas we have yet to mention the Veuve-Clicquot champagne bar, the British pub The Golden Lion, and a host of other areas that seem so wide and spacious. I could just imagine these areas full of handsome and beautiful people, laughing, dancing, drinking and enjoying all that this ship has to offer……….and me, Heidi on my arm which is covering the gravy stain on my shirt having the time of our lives.

We saw two or three of the different categories of cabins. None had furniture but all yet again felt rich and comfortable even with bare walls and wires hanging from the ceiling. We did see one of the Mega Suites………….”.bloody hell”……….I said as I walked in. These are huge and again, the professional writers will give you the facts and figures on square meters and comforts etc…..but you do not need to be a travel writer to know that these cabins are the be all and end all of cruise ship luxury. There is even a bathtub by a floor to ceiling window…….what a view……especially if you take a bath while you are docked in port. The cabins are truly gorgeous and regardless of what you choose I am in no doubt that you will feel at home or in my case…..someone else’s home as the mega suite is bigger than my apartment. We couldn’t see the cabin where Heidi and I will be staying when we cruise as they had not put the hammocks up yet.

In my job as a Cruise Director I spend the majority of my shipboard life in two places, the theatre and the bathroom. Let’s talk about the first one. The main lounge/theatre on the Queen Victoria is called the Royal Court Theatre and is something quite extraordinary. It is a cross between London’s Royal Albert Hall and La Scala in Milan. For the first-ever time this theatre will have private boxes which offer total luxury while enjoying shows, lectures and performances. The seating reminded me of an old-fashioned Cinema with deep and wide flip up chairs made from the finest velvet. I do not know who the Cruise Director will be on the Queen Victoria but he or she will be so lucky to walk out on stage and soak up the atmosphere that this unique theatre will surely provide. I can imagine the audience, sitting in luxury in their deep cushioned chairs, the guests in their royal boxes enjoying the Cruise Director and Heidi and I on the very back row……………..Heidi telling me to be quiet when I say “That’s my joke” every time the Cruise Director says something funny.

The Library is pure English (not the chef) but in origin. Two levels connected by a wooden circular staircase crafted in the finest woods, its dovetails the signature of a master craftsman. The card room will I am sure be very popular as no doubt will be the Empire Casino, the shopping arcade, the sports deck, the paddle tennis court, The Winter Garden which is designed like a typical English conservatory and of course the Cunard Royal Spa which features pampering that can only be found on a ship like this. They even have something called “A Gym” but I didn’t get to see that as the elevator that goes there was broken!

I could go on and on but alas I must stop. It is hard to know what else to say. The ship already has a feel, a, I don’t know…….a something………which maybe the professional writers will word properly. All I know is this. There are some things that make me proud to be British…………..The Royal Family (most of them), Aston Martin, the Pomp and Circumstance of our traditions, The Beatles, Fish and Chips and today I walked off the ship humming Rule Britannia because Cunard continues to be a talisman of everything that was and continues to be Cunard.

Heidi and I are going to book the cruise from Southampton to the Christmas markets leaving Southampton on December 14 and maybe we will see a few other bloggers there as well.

I work for Carnival Cruise Lines and I am proud of our ships beyond all measure…………but this is something different, something unique and if I were you and if you can, I would be calling my travel agent or Cunard and booking a cruise now. This is a chance for North America to sample the best of British and quite frankly the best of cruising.

I am in no doubt that this ship will become………………………………….. historic.

Your Friends

John and Heidi

Here is a selection of photos. I apologize for the quality of some as the ship was under working conditions and light was not always available.

1. The Royal Court Theatre and the great people of Fincantieri and Cunard who took us around (Note the boxes above)

2. One of the Public rooms which will become the Champagne Bar

3. The Queens Grill

4. The Famous Cunard Smoke Stack

5. The Open Decks

6. Giovanni finds me funny……..Stuart………..thinks “who is this guy?”

7. Hard at work on one of the swimming pools.

8. The Winter Garden. A conservatory with a retractable roof

9. The floor of the Winter garden….uncovered!

10. The Spa Hydro something or other pool

11. Part of the Living area of one of the very impressive suites

12. Take a bath by your ocean view window

13. The stair case leading to the Grand Lobby, what a feeling this area already has……I think I saw Leonardo De Crappyo !

14. The Queens Room. Sorry for the quality but there was a blackout test during our tour. This room has an amazing feel to it already.

15. Another view of the private boxes in the Royal Court Theatre………Queen Victoria herself would have been amused.

16. Here she is

17. The Queen

18. God Bless Her

19. That’s me on the left, holding my trousers up because I forgot to put a belt on.

20. Finally, the three sisters. Cunard, Princess and Carnival

Space Invaders, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Hemorrhoids……these were the games last time I played in an arcade. ………..Oh, good morning by the way, it’s just after midnight here and we had a beautiful day in Dubrovnik. More about that later but back to the subject of arcade games………..here is why.

Guest: ________
Cabin: _____

Arcade Games

Mr. ________ came to the desk wanting to speak to the person in charge of the Arcade Games and the Cruise Director. Guest was very upset and raising his voice and said he would not leave until he spoke to the Cruise Director. Purser called John but he was on the bridge with the tender services but said he would call the guest after sailing. Cruise Director pointed out that the Casino Manager was in charge of the arcade and if a machine was broken to call him. Purser told guest this and Mr ____ said it was not about a machine being broken and he would speak to me later. Guest left the desk. Comments sent to Cruise Director.

OK, so I called the guest. I am not going to put his name up here because it does involve his 12-year-old son. I called the guest thinking it would have been one of these reasons that he was so upset.

1. The games were busy all the time…………………this is the case with 700 kids onboard even though it is open 24 hours.

2. Maybe his child had put money in and the machine had not worked.

3. Maybe he thought the games were too expensive………….not that I had any clue how much they were.

Now, at this point, I should explain that I have been in the arcade once when I walked the ship for the first time back in February in the shipyard. Since then I have never had reason to go there. I should also explain that the Play Station and F-Box thingies have passed me by. I have never been interested in these games……….boring is I am I prefer movies, books, talking to people, Turkish baths etc………..therefore I hoped he wasn’t going to ask me about why we didn’t have the latest game or why after three rounds his space ship got blown up by a race of huge aliens armed with rubber tubes called the Fatimarons.

Anyway, my point is I know nothing about these games and was hoping, to be honest I hoped that I could pass this off to the casino manager who is responsible for the arcade.

So, I called the guest, we will call him Pac Man just for reference sake and before I had finished with my usual good evening etc, Pac Man launched into what I can only describe as a rage……boy was he angry. So, I listened to him for at least five minutes during which he told me what a bad person I was and that the cruise line should be embarrassed and that I would not be going to heaven………….yep, apparently Pac Man has heard this from the big boss and I am heading for the basement……..oh, along with all the other people on the ship and Paris Hilton……………..OK, he didn’t say Paris Hilton but if I am going then I might as well take someone with me.

Anyway, after he unleashed all his torpedoes on me I thanked him for his comments and explained that I really had no idea if what he was saying was correct but that I would investigate and get back to him before the end of the day.

Now, some of the Sherlock Holmes amongst you will have figured out what Pac Man was so upset about……………oh, talking of Sherlock Holmes the world’s greatest detective (except Kojak – I loved Kojak) here is my favorite Sherlock Holmes joke.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went camping and pitched their tent under the stars.

During the night, Holmes awoke his friend and asked: “Watson, when you look up and see the stars, what do you deduce?”

Watson slowly awakens and after a pause, responds: “That even if a few of those have planets, it’s quite likely there are planets like Earth. And if there are a few planets like Earth, there might also be life.”

“Watson you idiot,” says Holmes. “It means that somebody has stolen our tent.”

OK, back to Mr Pac Man and for those of you who have reached this conclusion you are to be congratulated. Pac Man was so very upset that we would have such violent games in our arcade and he felt that his son was now traumatized because he had seen the games. I wanted to have all the facts before we spoke again so after the show, I went down to the arcade to have a look at the games we offer. Now, amongst the driving and racing games and the one where you bash a plastic disc around with…….well a basher thing and score goals………I have no idea what that is called I was surprised to see some games where the titles themselves do seem …..well….violent.

We have:

TARGET TERROR

EXTREME HUNTING

TIME CRISIS 4

HOUSE OF THE DEAD

BIG BUCK HUNTER

TURKISH BATH TERROR

OK, I made the last one up…….but it was terr…..never mind. I played each game and I have to say I was surprised. Most involve killing things from a simple deer in Extreme Hunting and Buck Hunter to killing evil monsters in Time Crisis and of course in House Of The Dead you get to kill Zombie like creatures which were obviously modeled on the girls Alan Adkins and I used to date. You get to kill these things with guns, axes, flame throwers and if you hit the creatures in the head it explodes, oozes blood and puss and eventually falls off and David Beckham runs on a scores a goal with it……….OK, I made the last bit up.

So, Mr Pac Man was correct, the games are indeed violent. They do carry ratings on the machines but none, surprisingly are adult rated. I also discovered that these games are played by millions of kids worldwide on their Play Stations and Z-box thingies.

Pac Man is a devout Christian and I can understand where his concerns come from although blaming me is a bit much and hopefully the good Lord will see that I did not invent these games and send me to …well, the place that House Of The Dead seems to be based on. Tomorrow morning I will have a chat with Pac Man, I will apologize and I will have to agree with him and suggest that his child not go into the arcade. It is also obvious that no other parent has had concerns with this or have chosen never to mention it as this is the first time I have heard of such a complaint.

I say bring back the old games and lets shoot harmless space ships from Mars, move a triangle around and shoot lumpy things that were supposed to be Asteroids and if we most shoot evil creatures then make them more realistic………………small women holding Mahjong board for instance. I would be interested to know your thoughts on this subject.

Are we wrong to offer these games?

Here are today’s photos from Dubrovnik.

1. The old town taken from the mountain road above.

2. The Country House on the Konavle Tour

3. The old town again – a bit closer

4. The main street in Old Town Dubrovnik

5. Over the roof tops

Here then is today’s photo from the Embarrass John section. This is me and Michael Andrew and the wonderful Captain Gavino taken in 1993.

Here are today’s letters and a drawing from Kids Corner.

With regard to the last one from Skippy to Squishy, I read this out on the Morning Show and called the guest. Obviously I thought Squishy was a woman but she was a he and so was skippy……………….opps a daisy.

So, the Q and A………..I am not sure where to start because I seem to be a bit behind so please bare with me and I will start with those from the blog featuring Paul Santley and then the one entitled The Love of Boats. I will answer as many of them as I can………..here we go.

SNOOPY – OK, it was a dumb question that I asked. I just thought maybe it was a nickname because you had droopy ears or barked like a dog during a full moon. Now though I understand why you are called Snoopy. Thanks for sending the link to my Dad and he will I know be very happy. My best to you, Charlie Brown and of course Deb.
SUSAN B – Tell Mr Cheap that I will do my best to be as funny as I can when you are onboard and it may help if you tell him there is no charge for the jokes. I am so glad that you are enjoying the blogs and that they make you laugh. Sometimes, they are a little sad, sometimes they are just about life but as often as I can I will try and share as much laughter with you as I can. Best to you both.
MEDIUMCRUISER – Hey mate………welcome home and that is the funniest Alitalia story I have ever heard. I am sure it was not funny at the time but goodness me is it any surprise that they are having such problems. How are Mum and Dad? Are they OK, that must have been quite an experience for them. I did get your letter mate and it was very funny and now I think I can say “Forgedaboutit” with the best of them. I have sent your posting to a few “friends” at Carnival as I really want them to see yet another astonishing story from this airline. Personally, and this is just my opinion……….if any one says ” would you like to fly with Alitalia…….my answer “forgetaboutdit “……………..It was an honour to have you on board.
SHARON AND JEFF – It will be interesting how much luggage you arrive with and how much you leave with after spending 49 days onboard………maybe we should make that into a contest ….”guess how much luggage Sharon has and win a prize.” Yes indeed, the Maitre’D I was talking about…Ken was the same Ken who sang to you on your last cruise. He will I am sure be on the Carnival Splendor and I am sure we can arrange for you to be in his dining room. So, 49 days onboard……….I am sure you will have lots of questions before this BTBTB cruise and I will be here to help as and when you need me. My best to you both.
ADIAS.ANGEL – You are welcome…………..anytime.
KELLIE O’LEARY – My sympathies are with you Kellie. To have your Dad taken from you at such a young age must have been and such a terrible ordeal. Having to tell Heidi her beloved Father had passed away was the hardest thing I have ever had to do and a terrible day I will never forget. Happier things now………..yes, as you have booked five balcony cabins in a row you can indeed open all the dividers and you just need to ask your State Room Steward who will be happy to help. This will make the longest balcony on the ship and a great place to watch the Ocean from. So, please be happy but now that Heidi and I sympathize with your terrible loss.
LISA AND ELAINE – Alan’s reaction to my joke………..well, let’s just say that he was not a happy man and has promised revenge so I am walking around with my eyes wide open as you never know where he is going to strike. You do meet so many wonderful people on a ship but occasional, as you said, there are people who take advantage of the system and that’s what happened I think with Mr Angry in the Supper Club………….I am a great believer in what goes around comes around and I have made sure that his name is documented in the system……what a shame. I hope you are both well and as always I thank you for taking the time to read the blog thingy.
BILL – ZYDECOCRUISER – Whose CD’s you sent me I was listening to this afternoon as I was getting ready for the show. I wish I could have snuck in some jelly Beans for Mr Angry’s dinner. You know a friend of mine who used to be a air hostess told me that if passengers were rude she used to put Optrex (eye drops) on their dinner…………..they then spent a lot of time getting to know just how small an airplane toilet really is. Thanks again for the wonderful music…………..I am a true convert.
THE BEARS, CARL AND BARB – a wonderful commercial for Alaska from the bears and something for us all to think about in the future…………maybe even a Bloggers Cruise as I am sure it would be an amazing experience for us all. However, there are lots of things to consider with this so we shall see. I trust you are both well and you continue to be great supporters of the blog for which I am so thankful.
MARIJ VAN DINTER – Thank you so much or in Dutch…..Danke Weil, jai bint mi frinkyer. Groter kunuffles fur jou from us both. Dooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
BIG ED – I thought you were on my side and now I see you siding with your best friend Alan Adkins. He actually cannot wait to meet you and I am sure on the Bloggers Cruise you will be inseparable which has me very nervous indeed.
MAURO MOSCARDINO – Thanks for reading the blog thingy and let me answer your questions. I can indeed make a reservation for you at the Supper Club. Have a look at the side of this page and you will see a Supper Club reservation form. Please complete this and I will make the reservation as requested and send you a confirmation. You also asked if you can collect your own luggage at the airport and indeed you can. If you have Carnival-arranged transportation it will go on the same bus as you so all will be well. I look forward to meeting you and we can chat about Aston’s and Ferraris and life in general. Hope to hear from you soon and I will look out for your Supper Club reservation.
LFTTNSFCF – You are right Jon, (don’t usually call you by your name do I?) that Jeff Bronson was indeed the CD on the Paradise for some time and I am sure you will have enjoyed him there. You know, I have never actually asked you if it was just the smoke free status of the ship that you and Mrs. MTSFP enjoyed or, was it the decor or both or more……..anyway, when you have time, please let us all know. There is nothing in the rules (as I make them up as I go along) to stop you being a judge for Halloween so we will make it so. My best to you both and lets chat about the Paradise on your next posting.
KEVIN – Great joke mate and I am sure it was a hit. Thank you for saying the things you said in that posting. I am sure I will never have an Aston Martin but the fact that so many people wish I did have one is nearly good enough…………not quite…………but nearly. Now onto PA007…………there is indeed still much talk about who he or she is. That is one of the reasons why I have kept PA 007 the grey man for the last few weeks because people were getting too close and the last thing I want is for him or her to lose his or her job. I do know that PA 007 has been enjoying some bowling and recently he/she went to a German Beer festival at EPCOT and got very tipsy………..PA007 does not handle alcohol well and if drunk can be found break dancing ion the middle of the street or doing impressions of Captain Kirk. I am sure though that PA007 will have breaking news for us very soon. I will need to talk to you about working onboard soon so stand by for that………..by the way………do you have any preference for Carnival or would a small yacht style company like Seabourn interest you? Thanks mate, you are a great friend……….with an Aston.
MANUEL – I am glad I was able to preempt some of your questions about what ships do during the Hurricane season. I will be talking more about that in a moment. You also asked about the tours for the Carnival Splendor and are they set up yet. The answer is no, not yet. I will be checking them out some time early next year and as soon as I do I will make myself available to answer as many questions as you have before you decide what to purchase. There are going to be some great ones though….it is an exciting program. I look forward to receiving what you sent me and I will let you know when it gets here…………my sincere thanks in advance. Cheers mate.
CRUISINSUE – It won’t be long before you are in the Med and onboard the Carnival Freedom. Are you excited? I am glad you liked the interview with Paul Santley and yes, the CD’s are like family and we always try and make sure that we make you, the guest, part of the family as well. You asked about my mate Corey Schmidt, arguably one of the best CD’s Carnival ever had. He left in 2004 and now works in Lake Tahoe. We all miss him here. I will see you in October and I will do my best to make sure you feel at home and part of the family.
SUSAN B – I would love to hear from your 16-year-old and what her ideas are. Please ask her to slap a posting on the blog and let’s have a chat.
ALICE – You are welcome Alice.
JENNIFER HAMMOND – Thank you for your prayers and thoughts, we may need to do a lot of that this Hurricane season.
MISSING YOU – I am making enquiries within the bar department for information on your long lost love but so far I am sorry to report I have not been successful. Please give me more time and hopefully love will bring you two together.
KICIASKI – Hello Linda and hello George…….how are you both. It looks like the Hurricane could go to category 5 and I will give you an update as and when I hear any news. Congratulations on getting your Carnival Splendor tickets and let me answer your question about where to stay in Amsterdam. There are many good hotels in Amsterdam and here are three to choose from:
RADISSON SAS
THE HOTEL D’EUROPE’
THE JOLLY CARLTON HOTEL
All of these are in the center of Amsterdam and are within walking distance of the Flower market, The Dam square and a short tram ride to the museum district. I hope indeed we can meet up in Florida and nearer the time we must arrange this. If you have any further questions on Amsterdam, please let us know. Wish you were here.
DIVETRASH – I am glad you got message and I am sorry I did not give you my name………how rude of me. It seems that everyone is willing you to come and cruise and being single, as you can see, will not be a problem. You can share a room with Kevin, Big Ed or Alan or just have a room on your own and hang out with all of us. Regardless, I will see you soon and tell your boyfriend I wish he was coming as well…….I would even have made eggs and bacon English style for him. Cheers.
DWA76 – You are too kind with your words about me on the beach. The haircut was a disaster and was done so to impress a beautiful lady called Sarah who worked in the Beauty salon…………sssssssshhhhhhhh don’t tell the Mrs. I am glad you liked the interview with Paul and I am sure you will also like the one today with another great friend of mine. All the best mate.
DAVE SOREFF – I am so happy that you saw the photo. I looked everywhere for one of me and you and Doug but that is the only one I could find. Let me know what he says, I will be interested to hear if he remembers being as ugly as that I miss you both.

OK. I have to stop there because it is very, very late………….1:31am to be exact. We are in Venice tomorrow and I have something very special to do which I will of course share with you all soon. I know I am way behind on the questions and I promise to catch up tomorrow……………promise.

Here is today’s interview. After the huge success of interviewing the President of Princess Cruises (thanks again Alan) it is back to another cruise director. This young man was an Assistant with me back on the Carnival Destiny and I knew straight away that he was going to be a great CD………….and for once, I was right. Here is Mark Price and the beautiful Carnival Conquest.

1. Please can you tell us about your career with Carnival so far? How did you start and when?

My first ship was Carnival’s Holiday sailing out of San Pedro, CA. in 1996. I took flight from my home country England and flew to join Carnival Cruise Lines after appearing on a British Television show “England’s Most Wanted.” After averting autographs and fingerprints and telling my mother I was off to college, I made it on board as a Social Host. A job I thought would be fun for a year or two. Two years to the very day of joining Carnival Cruise Lines and after being subjected to parties, games, spectacular shows and enduring hours and hours of fun and merriment, I found myself being hoisted up the rigging ranks and promoted to Cruise Director. On this journey to the big chair I had the pleasure of working with Mr. John Heald. We had a ton of fun on the Carnival Destiny when it first came out and then again on the Imagination. Between working these ships I had my first experience as Cruise Director filling in on the Holiday for a short while. This was an eye-opening and educational experience into the world of a Carnival Cruise Lines’ Cruise Director and what amazing impact they have bringing the fun to our guests. With this new insight I found the job I knew I would enjoy so I decided to stay for a while longer. In 1998 my first ship as full time CD was the Carnival Ecstasy and throughout the years I have worked many of the ships in the fleet and at present I am on board the Carnival Conquest. This is probably one of the nicest decorated ships I have worked on and the team here is fantastic.

2. What ship are you currently on and what is its itinerary?

The Conquest has a great run visiting 3 very different ports of call, Montego Bay, Jamaica / Grand Cayman / Cozumel, Mexico.

3. Please can you pick two excursions from each port and tell us why you recommend them so much?

Jamaica

Dunn’s River Falls: Without a doubt, a trip to Jamaica is not complete without visiting the 600 ft Dunn River Falls cascading down onto the beach and out into the big blue. Walking the falls is a must! Remember the scene from the Movie “Cocktail” where Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue made out? Yep that was right there at Dunn River Falls. Ooh the romance!

Canopy Tour: Swinging through the treetops on Zip lines is amazing fun. The Canopy Tour has 6 zip lines giving you a view only you and the birds can share. The last of the 6 zip lines will fly you through the air for over 1,000 feet (This is longer than the Carnival Conquest ship). This is soooo much fun and the only way I would recommend getting high in Jamaica!

Grand Cayman

Stingray & Island: Interacting with the Stingrays is an incredible experience and the Island has its hidden treasures you don’t want to miss. Combination Tours are by far the best way to go, saving you time and money. Both island tours and stingray tours are excellent and worth doing but if you can get the combo…. do so!

Cozumel

Mayan Ruins of Tulum

If you are taking the time to go to Mexico then you should immerse yourself in its history and culture. You might be surprised how many of today’s everyday things we take for granted were developed or discovered by the Mayans. A visit to the Mayan Ruins of Tulum will transport you back in time and give you a great feeling of being in Mexico.

4. What are your favorite activities or events that you host and why?

A difficult questions this one John because there are so many. I’ll pick 3 to make this easier.

The Welcome Aboard Show is probably my favorite as this sets the tone of the cruise. It’s like one big party and as the show progresses you can feel everyone relax and also unit as a big family. A collective realization that it’s OK to let your hair down and have fun. There is something special about being a part of the Carnival Family and the Welcome Aboard show is where this all starts.

The Mardi Gras, Carnival Colors Team Challenge and Deck Party. I love to throw big parties and this is the biggest event of the entire cruise. We don’t just hold one party on board the Conquest we throw 3 at the same time. You have to live it to believe it! This is what cruising is all about. It’s an amazing interaction of games, competitions, team camaraderie, dancing, singing and fun that flows from lounge to lounge on Promenade Deck to the Lido Aft deck to the main pool deck. It’s huge!

The Newlywed not so Newlywed Game Show has to be mentioned. This show is always different and always funny. Improvisation is the name of the game here and the answers from the guests are mind blowing, funny, surprising and sometimes quite shocking. Whatever happens, it is always an enjoyable event and everyone has fun.

5. Fill in the blank please……………..People should sail on the (CONQUEST) because…………………………….. it’s FUN! Remember every cruise vacation is different if you want it to be and every Carnival ship has its own uniqueness. The rule when going on vacation is never try reliving the same experience twice. A vacation is a time to create and make new memories. An opportunity to try things you have not experienced before. Of course we have the classic games and events which make Carnival so popular but there are always new things to discover and new things to do. People should sail on the Conquest because it is another chance to have more fun and we will be waiting to make and share new memories with you.

6. What do you enjoy most about being a Cruise Director?

First and foremost making people happy! Vacations are for escaping reality, even if it’s only for a short time, and that is what vacations are about. I see a lot of people who find it hard to switch off or feel guilty about having fun. I love watching these barriers quickly break down and see the real people come to life while on a fun ship cruise. Most of our guests end up doing things they would never dream of doing back home. It is great watching adults from all walks of life running around wearing face paint, dancing and singing without a care in the world. Watching their friends and family member snapping away with their cameras knowing they have the ultimate black mail material when they get home.

Then there are the uplifting stories, I hear about the way we at Carnival touch people’s lives. Things we would never realize unless we are told. As a cruise director I often get guests come up to me at the end of the cruise and let me know how much fun they have had and share their special stories with me. Examples are from guests who rejoice in how our on board team exceeded their expectations which meant so much to them because they were cancer survivors. Through their treatment their dream was taking a cruise, a motivation that helped them and their families through difficult times. Acknowledgment that we indeed helped make a dream come true is unbelievably rewarding especially when you realize its importance to those individuals. Recently I had a gentleman come up to me with glazed eyes and told me that his elderly mother and father were cruising with their family and that his father had been dealing with some ill heath. It took much convincing from all the family to get him to sail and that they were very concerned about his state of mind. During the cruise this couple joined me on stage and won the hearts of their fellow guests. As I said before there is something special about being a part of the Carnival family because instantly they became celebrities. The power of laughter is immeasurable and the kind words of strangers have a power we often don’t realize. The son of this very memorable couple told me that this experience opened his father up like nothing he had ever seen, a rejuvenation turning his mental condition around 180 degrees. Before the end of their cruise his father was already planning another cruise vacation for the family. Now it’s stories like this that make a Cruise Director’s job so rewarding.

7. Share your favorite story with us that involve our guests and your job?

Well as this is John’s Blog, why not a story about the man himself. As I recently shared with my fellow cruise Directors to celebrate Johns 20^th Anniversary I do recall this….

The ship: The Carnival Destiny.

Day: Last day on board before John’s vacation after his first contract on the Destiny.

It was the last Debarkation Talk John had to host and the lounge was full. He had delighted the audience with his wit and humor. At the end of his talk when he would normally say goodbye he was wrestled to the ground by a fellow colleague then I came out dressed in a bird costume from one of his favorite stories and danced around him. You had to be there! Then from the back of the lounge 2 Security officers and the Doctor ran through the crowd with a stretcher and a straight jacket. Bundled him up and carried him off the stage. The last thing the audience ever saw of John was his foot waving goodbye. What a good sport! Ooh how we laughed backstage…. after he stopped beating me with his microphone!

8. List your three favorite ports you have visited?

Tough question!

Boston, probably due to Historical connections in my family tree! Some of my ancestors got to the USA before me. At least I arrived on a nicer ship!

Eastern Caribbean islands are great. They all have their merits so it’s hard to choose just one.

The Hawaiian Islands. This trip was for pleasure. And you thought Cruise Director’s didn’t take cruises for their vacations!

9. Name three ports you would really like to see that you have never been to?

Alaska is one area I would like to visit.

Honk Kong would be cool

Madagascar. I’ve seen the movie and would like to meet a talking Zebra!

10. Finally, if you could introduce on stage any star, alive or not who would it be and why?

Aaaaaaaagh, the choices. OK, John I will have to cheat on this one as I can’t decide on just one!

OK, for musical entertainment.

U2, Phil Collins, Robbie Williams, Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, Elton John

Why? Because they are all really talented!

For Comedy

Eddy Izzard, Robin Williams, and someone who glued me to the TV growing up the very talented Danny Kaye.

Why? I enjoy animated comedians. They are all very clever and unique and they are visually funny too.

OK, Thanks John for the chance to chat with you….. you can now take your hand off my knee!

What a fantastic interview and like all the other CD’s a shiny example of why Carnival has the best Cruise Director’s in the industry.

It looks like Jamaica was spared a direct hit as was Cayman but now we must be concerned for the ports of Belize, Cozumel, Cancun and Costa Maya…….the latter having little or no defense from a direct hit. Please continue to have all the people of the Yucatan in your thoughts.

OK, it’s very late and I feel a bit stressed and therefore I am going for a late night Jacuzzi. So, its off to the bath and relax………….ooohhh, very posh I hear you cry, John has a jaccuzzi bath…………….actually I don’t…………..I have a bath……………….and a bag of sugar free jelly beans…………..instant bubbles.

Goodnight

Your friends

John and Heidi

The kettle is on, it’s 7:39am and so begins a busy day at sea. I thought I would start a blog this morning but I am sure I will not finish it until after midnight. Today is the busiest day of the cruise by far each and every time………….hold on….the kettle is boiling………………………………OK, here I am……..ahhhh tea, the best drink of the day. I have to have mine strong, that means I leave the bag in the cup for a good three – four minutes and then I press the spoon against the side of the cup with the bag between so all the flavour comes out. Heidi on the other hand, dunks her bag in for less than 10 seconds……ucchhhhhh.

Anyway, back to today and here is my day.

9:30am – 10:30am – Morning Show
10:30am – 11:00am – Quick meeting with a guest who has asked for something special this cruise – back to that in a moment
11:00am – 11:45am – Port Information Talk for Venice, Dubrovnik and Messina
11:45am – 12:30pm – Q and A session
12:30pm – 1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – 2:00pm – Prepare Carnival Capers and various paperwork
2:00pm – 2:30pm – Department head meeting
2:30pm – 3:30pm – Host game Show
3:30pm – 5:00pm – Paper Work – maybe time for blogging
5:00pm – 6:00pm – Formal party
6:00pm – 7:00pm – maybe time for blogging
7:00pm – 8:00pm – Formal party
8:00pm – 8:30pm – Dinner
8:30pm – 9:30pm – The Big Easy Show
9:30pm – 10:30pm – Blogging
10:30pm – 11:30pm – The Big Easy Show
11:30pm – 12:30am – Walk the lounges – maybe 20 minutes in the cigar bar
12:30am – finish blog and bedtime

Now, that of course is the plan which as sure as I can’t fit in a size small will probably include some of the above but you never know what is waiting for you round the corner……………let us see. OK, the guest who wants something special. That would be Mr. Keith Fahy who has yet again proved that even after 20 years there are something you have not been asked to do.

There is no delicate way of saying this so I will just say that Keith has brought his brother on the ship with him………….in an urn. Yep, he asked permission to scatter his brother’s ashes at sea.

Keith, approached the Purser’s Desk yesterday and asked if something could be arranged and the Purser’s called me…………because I am in charge of Entertainment!

Now, of course I am more than willing to help with this request however it is not as easy as it seems. First of all, there are environmental concerns, you just can’t throw something overboard, even Keith’s brother Wendell. Also, I have to make sure that this is done properly and I mean by that we are facing downwind, etc. Anyway, I am meeting with Keith this morning and I will try and help him arrange this service and make it as special as we can.

You know, ever since I started writing this blog, I worry every night that I will have nothing to write about the next day…………..silly me.

Right, time for the Morning Show so see you later.

OK, I am back and just finished my travel talk, Q and A and now I have a few minutes before the department head meeting. I met with Mr. Fahy and will fill you in with the details shortly (I did mention I would be writing about this on my blog and he has no problem with this) but before I rush off again I wanted to slap on today’s photos.

1. Here is the Carnival Freedom at night in Venice

2. Here is one from the Chic Dining Room

3. Here is one of the escalators connecting the Chic Dining Room with the galley

Here now is the photo of me taken way back in 1994 on the Sensation…………..check out the computer……………don’t I look good in white?

And here the letters for today for the “In Their Own Words” section:

1. Loving letter from a guest

2. Another one re American T.V.

3. Bloggers celebrating their anniversary on board the Carnival Freedom

Let’s start with today’s Q and A which are taken from the blog featuring the last few questions from the blog featuring the Carnival Destiny and as many as I can from the one featuring the Carnival Pride.

AGAIN, I NEED YOUR KIND PERMISSION IN JUST ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERS TODAY ONLY. I HAVE SO MANY AND I HAVE SUCH A BUSY DAY AND AS YOU WILL SEE I HAVE A REALLY SPECIAL INTERVIEW GUEST TODAY AND I NEED TO MAKE SURE IT IS POSTED ASAP.

I PROMISE THAT NEXT WEEK I WILL ONCE AGAIN ANSWERED EVERY COMMENT AND QUESTION…………THESE FORMAL SEA DAYS ALLOW ME VERY LITTLE TIME TO POST A BLOG……MANY THANKS FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

Thank you for asking how to send e-mails to me via Roberto. I actually only do this if you want to send me something personal that you do not want printed on the blog thingy but would like an answer to…..maybe you have a comment etc. All you need do is start your posting PERSONAL – NOT FOR THE BLOG ……….Roberto will then forward it to me and I will get back to you ASAP. Great news that you enjoyed wee Jimmy so much, he is a real treasure. Wishing you all the best.
MATT AND VIKKI TILL – How are you both? It feels like I have not spoken to you in ages. You asked about the parking in Miami before taking a cruise. I have not been there so here is the link thingy to give you all the latest details. http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/portofmiami/directions.asp. Seems a bit expensive to me, – let me check on parking alternatives and get back to you. Hope all is well and Heidi and I send you our best regards.
NICO – I am chasing up your lost item and will report back very soon mate.
JAROBB – Mate, thank you for the kind words and thank you most sincerely for booking the Bloggers Cruise. You asked how your travel agent can register you as a Blogger? Well, later this week a registration form will appear as if by magic on this site and you will then need to fill in a few details and hey presto…….you will be an official blogger and entitled to all the benefits that will make this cruise so special. Look out for this very soon and again, many thanks for booking the cruise, I am very thankful.
TOM AND JANE – You asked if I have ever been in a hurricane on one of the ships. The answer is no. Thanks to the modern satellite equipment onboard and the various technologies that allow us to stay one huge step ahead of its path you will never see a Carnival ship put in that situation. I remember the cruise you are talking about when it was very rough and we followed the cargo ship into Barcelona. I remember posting a picture of it on the blog. I hope by now you have read yesterday’s blog where I went into some details involved in repositioning the ships. The current hurricane has impacted many of our ships, which again I listed yesterday and I will keep you informed as to what is happening. On a lighter note, knowing your friends are huge RCI fans who enjoyed our Carnival Freedom cruise in Europe so much, makes me very happy. Please thank them for me and hearing that they thought I was the best Cruise Director they had ever seen………………………well, let’s just say, I am a happy man tonight. I cannot believe it costs $2,000 to rent an Aston Martin for 24 hours. I guess my dream is even further away tonight. Oh well. All the best to you both and please keep reading the blog.
KAY DUCKWORTH – Good news, I will see you in May.
CINDY – I am ever so sorry to tell you that we do not keep back copies of photos taken during the cruise. I wish I could wave a magic wand and have the airlines find your luggage which contain all your photos. If there is anything else you think I can do for you please let me know. I feel so bad for you.
BRYAN – Regarding the joke I played on Alan. Well, let’s just say he is planning revenge which I am sure will involve much discomfort for me. However, nothing can compare to the feeling of a plastic pipe being rammed up your ^%$# by a 400 pound gorilla. I still owe Alan and will let you know what I plan later. Thanks mate.
NANETTE – I just had to say, thank you so much for your beautiful words which really touched me. I wish I could write in perfect Spanish, but for now I will stick to English and just say thanks.
JIMNI – Thank you for giving me the information I needed to find my dad his railway model. I will researching this after I have posted this blog. You asked me how I broke my nose, I actually tripped backstage over the foot of a prop and landed on the floor hitting my nose on the base of the scenery. The worst part is, Heidi says “It has improved my facial features.” Thanks again and I will let you know if I am successful in getting my dad his Big Boy.
NANCY D – If you are serious about working on board the ships of Carnival, please let me know and I will try and help you. I look forward to hearing from you and maybe you will be lucky and get to work on the ship with me.
DAVE AND BARB – Thank you so much for slapping on your posting. You are right, sometimes its best not to comment any further on some of the things people say. To answer your question, my dad likes working models of trains and has always wanted a Big Boy, so I will be researching on the Internet thing. See you in October. My best to David.
LINDA HERNACKI – Hello Linda. You asked how my diet is going and I must say, pretty well. I know those jelly beans have a lot of calories but I do like them and they are my only special treat. I did not have the potato with the lamb chops as I am still on my no-carb diet. The only treat I need is when I finally shake hands with you and Mike. See you soon.
RICK D – It’s so strange having you post comments while you are here on board the ship. I just spoke to you on the phone and of course I have to tell everyone about my Welcome Aboard Talk. I obviously had leaned on something dirty as when I walked out on stage I could hear Heidi calling my name in such a way, that I realised already, I was in the doghouse. I had no idea why as I had only been on stage for a few minutes. She pointed to my jacket, which was full of grease all over the front. The filthy look I got translated into “I can’t believe you can’t dress yourself before coming on stage.” So, the talk stopped, Heidi ran up to get me another jacket, I stripped off on stage, the talk continued and that was me in the house of dogs. ………I was only released this morning. Rick, have a wonderful cruise and I will talk to you tomorrow.
LFTTNSFCF – I did indeed arrange Halloween to fall on a sea day. Am I good or what? All that’s missing is your spectacular costume. See you soon.
RB GATES – You mentioned that the couple who complained to me in the Supper Club probably planned to get a free meal from the start………you may be right. My problem is, I always think that people would never do things like this, but of course you could be right. You asked a very good question. Do we track behaviour like this? The answer, absolutely. Consistent complainers are documented so that, if similar complaints happen on future cruises we know that maybe these comments are not justified and are made in the hope of receiving compensation of some sort. Now, this list of guest names is very small. Although, I did add the name of Mr. and Mrs. Angry to the list. Thank you again for your wonderful comments and I will keep writing the blog as you requested.
LEASA – You asked who the CD will be on the Carnival Liberty in February. I don’t know, let me find out by asking CHRIS PRIDEAUX ……….. Chris? I will get right back to you Leasa, I hope you enjoyed the blog.

That’s going to have to be it for today. As normal, a huge wave of guilt has swept over me and this is because I have not had time tonight to reply to every comment. Please accept my apologies again and normal service will be resumed tomorrow. If for some reason I have not answered your question. Please resend it, just in case it has been lost in cyber space.

Now, just before our very special guest interview, some of you had asked for my mum’s wonderful recipe for cheese scones. This is a typical English cake and the good thing is, they are sugar free. Here is a photo of what they should look like and the recipe thereafter.

CHEESE SCONES

1lb SR flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3oz butter
8oz grated cheese
1/2 pint milk

Rub flour and butter together, add salt and grated cheese.
Gradually stir in milk and knead into a dough and shape into scones.
Place in hot oven and cook approx 12 mins.

Today, I am proud to present an interview with a very special gentleman. As you will see, the President and CEO of Princess Cruises has taken the time from running one of the most loved cruise lines in the business, to talk to this humble blog.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly present Mr. Alan B. Buckelew.

1. Please can you tell us about you career in the industry so far and where does your love of the sea come from?

I grew up in Long Beach California, so I enjoyed regular trips to the beach to swim, surf, fish and to go sailing – hence my love of the sea. I attended UCLA where I received a BA in History and Communications. Before I graduated, I enlisted in the Army during the Vietnam War and served in a reconnaissance platoon. After two years I returned to UCLA and shortly after receiving my MBA from UCLA I got my start in cruising at Sitmar Cruises. Within a year the company sent me to Australia to centralize their reservations and accounting operations. I spent a little over a year on that assignment before returning to Los Angeles. I was fortunate to lead Sitmar’s automation program and developed a life-long interest in Information Technology. Even today, I remain very involved in Princess’ automation efforts.

At both Sitmar and Princess I have had the opportunity to run all of the commercial departments as well as the service departments, such as HR, IT and Finance. I have been a senior executive for over 20 years, but I find the challenges of the cruise industry thoroughly invigorating; thus everyday brings new opportunities. With just over 30 years of industry experience I have had the pleasure of watching our industry grow from very humble origins to its current worldwide stature.

2. Princess has become a truly world wide cruise line, with not only world cruises, but ships based in Europe, Asia and Australia. How different is the onboard experience on Princess ships based in these different regions.

One of the hallmarks of the Princess brand is that whatever ship you’re on and whatever destination you’re visiting throughout the world, the onboard product you’ll experience will be distinctly Princess. We don’t make big changes to our product based on destination, but there are small exceptions such as local menu items offered in the dining room like fresh salmon or halibut in Alaska, or local entertainment brought aboard in various ports. For example, this summer as our passengers visit ports in Italy, they’re being treated to performance by a fantastic Italian tenor. But the other main features of a Princess ship, — the service, the main lounge production shows and our culinary product remain constant. And that’s important to us so our passengers will always feel at home onboard..

3.Princess recently inaugurated two very different ships – the 3100 passenger Emerald Princess and the 670 passenger Royal Princess. How different are the itineraries and onboard experience on these two new ships?

The fact we introduced these two ships virtually simultaneously in April says a lot about the Princess brand, and about our commitment to offering our passengers a choice to design their perfect vacation.. Princess is a line that carries a lot of experienced travelers and we know that a part of this loyal group likes smaller ships. So now we have three of these intimately-sized ships in our fleet, which really offer boutique versions of the Princess experience such as alternative dining and lots of staterooms with balconies.

On the other hand Emerald is one of our largest, most amenity-filled ships featuring all the bells and whistles like our Movies Under the Stars giant outdoor TV screen, The Sanctuary private adults-only area, a fabulous spa and a great piazza-style atrium surrounded by dining venues and street-style entertainment .This ship offers our classic Mediterranean itinerary, while the smaller Royal Princess offers more “off-the-beaten path” itineraries that appeal especially to experienced cruisers – places like Ravenna, Italy; Split, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; and Canakkale (Troy), Turkey – all UNESCO World Heritage sites. Our diverse fleet of ship sizes enables us to offer something to appeal to nearly everyone.

4. Stein Kruse just told us about “As You Wish Dining” that is being introduced on Holland America. Princess has had “Personal Choice Dining” for many years. Is it basically the same concept? What percentage of guests choose traditional dining, and what percentage choose “Personal Choice”?

We introduced our Personal Choice Dining, or now as its known, “Anytime Dining,” in 2000, after much planning and test trials, because we understood back then that travelers’ tastes were changing, and we wanted to keep up with how people really wanted to dine on vacation. Today more than ever, people don’t want to be told that they have to eat at a certain time or in a certain place so it’s been a great success for us. It was the first time a cruise line had offered its passengers both a choice of the traditional, fixed dining and table dinner seating, plus gave them the option to dine anytime and anywhere they wished. Now it’s evolved to about 2/3 of our passengers dining “Anytime,” while the remaining third wishes to dine the traditional way, with the same dining time, dinner companions and dining steward throughout the cruise.

5. I even hear you offer private dinners on cabin balconies. If I was to choose this option during my upcoming free cruise on the Emerald Princess next year, what would you recommend I have for dinner.

This is one of the really fun ways to dine on our ships. You leave your cabin during the cocktail hour and relax in one of our lounges, and when you return back to your stateroom your balcony is fully set with linen and china, and our attentive dining stewards are there to serve you each course. The menu features lobster or filet mignon – or you can do both! We also serve a balcony breakfast in Glacier Bay which is truly amazing in such an awesome setting.

6. How much of a tie does the old Love Boat still have with today’s modern fleet and do any of the original characters still cruise on the ships?

No matter that we haven’t used the Love Boat officially in our marketing materials for years, we are forever associated with this iconic symbol of the cruise industry – and this is fantastic! Love Boat put cruising and Princess on the map and we know that it still has fun associations for many people.

You probably know that Gavin MacLeod, or the show’s “Captain Stubing,” is still our ambassador after all these years. Last year we celebrated 20 years together, and it’s always amazing to watch Gavin at a public appearance and see how he is still deluged by admiring fans. And Gavin’s TV daughter “Vickie,” real life actress Jill Whelen, got married onboard Caribbean Princess during the 2004 inaugural and christened the ship all in the same evening. So these Love Boat ties remain strong.

7. Is there anywhere that a Princess ship is not sailing that you would want to add to your vast list of destinations. Until this year I would have said the Holy Land, but in 2007 we returned that destination and my family and I took advantage of this opportunity and had an incredible time. Which demonstrates one of the most potent aspects of the cruise industry – we can re-position our ships on an annual basis.

We cruise to all seven continents, but that being said, we’re always striving to come up with new places for our passengers to visit.

8. What is your favorite area of the ship (say the Emerald) to just sit, relax and really enjoy everything that’s good about cruising?

My working day doesn’t leave as much time for personal reading as I would like, so one of my favorite pastimes onboard is to relax on my balcony and catch up on my reading. I have never lost interest in reading history, so my backlog of reading material is always expanding. But when I don’t have my nose in a book, I enjoy sitting in the piazza-style atrium watching the various entertainers and enjoying some tea and a baked goodie from the International Café. It’s also a great spot to people watch.

9. OK, personal stuff now……………CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITES AND FILL IN THE BLANKS PLEASE

BEER, WINE OR SPIRITS Wine; usually red, however I do enjoy a 20 year-old single malt scotch (neat) once in a while.

STEAK OR FISH Steak at home, Fish when eating out

COFFEE OR TEA Coffee in the morning and Tea in the afternoon.

THE LAST BOOK I READ COVER TO COVER WAS…I finished two books a few weeks back, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the Harvard Business Review on Brand Management

FAVORITE MOVIE The Third Man

IF I COULD LISTEN TO JUST ONE ALBUM FOR EVER IT WOULD BE

Alfred Brendel playing Beethoven’s piano Concerto’s No. 1 and 2 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

10. If you were invisible for one day and you could spend your day in one of these locations which one would you choose and why.

THE WHITEHOUSE SITUATION ROOM

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

THE CHAIRMAN OF RCI’S OFFICE

The Whitehouse Situation room. I am not a follower of British royalty so Buckingham Palace doesn’t hold much interest for me, and I am confident that I would enjoy my day at the White House much more than at a competitor’s office – no offense Richard!

———————-

Thank you so much Alan for giving us the chance to see what has and will continue to make Princess Cruises such an outstanding vacation choice for so many people. Bloggers, please may I kindly ask that you show your appreciation to Alan in your comments to follow. I know many of our readers are Princess Cruises fans and I have a feeling after reading this interview there may now be a few more. Thanks again Alan and we wish you continued success.

Not to be morbid but I have to finish this blog with some more information about the gentleman who wanted his brother’s ashes scattered at sea. I have asked permission from him to mention this on the blog and he is more than happy for me to do so. His brother’s name was Wendell and he loved cruising. He had cruised 20 times including seven with Carnival and last year with me on the Carnival Liberty. Tragically, he passed away in May of this year following a long battle with cancer. His last request was to have his ashes scattered from this ship as he was supposed to be here with his wife, brother and other family members. After a long chat with his brother Keith today, we have arranged to do this and I will make this a very special ceremony. As I explained to him though, this is more complicated these days then you would think. There are protocols and parameters involved and here they are.

The ceremony must be performed beyond 12 nm from land and any restricted areas noted on nautical charts and notices to mariners.

At the ceremony date, the Environmental Officer will confirm with the Bridge when the ship is in an area approved for discharge.

The Environmental Officer and/or a Security Officer shall prepare the ceremony area to ensure that the ceremony is conducted in a respectful manner and ensure that a space is cleared for this occasion.

At least one of the two shall be present during the burial.

When conducting the ceremony take into consideration the wind direction to ensure that ashes are blown to the sea and not back onto the ship.

Ashes and flowers may be dispersed but not plastic materials such as plastic ribbons, plastic flowers, plastic urns, balloons, etc.

The ceremony will be logged in the Bridge Log with the date, time, latitude, longitude and family surname.

Should the family desire any additional considerations, the Environmental Officer should contact the ship’s assigned Environmental Superintendent for clarification of any guest request.

So, obviously, this is something that I will have to plan carefully and we have decided to do this on the sea day between Venice and Messina at sunset. This will be a very special service and I hope everything will go well. I have not met the wife yet and I know it will be a very sad moment for her and therefore I will do everything I can to make it very special and private ceremony from one of the crew decks.

I will be thinking of Wendell, his wife and family tonight.

I have been thinking where I would like my ashes scattered. After a lot of thought I would like mine thrown out of the window of an Aston Martin Vanquish S, which is doing 150 miles an hour and driven by my wife Heidi. I am not making light of the subject but it makes you think……….

Finally, it seems humor is not appropriate tonight because Hurricane Dean is about to wreak havoc on the beautiful island of Jamaica. It is one of my favorite places and is also a place that has very weak defenses and I am dreading the damage that Dean could cause. By the time this blog is posted we will know how bad it was and I just hope that my next blog begins with the words “Good news for Jamaica”………but I doubt it as it looks like a direct hit is on the cards.

Good night.

Your friends.

John & Heidi

Here I am again and I hope you are having a nice weekend. We are in Naples today and the long hot summer continues. I do believe it’s been five weeks since we last saw any rain and I do not think that trend is going to continue.

There have been some terrible forest fires this year here in Europe and even as I am writing there is a very bad one developing in Greece near Athens and of course only just recently there was a terrible one in Dubrovnik which was put out just before it reached the old town itself.

However, that is nothing of course compared with what the Caribbean is bracing itself for, as Hurricane Dean gets stronger and stronger. It has already caused a lot of damage in Martinique and St. Lucia and of course, it is now heading for Jamaica and the Yucatan Peninsula. Let us all hope that damage is limited and there is no further loss of life………….we are thinking of all our friends in the Caribbean.

There is of course a lot that is involved when a Hurricane knocks at the door and ships need to change itineraries. Carnival has set up a Situation Room for this and other emergencies. It is full of high tech communication devices with the vessel, weather satellite and a huge coffee machine.

When a ship needs to change an itinerary the first thing Carnival has to do is secure dock space at the alternative ports of call management have chosen. Remember, its not just Carnival that changes its vessels routes, it is all the lines and there are only a certain amount of spaces available in each port.

Once a new and safe itinerary has been chosen and docking space secured, the next thing we have to do is inform the guests. Do you remember a chap called Terry Thornton who we did a guest interview with a few weeks ago? Well, he is the man who ultimately draughts the letter and decides where the vessels will go. Terry, then e-mails the letter to each ship and the Captain signs it and then the letter is sent to each and every cabin or handed out during embarkation if it is at the beginning of the voyage.

When itinerary changes happen the Cruise Director has such an important job as he or she has to announce the change and make sure that everyone understands the reasons for doing it. Then, I always have an open Q and A session in the main lounge where guests can ask their questions and others can hear. When changes happen everyone usually understands but as always there are one or two people who will try and exploit the situation. I remember Hurricane Jean in 2003 or 2004, can’t remember but I was on the Carnival Glory and we could not get back to our home Port of Port Canaveral because the hurricane was heading straight for it and therefore our 7 day cruise turned into a 10 day cruise because after the storm had passed through it had caused damage to the port itself.

Anyway, I held the Q and A to keep guests informed and everyone was so wonderful and understanding……………..except one man who said………..and I will never forget………Carnival is responsible to get me home as I have to catch my flight because I have a very important business meeting……….well, before I had chance to reply I just remember the rest of the room laughing, booing and telling him to …….well you know.

So, spare a thought for my friends, colleagues and of course the Guests on these ships

Carnival Triumph August 18 departure – The ship will visit San Juan, St. Thomas, Half Moon Cay and Nassau.

Carnival Imagination August 18 departure – The ship will visit Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau.

Carnival Inspiration August 18 departure – The ship will visit Nassau and Freeport.

Holiday August 18 departure – The ship will visit Freeport and Key West.

Carnival Legend August 19 departure – The ship will visit Key West, Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk.

Carnival Valor August 19 departure – The ship will visit Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Carnival Conquest August 19 departure – The ship will visit Grand Cayman and Cozumel as scheduled, but the call in Montego Bay will be cancelled.

So, as I write this blog thingy today and we sail away from Naples I remember how lucky we are in Europe not suffer from the dreaded Hurricane season.

Here are three beautiful photos taken by Entertainment Staff member Jamie of the shoreline of Capri……..enjoy.

Now, have a look at this one. This is a Yacht called Rising Sun and was docked next to us today. The founder of Oracle owns it. Apparently, it is the third largest yacht in the world

Here is a photo of me in my early years. This was taken in 1989 on the Holiday. Here I am on the beach with a friend called Doug Boyd who was a musician and sang in a group called Lifeboat Party……………I have nothing further to say.

Here are some cards I received from my blogger friends. Receiving these cards mean so much to us both and I wish I could show you all the ones I get. Here though are just a few.

As I said, I wish I could post them all but I choose these three from the top of the pile. I also want to thank Mrs. Jamison again who I received another beautiful card from and also the mysterious Blogger who sent me a box of assorted boxer shorts……..I do not know who you are but thank you……..I particularly liked the ones that said Welcome to Burger King……….Home of the Whopper.

It is a very strange feeling when mysterious people send you gifts……………if only someone would send me an Aston Martin.

Time for some Q and A. Today, we will start with the last remaining from the Grand Design and then we will continue with those from the blog called ” Highlighting the Carnival Destiny.

Here we go.

IVANA – It does seem that my interview with Joe Farcus was very popular indeed. Coming up next week we have more special guest stars and more shipboard personal. The crew really did enjoy their Harry Potter party and one day soon I will have to have a read of the books and see what all the fuss is about. I enjoyed Thursday very much if only for a short time:) Wishing you all the best.
TAMMIE – Don’t worry about your nervous laugh. Everyone has a little idiosincracy about them when they are nervous. My Mum is the same and she tends to laugh no matter what the circumstances, I wish I could be like her. Talking of laughter, I hope the blog continues to provide some for you every now and then and I hope you will continue to read it.
DWA76 – Another Joe Farcus fan and that’s great to see. You also asked if think about people taking photos of me and looking at them when they get home. Sometimes, I do think that but I tend to think about the guests who do not like me and think I am a bad person………..that’s just the way I am I guess. However, when I read comments like yours I know I am in the right business and hopefully guests will continue to enjoy me as their Cruise Director.
Thanks mate for your ongoing support of the blog thingy.
RIKKI BOYCE – A fantastic posting and very, very funny. I have never actually been onboard the Carnival Miracle but I have heard that it has some unique lounges and public spaces and from your description, I guess that is indeed true. It also seems like you have had a great experience with a Greek merchant ………do you have his address? No, seriously, of course, like anywhere there are people who are nice and there are people who do not know the words customer service. I have to say that we get more negative comments about service ashore concerning Greece more than anywhere so it is nice to hear that you had a positive experience.
I agree that trying to say please, thank you etc in a local language certainly helps but with regard to the newspaper vender who refused to give me my change I wish I had known some other….less polite words in Greek. Looking forward to seeing you in October.
JO MYERLY – There will be plenty of Scrapbooks for all I promise but I will put one aside when the new stock arrives. Bribery is not needed………well, maybe a little bit. See you in a few days.
MILLIE S – The young Honeymooner I had on stage who pushed up her………ummmmmmmm……….thingies…….was a real chracter. She really had no clue what she was doing and of course that was my invitation to have some fun.
You asked about the Rome on your own tour and indeed it will be running on October 29th so go ahead and book. If you have any further questions about Rome or the TA cruise, please let me know.
LISA WIGGS – Glad to hear you liked the animals that are made at the Teddy Bear workshop. Being a kid at heart is a good thing so I know you will enjoy this. If there are any new additions to the animal family I will of course let you know. Best wishes to you and the family and your teddy bears.
THE BEARS, CARL AND BARB – Well you have a lot to do with my broken nose and me being back in the dog house. Thanks to you and your kind gift of two bags of jelly Beans my jet pack is completely refueled and Heidi is following my every move with the air freshener. ………thank you.
Your vote for Alaska has been noted and it is so far as popular as the Caribbean for a bloggers cruise destination. It will be a tough choice to make.
Thank you again for your kind gifts……you are very special bears and one day I hope to give you both a big bear hug.
LISA AND ELAINE – Sorry, I got the days wrong. I guess I will see you in 155 days and not 70…………sorry. I am glad that you did though enjoy the interview with Joe Farcus and you are correct……….he has an amazing mind. So see you in 68 days and all the best until then.
BIG ED – Tell Mrs. Big Ed that I have looked under every bed on every ship and I cannot find her shoes. I feel therefore that I have let you down and will indeed buy Mrs Big Ed a new pair for the Bloggers cruise and when we get to Barcelona this cruise I will go to Las Paylesso and get some for her.
Big Ed and John were walking through the woods attracted the attention of a vicious-looking bear. The bear noticed them, and started to walk toward them.
Big Ed immediately opened his backpack, pulling out a pair of sneakers, and started putting them on. John looked at him and said, “You’re crazy! You’ll never be able to outrun that bear!”
“Oh, I know that. Bears are much faster than humans. I have no hope of ever being able to outrun a bear.”
“If you know that, why are you changing shoes?”
“Well, the way I figure it,” Big Ed replied, “I don’t have to outrun the bear. I only have to outrun you.”
A CRUISE BY ANY OTHER NAME – That’s another big YES for a Alaska Bloggers Cruise and even a suggestion of a Back to Back at that…….very interesting. This week we seem to have much quieter kids so far and last night both Camp Carnival and Club O2 were busy which is a good sign because if they are involved with our activities then they won’t be patrolling the corridors. Having naughty kids walk the plank may be a bit extreme but there were one or two onboard last cruise who deserved a clip round the ear……………maybe we should employee Fatima as a Teen Security Guard……….that would be one quite bunch of kids. Thank you again for taking the time to read and slap on a posting here on this continuing blog thingy.
DWA76 – I think I need to send you more choices for a screen saver. The thought of you waking up, turning on your computer and seeing me having just woken up on your computer is……well……….how about this instead as a screen saver.

http://www.astonmartin.com/astonmartindbs/html/index.htm

Anyway, hopefully you will delete that photo, my hair looks like I had just taken a crash helmet off. Thanks though for everything you contribute to this blog thingy, long may it continue.
NANETTE – How are you? It was great to hear that the hurricane moved away from your beautiful island. Now we must think of the people in the western Caribbean. You asked what was so tough about delivering the Carnival Destiny. It was nothing specific but just a challenge as it was at the time the largest cruise ship in the world and there were some teething problems during the start up. I was working 17-18 hour days and one morning I just woke up, looked in the mirror and there I was, they grey man. Oh well, Heidi finds it sexy and so does a friend of mine called Norman, but that’s another story. So, fingers crossed, you stay hurricane free and regardless, you will be in our thoughts.
CAPTAIN CHUCK – What a wonderful story about your flying days. Thank you for sharing it. I have never had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of an airplane and I guess with today’s security regulations, I never will. Have a wonderful time in Alaska and send my best to the Captain and Crew.
FRANK C - The root beer has been a lifeline. I cannot remember the last time I had any and it is not to be found anywhere in Europe. There will be a return gift to you when you arrive next cruise. I loved your story about the luggage and it seems to be an ongoing problem. This week we had 86 pieces missing yesterday and some came today in Naples, we are still missing 62 pieces. I hope you and your luggage arrive safely and many, many thanks again for the root beer.
CARL HARMON – Thank you for your kind words about Carnival and the information desk. They really do work hard to find lost luggage. They tell me that some airlines, who I will not name, are dreadful communicators which makes it even more difficult. Alaska continues to be a popular choice for the next bloggers cruise. I will see what happens. My regards to you and the other bears. Oh, I see mummy bear has just posted, so let me talk to her. Josh’s drawing of me surfing was a delight and is now waiting to be pinned on my wall of shame at home. Thank you again for the wonderful jelly beans which, although gave me a broken nose, have given me hours of enjoyment and I am certainly getting around the ship much quicker. I will be posting my mum’s recipe for the cheese scones in the next couple of days. They are beautiful, especially when they are still warm and the butter melts…..mmmm.
NANETTE – My nose is fine, just a little bruise, however, thanks to Heidi and her air freshener I smell like a rose garden. Uno biggo huggo fromo Heidio.
DIVETRASH – I just left you a message on your answering machine. Did you get it? Congratulations on booking the bloggers cruise. I see that your boyfriend did not want to go and you are a little worried you will be all on your own. That will not happen. One thing is for certain, you will make so many new friends that you may forget about your boyfriend all together……….just kidding but I do mean it when I say that this will be a cruise which will exceed your expectations, you have my word. I am sure many other bloggers will add their thoughts. Thank you for booking the cruise, I am truly grateful.
ARNOLD AND ELIZABETH TUCKER – Yes, well spotted, I meant to say photos of Rome and Alaska……..ooops. The last photo was of course taking in Alaska and not in the Vatican. I am glad you are enjoying the photos and it won’t be long before you are here taking many of your own. Ken, Heidi and I are looking forward to seeing you and I will make sure that you are put in Ken’s dining room. He is going on vacation at the end of this cruise and will return just before the TA starts. When you are on the cruise I will print out the daily blogs and put them in the library, so you can keep up to date. See you very soon, all the best.
JIMNI – Mum’s scone recipe will be with you shortly and following that others which make her in my opinion the best British chef in the world. Alaska’s popularity continues and I am seriously considering it, along with the Caribbean for the next bloggers cruise in 2009. All the best mate.
KEVIN – You see Laura, I knew it would not be too long before I heard from a blogger that you should not worry about cruising on your own. Kevin is your first knight in shining armour. You are correct, I have not tasked superspy PA 007 on a mission recently, however, I am going to ask them to keep their ear to the ground for any information on new ship orders, new itineraries and the most popular one, Carnival’s 2009 European schedule which is top secret at the moment. I will be unleashing PA 007 talents very soon. I loved your story from your teenage years. I am glad I am not alone. I also was very sorry to hear about your speeding ticket and maybe you should give me your Aston Martin to make sure you don’t get another. I can’t wait to shake you by the hand and you can tell me what it is like to drive the finest automobile in the world.
CATHERINE EBERT – Ahhhhh, I see, your husband IS a chiropractor. Heidi just said: “Can he come and do my back and neck right now?” He could make a lot of money on here, looking after Heidi and the dancers. See you in 34 days and instead of a French chiropractor, I will leave a French maid in your cabin. Is that ok?
LINDA HERNACKI – My bruised nose was indeed the result of a jelly bean exploding as I reached 0-60 in my office chair in 10 seconds. Unfortunately in 8 seconds the cabin stops and me and the wall became good friends. Yes, those pictures of me from the old days remind me of how I used to be but I am happy with myself, especially on my new diet. I did indeed get my bloggers t-shirts, in fact, there will be a photo at the bottom of this blog thingy with me wearing it. Thank you to you and Mike for such continuing kind words, we really are great friends even though we have never met.
JO MYERLY – I am being very careful blowing my nose, although thanks to the jelly beans I am able to produce the same noise from both ends. I am so happy that your t-shirts arrived and I am looking forward to see you wearing them in a few days time. Don’t forget to leave me a note at the information desk when you arrive.
LINDA HERNACKI – Thanks for the information Linda. This is a great idea and I think Carnival Liberty or Carnival Legend may be a good choice, Alaska still remains very popular as well.
NATE’S MOM – Thank you for your brilliant story about the caring people at Carnival and there help during your time of need. Sometimes on message boards and blogs we tend to concentrate on the negatives but every now and then it is important to remember the wonderful and caring people that work for Carnival on land and at sea. Thank you for the kind reminder and as always all the best. Thank you also for saying that I look thinner in the recent photos holding the jelly beans, you just made my day.
SHERYL PELTON – Thank you for thinking of me, you are too kind. I just wanted to make sure that you knew we had Coke products here and not Pepsi although actually in Europe it is Pepsi that tends to be very rare altogether. Most restaurants and café’s in Italy for example serve diet Coke or Cola Light as it is called over here. You will be here soon, and I look forward to sharing a diet pepsi with you. Have a safe flight and thanks again.
ARNOLD AND ELIXABETH TUCKER – And your 4 cents worth was worth 4 million ……………..thank you and I just forwarded this to the Chief Purser who I am sure ………really needed to hear that.
PAUL F. PIETRANGELO – Well, it was great to finally put a face to the name and thank you so much for the beautiful card which Heidi has placed on the wall next to the many others we have received from Bloggers. You are handsome man says Heidi and you and your lovely wife look very much in love. Please make sure that you let me know how your tests go as Heidi and I are concerned but we are sure all will be well. Thank you again for the wonderful card and please know we are thinking about you.
CRUISING SUE – I am glad to hear you enjoyed the interview with Cruise Director Steve Knisley who you cruised with recently. His Idol show sounds like a lot of fun. We will see you here in October and I am looking forward to performing the Bedtime Story for you and more importantly, meeting you in person. Until then, I hope the blog keeps you entertained and informed. Wishing you all the best.
KIM – Last cruise I did indeed become the “lost and found” department, although, I really don’t mind helping. It is difficult losing your luggage, however, I just wish some people would understand that sometimes there really is little we can do, except call the airlines 3 or 4 times a day. I see you, like many others, are a big Ken Byrne fan and rightfully so, he is a wonderful man and a brilliant singer. Did I have a funky DJ name? Not then, but if I was to DJ now, I would call myself DJ Jelly Bean and would play songs by Fart Garfunkel. All the best Kim, see you soon.
SHELLEY HESSON – I am glad you are enjoying the blog. I was indeed on the Carnival Imagination on 1998 and yes, I did talk about crocheted goods during my shopping talk. That is how my Scottish Grandmother used to say it and I have continued to as well. I am very excited to hear that you will be sailing with Heidi and I on September the 10th and if you leave me a note at the information desk with some details about your friend I will be more than happy to do something special on her birthday. I see you have a British boyfriend and he is an HP sauce fan so yes, a smuggled bottle would be welcome. No need to thank me for the blog, it has become part of my life now and I am very happy that it brings so much pleasure to so many people.
SUSAN B – Single cruisers are indeed special ones as you said and thank you for the kind words to Laura, I am sure she appreciates it. I see you are another big fan of Alaska and maybe we will have a Bloggers cruise there, who knows? However, nothing will be more important than seeing your lovely daughter graduate from high school and many congratulations on her being ranked first in her class……..her and I have something in common……………….we both went to school. Personally, I think you should see her graduate. I say this only because I have been on board with people who have chosen to cruise and then when they are not there for a special day, well, let’s just say they are upset. Great to hear that you loved the Carnival Destiny so much and remember, after 10 cruises you get your Platinum card. If you need more information about that, please let me know and I am indeed breathing through my mouth…………my nose hurts.
POET LAUREATE – How can I retire when you are singing my praise through poetry. I loved the line ” and his briefs now qualify as nuclear decay “…….how well you know me. I thank you again and I hope we see each other soon so I can get you to sign these poems.
THE CHADS – Very funny. I guess I do look like MR T from the A Team with my Sommilier tasting cup around my neck. Those were strange days because I really new nothing about wine but enjoyed the days where I could have fun with the guests. I guess that’s why Carnival changed me to the entertainment department. Thank you for your kind words about the luggage. We do try very hard to help and it is nice to see and read that many of you understand that it is not the fault of the vessel. I hope you and all the Chads are well and please keep reading the blog thingy.
ALICE – I will indeed say hello to your friends and I have arranged to send them some champagne from you as well. Good luck with the house hunting and I am sure they will be surprised to hear from you.
CAROL SCHOENBERGER – I am glad you liked the picture Josh drew of me, I think he was 11 years old.he certainly has talent though. Thank you also for your support of single cruising, I am sure Divetrash appreciates what you have slapped on the blog today. I know that flying to Alaska is not everyone’s cup of tea and I promise to look at the whole picture before choosing the time and destination and vessel. I am glad also you enjoyed the interview with Steve and like many others you seem to have fond memories of the Carnival Destiny. I also have those memories but they are very much a blur as it really was a lot of work to get it ready for guests. Thanks for asking, yep, Alan had a great time and I enjoyed having him here with me…….as I will you one day soon. Until then, I continue to send my best wishes to you and the family.
ALAN WILSON – Thank you Alan for your expert advice and comment. I wish I could make your posting into a big sign and place as a poster outside the Information Desk. I am an avid reader of your publication and am grateful that you have taken the time to read and comment on this blog. Many thanks.
CATMAMAO44 – Thanks for ordering the T Shirts, and I totally understand why your husband does not want to wear a shirt describing to the whole world that he has seen my thingy. I thank you none the less and really hope we can have our photos taken together in our shirts together soon…………hopefully this time all your luggage will come with you.
RUTH JAMISON – I am really sorry to hear of your luggage woes and I have to admit that in my personal opinion and not one shared by any one associated with Carnival Cruise Lines ( in case the lawyers are reading this ) I think Alitalia are the worst airline to deal with. I will leave it at that in case I get myself in trouble. You really should send them your phone bill but if past experience is anything to go on, well don’t expect miracles. On a lighter note, I am really glad you liked the photos and my best to your husband whom I know enjoys the photos very much. Thank you for the cards and they make such a a difference to our lives, it’s the personal things like that which we enjoy so much…………………….and the gifts:) Thank you again and I hope to hear from you soon.

OK. I am going to stop there. I still have a few more questions and comments to answer from the Carnival Destiny Blog starting with GIRLDOC and then continuing with those posted on the one highlighting the Carnival Pride and Jeff Bronson.

Talking of which, here is the next Cruise Director to feature in our guest interview spot. Here is Mr Paul Santley from Liverpool and the Carnival Triumph.

1. Please can you tell us about your career with Carnival so far. How did you start and when? I Started with Carnival in 1998 after working at the holiday Center’s in the UK and have been Cruise Director for nearly 7 years

2. What ship are you currently on and what is it’s itinerary? The Carnival Triumph. We go to Cozumel ( Mexico ) Grand Cayman & Jamaica on a 7 day Western Cruise and Half Moon Cay, ( Bahamas ) Puerto Rico, St Thomas & Grand Turk on a 7 day Western Cruise

3.Please can you pick two excursions from each port and tell us why you recommend them so much? Cozumel Passion Island. It’s a Fabulous beautiful private getaway. Plus The Sail Snorkel & Beach Party WOW what a great fun filled day.

Grand Cayman Stingray City. Real fun day with the Stingrays also The Ray Runner Fun on your own boat plus the stingrays.

Jamaica Duns River Falls and Dolphin Cove you can combine the 2 Climb the falls and play with the dolphins.

St Thomas St Johns Trunk bay and snorkel It’s just beautiful you’ll have a great day also Sea trek helmet dive yes walking on the sea bed a whole different world.

San Juan. Rain Forest up you go to the different levels of the rain forest very good orientation. Night horseback riding it’s so tranquil and relaxing.

Grand Turk. The Aqua Boats are great take your own boat out through the beautiful waters and the snorkeling the water is fabulous also island bus The Guana If you like sight seeing then it’s for you just jump off have a look around then pick up the next one.

4.What are your favorite activities or events that you host and why? The Welcome Aboard Show. Every week is a new cruise and guests ready to have a great time it’s nice to be able to start the fun of for them.

5. Fill in the blank please……………..People should sail on Carnival Triumph because Its FUNtastic !!!!!!!

6. What do you enjoy most about being a Cruise Director? Being part of a team and helping to give as many people as much Fun as possible

7. Share your favorite story with us that involve our guests and your job? I was on the Alaska cruises a few years ago and it was such a beautiful night at about 1:00am I was relaxing on the lounger on the outside decks, I must have fallen asleep because at about 7:00am an elderly lady happened to walk by as I was waking up. She recognized me and said what are you doing here I told her ( for some fun ) that I didn’t have a cabin as we were fully booked and I gave mine up to a guest to stay in. Straight away she went down to the Pursers desk and demanded they find one for me Ha Ha. We laughed about it afterwards.

8. List your three favorite ports you have visited? St Maarten. Cozumel. Skagway ( Alaska )

9. Name three ports you would really like to see that you have never been to? Bermuda. Sydney & The Moon

10. Finally, if you could introduce on stage any star, alive or not who would it be and why? John Heald. So I could have the night off.

Thank Paul and I hope some of you get to sail with Scouser sometime, he is a real gentlemen and has a very sharp wit. Of course, The Carnival Triumph is one of my favorite ships and always will be. Heidi and I have many happy memories there.

So, I see many of you got your bloggers T Shirts, well here are two photos of mine.

I have to say that I am going to demand money back on my T Shirt, it does not work. As you can see from the photo above, it says I can see my thingy……but I can’t. What a rip off.

OK, its time for the Welcome Aboard show and like Paul, it is one of my favorite things to do as it is so unpredicatable. Tonight, while I am on stage I will though be thinking of the people of Jamiaca who look like they are about to take a hit from Hurricane Dean. I have many friends there and I hope that it stays out to sea and avoids them. Please think about them tonight.

Why do they give hurricanes such great names…………..they should give them more suitable names like:

HURRICANE SPERM OF THE DEVIL ……………………..NO OTHER WORDS NEEDED

HURRICANE MAJONG…………..THIS COULD ONLY BE A SHORT HURRICANE BUT ONE THAT PACKS A PUNCH

HURRICANE FATIMA…………BIG, STRONG AND GURANTEED TO CAUSE INTERNAL FLOODING

Goodnight

Your friends

John and Heidi

Good Morning from Civvi again and this time it’s that early morning blog………….it’s 5:50 am. We are about to start our debarkation process and in between organizing this I thought I would start the blog. First things first……………….my morning cup of tea so time to put the kettle on.OK, that’s better, now I am going to start today with talking about the Supper Club. Last night Heidi and I went to the Supper Club with Alan Adkins and his wife Alison. We had not seen much of them because it has been such a busy week and I thought it would be nice to spend the last night off our cruise with them.

So, we went to the Supper Club and had a wonderful dinner all together……………………..except of course something that happened in the middle of the meal. Firstly, let me whet your appetite with what Heidi and I had.

Heidi had:

Sushi Platter – 7 pieces of beautifully made fresh Sushi

Spinach Salad

French Onion Soup

Fillet Mignon – cooked medium

Wasabi mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables

Apple Tart and Granny Smith apple ice cream

John had

Jellybeans

And

Caribbean Crab Cakes

Cesar salad

Double Cut Lamb Chops with fresh potatoes

Cheese Plate

It was a wonderful meal and I cannot see how any one could find fault in the six star service, food and music all for just $30…………………….WRONG.

In the middle of my Caribbean Crab cakes I saw a man heading towards the table. He was obviously upset and clearly I could tell someone had taken the jam out of his doughnut. I expected the “sorry to bother you” start to the conversation but this man must have missed the day manners were taught at school. Here are his exact first words and bear in mind that I was in full conversation flow with my friends and wife. “I want you to come over here and tell these people to shut up”……………yep, those were his exact words………………I slowly finished chewing and then asked the table to excuse me and I stood up .

I asked him what people it was he wanted me to tell to shut up……………..he pointed to a group of 6 people who were laughing and having fun but in no way were loud or obnoxious…….just having fun. I asked the man if he would like another table and he said “no, move them not me.” I explained that I was not in charge here but I would speak to the Hostess. I did so and we both went back to the man who was now huffing and puffing by his table. I saw that the “loud” table were just starting their main course while Mr and Mrs. Angry were just on their appetizers.

The Hostess Tina and I agreed that we could not move the table for six and that we would suggest to the couple that either they moved or they could continue where they were.

Now, before I continue I must tell you about the demographics of the two tables involved. The table for two contained Mr and Mrs. Angry who were in their 40′s. The table for six contained three couples all of which were in their 60′s and by the way were all from Mexico. Now I would have understood if this table was very loud but they were not, they really were just having fun…………in Spanish.

With Tina the hostess by my side and my Crab Cakes getting colder by the minute I explained that were not justified in moving the table and that we could though find them a quiet table for two…………………….do you know what he did………….he through his napkin at me……………and I had one of those mad moments where the little devil inside takes over…………..it was like it was slow motion……….I saw his hand reach for the napkin…………I saw him throw it at me like a small child throwing his toys out of his buggy…………….I saw the napkin flying toward me like a scene from a King Fu movie where the action is slowed down………….the napkin hit me square on the chest and I……………….fell on the floor like I had been poll axed by a punch from Mike Tyson…..I clutched my chest yelling “I’m Hit, I’m Hit” …….now the effect was two fold.

The rest of the tables (approx 40 guests) all of which had been watching this scenario unfold laughed and applauded, the Spanish table were also laughing (in Spanish)………….I looked up to hopefully see Mr Angry find some humour in the situation but nope……….oh no……….he grabbed his wife’s arm and said “We are leaving “………….but then the problem got worse………….his wife said “You go, I came to enjoy my meal and you have ruined it.” ………….OOPS.

Now, I realized that this situation had now caused a major domestic disturbance. Asking Mr. Angry to come with me I escorted him to the back of the restaurant and we had a chat.

NOW, this man was rude, beyond rude and I won’t tell you what words he used to describe how angry he was at this situation. I listened to him for sometime and then it was my turn to speak. After 5 minutes of me talking………….he went back to the table and we escorted him and his wife to the other side of the restaurant where they continued their meal.

What did I say to Mr. Angry that made him change his mind…………..well, I would like to say it was my speech about it being the last night of the cruise and that your wife obviously was upset …………I would like to say it was my speech about not ending the cruise on a bad note…………I would like to say it was the fact that he really had blown the situation out of proportion and infect he was making ten times the noise then the table of six were making…………..nope……………it took just two words…………FREE MEAL…………..yep, I said well sir, let me pay for dinner if you move so that you and your wife can enjoy a last night and not be angry at each other………………he said “OK”……………..and that was that.

I returned to my table. My Crab Cakes were stone cold, Alan was laughing, Heidi just shook her head and we continued our meal. A few minutes later the waitress brought a bottle of expensive wine to the table, compliments of the Spanish Guests. I wish I drank alcohol because it really was a great bottle but we all said Grasyarse and Heidi, Alan and family enjoyed it. I new I should not have done the thing with the napkin, it inflamed the situation instead of cooling it down as I hoped but as I sat there I pondered that $60 worth of free meal was all it took for Mr. Angry to be appeased. It is a prime example that a Cruise Director is always a Cruise Director even in a scenario like this one and I find that people tend to think that I am in charge of everything.

The rest of the meal went without incident and it was overall a great time. When the cheque for the meal came I new I would be paying an extra $60 for Mr and Mrs. Angry’s dinner. I was surprised therefore to see a bill for $103……..I asked the waitress what this was for……………….. “Oh, she said, the man refused to pay for the wine and said you would pay for it.”

I felt the hairs on my back rising but then another emotion took over……..laughter………..I just had to laugh at the audacity of Mr. _____ who got a free meal out of me and who I hope is reading this…..well done mate.

Here is the breakdown of International guests.

Let’s look at some more beautiful photos of Rome.

AND NOW HERE IS A PHOTO FOR THE EMBARRASS JOHN SECTION………..THIS ONE IS MY FIRST EVER EFFORT TO ENTERTAIN, in this case my sister………..GOOD GRIEF……..RED SHOES!!!

Now for some letters from “In Their Own Words Section”…………..starting with a drawing of Alan Adkins Parachuting over the ship.

I forgot to mention yesterday about the young man who wrote a letter saying how much he missed his girlfriend Chelsea and even at the age of 14 he was in love and was having a miserable time without her (please see letter in yesterday’s blog). Anyway, on the morning show I asked him to give me Chelsea’s number and I called at home in Kansas City and hooked them up live on a air……………..she was so shocked when I called and of course she had no idea who I was but after explaining and then hearing her young man’s voice she proclaimed “Holy SH%$” …………..oops again………….anyway, after telling young Chelsea that were live and that hundreds of people were listening to her we carried on with the I miss you, I love you, etc etc………after hanging up …………the young man started to……….cry……….with joy at hearing her voice. It was a special moment………………………14 and in love…………..when I was 14 I hadn’t even spoken to a girl and if I had said the words Holy $H$# I would have received the good news from my Dad’s slipper. I wonder if they will be together forever………………….nope…………..they are 14 after all…………but it would be nice to think so.

On we go with some Q and A……………these continue with the last few from the blog featuring the Fantasy and Big Tex and then the ones from the blog called Grand Designs.

Oh, just before I start, here is some valuable advice regarding those people who have booked the Carnival Splendor and have been asking about Russian Visas. Cruise ship passengers can currently visit Russia on visa-waiver scheme provided that the stop in the port of call doesn’t exceed 72 hours and tourists stay overnight on board of the cruise ship. Cruise passengers may disembark from the ship without a tourist visa if they participate in tours organized by cruise companies. Passengers, who are not participating in tours and wishing to disembark, will need to obtain a Russia tourist visa. Passengers won’t be permitted ashore if they don’t present a valid passport, a Russian visa and a voucher issued by a Russian travel company or another authorized organization. Cruise passengers cannot obtain a visa in Russia. Visas are issued in the country of residence before departure.

So basically, unless you have a Visa you cannot get off the vessel unless you are a ship-organized tour. If you are on a tour Carnival will provide a blanket visa for everyone. Let me know if you have any further questions on this.

Right, back to the Q and A

LISA K – Hello Lisa and thank you for this wonderful posting. Congratulations to Big Tex, I have never actually met him but it seems he has plenty of fans who have enjoyed him as their Cruise Director. When I read words like you have written …”Reading the blog keeps me connected to cruising” makes me feel very special and is the extra energy my two fingers need to continue to dance across the keyboard. I wish you and your husband all the best and please keep reading the blog thingy.
POET LAUREATE – Another classic from one of the greatest poets of our time. I especially enjoyed the jellyfish reference and I was wondering from where you draw your inspiration? We are all very grateful for the time and effort you put into composing these poems and one day you will be reading them on stage on one of our ships. All the best and we salute you.
GRACE – By the time you read this you will be here……………..yippee.
WINE WANDERER – I am very happy to hear that you have booked the two trans-Atlantic crossings on the Carnival Freedom. I certainly will be there for one of them and hopefully both. I have confirmed that we will have two formal nights and one elegant casual night on the crossing, it seems the best way to go from experience. Please would you let me know if you need anything before you sail and I will be here should indeed you do. All the best and see you soon.
NOW, QUESTIONS FROM THE BLOG CALLED GRAND DESIGNS
JO AND DAVE – I am glad you liked the animals we use in our Teddy Bear workshop but I am sorry to tell you that the Elephants have left……..they have packed their trunks and said goodbye and are now cursing on the Queen Mary 2. Heidi will take some photos of the Galley later today so look out for those on future blogs. You will be here soon and I really look forward to meeting you both.
THEPLAZ – You asked where the photos of the Harry Potter crew party were taken and I can tell you they were on our outside crew deck on deck 9. The crew had a great time and really deserved the fun they had. I am glad you liked the interview with Joe Farcus. It was an honour to interview him especially knowing how busy he is at the moment designing the Carnival Splendor and the next two ships. I am glad that you are still looking forward to reading the blog everyday and I hope you are well mate.
BIG ED – Thanks for the hard work you put into making the Bloggers Album each and every day. I understand you don’t particularly care for Alaska but thanks anyway for taking the time to put my Dad’s train photo in. We all appreciate your support especially me. Thanks mate.
JO MYERLY – You asked which area on the ships you can buy the scrapbooks. The answer is the photo gallery which on this class of ship is on deck 4 forward. Each class of ship now has them onboard and soon we will begin the lessons that obviously seem to be so popular. We have a brand new shipment arriving here in Barcelona. See you soon for some fun and scrap booking.
DAYLE WITH A Y – OK, lets get straight down to answering your questions mate.
You asked if I recommend purchasing your tours online or waiting until you are onboard. The simple answer is this. If you are certain you know what you want then yes, buy them on the internet. If you are however in any doubt then may I suggest you wait until you are onboard and then you can decide? This leads into your next question of when I hold these talks. The Shore Excursion talks are always on the sea days at 11 am and cover two or three ports well in advance of us being there. The only exception to this is the talk for Naples which is held on the day of embarkation at 4:30 pm. Now, to the lobster and do we serve it Venice night. ………answer, NO. Lobster is served on the first sea day which is also our formal night so you will be able to enjoy Venice and not miss the Lobster. Please do not foregut that Lobster is available very night at the Supper Club which I hope you will experience at least once. Now to the most important thing…….presents. Heidi would love something from the Dutch Bakery and just to even think of her is very special. So, you will be here soon and please let me know if I can do anything to prepare you for what I am sure will be the best vacation you two have ever had.
NANETTE - Thank you for your kind words as always and especially laughing at me dressed as a Sperm Of The Devil. Today, all I want to say is that I am thinking of you there in San Juan. I see that Hurricane Dean is on its way into the Caribbean and I hope that you and all my friends in the Caribbean are safe and well. We are thinking about you.
BRYAN – It looks like the interview with Mr Farcus was very popular which makes me very happy and I am sure he wishes you well in your pursuit of a career in Engineering and Design. You asked if I have read the Harry Potter books but the answer is no…………………not yet anyway,…………….maybe in the future At the moment I am reading the biography of Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic and when that’s finished (probably November at this rate) I have a book by favorite author Andy Macnab to read. What are you reading at the moment?
NATE’S MUM – Alan Adkins left today and I gave him all the drawings the kids did of him. Some are going home with him and some will be framed and placed behind the bar at his favorite Pub, The Cliff in Southend On Sea. I had a lot of fun with him here. Hopefully my other friends will come and visit soon, they are in the Baltic at the moment watching Ballets and Operas……..brave people that they are. Hope all is well with you and Nate and I expect you will be saying goodbye to him soon as he heads for the Carnival Elation. Again, our best to him and of course to you.
JIMNI – First of all I apologize for not answering your question earlier. Either it did get lost in cyberspace or I must have missed it………..regardless, I apologize. Now, let me answer your question. First of all, yes, you must take the Private and Exclusive View of the Vatican. As I have said many times on this blog thingy there is nothing to compare to this tour…..nothing. Now, you asked what happens to your luggage. Well, you and your luggage will be on the same bus the entire time you on the tour. When the excursion is completed, the bus will either unload your luggage in front of the Vatican and there you will find lots of Taxis or the bus will take you to the airport. If you decide to do this then you can take a taxi to your Bed and Breakfast………………do not miss this tour, it really is that good. Thank you for sending the link things for hiring an Aston Martin in Miami. I will be only there for a few days but it would be fun. I think it’s a dream though but not a bad one to have. As for who is going to be Godmother of the Carnival Splendor ……….well, maybe some clues will be forthcoming………standby. Until then, please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you and please keep reading the blog thingy.
PAUL F. PIETRANGELO – Goodness me, I cannot believe how much those two T Shirts cost you, I feel very guilty. Yes, those were my thinner days and as you will see in the blogs still to come I really have doubled in size. It’s so easy to do here especially surround by food all the time. My biggest problem was that I used to miss dinner, do the shows and then eat late ant night and then go straight to bed. I really don’t have a big appetite but I am very much a comfort eater and that is what I am trying to change now. I am happy to hear that you also enjoyed Joe’s interview and his mind is truly incomparable. Well Paul, enjoy wearing the World’s most expensive T Shirts and I can only thank you again for all you’re sincere and special words of kindness. We send you our warmest regards.
DEB ROWE – Done – as requested……sssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
SNOOPY – Thanks for the link Snoopy. My Dad is steam train mad and his ambition is to build a model of an engine called a BIG BOY. This is a famous old American giant Loco but I have never been able to find one to buy him. He will love the link you sent and thanks for thinking of him…………I have to ask………..why Snoopy?
KATHY KROLL – What an amazing career in dance you have had and what stories you could tell. I know from experience the amount of work that goes into opening a new show and next time you sail maybe we can get you together with the cast as I know they would love to meet with you. I must say that you still look Stunning and I am to be very careful that I say with much respect as your husband is 300 Ibs and 6 foot 4. Please keep reading the blog thingy and I always look forward to your postings.
KEVIN – You rightfully seem concerned about the Caribbean and the effects that Hurricane Dean may have on the islands. I have been through many such experiences and seen for myself the devastation they can cause. At the time of writing it seems Jamaica could take a big hit and lets all hope and pray that this Dean fellow quickly disapisates (spelt correctly). I am sure all will be well for your forthcoming cruise but as of today Carnival has already changed routes for the Carnival Miracle and Carnival Destiny to make sure the ship stays in safe waters. I hope that by the tomorrow’s blog the hurricane will have decreased in strength. Thank mate and I hope you and your family are well.
LFTTNSFCF – I am now very curious as to what your Halloween costume will be especially as you mentioned playing a Waltz which will be no problem by the way. I guess therefore I will need to find another judge and regardless, you can have a dozen Gold Trophies win or not. As for me eating a bag of sugar free jellybeans, I don’t think Gone with the Wind is severe enough, try Gone in Sixty Seconds.
LINDA HERNACKI – Sammy is on his way back home as of yesterday and there were a few tears as we said goodbye. He said “woof” and then walked off the gangway stopping only to cock his leg and pee. The next bloggers cruise is definitely something we will continue to talk about and hopefully we will all come to the right decision. I hope you are enjoying the blog and the photos and my best as always to you and Mike.
KATHY KROLL – .Tell Lee Paul he is hired…………payment……….a solid gold plastic trophy.
KEVIN – There will be the grand unveiling of Alan Adkins live on the Bloggers Cruise and I will allow Big Ed the honour of unmasking him. I will then be posting the photos on the blog thingy. I am not sure about dinner but Heidi and I are doing something very exciting and very special in Venice which I can’t tell you about yet but I promise to nearer the time……cheers mate
CAPTAIN CHUCK – I RECEIVED YOUR MESSAGE Captain and all therefore is set. Have a wonderful cruise and a special anniversary. Take lots of photos and report in when you return. Thank you for the belated 20-year anniversary wishes and I hop that we meet very soon. Best to you and hope Dad is doing OK.
SHANNON – Welcome back. I hope you had a wonderful cruise recently here on the Carnival Freedom. You asked what the silver cup I was wearing round my neck was. Well, that’s really what it is ………….a cup……………..it’s a Sommeliers wine tasting cup. It’s made from Solid Silver and wine experts use it to taste the quality of the wine before pouring it. These cups were an old tradition that is still relevant today and in fact I still have mine somewhere at home.
You asked about the recipe for the fabulous Chocolate Warming Cake. I slapped this on a recent blog and if you type chocolate cake into the search page all the references to it as well as the recipe itself will come up as if by magic.
It was an honour to have you onboard and until the next time, please keep reading the blog thingy.
SUSAN B – I guess I deserved that after the Heidi bra reference. Although, I have to say the only way Fatima and I will be reacquainted is if the roles are reversed and I get to shove a plastic hose up……never mind. Alaska seems very popular and again I am going to have to study what will be the best for everyone before choosing the destination for the next bloggers Cruise. My best to you and Mr. Cheap:)
CAROL SCHOENBERGER – Let’s start with the subject of Alan Adkins. Yes, the pictures did make him look a little feminine but kids draw what they see. Yep, you are right on the nose, that was the Holiday and that was me in the bar department in 1987. I will be slapping on more old photos of me soon, glutton for punishment that I am. Thank you for your many words of praise for Joe Farcus. He is one of the reasons Carnival ships stand out from the crowd and your praise of him is well deserved. I always look forward to seeing what he has conjured up every time I walk aboard one of the ships he has designed. The Harry Potter party was awesome and the crew dressed up as all the characters. I don’t know their names but there wasn’t a broom to be found anywhere on the ship that night. Let us know how you find the new and improved Carnival Imagination and indeed it is certainly on the list for the next Bloggers Cruise. Carol, thanks again for taking the time out of your working day to write and all the best from us both.
KELLIE O’LEARY – Let me start by saying how sorry I am to hear of the illness in your family and I hope that things are improving daily for you. I WAS INDEED ON THE CRUISE YOU MENTION ON THE Carnival Glory and yes, we had to leave in Belize due to the sudden and sad passing of Heidi’s father and the age of just 62. That was a terrible time for us and although the Carnival Glory has happy memories the overall feeling is one of sadness. But, to happier thoughts and I will indeed be with you on the Carnival Splendor and of course I know it will be a wonderful time for all of your family. To hear you say that the blog has kept you going through these difficult times is truly wonderful and I am so very happy that occasionally I am able to bring a smile and a laugh to you and your family through the difficult summer you have had so far. Please keep reading and Heidi and I send our warmest regards and best wishes to you and yours.
BIG ED – Hello Mrs. Big Ed……..how are you. I just wanted to say thank you for letting Mr Big Ed book the Bloggers Cruise. Please send washing instructions for his underwear so Heidi has them…..we don’t want them to shrink now do we.
CRUISIN SUE – I have ordered your meteor and will appear dragging a big sign behind it declaring your love for this blog. I am really happy to hear that your Carnival Pride cruise was so great and its great to hear you say that you enjoyed Jeff the CD and Michelle the Assistant CD so much. Thank you for the offer of the jelly beans although I think if Heidi hears that word one more time I may be living with the dogs forever……….she is firing off a barrage of air spray as we speak. All the best and I look forward to hearing from you again before you sail.
.ADIAS.ANGEL – The Carnival Bears are at the moment just sold onboard during the Workshop but let me see what I can do to get these added to the Bon Voyage list of products. As for the scrap books..I think I may have good news for you soon so watch this space.
I hope you will allow me to stop there as I have boat drill shortly and I want to get this blog out there.

As I mentioned earlier in the Q and A, Heidi and I have been invited somewhere very special in Venice and of course we will be taking the cameras with us to capture what we see.

Here is today’s guest interview featuring yet another of our fantastic cast of Cruise directors and the ships they are sailing on. Today, we feature someone who was already mentioned earlier Jeff Bronson who is currently aboard the beautiful Carnival Pride.

1. Please can you tell us about your career with Carnival so far? How did you start and when?

Been with Carnival 10 years now. Applied as a DJ and hired as a Social Host in 1997. Promoted to assistant cruise director and then cruise director. Been CD for over 3 years now.

2. What ship are you currently on and what is its itinerary?

The Carnival Pride visits the Mexican Riviera on a 7-day cruise. Starts from Long Beach, California, sea day 1, sea day 2, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Mazatlan, Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and then the final sea day.

3.Please can you pick two excursions from each port and tell us why you recommend them so much?

Puerto Vallarta -the canopy tours and the Rhythms of the Night tour-they are so much fun, something completely different from normal life and when done, you can’t stop your joy at having done them.

Mazatlan-Sierra Madre Tour and Las Moras Ranch Tour-both tours take you to places of breathtaking scenery. Sierra Madre has many stops and you can walk around to see ancient churches, step back into time, and get away from it all. Las Moras has peace and tranquility at a magnificent hacienda in the valley of the Sierra Madre Mountains. It’s fantastic.

Cabo-Mini Jeep Rhino Tour and the Cabo by Land & Sea Tour. The Rhinos are fun off road two seaters and you get to go fast, slow, four hi, four lo, go through canyons, visit the beach and then go into the bluffs. Cabo by Land & Sea takes you to many interesting stops, gives excellent photo opportunities of the ship and Los Arcos, plus visit neighboring San Jose. Excellent sightseeing at a good pace.

4.What are your favorite activities or events that you host and why?

My favorite events are the Welcome Aboard Show and the Debarkation Talk. The Welcome Show gives me an idea how the cruise will go and I love all the unexpected things that come up during the show. The Debark Talk is a gathering of new and old friends and is a time for reflection on how the cruise has been going. Also, the debark info is always changing and keeps me on my toes as the talk always has to be tweaked. I always have a good laugh sharing funny moments during the talk too.

5. Fill in the blank please……………..People should sail on the Carnival Pride because it is a perfect balance of cruising and port visits.

6. What do you enjoy most about being a Cruise Director?

Making choices that can have a positive impact on guests and crew.

7. Share your favorite story with us that involve our guests and your job?

Singing a song (very badly, by the way) one night at a show and one woman stuffed money down my pants when I was at the edge of the stage and then at the end of the song, another woman throwing her bra to me. I was struck speechless by both events.

8. List your three favorite ports you have visited?

Puerto Rico, Puerto Vallarta and St. Thomas.

9. Name three ports you would really like to see that you have never been to?

Bermuda, Hawaii, and Venice.

10. Finally, if you could introduce on stage any star, alive or deceased who would it be and why?

Richard Pryor because he is very funny.

Thank you Jeff and I am sure everyone who sailed with you will have enjoyed your humour and fun and we all wish you continued success on the Carnival Pride.

OK, what else. The Welcome Aboard Talk went well. The room was very full and hopefully I was able to make sure everyone knows what to do and see in Naples.

I forgot to show you these photos from the Talent Show this week. I had a guest Assistant Cruise Director……………….this is James, age 2 and a half and he was a star.

My mate Alan had a great time as did his wife Alison and kids William and Katie. I was really nice to Alan and apart from getting the kids to draw his picture I made sure I did not play any tricks on hi………………well, except one. I had pre planned this with Ken my mate and Senior Maitre’D and together we made sure that the last formal night was one he would not forget. I was standing on top of the gallery looking down at him and got a bird’s eye view of what was happening.

Now, Alan did not suspect a thing because I was not eating with him and therefore he really had no clue this was a joke. We started off by making sure whatever he ordered his portion would be smaller than anyones. First, he had the shrimp cocktail………everyone else had 5 shrimps, Alan had 3…….he then ordered the Pumpkin Soup…………he got a quarter of a bowl. Now, at this point you have to understand Alan is not the sort of guy to say anything, he would never say anything was wrong; he is that sort of guy. When his Caesars Salad came though and it was just two lettuce leaves and one crouton I could see the look of “what the hell is this?” on his face but again, nothing was said to the waiter. Then, came his steak. This time we went the other direction and instead of a beautiful piece of Fillet Mignon on his plate, he had what I can only call half a cow………….still he said nothing.

Then, plan B started. I had bribed this beautiful guest with champagne to help me. Her name was Paula who I know is reading this – thanks Paula. Paula walked up to the table and without stopping for a moment, bent down, kissed Alan on the cheek and said “Same Time Tonight Big Boy” and walked off. Alan was bright red, Alison was stunned, I was laughing so hard the jelly beans kicked in and I had to move as I didn’t want people to associate the smell of stewed cabbage with me. Now I could see Alan desperately explaining that he new nothing about this girl and then……………………along came Melisa (the second of my bribed guests).She walked up to Alan and as Paula did, she kissed him and said…………my cabin number is 2241……..I will be waiting…………and she walked off.

I could see Alison looking at Alan as if to say……….what the %$#@ &^%$#@ is happening. Then, finally along came my third actor who was just as stunning as the first two except their name was……………..Marcus……………he was 6 foot 5 and very butch……………….he walked over to Alan, kissed him on the cheek and said…….you were great last night.

Alison looked like she was dreaming, Alan was redder than a big red thing that was turning red and I walked away laughing as hard as I had in a long time leaving the smell of stewed cabbage behind me.

Goodnight

Your Friends

John, Heidi and Alan

Here we are again in Civvi and it is the last day of the cruise. This morning, 1,000 people went on tour but I am guessing most of the ship have already done pre-cruise tours as it is now 10:38 am and we 1878 guests still on the ship. As I mentioned before, we treat this day as a sea day and run activities and events the whole day. I think we expected more people to explore Rome when this itinerary was put together but of course as I just mentioned, many people have already explored before joining the vessel.

At the end of the cruise I have to report that we started of with a total of 70 pieces of missing luggage and as of today, 21 bags are still missing. I have spoken personally to many of the poor people who still do not have their luggage and most seem to be facing this with a smile and a positive attitude. Some people are mad at us and have been very aggressive to our purser’s team. I have a question — if you lose your luggage on your way to Las Vegas would you expect the hotel you are staying in to find it for you? This is not a sarcastic question, it’s just a question I do not know the answer to and wondered if you could let me know the answer. I lost a bag when I was flying from London to Miami. I was staying at the Marriott but I never thought to have them help me. They had not booked my flight so I did all the follow up with the airline myself ……………….did I do the wrong thing? The reason I am asking is based on this comment here. I am showing you this because I am not sure if she is right or wrong…………..you tell me.

[15/8/2007 11:53:26 AM JIHC]
Mrs. _______ came to the Purser’s desk asking about their luggage lost by Delta not by Alitalia. Guest was very loud saying that it was Carnival’s responsibility to have found this luggage at that now the cruise was over she expected Carnival to pay her for the inconvenience. Purser explained that they had been calling and asking the airline everyday for information on the luggage but Delta were still not able to find it. Guest demanded to see the Cruise Director. Purser explained that he was not responsible for lost luggage but she would not leave the desk until John had spoken to her. Purser called the CD who came down and spoke to the guest in the lobby. Report from CD to follow….AM JIHC.

It was obvious that it was just frustration that made the guest upset and I can totally sympathize with her. After our meeting she had calmed down a bit and we left as friends. However, she still felt that Carnival was responsible and we should be held accountable. Luggage has been and will be a continuing saga out here and unfortunately I do not see the situation improving much. We will continue to assist the guests but I hope they understand we do this because we want to help not because we accept the responsibility of the lost luggage.

Anyway, as the cruise comes to an end I think that most people have had a good time. Usually, I would have replaced the word KNOW instead of think but because we have so many non-English speaking guests, I am not totally sure that this is true. We have all done our best here and I think that we could do more and I am working with the office to see if we can have more tools to help us entertain these guests, but, for now, I think we did very well and they will leave the ship tomorrow having had a wonderful cruise vacation.

HERE ARE TODAY’S PHOTOS WHICH ARE ALL OF THE VATICAN, Rome and the area. The last one is of the wildlife seen during an Alaskan Carnival Spirit cruise.

Here are the letters from today’s “In Their Own Words” section. These include two from kid’s corner and one about Young Love which we will talk about later.

Now, time for the Embarrass John section, here is a photo taken of me as a wine steward and yep, I am DJing. I used to host the wine and cheese party and I would play the music and then host the event. Anyway, here I am………………good grief.

I also want to thank my blog friends that took the time to send Heidi and I gifts and cards. Thank you to:
BILL – ZYDECOCRUISER – DECK PLAN ON THE WAY
CARL AND BARB
FRANK AND JENNIFER
LAURA TYRRELL
RUTH JAMISON
LENORE AND MARVIN

Words cannot express what receiving these gifts means to Heidi and I and as you will see from the following photo it is quite a collection. I also received two bags of Sugar Free Jelly Beans and my Jet Pack is now fully fueled again. However, as you will see from the second photo, Carl and Barb sent me something else, obviously with Heidi in mind!……………………Please excuse my hair as this photo was taken at 6:05 am.

Here are today’s Q and A’s starting with one last question from the blog titled “Highlighting the Holiday and Steve Cassell and then the rest are from the blog called “Highlighting the Carnival Fantasy and Big Tex.”

Here we go.

TERRI 910 – It’s a small world after all. I see that you live close to where the kids who sent in their drawings went to school. Their drawings were brilliant and I was so happy that I was able to be part of their lives even for a few short moments. It would indeed be a treat if we could get those kids onboard one day………you never know. Thank you Terri for your kind words and my best to Larry.
FRANK C – Thanks for the joke about the French. I have to tell you a story about the time I flew with Air France in economy of course. It was mealtime, “Would you like dinner?” the flight attendant asked me. “What are my choices?” I asked. “Yes or no,” she replied. I am happy you enjoyed your cruise on the Carnival Fantasy and also Big Tex the Cruise Director. I hope one day we will be together soon and we can swap more stories. All the best mate.
A CRUISE BY ANY OTHER NAME – I read up about the meteor shower and then I felt pangs of guilt flow out of my body……….actually it was some of Fatima’s Turkish water but I still felt guilty that I had not let the guest know. Anyway, I spoke to him but he said it was too late and he hung up on me…….ces la vie. As for the kids running around the ship……………well, we have 800 on board and 780 are well behaved, pleasant and enjoy the company of their parents and the facilities of Camp Carnival and Club O2. The remaining 20 are the ones who have been causing the disturbances at night. The only disturbance I ever made at night when I was 14 was…….well, that’s a story for another day. Thank you as always for your posting and I hope you enjoy today’s blog thingy.
BIG ED..Official Assistant to Me – I hope it can be 14 days. The Grand Old Opry cruise afterwards have their own entertainment etc so I am not sure if I will be the CD which is why I was so anxious for you to be on the Bloggers Cruise. Maybe, I will just sail as a guest and relax, we shall see. Thank you for your praise of Roberto Castro. He is amazing and I hope he is recognized at the end of the year as he has done so much to make this Blog Thingy successful. His as fast as a Meteor but not as fast as my jet pack. That has given me an idea for a new activity. Office Chair Racing. You, Alan and I will all eat a bag of Sugar Free jelly beans and then see who gets propelled across the finishing line first…………..Game On.
KAYENTA.JANE – I am so sorry to hear about your car and the resulting cancellation of the Carnival Splendor. If I had an Aston Martin I would lend it to you. Hopefully this blog thingy will keep you going a little until you book your next cruise. All the best and keep smiling.
JO MYERLY – With regards to the next Bloggers Cruise I am thinking of April 2009 as roughly the time we could do this. I will have a think about it over the next few weeks and of course listen to the words and advice of all my friends out there. Let’s see what happens. For no, you have to concentrate on your forthcoming cruise here for which I remain at your service should you or Dave require anything at all.
J TODDINMAN – A brilliant poem about Alan and one that I have printed and framed for him. It will be his Xmas gift this year and one I am sure he will cherish forever. I thought I would write one myself………..it’s not up to your standard but here goes.
I may not be handsome,
I may not be smart.
I may be overweight and buy my clothes from WalMarts
But now I have my jellybeans, boy can I let out some Far……….bulous noises.
Thanks again and you remain the official Poet Laureate of the blog.
DWA 76 – You are welcome mate. Thak for reading it and hope all is well.
BIG ED – Now you have booked the Bloggers Cruise you can be whatever you want to be………..except a fitness instructor:)
DIVETRASH – Thank you so much for the Turkish translation of Exit Only. It is however a little late and my horror will be forever with me as will the mark of her huge clumping fist on my soft lilywhite buttocks…………….to much information I know but we are friends………….I hope.
Thank you so much for the Salt Water Taffy. I just had a chocolate one and it is mixing rather well with the jellybeans. Thank you for your kindness and one day soon I hope to repay that kindness ten fold. All the best and thanks again.
LAUREN – Thank you for the update on the Meteor Shower which this time I will publicize in every language including French…………Le meteor et dans le sky. As for Alan’s pictures, well lets just say he has been the subject of much discussion this cruise and he will be finally unveiled at the Bloggers cruise in January. We will be providing sick bags. Thanks for reading the blog thingy and I hope you will continue to do so.
CANUCK CRUISER – Firstly and most importantly…………….HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY from Heidi and I and all the thousands and thousands of bloggers. I hope you had a wonderful day of celebration and I am sure that celebration will continue when you cruise on the Carnival liberty in a few days time. I have forwarded your request to take part in the Newlywed Game with Todd and I am sure it is one he will honour and I look forward to hearing how many answers you matched on. Have a wonderful dinner and I hope you have a night and a cruise to remember.
DORTHE CALIMBAS – What beautiful words you have slapped on today. I am happy to hear that you are addicted to the blog and therefore I will keep feeding that addiction as long as my two typing fingers allow me to. Thanks again and have a wonderful day.
SOUTHERN DREAMS – Thanks for the great news, is that true, is Mrs. Grabacruski really going on the Bloggers Cruise? Thank you for the great news. Wish I was there with you both eating Grits and something called smothered covered and chunked. Best to you both.
NOT BIG ED – Now that has to be the best screen name I have heard for some time…………..See what an influence you have on people’s lives Big Ed, you now have people calling themselves Not Big Ed, even Alan Adkins is now calling himself Big Alan and I am sure it won’t be long before PA 007 starts calling themselves BIG PA 007. Anyway, back to NOT BIG ED and thank you for the memories of the Whale joke back on the Imagination some 10 years ago. I have not done that prank since but maybe it is time to bring it out of retirement. Have a wonderful time on the Carnival Glory and please send my best to the CD Wee Jimmy and ask him this “have you ever had blow through “…..it is a code word and will win you a great prize. Have fun and thank you for publicly declaring how much you love Carnival Cruise Lines on this blog thingy………………………..and less of the Gomer Pyle reminders
NANETTEALI – I have to disobey your orders and answer you………….sorry. Just wanted to say thank you for thinking of Heidi and that you are a true friend. How is it in Sanguine? I hope you have no hurricanes this season and that all is well with the kids and their first days back at school. Grasyarse mi amor ……buenos deeaz.
LEASA – Thank you for those sweet words and I am very humbled by them. The young man who is sight impaired is actually only 14 years of age and he has been in his front seat each and every show. His Mum told us that he can see changes of light patterns and that during the big review shows he was as excited as he had ever been and enjoyed the show more than anyone. Thank you for saying that I should win the Seatrade award…………I am truly grateful to have been nominated at all. My French friend is very unhappy with me and in all honesty I wish it didn’t bother me but it does. I hate the feeling of knowing that someone is leaving the vessel thinking I am a bad person………it gets to me, it shouldn’t but it does…………..oh well.
Thank you again for your kind words of support and I wish you all the best.
CATHERINE EBERT – I have ordered you a Chiropractor as you requested and he speaks French You asked if the Carnival Liberty and Carnival Freedom are the same size and build and the answer is YES they are. They are part of the Conquest class of vessels which includes the Carnival Conquest, Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor, Carnival Freedom and Carnival Liberty. The next ship, the Carnival Splendor will be a new design for us and we are all very excited about her. If you have any specific questions about any of these ships please let me know. Until then, I hope you keep slapping on a posting and reading the blog thingy.
LINDA HERNACKI – Hello Linda. The reason I have not shown Alan’s face is simple…………I really want this blog to continue and I do not want to be shut down by the FBI for showing graphic photos on the blog. I am glad you got your T Shirts today and I hope we can all have a photo wearing our shirts all together in November. I hope Mike is well and the bulbs are all working. See you soon.
KEVIN AND HEIDI – BETH – It is always good to hear from my three friends. How are you all? It will not be long until you will be on the Carnival Glory with Wee Jimmy and I know you will have a great time. Are all three of you staying in one cabin? I am sorry to say that we do not keep back copies of the Travel Log past a few weeks of that voyage as we have so many ships. Make sure you get one from the Carnival Glory though because I know it will be fantastic voyage and the three of you will have so many happy memories. All the best and have a great day..all three of you.
PAPANH – Nothing has fallen out of the sky yet and if it has I think France may be the target Now, I did make your Supper Club reservation and I just checked and it has indeed been confirmed so all is well. I hope you have a great meal that night and I suggest you have a very small lunch to allow for the PORTERHOUSE steak you will be having that night. You are correct; you do need a lot of patience in this job and that definitely was the case this cruise when dealing with Flash Gordon and his meteor. Thanks mate and I wish you and your family a wonderful forthcoming cruise.
LISA AND ELAINE – I am glad to hear that you are feeling better and if the blog helped make you smile, well that makes me feel good. Laughter is a great medicine and I hope I helped a little. I am not sure if my schedule allows me to have dinner with you both but I promise we shall have Tea on the sea day afternoons along with scones and cream…………….I can’t have the scones or the cream but oh well. Actually, my Mum makes the best CHEESE SCONES and they are sugar free…….if anyone wants the recipe please let me know and I will make sure she passes it on. Actually, she makes the best homemade cakes and dinners English Style, anyone fancy knowing her recipes? So, stay well and see you in 70 something days. Cheers.
DIANE – Your vote has been cast and that’s another in the YES column for Alaska. I am not sure as to when and where the second Bloggers Cruise will happen but its great getting everyone’s feedback. Thanks Diane and I hope you are well.
NANETTEALI – Tell your husband thank you..
JAMIE & KEVIN – Congratulations…………This is Fantastic news………you conceived in cabin 7298………..In 9 months time you will have the joy of a new born baby. Now we have to think of a name for it………….John is popular……….or if it’s a girl and weighs 400 pounds when she is born then Fatima may be appropriate. Seriously though, congratulations and we are all so happy for you both. I just looked up the names of the people staying in cabin 7298 this week and maybe they will be as lucky as you. I am going to call them and let them know they are in the lucky cabin….I wonder if Heidi and I can sneak in there tonight……..it is Thursday.
DOUGNEWMANATSEA – Have fun cruising in France……….please be nice to the locals I am not sure when but I really do want to take a Holland America cruise. Stein really made it sound so fantastic and what an amazing advertisement for the company he is. Bon Voyage mate and let us know how it was when you return.
KICIASKI – Hello George and hello Linda. That’s another two people who want a Bloggers cruise in Alaska, the contest is heating up. I have never been but I really do want to go sooner rather than later. Your seats on the front row are waiting for you……….we miss you.
SUSAN B – I am not sure if I can all myself John almighty. Although, I would like Heidi to call me that. I am glad you enjoyed the pictures of Alan, they really are life like and when you finally see a photo of him, you realize why I never got a girlfriend. I am sorry Jason did not make it into the final four on America’s Got Talent. I am sure however, that this will not halt his career and that he is destined for great things. The reason Heidi has not written a blog is I never give her time on the computer. Maybe I should get her one of those lapdance computers. I promise she will write one soon. All the best Susan.
CAPTAIN CHUCK – How are you Captain? Thank you for your prediction. They really were wonderful and probably all correct, accept the one about me getting an Aston Martin. You must have seen some wonderful sights from the cockpit of your airplane. Can you share any? Also, I got your e-mail via Roberto, can you just confirm your sailing date please. All the best mate, hope to hear from you soon.
EVA B – You are right, I should be punished and I have spanked myself and put myself on the naughty step for not informing my French friend about the sky at night. Your grandchildren will have a wonderful time on the Carnival Miracle. The facilities on Spirit class ships are fantastic and if the kids want to get involved then I know they will have a wonderful time. Now, as for the CD, his name is Chris Roberts. I just featured him in a blog a week or so ago. He is a terrific guy and I know you will love his sense of humor and do not miss his Blues Brothers Show. If you have questions about specific shore excursions or anything else, please let me know. What a great way to spend Christmas.
J TODDINMAN – Wonderful ideas and I will be hosting a table every night in the dining room with exception of maybe the night of the Talent Show. We can indeed auction dinner with John & Heidi and the money would go to the AMF……the Aston Martin Fund. I am joking of course; we could indeed put this toward one of the children’s charities that I hope we will involve on this cruise. Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas and even though he cannot be with us, we all appreciate your constant support of this blog thingy.
INEZ – Your lap dancer computer must be exhausted after catching up on all these blogs but I am glad you did. Thank you for saying how much you enjoyed everything and the congratulations on our 500,000 slaps. Today, we actually have 541,000 slaps so we are still moving in the right direction. You are correct, I really did think that I would be doing this blog just a couple of weeks, but now, who knows how long it will continue? Thank you for the wonderful words about Heidi, she truly is a wonderful lady and I am so lucky to have her by my side.
Welcome back and I hope you have had fun reading the latest blogs.
THE CHADS – The winning numbers of the lottery will be 4, 7, 8, 17, 24, 48, 62. If you do win, I will gladly accept the Aston Martin. I always think this blog can’t develop into anything else, yet it continues to surprise me, as today here I am predicting lottery numbers. Good Luck mate and I would like an Aston Martin Vanguish S in black….
KEVIN – I got your note from Roberto and will be acting on it over the next couple of days. I did not get a package from you yet, but I am sure it will be here soon. Thank you mate.
CINDY 56 – I am glad you have been laughing at all the blogs. It’s what makes the hours that we do this worthwhile. I hope there are many more laughs to come.
CRUISINSUE – Thank you for your kind words about Risa and Big Tex. It’s great to hear that you enjoyed these two young Cruise Directors. I look forward to meeting you in October and hopefully you will have the best cruise you have ever had.
ALASTAIR MCKENZIE – I am prepared for the meteor shower next year. I must admit, I was unprepared however, I still would not have made this announcement that time of the morning and certainly, unless it involves the words cheese and surrender, I would not have been able to have done it in French. Thank you for the information and of course thank you for reading the blog.
CLEO AND GARTH – OK, I will make a bet. If Australia wins the rugby World Cup, I will personally do a New Zealand style huka in the lobby, dressed only in a loincloth. We do hire shoes on board with tuxedo rental; however, I am not sure if we have tuxedos to fit your husband’s mighty chest at 54 inches. Let me check. I see Big Ed has given you the information on how to order a tuxedo should we not have one on board. Thank you for your kind words and I am looking forward to cheering Australia to victory right up until the moment when they lose to England in the final.
TRAVIS AND MARY – Thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh, and sugar free please. See you in September.
KANUCK CRUISER – Thank you for the information. Who needs to watch the news when I have you bloggers to look after me? Say hello to Brad.
KATHY KROLL – I was indeed standing for the God Save The Queen reference and I am glad things worked out with the beautiful Queen Mary. I have been reading about your career, I wish I could have seen you dance.
BIG ED – You are hired as a guest bingo caller and I will be your assistant.
GIRLDOC – Thank you for the information on curing jellyfish stings. Heidi wants to know if there is a cure for uncontrollable gaseous explosions.
ALLIE DONNEGAN – Welcome home, I am glad you and the family had such a wonderful time. Congratulations on deciding to live in Italy, it truly is the most beautiful country and maybe one day we will see each other again. I certainly hope so.
RICK D – Don’t worry Rick. I will not be making any announcements about astronomical happenings unless I am certain I see it first. If I say something is going to be there and it’s not, of course it will be my fault. I am taking the necessary precautions and have learned from my previous mistakes. Thanks for the update mate.
CINDY - Welcome back after your cruise here on the Carnival Freedom and I am so sorry to hear of your Alitalia experiences. I have to say, this airline leaves so much to be desired. I have said Hello to Natasha and Davor and I am very happy to tell you they remember you and wish you well as do I. Please continue to enjoy reading my thingy.
RIKKI BOYZE – Another astronomy question. Is there a place on the ship that is dark where you can see the stars clearly? The answer is yes. If you walk to the front of the ship on decks 6, 7, 9 you will see that these are dark decks because lighting disturbs the navigation from the bridge. These are great places to see the sky at night. I am looking forward to meeting you on the TA cruise and I am sure you will see many spectacular things on our crossing.
SHERYL PELTON – I don’t know about me, it’s you we should be saying “how do you do what you do?” to. Being a labor and delivery nurse and working with troubled youngsters means you deserve a medal. I will be able to give you that medal when I see you in September. Thank you for offering to bring Heidi some treats and I would love to try the Jelly Belly brand of beans. By the way, you do know we don’t serve Pepsi on board? It’s Coca Cola here, I’m afraid. See you soon.
LOIS GETYOURJELLYBEANSKI – Thank you for booking the bloggers cruise. We do have a fishing excursion available in Cozumel and I do suggest you book this through carnival.com to avoid disappointment. Heidi and I are thinking of you as you look after your dad and step mum and wish them both good health. Heidi says Hello and we look forward to seeing you in January.
LISA K – I am especially glad you enjoyed Big Tex as a CD. It is people like him that are the future of my profession and your kind words will mean so much to him. I am so happy to read that the blog means so much to you and therefore, you give me the strength to carry on. Thank you again.

Ok, I am going to stop there. I will continue tomorrow with GRACE’s question tomorrow and answer the ones from the blog called Grand Design.

We continue today with our features on Cruise Directors. Today, I would like to feature the Carnival Destiny and Cruise Director Steve Knisley. Enjoy his interview.

1. Please can you tell us about your career with Carnival so far? How did you start and when?

I joined carnival in 1998 as a DJ on the Carnival Destiny, and in the last nine years worked in many other positions including backstage manager groups coordinator, social host and assistant cruise director until getting my first shot as Cruise Director on the Carnival Elation sailing from LA, in 2003.

2. What ship are you currently on and what is its itinerary?

Currently I am on the Carnival Destiny cruising from San Juan Puerto Rico and calling on St. Thomas USVI, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua

3. Please can you pick two excursions from each port and tell us why you recommend them so much?

St. Thomas

St. Thomas Ocean Race, it’s an incredible opportunity to actually sail these beautiful racing yachts. The views are spectacular as the boats jockey fro position and you play an integral part as your load and unload your winch in order to capitalize on wind conditions. It’s excellent.

St. John Champagne Catamaran, this tour features a beautiful coastal sail to the island of St. John, there you drop anchor at Honeymoon bay. The water is the clearest I have ever seen and there is beautiful fish and coral to view. The ride back also features a great selection of snacks and you drinks, a really great way to spend a day.

Dominica

Wacky Rollers Rainforest Adventure – This tour allows you to see the real beauty of Dominica from the open air trucks that take your to the botanical gardens, the sulfur springs and finally to the location where they filmed “Pirates Of The Caribbean” Floating through the “TiTu Gorge” is spectacular until you come to an amazing water fall at the end of it all. Guides are fantastic and it’s just a lot of fun

Rasta Man’s Rainforest Hike and Falls – Surely one of the most physically demanding tours we offer but the rewards are spectacular when you are able to hike through the lush rainforests and then have the opportunity to swim in not one but two waterfalls. In fact getting to the second waterfall involves you having to climb almost straight up on the vines and roots of trees to get to your second great waterfall.

Barbados

5 Star Catamaran & Turtle Encounter – This tour is very special in that it features two stops, one for beach time and one for snorkeling with the sea turtles. In the middle you are treated to a great hot and cold buffet served on china with an open bar. Excellent service and sights

4×4 Adventure & Green Monkey Encounter – This tour takes you to the beautiful shores of an area called “Bashiba.” There you get amazing views of rock formations and huge waves that crash on the beach. As well you ride off to the wildlife preserve where you get to see many animals including the terribly cute “Green Monkeys.” You will also most certainly be able to study the mating habits of turtles who seem to like to “do it” anywhere

St. Lucia

Magical Marigot Bay – One of the truly prettiest sights I have been to — a beautiful resort island that offers its beaches to cruisers for the day. Its quiet and a great place to relax

Land and Sea Combo – This tour gives you the best sights of St. Lucia as you travel to the small French villages and get amazing views of the twin Pitons as well as having an opportunity to check various sights out from the water as you sail back to the ship, including views of Marigot Bay

Antigua

Canopy Adventure – This tour is offered in two other ports on this run but there is so much to do you can easily wait until Antigua to enjoy all the thrills of flying through the trees

Eco Snorkel Adventure – This tour is operated by one of the most genuine and nice guys I have had the pleasure to meet; he is a retired doctor who does this only because he loves where he lives and wants everyone to share in Antigua’s beauty. It involves some kayaking, snorkeling and a chance to do a short hike. As well the add simple little touches like chilled face cloths to cool guests down and even go so far as to use rose petals in the water provided to wash off the sand from your feet. Really a great tour.

4. What are your favorite activities or events that you host and why?

I have a few of my personal favorites but I would have to say the two I enjoy most would be “Family Feud” — not only because the guests really enjoy it but even after all these years people insist on going with the dirty answers, especially when it comes to “something you would use only once.” We have recreated the “Family Feud” board from the original game and use all the original sound effects and it really gives the activity a lot of realism and guests love it. I also have a great time with the “Idol” show. I find it to be so much more entertaining than the older talent shows we used to do. This show gives us the opportunity to mimic something that really has found its own home in pop culture and guests love to see themselves on stage singing in front of a giant logo of “Idol.” Plus the “Simon” character never ceases to amaze me with his ability to dismiss even the talented singers. Oh and I used to really love “Deal or no Deal” but sadly we will have to wait until that shows ceases production before we can try that one again

5. Fill in the blank please……………..People should sail on the (INSERT YOUR SHIP HERE) because……………………………..???????????

People should sail on the Carnival Destiny because it features what I consider to be the most diverse and stunning run of any of our ships currently sailing in the Caribbean. Because we start in San Juan you can get to see so much more than you can when you leave any other port. Great shopping, stunning rain forests and fantastic beaches are only three of the big highlights of this itinerary. Plus we take great pride in constantly upgrading our activities and keeping them something that everyone can participate in.

6. What do you enjoy most about being Cruise Director?

I absolutely love to be on stage, unlike many other CD’s I don’t sing, cannot dance and don’t juggle or do magic but what I do offer is a quick wit and genuine love to see people laugh. I take great pride in the job and when you get stopped by guests on the last day of his cruise and have them tell you that you have made their week, it really drives the point of home of just what I love about this gig.

7. Share your favorite story with us that involve our guests and your job?

It’s really hard to put down only one, but one of my most embarrassing moments happened only last week during our “Idol” show. Our final performer was a young lady from Denver named Jenny, who came up to sing “Don’t Stop Believin’.” She was not a great singer but had these dances and gestures that just made the performance stand out. After she finished I approached her on stage to congratulate her for a job well done and then went to the judges to get the marks. Our first judge Carlo expressed that while she was entertaining she was a little bit frightening. He gave her a 9.5 and this sent her in to fits of joy culminating with a high kick on stage. This tickled me to no end and then decided to try one of my own. All I can then remember was one second looking into a spotlight and the next staring up at the lighting grid from my back. My left leg was in the air and my right slid out from underneath me and I went down…..hard. I almost instinctively let out an expletive but managed to hold it together. The band, judges and audience were torn between fits of laughter and genuine concern. It truly was a funny moment and something I will keep for my reel of unfortunate incidents.

8. List your three favorite ports you have visited?

1 – Puerto Vallarta

2 – Aruba

3 – New Orleans

9. Name 3 ports you would really like to see that you have never been to?

1 – Cannes France

2 – Acapulco

3 – Barcelona, Spain

10. Finally, if you could introduce on stage any star, alive or not who would it be and why?

Since the first time I saw him in concert I have been a huge Springsteen fan, it’s kind of tailed off in the last few years but I would love to introduce “The Boss.” And for a comedy act it would be great to introduce Jerry Seinfeld.

Thanks Steve for a great interview and keep practicing the high kicks.

So, tomorrow morning I will be saying goodbye, au revoir (French), adios (Spanish), aufweidersen (German) , bingmnagtfrtey (Persian) maganadangamorge (Philipino) and by, yallllllll (English) to our guests and hello to all the new ones. It has been an exciting cruise and one I started of unsure about……….yes I was whining! However, I have met many new friends and enjoyed lots of fun on stage and the kids really seem to have taken to me this cruise.

Oh, by the way, I broke my nose earlier tonight. It really hurts and the Doctor says there is nothing he can do but to let it heal naturally. I wish I had broken it defending Heidi’s honour as I battled a huge man who had doubted her heritage or had displayed anger towards her. I wish I could say I had broken my nose fighting the forces of evil ……..or the French……………..but I can’t. I broke my nose because I had just eaten a whole bag of jellybeans and I exploded, my chair has wheels on it and I slammed into the cabin wall…………………ouch.

It’s often said that kids see the world through rose coloured spectacles……………………….except this one………..he saw me exactly as I am

Cheeky Sod

Goodnight

Your Friends,

John and Heidi

Good Evening.

It’s 10:15pm and its Tuesday evening. It has been another busy day including our passage past Stomboli and the usual round of talks and activities. I also had the longest Afternoon show ever with 53 letters of dedication to read out………..it lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. Now that may not seem a long time but it is when you are doing the show in a studio with only a Romanian cameraman as an audience. His name is Radu, he is a wonderful guy and brilliant at his job but sometimes……….well….a little seriuos and its hard to gauge if what you said was funny from someone who has the perfect poker face.

Anyway, the show went well and as always you will be able to share in some of the letters in today’s In Their Own Words Section which is forthcoming.

Lets continue talking about the crew………..not that we really were but we will now. So, once a month we allow the crew to let their hair down………talking of hair…….my mate Alan Adkins did have one girlfriend once…………….she had long blonde hair all down her back………………..none on her head…………just all down her back.

Sorry, I digress…………back to the crew. Every month we throw a crew party for the ship’s company. These parties allow the crew to have fun together in a relaxed environment and usually they are a lot of fun. Sometimes, we have themed parties for them and last night the theme was……………….HARRY POTTER. Yep, my old mate Harry. The incredible author J.K. Rowling has it seemed, affected every nationality with her ability to tell her magical stories. This indeed was the case at the crew party as you will see from the photos. The Dining Room, under the management of my friend Ken went all out in decorating for this party. I was unable to go as I was hosting the talent show but Heidi went for a few moments to take these pictures which I hope you enjoy.

The crew really do enjoy these parties and it is one of the few times where they can totally relax and enjoy guest facilities of the ship.

This coming cruise we have a big turnover of crew with 150 crew leaving for vacation and the replacements joining the vessel.

A lot of the Department Heads are leaving as well……….except me. I think the ship could do with a new influx of crew because many of the existing crew members have been here since February and have worked so very hard in getting the ship ready and to the high level of service that we have today.

They need a vacation and I wish them a very happy one. I am going to bed now. I had no intention of going to bed but Heidi said: “It’s Thursday”………see you tomorrow.

Good Morning,

Last night was a false alarm.

It’s 11:47am and it has been a busy day so far here in Livorno Italy. Alan Adkins and his family are going to Florence. Alan is not to happy about this because his wife intends to drag him around the Uffizzi and Accademia museums…….they really aren’t his thing. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday who was in the Hermitage, which is a spectacular museum and gallery in St. Petersburg, Russia. There was no airconditioning and I know he would have rather been experiencing the local vodkas than admiring thousands of paintings of women from the Rennaisance period who are dressed in very few clothes, their breasts on display and all of whom look like Fatima, my friend from Turkey. (my bottom cheeks have just clenched again)

So, why do we do this as dutyful husbands? We follow like little lambs through galleries, museums and in my case the nightmare and living hell that is a shopping mall while pretending to our wifes that we are having a good time?

I feel like I am writing a blog of no substance so far, so I think it is best that I post some photos which today are a little random, but please BEAR with me.

1. A selection of bears and animals from the Teddy Bear Workshop in Camp Carnival.

2. Two young ladies and their new friends.

3. The Deck 0 embarkation lobby (as requested by a blogger)

4. Another photo from the Carnival Spirit and her Alaska voyages

And now I am introducing a new section. I am not what to call this section, so for now it will be called “THE EMBARESING MYSELF SECTION”.

I have no idea why I am doing this, I must be nuts, however, due to the popularity of previous old photos of me I will be slapping on more shots which will no doubt induce further ridicule.

Here is one of me taking in 1987 as a Wine Steward……………………………….GOOD GRIEF!!!

Now, some more letters from the “In Their Own Words” section.

Let’s move on to a marathon Q & A session which is taken from the last part of the blog featuring Steve Cassel and the Holiday and Big Tex and the Carnival Fantasy.

TAMMY - I wish I could have heard you laugh. If everyone in the office, as you say, thinks you are crazy, then maybe you can show them the blog and they too can laugh with you. However, it feels very strange to know that people all over the world are laughing at the thought of me going 12 rounds with Fatima Thunder Thighs while a garden hose is petruding from my…..well, never mind. I would do my best to provide more opportunities for you to laugh at my misfortune. Thanks Tammy and all the best.
BIG ED – And here is another thing that I find strange. Two people I have never met, sitting at the breakfast table discussing my underwear. In all seriousnes, I have been thinking these last few days how so many people from so many places are taking the time to read my blog – thingy. While this is amazing and quite flattering, it has also added extra pressure on making sure that our product is as good as I profess it to be and thanks to the help and support of so many I truly believe that it is.
Thank you for thinking of me and all I can tell you is that I will keep going and one morning I am sure I will wake up and realize I need a vacation.
I do not see that happen yet and even when I am home and even when just a couple of times a week, I will make sure that this blog continues……..how can I not.
See you on the bloggers cruise and I am preparing your name tag to read. BIG ED – Assistant to the Cruise Director.
ADIAS.ANGEL – I am sorry to hear that the scrapbooks are yet to be available on line. This was supposed to be going on the Bon Voyage section on the website. ROGER, DO YOU HAVE ANY NEWS ON THIS?
I know they are very important to so many of you so please know I will do my best to get them available ASAP. Many thanks for your patience and all the best.
IVANA – I do not think my Turkish bath story is much of an advertisement for this form of relaxation. I am sure there are places that do this in a much more relaxing fashion. However, it was just my luck to chose the one that employed lady Olympic Shotputters who woke up that morning mad at the world and determined to find some good use for her garden hose which she did. (my bottom cheeks have closed ranks just thinking about it) It’s great to hear that you are still enjoying the blog.
All the best.
NICO R – Thanks mate, I will look out for your e-mail. Heidi is well, thank you for asking. I will be back to you soon.
STEVE J.GARROD – I am glad you enjoyed the interview with Mrs. Stein Kruse. You must be very proud to have him at the head of your wonderful cruise line and I am sure many the bloggers have and will enjoy the Holland America experience. Thanks Steve and all the best.
ELIZABETH TUCKER – And another one laughing at the thought of hands the size of my head slamming my body around. She was standing under a green light and at one point I thought I was having a close encounter with Shrek.
Halloween is getting more and more popular in the U.K. however, in parts of Europe such as Spain, France and in Italy it is not celebrated at all. Although, in France the people are scary 365 days a year. You asked if there will be a Halloween party on the Transatlantic crossing and yes indeed there will be and I promise you it will be a lot of fun. I am going to cover myself from top to bottom in a white sheet with 2 tiny red horns sticking out the top of my head. I will be dressed as THE SPERM OF THE DEVIL. (please refer to previous blogs) If you do want to dress up, you will need to bring it with you as you won’t be able to find a lot of supplies in the ports that we will call ate. We will see you in 75 days and my best to you and your husband.
DWA76 – It was interesting to read that the famous chef you mentioned Anthony Bourdan had the same experience as I did when he had a Turkish bath.
I am still having nightmares and every now and then little droplets of water gently cascade down the back of my leg as a reminder of Fatima and her pipe. I am so happy that so many people enjoyed the interview with Stein from Holland America. He truly is at the top of his profession and we at Carnival Corporation are lucky to have him in the chair. It’s great to hear from you again and until the next time, cheers mate.
CAROL SCHOENBERGER – Thank you for acknowledging the children who wanted to be the Smartest Kids in the class. It was wonderful reading those letters and seeing the effort that children put into them in making them. They all have challenges and if a simple thing like a gold trophy and a medallion brings a smile to their young lives then Heidi and I are lucky to be able to provide them.
Regarding my comments about the rudeness of some of the people in Athens, I think it’s just the way they are and I know I should not take it personal. My concern is that the standard of hospitality is set so high on board the ship, I expect it to continu ashore.
Carol, have a wonderful day, keep smiling.
SHERIFF ROSCO P. COLTRANE – Hello Sheriff, you asked what ship I will be on next year. The plan is for me to join the Carnival Freedom sometime in April and host the first European cruise and then hand the ship over to Cruise Director Todd Wittmer. After that I will be in the shipyard preparing the Carnival Splendor and will remain on board until it returns to the Caribbean. The only months that I am not certain about are February and March. I will let everyone know about those as soon as possible. I read the website link you sent me and I obviously hope that I never have to read your name there. My thoughts and prayers are with all the families whose husbands and wifes, sons and daughters gave their lives to protect and serve. Stay save and stay in touch.
Our best to Nikki.
J TODDINMAN – Another masterpiece. I am going to be asking Roberto to put all your poems together on one attachment on the side of this blog thingy.
You are a natural and we all thank you for the continues laughter you are providing. Here is a terrible effort from me:
John and his best mate Alan
Thought it would be a laugh
Whilst in the city of Istanbal
To go for a Turkish bath
It started badly and became a farce
Especially when Fatima shoved a hose up my ………bottom
NATES MOM – Hello Nate, Hello Mum. Nate, you will love the Carnival Elation and I wish you much success on there. I will pass on Nates regards to everyone here and mom thank you for your support of the blog.
IVANA – Good question. How would everyone feel about a bloggers cruise in Alaska in May 2009.
KERSPLOTT – Thank you for the offer of a picnic in your backyard if we were to have a Alaskan Bloggers Cruise. Do you know Heidi and I have never been to your beautiful part of the world and this would be a great opportunity to do so. What do you think?
I hope you are enjoying the photos of Alaska and indeed are enjoying the blog.
JEFF STEVENSON – Just wanted to say thank you for great shows and the entire audience appreciated your wonderful sense of humor. I am sure we will work together again very soon.
KATIE – I am glad you are feeling better and that’s the best news of the day. I really would like to highlight children’s charities during the bloggers cruise and I am working on that with some people at the moment. Doing this would really put the iceing on the cake and certainly make it an even more special cruise. Thank you so much for booking the Bloggers cruise and please tell Jeff thank you and not to throw pop corn at you anymore. Nearerr the time I will indeed be highlighting my personal choices of things to do in the ports that we are calling at. I love writing these blogs even though it takes up each and every moment of free time I have but I know how important tis has become to so many people and that as well as Jelly Beans for my Jet Pack are what keeps me going. Stay well and thak you for being such a good friend.
THE PLAZ – You asked for dome photos of the Galley and indeed Heidi will be taking these tonight and I will be slapping them on a blog in the near future mate.
LISA BISTI – Thank you for your sincere and kind words. I am happy to hear that you appreciated the drawings from the children we acknelowdged. They are special children because they took the time to work hard on their letters and drawings and that is why I wanted to acknowledge each and everyone of them. I also want to acknowledge you for the wonderful work you do in educating and supporting childrene who need the extra help you provide. We should pay all teachers a million dollars a year. Thank you again and we all send you our best regards.
NANETTEALI – I agree with you mi amor. I also have never been to Alaska but it certainly would be a wonderful place to host our second bloggers cruise. I will be interested to see what other people think of this. I remember the old ships you used to sail on and I remember them specifically in San Juan docked alongside us. There was the Britanis, The Amercanis and another I can’t remember the name of now. My goodness, how things have changed. The ships are getting bigger and bigger and bigger. You know, soon, we won’t need to sail anyway because the front of the ship will be in Miami and the back of the ship will be in the Bhamas……….the ships will just become big bridges !
Anyway, ciao bella uno grande hugo para u o.
SHELLY P – It is a shame he cannot bring his double bass alhough maybe he will get just as much enjoyment playing the triangle?
It seems you are all excited and ready to cruise and I hope that you know I will do my best to make this a special time for you and your family. Please tell Andrew that he is right to love the F40 ferrari. Enzo and his boys are pure geniuses but for me it has to be an Aston Martin……………..you just can’t beat it.
If you have any other questions, please let me know and I will see you soon.
LINDA HERNACKI – That is a good point that some people do not like to fly so maybe an Alaskan cruise may not be the best for everyone…….maybe I should consider something else, we shall see.
Nope, I never did get my change from my friend Mr Rudealotopus but that’s OK. I wonder if any other blogger has found the venders in Athens difficult to deal with ?
So, I shall put my thinking cap on and try and come up with the best solution for everyone when we decide on what form the 2009 Bloggers cruise will take. All the best Linda and of course to Mike as well.
BOB – Sorry, I just saw that I spelt your name backwards, my apologies. Your thoughts on Greece are my exact thoughts as well. Athens, the Acropolis are places that amaze and should be on everyone’s must see list but yep, the people, a very small minority, can be well…..less than helpful at times. You also mentioned that the smaller greek islands and towns are the opposite and that of course is definatley true. Take Rhodes for example, you could wish to find friendlier more helpful people anywhere. It’s the same in the UK, some people who live in and around parts of London are snobs who won’t give you the time of day unless you are wearing Prada and now the Queen or a Spice girl. The more North you go the friendlier the people are, its just a shame that they don’t have indoor toilets or electricity, but they are nice. Then take France where the people are rude in paris but the rest of France ……………….ok, that was a bad example.
Anyway, cruising the Med is something very special as you said and I continue to say that everyone should come out here and try it for themselves. In 2008 we will have the Carnival Freedom and the Carnival Splendor here and in 2009………….who knows……………..MAYBE PA 007???
Thanks mate and I hope you continue to read the blog thingy.
KAREN TESSIER – I am so sorry that your last posting got lost somwhere out there in blog land. Congratulations on getting your T Shirt and we must have a photo together with you wearing it so I can slap it on the blog. You will be here soon, do you have any last minute requests or questions?
If not, I wish you a safe flight and I will see you very soon.
KATHY KROLL – I just saw your husband’s photo, can I hire him as my bodyguard on the bloggers Cruise, just in case Fatima shows up>
I am glad you enjoy the kids letters, it really is something I love doing and love sharing with you all. My best to you and my new head of personal security. By the way, you were and still are a beautiful lady and I would have loved to see you dance……..WOW…………www.kathykroll.com…………have a look everyone, a true Vegas showgirl.
BRYAN – The newley Wed game is an industry standard and an industry favorite which is why the CD’s all mention that it is one of their favorite things to host. Actually, I do not do it myself as I have something called the marriage Show which I will be featuring shortly.
It warms my heart to see so many appreciate the fun and support Heidi and I are giving the kids with special needs and I hope they all enjoy their trophies, medallions and signed photos. Thank Bryan and all the best mate.
ALAN AND CHRIS – I remember that awful fire in Rhode Island that was caused by the Pyrotechnics and it is one of the reasons we are so strict in our policies and procedures here.
I saw that you had requested the Supper Club reservations on line and I will be making the reservations for you today and please therefore consider them confirmed as requested on both days.
I look forward to meeting you all dressed in your Red Socks gear. I am sure they are a great team but they will not beat the Miami Heat this year..no way !
Best to you both and I hope you continue to read the blog thingy.
MRS.MISSINGTHESMOKEFREEPARADISE – What wonderful Halloween stories and as always written with flavor and in your own wonderful style. I really think that if you want to take part in the Halloween parties this tear on the TAC you will need to bring some sort of costume with you which I know is not easy with the airlines flight restrictions. There is very little celebration of Halloween in Italy so I am not sure if you will be able to buy anything from our ports of call.
I would loved to have seen your :” deranged butterfly ” costume and I am sure you will come up with something special again this year…………..wait until you see our haunted house! It will be smoky, but the smoke will be from dry ice so you will be fine. My best to you and of course Mr MTSFPBLFTTNSFCF.
THE ONE AND ONLY HEIDI – BETH – hello you two, how are you both? You are of course correct. Rude people can be found all over the world not just in Athens and your posting confirms that. It just seems that out of all the ports we call at on the Greece/Turkey cruise that Athens seems to have the biggest problems with guest relations and it bothers me. Cruising is a great advert for the destinations not only because Corporations like carnival have chosen to go there but the word of mouth advertising that these destinations get when the passengers return home is worth so much that you would think that they would do their best to be friendly in the hope that they will return one day.
I am also glad you loved the kids letters and I am proud to have shared them with you.
As for the Alaska cruise for the next Bloggers adventure it seems most people would prefer a sunnier destination and from Florida so I will bare that in mind. I am sorry I wont get to see you two and kevin on the Bloggers cruise in January but I am sure we will all meet soon. Sey hello to Kevin and the seven pixels. Cheers.
SHARON AND JEFF – I am amazed that your wife will adhere to your one suitcase only rule for your 49 day cruise on the back to back to back trips on the Carnival Splendor. Heidi takes a full suitcase for a one night away trip………you must be the boss, the big cheese, the king of your castle……..what’s your secret.
As far as who takes the trophy on being less than helpful to passengers, Greece or France…….I think it would be disrespectful of me to answer that. Instead I will just say that the award goes to the folks who eat garlic and not spice, Brie and not Feta, and have a tower not an acropolis …….but really, it was quite close:).
Thank you for the compliments and I will hope to hear from you soon.
CRUISINSUE – Thanks for the note from Jeff the cruise Director on the Elation. I trianed him and he has become a very good Cruise Director. I would appreciate your opinion of the cruise and Jeff so let me know your thoughts. I love the Carnival Elation and he and the ship will be featured iin a forthcoming blog thingy. Welcome back and it was my pleasure to make the Supper Club reservation for you.
LFTTNSFCF – I think you should just stick a large no smokig sign on your back and go as the Paradise. Regardless, you and I will have fun on Halloween and maybe instead of dressing up you can help me as one of the judges, what do you think.
BIG ED – As far as the next bloggers cruise is concerned, I think it is safe to say that we will not be able to have this the week before the South America cruise on the Carnival Splendor. That week will be so busy in preparation for the upcoming 49 day cruise I would not be able to give the bloggers enough of my time.
Therefore, we need to start thinking about another ship and time to do this. Let me know what you think. Congratulations on getting Pat to take BTB cruises on the Carnival Freedom. You asked Heidi for information on tanning in the Spa. They do not have the spray tan, however we have something called sunshine which I have been guaranteed will be available every day on the bloggers cruise. Please tell Pat how greatful I am that she said yes.
ARNOLD TUCKER – What a fantastic story. I think yours was a little more pleasant than mine. However, being boiled alive doesn’t sound like too much fun.
You and I could write a book titled “What not to do in Turkey and Japan”. Thanks for the story, we all enjoyed it more than you did.
KEVIN – I got the information via Roberto today. Please give me a few days to work on this and I will get back to you.
THE BEARS – I am glad you are enjoying Kids Corner. It is gradually becoming one of Heidi’s and mine favorite things to do. Alaska does sound beautiful and it’s interesting that some people really want this as the destination for the next bloggers cruise. We will have to see what we can do. I always knew BEARS would feel at home in Alaska.
MELISSASNEU – You asked about the ability to download guest photos onto a disc. We do not have this ability on board however, we should do and hopefully one day we will. We do have machines that will print your photos from your memory card and we have many memory cards on board for sale. I am glad you enjoyed the Turkish bath story, it’s nice to know that my pain is someone elses joy. All the best and thanks for reading the blog thingy.
SHELEE – Thank you for your kind words on my 20 year anniversary. I hope to receive some kind of momento from the office soon, but nothing yet.
I am glad you are enjoying the photos, especially the ones from the Carnival Spirit as you will be sailing there in September. I totally understand that you can’t buy me the “depends” however, if you come across a packet of refuelling Jelly Beans I would be very greatful. Please say hello to your boss and your mother in law. All the best.
PAULETTE’S MUM – It’s interesting that your daughter who lives in Greece agrees with me about the unhelpful shop assistants. It certainly needs to be reminded that my comments refer to a tiny minority of the people in Athens. It just seemed that I met them all in one day. I am happy to hear that Paulette is going to the Carnival Valor and also wonderful to hear she will be amongst such good friends. Would you please send her my warmest regards and Heidi’s as well.
CATMAMA044 – Thank you for mentioning Kids Corner and you are correct, they really do brighten any day. We will see you very soon and if you are thinking about a New Year’s cruise, maybe I can help pursuade you. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you for saying this blog is the best, I really appreciate it.
TOM AND JANE – I am sure you will have a good time on RCCL in September. Don’t feel bad, I know you love Carnival but totally understand that your high school reunion is sailing on there. My worry is that you may have an episode of ATCOCS syndrome and during the Welcome Aboard Show, you may find yourself standing up and shouting “I love John and I have seen his thingy”. See you in January and seriously, please pass on my respect and regards to the Cruise Director.
KATHY KROLL – I also heard the story about the Carnival Pride and the small boat which entered the exclusion zone around the ship. To be on the safe side, officers from United States Coast Guard inspected to area to make sure nothing had been tampered with. I remember the days when small boats, jet ski’s and pleasure craft would follow the ship in and out of port and sail past us taking photos. Nowadays, this is forbidden and is another sign of the sad state we live in.
Thanks for the news update Kathy and my best to Lee.
CAROL SCHOENBERGER – Hello you again. It seems to me that the most popular destination for the next bloggers cruise is the Caribbean. Nearer the time and before the end of the year we will make a decision which this time will be based on the most popular choice voted for by bloggers.
I really like the idea about having it on board the Carnival Imagination. I have not sailed on a Fantasy class ship since 1995. Thank you for your comments and they are well noted. All the best Carol.
JO MYERLY – To answer your questions about the scrapbooks. We had a full stock on board and they sold out in one day, a further suply will arrive in Barcelona on the 26th of August. They are specific to the ship and you will enjoy them immensly. We are going to be putting these available for purchase on line and Roger Blum is working hard to make this happen as we speak. Thanks Jo and see you on August the 29th.
BILL ZYDECOCRUISER – Thank you for the pictures of the galley that you took on the Liberty, Heidi will be taking some of the Carnival Freedom very soon.
We nearly got away with a posting that had nothing to do with food, but not quite. Cheers mate.
DWA76 – My friend Steve Cassel is certainly as you said, a “unique character”. He really is unpredictable and we have many happy times together.
Thank you for your nice words mentioning what Heidi and I did for the kids, it really was a pleasure as it is to talk to you.
CAPTAIN CHUCK – Can you send me your full name and cabin number mate, ASAP. Thank you Captain, hope things are better at home.
SUE GROHOL – Thank you very much for your kind words about what we did for the children. Heidi adores children and loves doing little things like that.
I am glad you enjoyed the Turkish bath experience story……I will have ever lasting memories and water continues to evacuate itself from my body at mysterious times.
I really thank you for reading the blog so much. See you in 75 days.
RUTH JAMISON – Congratulations on receiving your bloggers t-shirts. I am so happy that you have got them and that you and your husband are enjoying wearing them so much. It still humbles me to think that people are wearing shirts with our names on. My best to you both and yes, I will keep writing the blog thingy.
DEBBIE MOND – Did you know, your last name means “mouth” in Dutch. I should know, because Heidi is always saying “Hou je mond”. Which is a very impolite way of saying “shut up”. No, I have not heard if I am going to receive an Aston Martin for any period of time. I have a feeling I will be driving my Nissan Micra which I probably don’t need as my jet pack will propel me much faster. All the best Debbie. I would call you Mrs. Mouth, but that would be really rude.

Ok, I am going to stop there, one shy of 50 and I have many more to answer tomorrow.

I bought a copy of the Lerici and Portovenere guide but I can’t remember who this was for. Please send your name and address to Roberto, so I can mail the book from Naples.

I want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has voted for me for the Sea Trade Insider Awards. I do not know the other people who have been nominated but I am sure they are all worthy winners. I am very greatful just to be nominated. Thank you all.

There now follows a very special interview. This person, more than any other has left a permanent impression on the Carnival Fleet. At this moment he is busy working on the Carnival Splendor and the next two Carnival ships. He is at the top of his profession and is without doubt an incomparable talent.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the Interior Designer of this ship and the Carnival fleet, Mr. Joe Farcus.

1. Joe, lets go back a few years. Can you tell us where your love of design and architecture comes from. John, it’s clear to me that after many years of thinking on this subject that I was just born that way. When I was small I noticed in a big way graphics, industrial design, & even architectural design. I just had that vision & appreciation. Also I always loved to draw & still do. On vacations I often sketch buildings or where I am as relaxation, even though I draw every working day. So I was lucky enough that my interests & vision matched a talent for drawing & abstract problem solving resulting in a conscious decision to be an architect when I was in the 7^th grade. I went to a special high school & took architectural classes every day for 3 years. I also worked in manufacturing & architecture since I was 16, so by the time I graduated college in architecture I already had many years of experience in construction & design. It has all served me very well.

2. What was the first thing that you designed and after it was built how did you feel. It’s always a thrill to see something you have drawn come to fruition. Even small things, which is exactly how it happened for me. In my first years as a practicing architect I designed a lot of buildings, mostly condos, which were rather commercial & I have to confess not that exciting. So I’ll skip over those & go right to the first building I designed & was built that I was proud of. That building was called Citizens Federal Savings & Loan at that time (1970 or so) on Brickell Avenue in Miami, which was & is the financial center of Miami. The building was 12 stories high & it had been my first opportunity to design a significant building. In my opinion the design was a success & the owner of the bank also shared that view. I am still very proud to see that building every time I drive down Brickell Avenue. Design-wise it has stood the test of time & still is one of the best buildings in that area.

3. How did your amazing relationship with Carnival Cruise Lines start. During the period I mentioned above I was working for the architect Morris Lapidus. Ted Arison, the founder of Carnival came to Lapidus to refit Carnival’s second ship, Carnivale. I was the head designer at Lapidus & I was given the job of being the project manager on that project. I visited the ship in Greece where she was laid up & did a survey of her to begin the transformation, which was going to be done over a 6 week period alongside in Miami. I got to know Ted well during this time & began to form my ideas about cruise ships. I conceived the show lounge along the lines of a theater & worked on other planning considerations & getting the interior decorating designs of Lapidus implemented. He saw my abilities & enthusiasm I think, which paved the way for the continuation of my work for him. When I had heard of CCL’s plan to acquire a third ship, I volunteered my services to Arison who agreed to give me a chance. I attended a planning meeting with CCL about what to do with this existing passenger freighter vessel. When the meeting broke up in the afternoon I volunteered to make some designs for possibilities & present them the next morning. I stayed up all night & designed & rendered the main restaurant & the theatre. The next morning I presented the drawings, which were very well received. A week or two later Ted called me & told me that he was giving me the job & come to Monte Carlo with all designs in a couple of weeks to talk with shipyards. The rest is, as they say history. It’s now 30 years later & still writing the book on cruising. It’s been an amazing ride.

4. So, you are commissioned to design the interior of a ship. Obviously there are many questions I could ask here but I just want to know, where do you start. Once you know you have to design a ship, what is the first thing you do. John, there is a book in the answer. The first step is to design the GAP or general arrangement plans. In buildings you would call this the floor plans. You have to consider everything in this step, such as spatial excitement, guest flow, service flow, required functions & their sequencing within the GAP, plus the structural & engineering requirements of the ship itself. It’s quite complicated & frustrating because of all of the compromises necessary to make it all work as a ship. The decoration process begins. This is a challenge. I start with the premise that I am designing an experience for the guests, not just ‘architecture’ of materials. The guests as a lot defy demographics, as their backgrounds are so varied. This leads me to creating an eclectic mix of designs. I see the ship as an ideal city & try to create the vibrancy & excitement of great holiday cities. I think the guests can relate to this as I think it creates an environment for the people to create their own experience onboard within our framework & program & that freedom allows for a perfect vacation as I see it.

5. Some people do it in the bath, the shower, during long walks……….where do you do your best thinking and do you still draw designs with pencil on paper or do you use mostly computer graphics? I had no idea where you were going with that question until after the periods! I do my thinking everywhere. I literally mean it. I even come up with things while dreaming. The creativity is just part of who I am & literally I’m always on if you will. The concepts I am trying to create are so complicated, it requires that kind of time to mull it all over to find the direction to move forward. When you factor in the technical & workability functions as well, it requires this kind of effort to make it happen. AS to the design media, for me it’s mainly freehand drawing with pencil & pen. I make these kinds of technical drawings this way to give the builders, not only the technical details & materials, but to also give them drawings which really reflect how the design is going to look. Theses drawings are somewhere between blueprints & renderings.

6. Can we talk about the Carnival Splendor? Is there a theme to the ship and what are some of the design highlights you are most proud of. Well the Splendor is still not finished, which creates a little problem in answering. When asked the question, which ship is your favorite? I always answer truthfully that the last ship is my favorite as it represents my best thinking up till then. This is certainly the case with Splendor. Her Central Idea is to honor ‘Splendid Things’ of all sorts. The restaurants are design for the splendid jewel, pearls. The casino is designed after the splendid poker hand, the Royal Flush. I interpret these ideas in various ways in all of my designs. It’s part of the eclectic mix I mentioned earlier. I try to use new materials or traditional materials in non-traditional ways. I always want create that special environment that one normally doesn’t experience. I want the guests not only to go to a different world once the step from land to sea, but also to experience that changed state by way of the architecture & interior design. So for me it’s the success of the whole which makes me most proud. I see the ship, even at its most eclectic, as one artistic creation. When it all integrates well & gives the guests the greatest vacation experience, then I am happy & proud. I take what I do very seriously & have a real sense of responsibility when it comes to the guests money they spend for this holiday, but even more so for their precious time they devote to a cruise.

7. Looking back at all the ships, can you tell us your three personal favorite lounges or public spaces and why they are at the top of your list. Just can’t say. I really like them all! Even though I like the last ship the best, it does not diminish the past designs at all. I use any success with the past as a real challenge to do my best for the present & future. I don’t think I could do this work if I didn’t always feel this way. I always want to do better & explore new ways of doing things. I love the challenge.

8. Has there ever been a case where something looks amazing on the plans and when you see it built you stand back and go……….OOPS? Not as such. The concepts are quite often difficult to realize & costly. I have had occasions where the final result does not match the design intent, but usually that’s related to details rather than a whole space. It’s always frustrating for me, but thankfully it’s rare that such a thing has any significant meaning within the context of an entire ship.

9. Can you give us a glimpse into the future? What can we expect from your brilliant designs on future ships? This of course is probably the number one question I am asked by the media. Of course I can’t answer this directly for obvious reasons. What I can say is that everyone at Carnival, as well as myself are constantly looking into ways to improve the cruise experience. Even though Carnival is a commercial venture, there has always been the deep seeded desire to serve & serve well & the in best possible way. The evidence of this is the progression of ships & the services offered aboard. When we learn something works really well as a new feature on a new ship, we immediately look to implement that feature on past ships. This is a constant, which makes the cruise experience today far & above that experience of the past.

10. If given the chance and you could choose to design one of the following which would you choose and why.

1. A CONCERT HALL IN MILAN I would love to do this as I have had some wonderful ideas for this type of building in the past. This is for sure the best choice for me. I love Italy & feel that the design sense present in Italy would be a very welcoming environment to put design within this great city. As you know I also design the ships for Carnival’s sister company in Italy, Costa Crociere, which have also been very well received by the Italian & European market.

2. A NEW HOUSE FOR PARIS HILTON I like Milan & not Paris in this case.

3. A FOOTBALL STADIUM Love football, but have no specific thoughts on this type of building.

4. A NEW BATHROOM FOR ME. Well… on land or sea?

11. Finally, thank you for all your incredible work and for taking thetime to answer these questions. To finish, please summarize your designs in ten words or less Fun, Interesting, Intelligent, Beautiful, Fascinating, Uplifting, Deep, Compelling, & word which I really enjoyed recently seeing in print which sums it all up: Farcusian.

Joe, we are so honoured to have had this amazing insight into your world and we all look forward to seeing what you have dreamt up for the new ships. We salute you.

Wow, that was great………..sometimes I have to pinch myself that I have interviewed so many important people. I hope to try and persuade the presidents of Princess, Costa and Aaida to honour me with an interview. I know Aaida is specific to the German speaking market but I have heard great things about their ships and it would be so interesting to find out what happens onboard. Let me see what can be done.

It’s nearly showtime and I have one more thing to share.

First of all, I have to tell you that during the Marriage Show this week I had a young honeymooner who was very nervous. Now we all do things when we are nervous, I for example get terrible Gas, something I inherited from my Dad. Heidi always gets a dry cough when she is nervous. This young lady did something else, she……….ummmmmmmmmmm………………kept pushing her ………….well her ……….breasts up…………she would cup them and push them up while she was telling me the story of how she met her husband and how he proposed to her. She had no idea what she was doing and was oblivious to the howls of laughter coming from the 800 guests who attended the show. Of course, I had to have a bit of fun with this and rather than me describe what happened, have a look at these photos.

I did not give her a trophy and a bottle of champagne as I did the other couples, I gave her ……………….yep…………………..a bra……………..I really did. I was going to give her one of Heidi’s but……………well she needed more support than heidi could give.

That’s me in the dog house

Goodnight

Your friends

John and Heidi

From: FREEDOM PURSERS
Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2007 8:11 AM
To: FREEDOM CRUISE DIRECTOR
Cc: FREEDOM PURSERS; FREEDOM CHIEF PURSER; FREEDOM HOTEL DIRECTOR
Subject: Upset with Cruise Director
Good Morning John,Please note the following,
6177 – Upset with cruise directorMr. _________ stopped by Purser’s Desk informing Purser that he and his wife have were very angry at John the cruise director. Purser asked why and was told that last night that some other passengers had seen a meteor in the sky and that it was very good and close. Guest wanted to know why Cruise Director had not informed the passengers about this. Purser asked what time this had been at and Mr. _________ said he thinks at 11:30pm – Midnight. Purser explained that we cannot make announcements at this time of night as many guests are asleep but Mr, ________ said the cruise Director should have told guests before so everyone knew. Guest also said he was upset with cruise director as he made no effort to speak French properly or entertain in French. Please note that guest speaks perfect English but his wife speaks none. Purser apologized and tasked to the cruise director to contact the guest.

Good Morning………………well, I just thought I would share my morning with you so far. So, please add astronomer and physicist to my job description as I should have known that a big meteor would be above the ship at 11:30pm last night. Of course, had I had known I would have been outside to view it myself but I did not know, hence my French friend did not get to see it. Still, I shall call and apologize later today although the apology will be in English and not French………….I have a feeling that this time no matter what I say he will still not be happy and he will continue to think Je Suis Un Idiot.

We are in our last Greek port Katakolon and this afternoon we will start returning the guests passports after we sail. One thing I did warn the guests about (due to the fact that I knew before hand unlike my lack of knowledge that huge chunk of burning rock would come hurtling through the sky last night) was about the Jelly Fish (not Jelly Beans) that are numerous in this area. Sure enough, I heard this morning that a young lad was stung already this morning as he swam in the public beach area near the ship. He is fine and the Nurse gave him some cream, etc. but I will have to make sure I step up this warning as it seems that there are even more here than the last time. Therefore, I will make sure I fortify this warning as much as I can. If you can’t get cream for a sting I thought you had to ………..well……….go pee pee on it, is that true……………….or for Mr. ______ Letourneau…………that would be Wee Wee…………see, I can speak French.

Security has been busy this week dealing with some very noisy young kids. They have been running up and down the corridors and I have made a general appeal for parents to please make sure that they do not do this during the later hours of the day. I know this applies to a very, very small percentage of the children onboard but it never ceases to amaze me how some parents allow their kids to roam around the ship at midnight and onwards, some as young as 12 years old. Surely they should be asleep or at least with Mum and Dad or even on Lido deck looking at a gigantic bloody Meteor that my crystal ball had told me would be visible at 11:43pm on the port side of the ship…………I know this unattended kid thing has been spoken about before but it still amazes me.

On a happier note, 99% of the kids this week have been amazing and the Kids Corner contests that I have been running have been very popular. Here, are some drawings of my friend Alan Adkins. I had described him through this photo and asked the kids to draw Alan for me.

I had 23 paintings and each child got a prize. Here are some of my favorites.

Here are today’s photos all of Olympia, the home of the Olympics.

Also, here is another from the Carnival Spirit Alaska collection.

And here are letters from today’s IN THEIR OWN WORDS section.

So, to the Q and A which starts with the last few from the blog titled “Highlighting the Imagination” and then the rest from the blog titled Holland, America and Turkey.

PAUL F. PIETRANGELO – It is always good to start with a friend so a big hello to you Paul. Thank you for your understanding that occasionally, very occasionally I may not be able to answer every question, comment and posting but this will be a rare occurrence. You asked if the stateroom stewards can show your lovely wife how to make the Swan towel animal so you can use that design at your son’s forthcoming wedding. The answer is of course yes. This will be done at the demonstration which is held at the end of the cruise on every ship and also I am sure if you ask your personal steward he or she will be happy to help. Thank you for saying that I should win the Seatrade Insider award, that is very kind of you but my chances of winning are as slim as a Meteor thundering its way across the sky right above the ship…………..it will never happen So Paul, as always in closing I send my best regards as does Heidi.
BIG ED – Hello Ed, nope that was not a Rolex you saw me wearing in the old photo of me. It was a TIMEX and boy that was one ugly watch but it went well with the ugly tie, ugly suit and ugly man. I am really looking forward to our time together and I am putting some amazing entertainment together so bring those Depends with you as you will be laughing for seven straight days. Any requests?
TREESA5021 – You mentioned you will be here in 50 days and would I be here. You bet I will be. You have as much chance of getting rid of me as seeing a large flaming piece of planetary rock flying through the night sky. If you have any questions, please let me know and as always I will be here for you.
CATMAMA044 – I do hope your Father In law is better as I was so sorry to learn that he had been in the hospital. I was however glad to know that the blog thingy has been some sort of escape for you and I hope that continues. Heidi and I send you and your family the best and hope you have better weeks ahead. Please let me know how things are going.
KATHY KROLL – Yep, that was me in those old photos. I hat looking at those as I know I have let myself go over the years. Thank you for listing your favorite ports which were honestly no surprise as Venice and Istanbul seem to be everyone’s favorites. Say hello to Paul and I am glad you are still reading this blog thingy.
CAPTAIN CHUCK – Welcome back Captain and I am glad Dad is back home with you. I am sure that fact alone will be a great comfort to him and in turn will aid his recovery. We continue to think about him and I am happy to hear that the blog is giving you some respite from the trials and tribulations you have been suffering. Good advice you have given yourself though,………………say no to a Turkish bath……………I would rather kiss a Skunk’s bottom and the chances of me having another are as slim as knowing that a Meteorite will fly across the night sky and everyone who is French won’t get to see it. All the best Captain, we are thinking about you.
FRANK C – So far mate the weather and sea conditions look sunny and calm for your upcoming cruise. I will update you as time gets closer but I do not foresee any changes……do expect a large chunk of moon rock to narrowly miss the earth at 4:03pm on Friday. Have a safe flight and I remain here for you should you need any last minute questions answered.
GREG BALDASARRI – Hello Greg. I am sure you have been very busy watching the markets move around and in between and some how finding the time to read my blog thingies for which I am very thankful. Yes, Istanbul remains as radiant and as mysterious as ever and is a firm favorite with our guests here. We so far have not located the missing earring but I hope if it is found someone will do the right thing and hand it in. Thanks for taking the time to slap on this posting mate and I wish you a great day.
NANETTEALI – Please wish Cristian and Viviana happy school days and of course I send my best wishes to you as you continue your great work. I wish I was there to see you as I am sure you are all the kids’ favorite teacher. One day soon we will see each other again and hopefully it will be in the beautiful Old Town of San Juan. Buenos nachos.
SOUTHERNDREAMS – I will never forget Fatima as she left a permanent impression on me….of her huge thighs and fists…never again. I suggest you let the Prince have one sometime, I want to welcome him into my world. Hope you are both well.
ANN MARIE – I wondered where you had been. Thank you again for your nomination and I am so happy you have rejoined me here on my thingy. We just reached 500,000 slaps and as of today we have 520,000 slaps so yes, things are going well ……unless you count me not informing a guest of a 1 in a million phenomena when Superman’s home world decided to sweep across the night sky. I hope you are having a great summer and welcome home to the blog.
DAVE AND BARB – I changed your reservation as you requested as there will be just two major formal nights on the Trans-Atlantic crossing. Hope all is well with you both and before long you will be enjoying a Porterhouse steak in the fantastic Sun King restaurant. I wish I had had some jellybeans in my jet pack when Fatima was bathing me, I could have turned the Turkish bath into a Turkish Jacuzzi.
BARB AND CARL – I wanted to say thank you for recognizing the great interview with Stein from HAL. Couldn’t you just tell that he is so passionate about his job, the industry and of course the great cruise line that is Holland America. He was also the perfect advert for the Norwegian Tourist Board and I for one want to go and eat Herring right now. I am very glad you are so supportive of the blog and long may that continue.
DIVETRASH – Yes, I wish I had known what Exit Only was in Turkish but its too late now and I am happy to hear that you both found such merriment in my misfortune. I wanted to leave but that was not so easy with 400 pounds of Turkish delight on top of me plus I was connected to the main water system a 40-foot long hose.
I am glad you are developing a crush on me, Fatima certainly wanted to get to me better but she will never be on my Christmas card list. Anyway, that’s the last Turkish Bath I will ever have but I am glad you are enjoying the blog. Cheers Laura.
LOIS GRABASNOWSKI – Good luck with the Marlin and let me know how it goes if for no other reason then to have more fun with your name. Hope to hear from you very soon .
HEIDI – BETH AND KEVIN AND THE SEVEN PIXELS – I will never listen to Alan again. The only thing that got me through my own version of Midnight Express was knowing that he was being IRRIGATED as well. We are much closer after sharing that experience. I am glad you are enjoying all the kids stuff and I hope you enjoy their interpretations of Alan. I will finish with my best to you and the other nine in your family.
BRYAN – You asked what ships wee Jimmy and I have worked together on. We started on the Carnival Triumph and also he delivered the Carnival Glory and Carnival Leg End with me as Social Host. We had some very fun times together and I will share some of those moments with you very soon. I am glad your sister is looking forward to building a bear; it’s a great family activity. Please keep reading the blog thingy and all the best.
COOLOEIMOM – Goodness, I am so sorry to hear that your husband’s job is being outsourced to India, This happened to a friend of mine recently in the UK and it seems to be a very unfortunate trend. I love your idea about FAQ and I will be discussing this later with Roberto. It does seem that I do repeat myself a bit but I do not mind as I know it’s hard to look back and try to find the information. Therefore, as you so brilliant suggest, a FAQ section will surely be helpful. Thank you so much for this great suggestion and I will get right to work on this. Cheers Terri.
THE CHADS – I see you all had a good laugh at my Turkish encounter of the worst kind. I blame Alan and revenge will be sweet. I will talk more about the Godmother thing later but no, it’s not Mrs. Big Ed although that would have been nice. I also thought the idea of getting t-shirts made saying I have Missed My Luggage etc would be a good thing to do and I have sent the idea to ROGER BLUM to see if he can get this going. Anyway, keep reading and maybe I will drop a few clues soon as to who PA 007 thought should be Godmother. My best to you and all the Chads.
SUSAN B – Yep, Heidi was laughing very hard at my Bath experience and now she wants to try bathing me in the same way…….no chance. I hope a few of my blogger friends have sent me a few Jelly Beans for my Jetpack; they are desperately needed as I am running on empty. Thank you for asking what Heidi likes and she just loves greeting cards and any kind of beauty cream stuff……..what’s wrong with soap?
It is so interesting that you think PA007 is a woman………I am not saying anything about that but one day……….we will reveal all. All I know is he/she is invaluable to this blog thingy. I hope you are well and your kindness is so wonderful. Thank you on behalf of us all.
MISSINGYOU – Thank you for being so kind about me deserving an Aston Martin. It would be nice……….but that’s what dreams are all about. I will indeed ask the Bar Waiter if he remembers this young lady you are anxious to contact. Do you remember his name as the staff rotates to different bars and I really don’t know which waiter you are talking about? Can you describe him? I will await your e-mail and I hope your dream of finding this lady comes true.
DOUGNEWMAN AT SEA – I wondered when I would here from you again and here you are. I hope to try a cruise on all the sister lines and I would especially look forward to a Holland America cruise following the interview with Stein. How have you been? When are you off on your next adventure? Hope to hear from you again very soon. All the best mate.
MRS MISSINGTHESMOKEFREEPARADISE – Thanks for your posting and let me explain. There will be two official formal nights onboard plus two, elegant casual nights. The two formal nights will have complimentary drinks and hors d’ oeuvres before dinner and feature two of our huge and lavish production review shows, There will also be a big Halloween Night for these guests who have indeed brought costumes. I have to tell you though that on the previous two trans-Atlantic crossings I have done; there have been very few (less than 50) people who brought costumes with them. This does not spoil our celebration of the event though as we will decorate and celebrate accordingly. One thing I can promise you without fear of being proven wrong. There will not be one person who will be able to say they are bored during the seven days at sea. Not on my watch. So, as plans continue and you have any other suggestions I would appreciate you letting me know what you would like to see……….in a smoke free environment of course.
KIM – You will have a great climb of the Leaning Tower of Pisa all 294 of them……………..do you want to borrow my jetpack? I am glad you got the tour you wanted and if you need anything further let me know please. See you all very soon.
LUV2 CRUISE – It makes my tired fingers feel a little better when I hear you have been laughing so hard………….thank you.
SUE GROHOL – I think we will stick with two formal nights on the trans-Atlantic crossing with the elegant casual addition and of course some Halloween fun. The first formal night will indeed be on October 31. I have so many ideas for activities that as I just said to Mrs. MTSFP nobody will have time to be bored. So, get ready for the most relaxing and fun cruise and remember the clocks go back one hour 6 times during the voyage. Hope you are well and enjoying the blog thingy.
KEVIN – Please just send me the details and just mark the posting PERSONAL. Roberto will not post this and instead send it directly to me. Let me know the details and I will see what can be done. We are indeed working on a FAQ list and this will be up very soon. I will be here for you mate so let me know how I can help.
CLEO AND GARTH – First of all your booking is confirmed at the Supper Club for September 30 which is not a formal night but is the night we leave Katakolon. Thanks for letting me know about the problems you have dialing the numbers to hire a tuxedo etc. I have forward your concerns on to the right people however ret assured you can hire one onboard as and when you arrive from our Formalities shop on deck 5.You did a good thing pre ordering your tours on line. You obviously did this because you new what you wanted so please don’t start second guessing yourself. However, if you arrive onboard and after hearing my talk you can always exchange the tour with no penalty. The only sad news is that we will have only highlights of the World Cup Rugby as the satellite stations we receive will not be broadcasting them but you will see the highlights of course. Anyway, don’t worry England will win again. So, relax, get packing and remember I am here as needed. All the best to you and everyone in Aussieland.
CAROL SCHOENBERGER – Thank you for the kind offers Carol. All is well here but an extra bag of Jelly Beans will go along way to get my jet pack up and running. I would love to see the old photos of me and my staff…can’t wait.
As always your comments about Stein, Holland America, The Carnival Valor and of course the Turkish bath incident are right on the money. I know how busy you are so again let me say thank you for taking so much time out of your day to read the blog thingy. I hope your computer has had a dry day and please write soon.
JAMIE AND KEVIN – Of course I remember you both and after your comments we canceled our Turkish bath tour. The one I went to was on impulse and it was a huge mistake and that huge mistake had a name………Fatima……….I can see her face now and it makes my bottom pucker up. Let me follow up on your comment to Guest relations, can you just remind me of your last name please on the next posting and I will see what I can do for you both. Until then, take showers….no more baths for us.
BILL (ZYDECOCRUISER) – Food, yes, food……it’s all we ever talk about. I will be posting a photo of a Wally very soon so you can see one from where I live but your links are on the right track. Now, I had dinner some hours ago but here I go again, looking for snacks and guess whose fault that is. Any news on your Carnival Fantasy cruise cabin number yet mate?
LISA AND ELAINE – I am so sorry you have been so sick. I hope this blog today finds you on the road to recovery and that somehow it’s made you smile. Please let me know and Heidi and I are thinking about you.
CATHERINE EBERT – Catherine, I am so sorry I have not replied to you but honestly I never saw any of your postings. Please forgive me. I truly do try and answer every comment whenever possible and somehow I guess I missed yours, I certainly did not do that on purpose nor do I show any favoritism to other bloggers.
You asked what my favorite port was on the Greek cruise and I have to say I love Rhodes and of course Istanbul, as I know will you. You mentioned Ephesus and that is for most people the highlight and you will not believe your eyes when you see this city caught in time for yourself. As your cruise gets nearer, please let me know if you have any questions and again my apologies for ignoring you. All the best.

That concludes today’s Q and A…………..more tomorrow.

I just wanted to confirm that every one of you who requested a Supper Club reservation last week has had their reservations confirmed as requested. You will be receiving a confirmation on the first day you board your respective vessels. There seemed to be some concern from one or two that this information may be too public but I assure it is secure and obviously if you prefer you can still slap on a request direct to the blog if you prefer. I will be making these bookings for you each and every week so please feel free to complete the link thingy and book your table at the best restaurants at sea.

Here is today’s guest interview and we feature another beautiful ship and another great Cruise Director. Today, it is the turn of BIG TEX who is on the Carnival Fantasy. Here he is and enjoy his interview.

1 – My name is Jeremy Mayes, but everyone calls me Big Tex. Which I think is strange, since I’m from New Jersey…not really. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Not to mention I’m 6ft 3in and just touch over three bills (hence the big part). I’ve been with Carnival a little over five years, and I’ve been a Cruise Director for just over a year. Coming to work at Carnival was just a side effect of my restlessness. As a college graduation gift, my Mom took me on a cruise. It was the Celebration out of Galveston and I remember the Cruise Director was Matt Goodwin. He looked like he was having so much fun, plus it looked like a job I would be good at. Realizing that job options were limited in my chosen field (Radio, Television and Film), I applied at Carnival and was hired a month later (that’s the short version; it’s pretty long story and you have better things to do than read it…).

2 – I’m currently serving in the capacity of Cruise Director onboard the Fantasy. The ship sails year-round from New Orleans on four and five-day cruises. The five-day cruise calls on Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, while the four-day calls only on Cozumel.

3 – My two favorite tours for Costa Maya are the Mayan Culture Experience and the Off-Road Jeep Tour. The Mayan Culture Experience is a great supplement to any Mayan Ruins tour. If for no other reason because many people think that the Mayans just fell off the face of the earth one day. This couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, the present day Mayans in southern Mexico tell a completely different story. You actually get a feeling for what daily life was like for the Mayans. You also understand what the slow decline of their culture was all about. The Off-Road Jeep Tour gives you a chance to see the natural beauty of Costa Maya. It’s a relatively new port of call which lends itself so much more to the exquisite beauty of raw nature. Plus, what could be more fun than bumpin’ & jumpin’ in a Jeep with your friends, and don’t forget about the Mexican BBQ on the beach.

In Cozumel, my favorite tours are the Jungle ATV Adventure and Xcaret. The Jungle ATV Adventure is awesome! You get muddy and dirty while riding through the rainforest in Cozumel. Along the way, you spend time looking at Mayan Ruins and listening to some amazing stories from excellent, entertaining and friendly guides.

Xcaret is what I imagine the Garden of Eden must have looked like. It’s green and beautiful. There are little coves and beaches where you can steel away private moments with that special someone. There are animals and flowers and if that’s not enough, you can float down the underground river. Plus, the restaurants on-site are delicious!

4 – I think my favorite event is the Mardi Gras Party. Its two hours of craziness, up close and personal with our guests. We go from lounge to lounge, meeting and listening to the entertainers, having competitions, throwing beads, singing, dancing and much, much more. However, if you ever have the chance to do the party with me, just be prepared and bring your earplugs. I learned long ago that I wouldn’t be a rock star, but for those two hours I get the chance. If you can handle my rendition of Crocodile Rock or Sweet Home Alabama, you can handle anything.

5 – People should sail on the Carnival Fantasy because of all the ships I’ve had the privilege to serve on, the crew here are the friendliest, most hard-working group I’ve ever known. I think most of that is due to our guests. The folks who sail with us are laid-back and have that southern hospitality which makes you want give them your all. Also, you get to spend time in the Big Easy (one of America’s biggest party cities) before and after your cruise.

6 – The thing I love most about my job is the people. I get to work with so many wonderful people. Not just our guests, but the crew as well. I get to work with my favorite person in the whole world (and the prettiest dancer I’ve ever seen) my wife, Kimberley. I’ve been fortunate enough to not only have a job that I love, but I’ve also made friends for life. And more than anything, I’ve been able to see the world and experience so many different nationalities and cultures that I never would have, had I stayed in the suburbs all my life.

7 – My favorite story happens to be one that was shared with me not more than a few months ago. During one of the shows, I pick a lucky (or unlucky) lady to sing to. The lady that I chose that voyage stopped me as she was disembarking on the last morning of the cruise. She said she wanted to thank me for my song. I simply said your welcome and that it was nothing. She then began to explain to me that her husband had died one year ago. This cruise had been a gift from her family and friends to help cheer her up and get her moving back in the right direction. She had been so sad onboard without her husband, until the night I sang to her. She felt like her husband had been singing to her through me. She gave me a big hug and continued on her way. It was then, more than any other time, that I realized what I do is more than just a job. I don’t know why people are here, but it doesn’t matter. This could be someone’s 100th cruise, or the only one they’ll take in a lifetime. It’s my responsibility to give my best and my all EVERY day.

8 – My three favorite ports of call are St. Johns (because nothing goes better with fresh seafood than an Alexander Keith’s Honey Brown Ale), Cozumel (because there’s SO much to do and enjoy) and Acapulco (because of a restaurant in cliffs called Su Casa which provides an awesome view and their giant water park).

9 – I would love to visit Rome, Rhodes and Barcelona. Come to think of it, can I have John’s ship?

10 – If I could introduce anyone on stage, it would be the Fabulous John Heald. WHAT?!? I’m not getting brownie points for this??? Oh, well in that case, it would have to be Willie Nelson. He’s one of America’s greatest musical influences, not merely as a singer, but as a songwriter as well. Not to mention he takes up about 10% of my I-pod library.

Big Tex is a newly promoted Cruise Director but is part of the future of this great cruise line and I wish him much success.

I am still very excited about PA 007′S idea about a possible Godmother for the Carnival Splendor. We are going to discuss this some more and hopefully by the end of the month we can present the idea to all of you for your approval………it really is a terrific idea from the bowling, trainspotting slightly nerdy spy…………. I am dying to tell you ………….but not yet.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has voted for me in the Seatrade Insider contest and once again I am lost for words as to how humbled and so very grateful I am. I hope I win…………………not just for me but for Heidi, Roberto, Alan Adkins, Roger, Chris, Vance and PA007 and most of all for you because this is all about us and the fun we have together every time we meet in blog land.

Will I win?………..who knows…………probably not…………..there is more chance of me predicting a Meteor will be screaming its way across the sky. I have told my friend from France that it may be visible tonight. I also told him what numbers are going to win the lottery, the Boston Red Sox will win the Super Bowl, Richard Simmons will be the Godmother of the Carnival Splendor and that at 9:14pm this evening there will be a Whale visible from the portside and it will be singing Whale song………just for him……….in French.

Goodnight

Your friends

John and Heidi

Is it me or are some Greek people really rude. Now, I know that is a very abrasive way to start today’s blog but ……………well……..I have been wanting to say this for weeks now and after today, I had to say something. Obviously, I don’t mean all Greeks, I don’t even mean all Greeks from Greece or from Athens where we are today but bloody hell…………they are tough people to deal with and the ones I have met today are like nothing I have met before in the other ports.Over the last few weeks, we have gotten lots of comments from guests (including those with Greek heritage) that they found the merchants, guides and people involved in day to day interaction with guests rude and abrasive. Here is one example just from today from three cabins.

From: FREEDOM PURSERS
Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 3:20 PM
To: FREEDOM PURSERS
Cc: FREEDOM CHIEF PURSER; FREEDOM CRUISE DIRECTOR; FREEDOM SHORE EXCURSION MANAGER
Subject: Museum, Rude Guides and Security – Cabins 6126, 7172, 1044.

The following cabins came to the desk and asked to speak to the cruise director. Purser asked what their concerns were and they explained that during the tour of the Acropolis the museum security guard shouted at the children because they were making to much noise. Guest from cabin 6126 – Kennedy, said that the guard screamed in the face of their 8-year-old child causing him to cry. Mr. Kennedy confronted the guard and was told “You Americans think you rule the world.” This was witnessed by the other cabins 7122 and 1044. Purser told the guests that this would be documented and the message passed on to the Cruise Director. Purser apologized and guests left the desk. Talked to Cruise Director. – 1065.

I wish this was the first time I had heard this sort of thing. I have witnessed it myself. Today, I just went outside to the terminal to see the flow of guests etc and to buy a British newspaper. I gave the man a five Euro note for a paper that cost 3 euros. He took the money, gave me my paper. I stood, waiting for the change and ……….nothing. I said “you owe me 2 Euro” and he just shrugged his shoulders, said something in Greek and served someone else.

Anyway, there have been a lot of incidents similar to the guest’s story above. There is no doubt that this is a beautiful country and Athens is a must visit destination and the majority of people are wonderful but boy oh boy some of them really do need a hospitality class ……………now.

It was hot today as well which probably didn’t help people’s tempers but there were many happy faces after experiencing the Acropolis of Athens. I want to share this with you, it is a list of places that was sent to me by Mrs. Mary Strutt who is sailing this cruise and has now crossed the Acropolis of her must see list. I asked her for her others and this is what she wants to see before……..well………..you know.

THE ACROPOLIS IN ATHENS

THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA

NIAGARA FALLS

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

THE EIFFEL TOWER

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

MACCHU PICCHU – PERU

JOHN HEALD DRIVING AN ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH

OK, I made the last one up but the rest of the list is pretty impressive and she is so excited to have seen two of her list this cruise. Good luck to Mary and I wonder, what’s on your list?

You will be happy to know that the Lloyds Inspectors were very happy when they left and the words “flying colours” were used to describe how we did so everyone is very happy here.

Just one last note about my Turkish bath experience. Alan Adkins and I have promised never to speak of this again but we do feel that we should warn you about the excess water thing………both of us are wearing Depends.

Here are some photos which I hope you enjoy.

1.The Amphitheatre at Athens.

2. Piraeus harbour

3 & 4. A Greek Sunset

I WILL ALSO BE INCLUDING SOME PHOTOS THAT SHAWN ON THE CARNIVAL SPIRIT IS SENDING ME FROM ALASKA – HERE IS THE ONE FOR TODAY

I THINK EVERYONE NOW WANTS TO CALL AND BOOK THE Carnival Spirit – HEY – HOW ABOUT A BLOGGERS CRUISE THERE IN 2009 – ANYONE INTERESTED?

And so to today’s “In Their Own Words.”

Here are today’s questions and answers and comments section which are taken from the blog titled “Highlighting the Celebration and Cruise Director Lenny Halliday.”

BRYANT – Thank you very much for congratulating me on my 20 years. It doesn’t feel like 20 years until I look at old photos of myself, still, I am twice the man I used to be. You asked for a photo and a picture of the tender lobby on Deck 0 where guests enter. Heidi will take this tomorrow morning. I have to say, I have never been asked for a photo of this part of the ship before, but I am happy to oblige. All the best and look out for your photo. If any other bloggers have photo request outside of the secure areas of the vessel, please let me know and I see what I can do.
FRANK C – Thank you Frank, we are all very proud to have passed our Lloyd’s Inspection. It should be a comfort to all the guests who sail on Carnival ships to know that their safety is in good hands. Thanks for giving me the chance to acknowledge this. You are Foxtrot Alpha November Tango Alpha Sierra Tango India Charlie.
LINDA HERNACKI – Hello Linda & Mike. How was your weekend? I am glad you enjoyed the story about the Carnival Leg End, it really was a haunting experience. You asked for a photo of Heidi and I of the early years. I will see what I can dig out. It’s wonderful to hear that you are still enjoying the blog. Have a great day.
JAMES NOLAN – It does seem a long time ago since we met on the Carnival Freedom. I am sure there must be days when you are very scared but the thoughts and prayers of all the thousands of blog readers are with you and everyone else serving their countries in Iraq. If there is anything we can do to make easier over there such as mail, photos or just a note to say HI, please let us know. All the best mate.
HEIDI-BETH AND KEVIN AND THE 7 PIXELS – I want to start with agreeing what you just said “A safe ship is a Fun Ship.” More than anything, that is what we strive to be. It was interesting reading about your friend who just cruised with Costa. In the days to come I will be proudly slapping on an interview with somebody from our dynamic sister company. I hope you enjoyed reading the one from Stein on behalf of Holland America Line. I am glad you are enjoying the Cruise Director interviews and Kid’s Corner. Heidi and I love kids and as you will read later in this blog we try and do what we can for those in need. Talking of kids. How are your seven?
We send our best to all of them and of course to the three of you.
BIG ED – Ed, your applications for Cruise Director has already been submitted and accepted and you have been officially nominated as the Bloggers Undisputed Special Teacher and you will therefore be called Big Bust and will be responsible teaching others how to run your own blog. You asked how Alan is, he is having a great time and Heidi will be taking another photo of him tomorrow. I never did ask. How did you persuade Mrs. Big Ed?
MARK TWAIN AND A HALF – I have been speaking to Feng Shui Turtle a lot this cruise and we have been having a lot of fun, even though up till now she doesn’t have her luggage. I hope she is coming on the bloggers cruise and if you look at the letter from the “In their own words” section you will see a note from her and that Heidi has been looking after her with various hair products. I can imagine asking a Lloyd’s underwriter to insure my two typing fingers. They must be worth at least $5 each. It’s interesting to hear that the cooking thing I mentioned from the back of trucks that we saw in Newfoundland is also popular in America at football games. I never knew this and maybe it is something I can start back in the U.K. Heidi can serve Fish & Chips out of the back of my Aston Martin………..is that the same thing?
Hope you and your other half are well and are enjoying the blog thingy.
DWA76 – Hello mate. You are right, the times I had with Michael Andrew were some of the best times I ever had on stage. He is a massive talent and I am sure he will go on to great things. Thank you for all your lovely comments and I am sorry to report it’s too late. ……….I drove Heidi crazy years ago. All the best mate.
ALAN & CHRIS – I remember when Heidi and I were there, it seemed that the entire city was under construction, but we had a wonderful time and especially loved Quincy Market. Please say a big thank you to Chris for mentioning the blog and I am very grateful for you kind words of congratulations. You will be here soon and I see that you are thinking of booking excursions. I suggest that you wait until you are on board, come to my Travel Talks and then you can decide what you want to do. If you have any questions, please let me know before you sail or see me or Heidi during the cruise. As far as the Supper Club reservation, you can tell me when and at what time as soon as you would like and I will make a reservation for you. See you in September; I will be the one wearing Red Socks.
LUV CRUISIN – I hope you are not suffering from ATCOCS syndrome. Some of the early signs of this are eating six meals a day which you have other people cook for you and sitting down in your living room expecting your husband to perform a review show wearing feathers and a g-string. I suggest you keep reading this blog, it maybe your only way of surviving until your next cruise. See you in 246 days.
SOUTHERN DREAMS – Interesting to hear that you did not enjoy the comedians on Costa Cruises. Comedy is the hardest thing to translate, something I have found out again this cruise. (NO I AM NOT WHINING). I am glad your friends have now found happiness and contentment here at Carnival Cruise Lines. All the best to you and the Prince.
LFTTNSFCF……………I really appreciate your understanding that every now and then I may not be able to answer every comment and question. However, this will be a rare occurrence as I know how important this is to so many people. Just the fact that you understand makes me feel understood. However, let me also say that I will always be here as and when people need advice or help.
JO MYERLY – Too late, I responded )
NANETTEALI – I love the children’s drawings and they really bring a smile to my face. I knew you would enjoy the photo of me and Michael Andrew, I actually thought of you when I slapped it on. Grasyarse me amiga. ……mucho huggo….
SHERIFF ROSCO P. COLTRANE – You asked about the replies that you make and that some of them are awaiting moderation. Actually, I have no idea what this means and I will refer to my good friend ROBERTO to answer for you. I do know that I read how you caught and arrested that terrible man who did terrible things and that night more than ever I was proud to call you my friend. Please stay safe.
TOM AND JANE – A classic Cruise Director joke, thank you for sharing it with us all. Here is another. Over the PA system. “This message is for the man who lost his gold Rolex watch…….I am happy to tell you……the time is 7:30pm.” Thanks to your both and thanks for reading the blog thingy and voting for me. I appreciate it so very much.
BRYAN – I am glad you enjoy hearing about the planning for the Welcome Aboard Show. I have learned over the years that it’s always best to have a plan A and plan B in your pocket. If you have any other questions please let me know. Until then, Cheers mate.
JENN – You asked who the Cruise Director was on the Carnival Inspiration on April 27 1997. I know you want this name for your scrapbook and I am now going to ask CHRIS PRIDEAUX to look in the archives to see who indeed this was. I will advise you shortly.
Thank you for saying I am your favorite CD, you are too kind. All the best.
TERRI 910 – I am glad you are enjoying the photos and I certainly looked very young back then. How kind of you to say that I may have been the reason that you and Larry are hooked on cruising. Thanks also for saying how much you enjoyed our Scouser’s interview. Lenny is a terrific guy and like you, is a huge lover of everything Beatles. Heidi sends her best to you and I think there may be a surprise, show wise, for you on the Carnival Splendor.
POPCORNGAL – Thank you for your congratulations and congratulations to you on receiving your blog thingy t-shirt. It will be interesting to see the reaction you receive when you wear it on the Carnival Miracle. I am very humbled that you bought one and I thank you so much for reading the blog as much as you do.
KEVIN – You mentioned a big congratulations to PA 007 who can indeed find out things no one else can. I will do my best to help you, so once an again, just let me know exactly what it is you would like to do. Everybody here will support you and I see so many people, myself included, think you are a terrific guy……..and not just because you got an Aston Martin.
MEDCRUISER – Thank you very much for saying my Travel Adventure Talks were so helpful during your recent cruise. Compared to ones in the Caribbean, these talks are very much more involved and I have to thank Heidi for helping me write them. I agree with you 100% the Lerici and Portovenere tour is incomparable and I am glad I set this one up. The problem is, everybody wants to see Pisa, which is understandable but for the folks who return to this area, like you, I strongly recommend this tour. I will purchase a tour book for you from this area on Wednesday when we go and let me know a mailing address and I will send it to you. Wishing you a great evening and let me know the address. Thank you for saying my sister is a knock out. She is not bad, even though she is the ugly one of the family.
SHARON AND JEFF – I am interested to learn how much luggage you will be taking for your 49-day Carnival Splendor Cruise. Are you hiring a barge for us to tow behind? I am really excited that you are excited about this cruise and hopefully I will be able to confirm soon that I will be there with you.
DOUG – Welcome to the blog. I see that you only just discovered this world of cruise fun and how wonderful to hear that you are sitting in the gorgeous town of St. John’s Newfoundland. THE NARROWS…that’s right. Thank you for telling me the name of the entrance to the port and reminding me also that that was where Marconi sent his first ever-wireless signal from. I will indeed interview a Navigational Officer in the days to come, so look out for that on this blog thingy. My best regards to everybody in your part of the world, you are very lucky to live there.
KATHIE – Thank you for the anniversary wishes. I am sorry to hear that you have not been well. I am very sad to hear this news and we all hope that you are on the road to recovery. It seems that some messages do not get through to me and this may just be cyberspace madness which I know Roberto will be looking into. Anyway, most importantly, get better and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and I will be thinking of you.
SHELLY P – Well, you will be here soon and unfortunately you will have to bring your own double bass ) You and the boys are about to have the vacation of a lifetime and I am honored to be sharing it with you. Travel safely.
SHELAGH INGLEDOW – Welcome to the blog and thank you for the brilliant recommendation to see the Within Reach Internet Café. I told some of my staff about this and they went there today and already they are raving about it. They loved the price of the internet and I see that you offer wonderful things for the crew. I will come over myself next time and introduce Heidi and I to you. Thank you for everything you do and we enjoyed a wonderful day in Greece. I just wish they were all as friendly as you.

That’s all for the Q & A for today…………………much more tomorrow.

Here is today’s Guest Interview featuring another of my colleagues and great friends Mr. Steve Cassel onboard the Holiday. Steve is an awesome violinist, a brilliant juggler and totally unique as a cruise Director.

Here is his interview.

1. Please can you tell us about your career with Carnival so far? How did you start and when?

I started back in 1986 when Carnival hired me as a juggler. I’d worked all over the world with my juggling act and was currently in a revue show in Lake Tahoe called “Body Language.” I started on the Tropicale, and in a year was given the cruise director position. This is so much fun I’ve never looked back!

2. What ship are you currently on and what is its itinerary?

I’m currently on the happy Holiday sailing out of Mobile, Alabama. We sail to Cozumel every cruise, and on the alternating 5-day cruises, we also hit Costa Maya and Calica / Playa del Carmen. People from the South are just about the nicest people I’ve ever run across. They’re friendly, enjoy life to its fullest, and there’s a natural warmth with Southerners that is very addicting.

3.Please can you pick two excursions from each port and tell us why you recommend them so much?

My favorite port is Cozumel, and if you want to get out and really see it, the highlights and shopping tour is perfect. It’s a great combination of two popular reasons to visit exotic ports of call. Next would be the dolphin swim. They’re inquisitive, friendly, curious and intelligent. The third of the two would be getting to know turtles. There’s the Grand Cayman Turtle Farm, Swimming with Turtles in Playa del Carmen, and a few others. I think God was in a rather unusual mood when he made the turtle, and I believe there’s more to them than meets the eye.

4. What are your favorite activities or events that you host and why?

I enjoy the Newlywed, not-so-newlywed game. I end up interpreting quite a few answers, though. It’s amazing to me what people actually write sometimes! I enjoy the Talent Show as well. No matter what happens, it’s always fun to see people perform.

5. Fill in the blank please……………..People should sail on the HOLIDAY because it’s just about the friendliest environment around. You feel at home instantly, and your cruise vacation experience will be so much fun, you’ll start planning your next one before you leave. We make sure of it!

6. What do you enjoy most about being a Cruise Director?

My favorite part is performing. I was hired as a professional juggler and I enjoy that immensely. But all through school I was planning to be a concert violinist. I would practice 4 hours a day, had private lessons, but decided at one point that I didn’t want to dress like a penguin for the rest of my life and sought to broaden my horizons. Performing on cruise ships gives me the opportunity to do it all. We have a production revue show called “X-treme Country” on the Holiday, where I get to play Country Fiddle throughout the show, featuring Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Orange Blossom Special, and The Devil Went Down to Georgia among others. What fun! My mother wanted me to play violin (in the worst way) and my dad wanted me to play fiddle, so to keep everybody happy, I learned both.

7. Share your favorite story with us that involve our guests and your job?

There are hundreds, but my favorite has to be the elevator incident. I was walking around the Ecstasy with Ron Ness, Hotel Director when we spotted three elderly ladies staring straight up. They were at the main elevator, not moving, seemingly entranced with something. On the Ecstasy atop the main forward elevators, there’s a light that marks the floor that the elevator is currently on, arranged in a semicircle above the doors. They were staring at these lights. As Ron and I approached, the lady on the left, obviously quite upset, piped up: “Well, how do they expect us to press these buttons?” That was at least 12 years ago, but it’s still one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

8. List your three favorite ports you have visited?

Cozumel, St. Thomas and Grand Cayman.

9. Name three ports you would really like to see that you have never been to?

I’d like to do the Alaska run, everyone says it’s absolutely beautiful.

10. Finally, if you could introduce on stage any star, alive or not who would it be and why?

If I could introduce anyone onstage, it would be the Italian violinist Niccolo Paganini, held by many as the greatest and most innovative virtuoso of all time. He played a Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu. He could make it sing, he could make it weep, and left his audiences gasping. In Paganini’s hands, the violin became a living, breathing thing. I’d love to be in the same room with someone who possesses that kind of gift.

Thanks Steve and I am sure the good folks of Alabama are enjoying having the Holiday in Mobile and the guests onboard I know enjoy your multitude of talents.

I wanted to talk to you now about a great friend of ours. Her name is Rebecca and she is a Special Needs teacher in Oxnard, California. She sailed with us on the Carnival Liberty and we gave her a trophy to show the children. Before she came on this cruise she had her entire class draw me pictures in a hope that one of them would win a trophy for being “the smartest kid in the class”

There were a total of 15 kids who wanted to win and 15 fantastic pictures and letters. Here are all 15…………….YES……………all 15…………….I though it would be nice for them to see their drawings and letters being read by thousands of people.

Heidi and I have given her a trophy for every child, along with a signed photo of the ship and a medallion ………………tonight, they are winners.

Congratulations you are all the SMARTEST KIDS IN THE CLASS AND WE ARE ALL PROUD OF YOU.

Goodnight

Your friends

John and Heidi

Good Evening from Istanbul…………………what a day.

Let me start off with yesterday though first and a bit of a problem that occurred involving our in cabin entertainment system, the one that supplies all the movies and TV channels to the cabin. Let me explain what happened. The matrix which supplies the audio feed to …………………..the thing blew up.

Things resulted in the TV channels having full picture but no sound. This lasted for about 8 hours until our engineers repaired the thing that blew up and all was restored to full working order. Now, this happened at 11:00am and by 7:00pm it was repaired. Most of that time people were ashore in Izmir, Turkey and out of the 3488 guests we have onboard we received no complaints that the movies and TV channels had no audio……………………OH, except one………..this one.

From: FREEDOM PURSERS
Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2007 4:50PM
To: FREEDOM CRUISE DIRECTOR; FREEDOM AUDIO VISUAL MANAGER
Cc: FREEDOM PURSERS; FREEDOM CHIEF PURSER
Subject: 6380 – Angry at no sound on the TV

Mr. ____________ called the Information Desk and started shouting before purser could say hello. He wanted to know why the TV was not working with sound. Purser explained that the ship was having difficulties but it should be better soon. Guest shouted that this was very bad and he demanded money compensation. Purser explained that this was not possible and guest demanded to speak to Cruise Director.

John, please can you call the guest when you have time as he insisted on speaking to you.

So, this morning I met with the guest as he refused to speak to me over the phone. I am not going to bore you with the details but needless to say he was vet upset that he could not watch the news because the ” markets were crashing ” and he needed to check and listen to avoid loosing thousands of dollars. I did explain that MSNBC had a ticker tape running at the bottom but it was hard to get a word in………….he got angry and threw all his toys out of his pram ( that’s an English expression ).

I said I would not bore you with the details but I guess I just did………………..oh well. I asked him what would make him happy and he said ” 1 days refund of the cruise”.

Let us never speak of this again.

So, back to today. I finished the last of the Lloyds Inspections this morning as we were audited about our pyrotechnics procedures. Do you remember that awful incident in Seattle Washington a few years ago. There was a rock concert during which pyrotechnics were used. Unfortunately, this caused a drastic fire, there was allegedly only one exit and this resulted in 9o something people were trapped and tragically lost their lives.

Here, we have strict guidelines on the handling, storage and preparation of these fire work devices as well as a whole specific procedure in evacuating the lounge of 1500 people should there be a fire caused by one of these during our main shows.

These procedures are part of the SMS manual. SMS stands for Safety Management System and one day I will go into further detail about this. However, this morning all went well and the department received a 100% pass on our inspection. This was due to the brilliant team of Technicians I have here and a big thank you to Mr. Eric Hatfield who has put these procedures into place to make sure the Carnival Fleet is at the top of the tree when it comes to Entertainment safety. Thanks Eric.

After the inspection, Heidi and I went out with Alan Adkins and family on a quick trip around Istanbul. It was a great day except ………..well, I will tell you about that later.

Here are some photos from today.

1. The head Of Medusa. This can be found in the underground cistern in Istanbul. It is said that Medusa was taken to Constantinople and buried upside down so she could not use her powers to turn you into stone……………this is a place you really must visit.

2. A beautiful shot of the Blue Mosque

3. The Grand Bazaar

4.Alan Adkins’s Lunch – a traditional Turkish Shish Kebab

5. Alan Adkins’s Eating His Lunch – his head has been cut off because some of you may be eating.

HERE ARE TODAY’S LETTERS FROM THE ” IN THEIR OWN WORDS SECTION”

The last one refers to a young man who is sight impaired and I arranged a reserved front row seat for him at each show………..his smile during the shows lights up the room.

It is Q and A time now so here we go AND LET’S START WITH THIS GREAT NEWS.

John Friedman
John and Heidi – the GOOD NEWS is that all tests came out negative for cancer. Please give my thanks to all those who sent positive thoughts, prayers and feelings for my situation. I knew there were prayer chains around the world for me, but to think they were also at sea is great. So, even though my breathing is not good, it looks like I will get to meet you on or after August 29th, and I am looking forward to that. Your blog has helped me stay focused, positive, and hopeful through some stressful times, and I thank you, even thought I know at some times it must be a burden to get it out with all your other responsibilities. I cannot end without at least mentioning that while yesterday was joyous for me, there were thousands who waited for the same results, and did not get good news, and their lives are now quite despondent. We need to keep them in our prayers, for they have a difficult path to follow. Mary and I are looking forward to meeting you and Heidi and enjoying the trip of a lifetime. Thanks again for everything.
Hello Mr. Friedman……that is wonderful news and I am sure all of us here send you our congratulations and best wishes for continued health and happiness. You are correct, many people may not be as fortunate as you but tonight we are all happy to have shared your joyous news. See you both very soon.

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED FROM THE BLOG CALLED – HIGHLIGHTING THE CARNIVAL GLORY AND WEE JIMMY

BIG ED – I just goggled Monk and actually I think that maybe a good match for PA007, however, I think you may need to look more toward someone a bit more less ” obvious “. The real PA 007 is quite, until provoked and they have the cunning of a Tiger hunting their prey, the sleekness of a Cheetah sprinting towards its goal, the camouflage skills of a Chameleon and when PA007 wants to, they can be as meek and as mild as a Sloth.
Congratulations on all the comments that fellow bloggers are making about you sailing in January. They are all very happy for you and of course so am I mate.
LINDA HERNACKI – yep, that was me 14 years ago, handsome and slim devil was I not? You also mentioned the Grey Hair. You know, this is a strange thing because neither Mum or Dad have grey hair but me, I look a snowy Owl in the winter. Honestly, one morning after delivering the Carnival Destiny which was a tough start up, I woke up and that was me forever the Grey man. I was going to colour my hair but Heidi will not let me……….she says it makes me look like Richard Gere……..JOY.
I know how badly you want Heidi and I to be here for you when you sail and I promise I will do my best to make sure I am here if possible. I want to meet you and Mike and thank you for your support of the blog and because you are my friends.
JO MYERLY – You are welcome. I know that you will love both Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. See you soon.
IVANA – Thank you for the kind wishes for last night (Thursday ). Unfortunately I was interrupted in the middle of my performance by a call from PA007 with some information and hearing PA’s voice deflated the situation. Anyway, talking of PA007 I had a good grin at your choice of something called UGLY BETTY to play the part in the movie. You are the first person to think PA 007 may be a lady, you may be correct………or not………….I will have to Google this Ugly Betty person and see if there is any resemblance. Thanks for the posting and as always thank you for reading the blog thingy.
DEBY – Hello, I remember the Clear Channel group very well and they were a lot of fun. Thank you for the kind words regarding my 20 years and I am not sure if I can make it another 20 but certainly I still love the job so I will keep going for as long as I can………………or Heidi lets me. Thanks again Deby and all the best.
THE BEARS – CARL AND BARB - hello you two Teddies, how are you? I am glad you liked the interview with Wee Jimmy. He writes just like he talks and he has all the talent in the world and could be the best ever. I am sure he will love his bear and give him a big hug from us both but do not lift up his kilt, you may get a shock………even if it’s a small one. My best to you both.
RUS AND NINA FRANKLIN – You sound like you really enjoyed your time with Wee Jimmy on the Elation. As I said above, he has all the right attributes to make him a fantastic CD and in time the best ever. Can you send the note he wrote to Roberto and he will send it to me and I thank you for doing so. I cannot believe he is wearing braces ( suspenders ) like me. People used to call him mini me, but as you saw there is nothing MINI about him now. He is a great friend it makes me feel like a proud father when I here how much you enjoyed his antics. I am glad you had such a great time and next time you cruise we will be altogether on the bloggers cruise……..I can’t wait.
LOIS GREATSCOTTSKI – Thank you for your kind words about potty training Sammy the Dog. Before using the toilet he was doing it on the Poop Deck. I love making new names up for you.
HEIDI – BETH AND KEVIN + 7 – Glad to hear you loved the photo of Wee Jimmy and I, it brings back some great memories. That was taken during our trip to Glasgow on the Carnival Leg End. I am glad you like Kids Corner. It really is a new favorite of mine and I have received 67 pictures so far this cruise and they are all on display at Camp Carnival…………..every one gets a prize. Talking of kids, I send my best to your seven and also to Beth and Kevin………….thanks for everything.
BIG ED – I have done as you requested and its in the big grey file.
LISA AND ELAINE – I think the Mississippi heat has effected your eyesight and given you blurred vision as you described me as handsome 14 years ago and handsome now………I think an eye test is overdue. I said thank you to Heidi on your behalf for the great photos, she loves her purse and now wants a matching red one…….deep joy. You asked about bloggers sitting with other bloggers at dinner and indeed this is definitely something that we will be able to work out. I will at least make sure that everyone is in the same dining room and Big Ed is in his favorite booth. Our best to you both, hope you are enjoying the blog thingy.
ROBIN D – Thank you for reading the blog so much. Please don’t worry about not being able to join us on the bloggers cruise, there will be another one, I am sure. I am glad you enjoyed Wee Jimmy and I am very proud that he is now a Cruise Director. I am glad the cruise feeling is with you when I write this blog, that makes is worth while. The last time Heidi and I were in Boston we had such a wonderful time and I remember eating at a restaurant called Legal Seafood. It was amazing.
All the best and see you soon.
JOHN STEERS – Thank you for your kind words concerning my 20 years. Some of those years were spent working with you in Port Canaveral and I am sure you must be very proud to say you protected the public for 20 years as a police officer. All the best mate and my regards to everybody at P.C.
LFTTNSFCF – Hello Mate. It’s good to see that you are enjoying the interviews with the other Cruise Directors. There are many more to come next week.
I take no offence in your comment that the Cruise Director is not the primary factor in your cruise experience. Indeed, it should not be. However, we Cruise Directors do know that we can set a special tone that hopefully will allow the guests to feel at home. This feeling will then enhance the ability to make friends with strangers and this, as you said, is what you enjoy most about taking a cruise. The fact that you enjoy all the staff and crew is a testament to your endearing personality and I know the crew appreciate it. So, see you in 81 days and as always I wish you much happiness.
NICO R – Having read what you are interested in doing, I think the best thing for you will be to send in your C.V. (resume) to the following person at this address.
David Steedman, Director of Pursers
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Place
3655 NW 87 Avenue
Miami, Florida
33178-2428
U.S.A.
I think the Pursers Information Desk maybe the best start for you and I wish you all the best and much success.
Please remember, the minimum age requirement is 18 and maybe you can discuss with David your career opportunities. On another note, I appreciate your time in acknowledging the and I agree the tipping system used by the other cruise line you mentioned does not seem a fair one. I look forward to hearing from you in the days ahead.
SOUTHERN DREAMS – You speak for everybody when you say you are happy and excited that Big Ed is sailing on the bloggers cruise, I am too.
I can’t wait to see Heidi was his drawers. ) I guess I am the only person who has never seen an episode of MONK and will try and do so on vacation.
Hope things are well with you and the Prince and see you soon.
NANETTEALI – Please never feel guilty. I wish I could hear from you 10 times a day. Your comments are always appreciated and I can see what you mean about Olivia’s drawing, it was a wonderful interpretation of her art. How are you all in San Juan? Feels like such a long time ago that you were all here with us. Heidi and I miss you lots. I am pretty certain the picture is from ’93, but those days of the early 90′s are one big blur, so maybe you are right, it may be from ’92. Buenos tardez mia am ego.
KEVIN – Yes, pizza classes, I think it’s a brilliant idea and I have already addressed this with Food & Beverage. Do you know who you spoke to regarding your interview? Please let me know as I will chase this up for you. I think you will be a massive asset to what we do here on board. So, let me know or e-mail it to Roberto Castro and let me see what’s up. I wish you all the best even though you have an Aston Martin and I don’t.
BILL ZYDECO CRUISER – Here we go with the food again. It’s hours till dinner time and your first words Fish & Chips and my stomach sounds like Mount Etna. You asked about the inaugural cruise of the Carnival Splendor. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the details of this event are not available yet. However, as and when they are I will let everyone know and hopefully we will be able to involve the guests who are on the inaugural cruise experience with us. Back to the Fish & Chips, I think you should have cod, a large portion of chips, mushy peas and a large Wally.
Now, you probably don’t know what a Wally is, so Dad, please go to the fish shop and take a photo of you and your Wally for the thousands of American, Canadian and bloggers from all over the world, who have never seen a Wally. Talking about food, Mum please can you make some Spotted Dick and send me photos of my Dad’s Wally and his Spotted Dick.
Ok Bill, let’s stand by for more information and thank you for another fantastic hunger craving posting.
Oh, by the way Bill, I just saw your photo of the Aston Martin with the steering wheel on the right side. Personally, I don’t care, if the steering wheel is on the left, the right or even if it doesn’t have one at all. I just hope that my reward is waiting for me……..one month’s hire of my dream machine….
The reality is, I will be driving my usual Nissan Micra and I will need a shoe horn to get in and out.
PAUL F. PIETRANGELO – And a very good evening to you Paul. I just read that you have send me a card wishing me congratulations for my 20 years.
You are too kind. Don’t worry about the Italians, they have been the only small group of people who have not been happy that most of the entertainment, fun and activities are in English. I have worked very hard, along with the team on board, to include everybody this cruise and so far it seems to be working. I am glad you enjoyed the interview with Wee Jimmy and to answer your question, I never did and never will wear a kilt. My legs are definitely not built for that, they are more suitable holding up an oil rig. The photos of me all those years ago were taken way before I met Heidi and in future blogs I will slap on a few photos from when we first met. You are correct, Heidi and I do love children and thank you so much as always for all your beautiful words.
GRACE – We will see you on the 17th and just wanted to wish you a safe flight.
NANCY D – Hello Nancy. I see that you have been reading the blog – thingy from the start and have finally slapped on a posting.
How wonderful to see that your first posting is to say thank you and congratulations to me. What you said in this posting has meant a lot to me and I can’t wait to see you on the Carnival Splendor. Sincerely and with kind regards.
BRYAN – I feel like a proud dad, when I read comments like yours about Wee Jimmy. One of the biggest problems when young Cruise Directors are first promoted is that they forget where they came from. By this I mean, they forget why they were promoted and stop doing all the fun things that got them to this position.
This can never be said about Wee Jimmy. Look forward to receiving your letter and good luck moving in to your University dorm. I am sure this will be the best time of your life. Cheers mate.
LISA WIGGS – I am glad you enjoyed the photos of Sammy The Dog. You asked if we can post photos of all the animals available in the Build the Buddy activity. Heidi will be taken care of this in the next few days.
This is not an activity just for children. Anybody can participate. I want to build a bear that has his own jet pack and makes noises from his bottom, Heidi won’t let me, Look out for those photos very soon. Bye for now.
CINDY56 – Cindy, I see you are another fan of Wee Jimmy and also Mark Price and Chris Jefferson. These three Cruise Directors are shiny examples of what a Cruise Director is all about. Thank you for your kind words towards Heidi and I which we will return to you and look forward to the next time you slap something on the blog thingy.
CAROL SCHOENBERGER – I remembered your poor, sad, abused and tormented computer in my thoughts. Hopefully you have not subjected any further liquid punishment towards it. I am glad to hear you are enjoying the Kids Corner section of the blog. We place all the pictures in the library for all guests to enjoy.
Thank you also for mentioning you enjoyed the photo of Roberto Castro, who does so much to support this humble blog.
You asked me if I remember who my Assistant Cruise Directors were in 1992. Honestly, I don’t. I think it may have been Graham Seymour, who is now a very successful Cruise Director with a cruise line that rhymes’ with “moil “….and Larry Galutzo, who has recently retired from his CD position her at Carnival. If you do have a photo, it would be great to see. Wishing you a great day and as always Carol, thank you for everything.
BIG ED – I spoke to Alan and he promised me, he would post a photo of himself in the bloggers album. For now, he wants to be the “grey” man, which is probably the best thing, considering he is so ugly.
KICIASKI – Yes, that was your Aston Martin that Sammy was driving. It sits on top of my desk and sometimes I gaze at it for hours. Heidi thinks I am really sad.
You asked about the fire that was heading towards Dubrovnik, Croatia. This was a very serious fire which at one point looked like it could burn through the old town of Dubrovnik. Fortunately, the fire is now out and we should be ok to call there as normal next cruise. However, it was sad to hear the fire was apparently started on purpose, which is the last thing Croatia needs at this time.
Following your 24 days on board, I feel like I should name the front row after you ” The George and Linda Stand “. Wish you were there now.
VICKI – many thanks for your kind words. I would not change these last 20 years for anything. I am very excited to see that you send me some jelly beans and Heidi is already preparing the cabin with extra sound proofing and extra large bottles of OUST. I will let you know when they arrive, although I expect you will hear the sounds to show that they have indeed arrived. You are very kind and I really say a big thank you to you for the jelly beans, but Heidi does not…
ERIC RTHAYER – Congratulations on booking your Platinum cruise for January on the Carnival Valor. Enjoy all of the perks that comes with being a member of the shiny card club. You mentioned also, you are considering a ‘back to back’ cruise on the new Carnival Imagination. I say ‘new’ because when you do cruise you will not recognize it since your last cruise on her in 1996. If you go back to the previous blog you will see some of the additions which will make sure that the Fantasy Class continues to be the most successful class of cruise ships. Thank you for reminding me of the name of the Lido restaurant. I have not been on the Carnival Imagination for many years, the ship will always hold special memories for me. I got engaged on that ship, I fell in love on that ship, then I met Heidi………..kidding! Oops, too late……………….that’s me in the house of the dogs. All the best Eric.
MILLIE S – You asked how many formal nights we will have on the transatlantic. As people are traveling by plane and this means limited luggage, I have decided there will be just 2 formal night. What do you think? Is this enough? What do other TA cruisers think?
I really am looking forward to meeting you Millie and looking forward to your advise.
RUTH JIMISON – I am glad you are enjoying the photos and Heidi and I will miss Sammy the Dog when he is flown back to his owner from Rome.
I am glad you enjoyed the interview with Wee Jimmy I will pass on your congratulations to him. All the best Ruth, hope you are well.
LAUREN – Well spotted. Yes, that was an ugly tie and pre Heidi. Now, Heidi has an influence on anything I wear, from my socks to my underwear. In some ways, I miss the days when I can wear a green tie with a red shirt.
LAUREN ROSENBERG – It’s great to hear that you will be sailing on the September 22nd cruise, on what will be your first ever cruise. Let me answer you question for you. Personally, I believe you should wait until you are on board, before you book any tours. For experienced cruisers the online service gives people the chance to book ahead of time as they tend to know what they want. However, for you, I suggest you come to my Travel Talks before each port so you know the choices, what’s right for you and I can answer any questions you may have. Please don’t worry about the Highlights of Istanbul, this will still be available when you come on board. You asked about Travelers Cheques in Europe. They can be exchanged on board and 99% of vendors in Italy and Greece will accept Travelers Cheques. In Turkey, you will get much better deals using cash. If you have an ATM card this is the best way to withdraw Euros.
This can be done in any of the Italian and Greek ports. There is plenty of time before you cruise, so please keep sending in your questions, should you have any.
PEANUTS – Wow, I can’t honestly say, I have ever heard of eating fresh perch before. It sounds very tempting and thank you for the invitations and maybe one day Heidi and I will be eating perch on the porch with you. Thank you for ordering t-shirts and I love your new name Peanuts.
Did you hear about the 2 peanuts walking into a bar? One was assaulted. All the best to you and your husband.
BIG ED – The reason you have so many hits on your site has nothing to do with me but is all to do with your dedication and sense of fun, which is contagious.
Congratulations mate!
KEVIN – Same to you mate. It’s people like you who make this blog that extra bit special.
CARL HARMON – Heidi and I just had a good laugh when we read your cast list for the bloggers movie. Especially Eddy Murphy playing the part of PA 007.
I know PA 007, who is helping at the family hot dog stand in Miami, will be laughing when they read this. Thanks to you and the bears.
LINDA HERNACKI – Thank you for voting for me Linda, it is a true honor to be nominated for the Seatrade Insider Awards. I am sure there are many more worthy winners than me unless the prize is an Aston Martin, in which case I should win, I deserve it ) I can then take Mike for a drive.
THE CHADS – I am glad you enjoyed you enjoyed the interview with my buddy Wee Jimmy. You mentioned Heidi’s photo of the Carnival Freedom with the flowers in front of it. You mentioned it’s worth the price of her new bag…….so that’s worth hundreds of dollars is it?…….for a bag?…….I just don’t understand why we can’t use plastic bags with Carnival written on it. It begins with a C like the bag she has……..and if it breaks I have 3000 spare ones on board, women and handbags, I just don’t understand.
JAMES EMM – I am glad you are changing your flight, it makes a lot of sense and will allow for a more relaxing debarkation. Have a safe flight.
TERRI AND DANIELLE – You are correct, Wee Jimmy and I had a lot of fun on the Carnival Leg-end together. I remember standing him on the front of the ship as we sailed towards Iceland and having him re-inact the scene from the T movie where he shouted “I’m the king of the world”, while I poured buckets of freezing cold water of him. This was all captured live on the Morning Show. I had so much fun working with him and I miss those days. Hope you are both well and hope to have some more fun with you soon.
VICKI AND MATT TILL – I am no good at blowing my own trumpet, but yes, you are correct, thank goodness for Roberto.
CINDY BRUCE – And what a perfect way to finish today’s Q & A. You mentioned that this blog thingy makes you all feel like you are talking to and reading about friends. That to me is worth nearly as much as an Aston Martin…………………….but not quite. Thank you Cindy, for those special words.

That’s the end of today’s Q & A.
I want to thank all of you for taking the time to vote for me for this Seatrade Insider award. I am very humbled by the nomination and win or not ( probably not ) I want to thank you just for thinking of me.

I also have some sad news………….get the tissues ready as I am sorry to announce that I have given up………I am a beaten man and can continue no longer and although it pains me to say it, say it I must……………..I have given up the fight to have AJ as the Godmother of the Splendor. She has not replied to my communications and as I sit here, weeping like a big girl, I know in my heart that we were never meant to be………she has forsaken me for that Brad thing and I therefore sit here today knowing that we will never be together. I will never know what it would have felt like to feel her standing next to me on the stage, her hand gently brushing mine as I pass her the microphone, her soft lips pouting gently as she says ” thank you John ” pausing just that little bit longer as her lusting eyes look at me with that knowing look that says she wants me…………………………..I will never be the same again and she will never know what it is like to be the proud Godmother of a ship belonging to the World’s Most Popular Cruise Line………………..I am beaten…………………………………OH, well, never mind lets move on………….Angelina who.

So, I move now to Catherine Zeta Jones, or do I ? I just had a conversation with PA 007 and PA had a brainwave, a huge massive earth shattering brain wave……and unusually for PA 007 it was not about bowling, train spotting or Star Trek……………it was about a Godmother other than she who will no longer be spoken of in this blog and CZT………….it’s brilliant, topical and she would be an awesome GM……………..and it is……………………………can’t tell you………not yet………..it’s top secret and as it came from PA 007 who is just ………well an normal office employee, I have to be careful and make sure that PA gets the credit. I am therefore going to tell Roger Blum so he can discuss this with the other VP’s and then with Mr. Cahill……………………….stand by.

And now, today’s interview. It is a one of the very best I have ever done and that is thanks to the answers which you will see have been written with flair, passion and show a true love for what this man does. What does he do…………oh, did I not mention that, well he is The President & Chief Executive Officer Of Holland America Line, the one and only Mr. Stein Kruse

1. Can you tell us about your life so far within the cruise industry from the start until where you are now. I also understand you worked in Japan. Please tell us about your journey so far.

I was born in Oslo, Norway and after completing my compulsory military service I wanted to study abroad and ended up attending university in the US. In 1982 I was recruited as a Management Trainee and joined a venerable old passenger ship company, Norwegian America Line. Not that I knew very much about the cruise industry, but I guess they thought the idea of a U.S. educated Norwegian working and learning the many different areas of the cruise business was a good one. I worked onboard their two cruise ships Sagafjord and Vistafjord and in their offices in Oslo, New York and Hamburg. Generally I did what young management trainees are supposed to do – learned the ropes from the bottom up.

As consolidation began to take place in the cruise industry, NAL was acquired by Cunard Line and I worked for Cunard Line in New York until I got a call from an old friend who wanted me to join a fledgling start up cruise line – Sea Goddess Cruises. This company was promptly snatched up by, yes, you guessed it, Cunard Line, and I found myself right back in New York. Fortunately the Cunard Line management must have liked me because, rather than “punish” me for having left, they promoted me and made me Assistant Vice President in charge of Passenger Services. Wanderlust again called in 1989 when I joined another start up cruise company, Seven Seas Cruise Line and moved from New York to Singapore with my New Orleans born girlfriend, soon-to-be wife, Linda, and assumed the role as Senior Vice President, Operations.

The company was jointly owned by a wealthy Japanese investor and a large Japanese shipping company, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha – (“K” Line) – you’ve probably seen their red and white containers in various ports you’ve visited around the world? Their idea was to develop western style cruising for the Japanese vacationers, but their original business plan had some challenges with it, and after shuttling between Singapore and Japan for a year or so and pointing this out, they made me President of the company and challenged me to fix the problems I had identified. We relocated the company to San Francisco, then a year or so later merged with another small, Florida-based, fledgling cruise line – Diamond Cruise. The company was controlled by a group of Finnish investors and the Carlson Group out of Minneapolis and was headed up by a friend of mine, Mark Conroy. We named the new entity Radisson Seven Seas Cruises; today it’s a well known luxury cruise brand – Regent Seven Seas.

The Japanese owners had by now decided they wanted to exit the cruise industry and asked me to arrange for a sale of their investment in Radisson Seven Seas, which I did. Realizing that I had engineered myself out of a job through this effort, “K” Line asked me to attend the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and when I re-emerged in the business world I was named “K” Line’s North American Chief Financial Officer, a job I held until Holland America Line called one day and suggested I should consider returning to the cruise industry. I moved to Seattle with my wife Linda and my two children, Victoria and Alexander, to become Senior Vice President, Fleet Operations for Holland America Line and Windstar Cruises. That was in 1999, and in 2003 I was named President and Chief Operating Officer and in 2004 I succeeded the legendary Kirk Lanterman as Chief Executive of Holland America Line. How’s that for a “brief” recap of the past 25 years?

2. You must be very proud to be the President of one of the most recognized names in the cruising world and before we talk about specifics, what is it that makes Holland America so special.

I am indeed very proud of the position I hold, and I really think Holland America Line is a very special company. But it is the one asset type we don’t place on our balance sheet that is the main reason for our company’s longevity, and success – our human assets. A company doesn’t stay around for 130+ years by accident. The 15,000 men and women who work for Holland America Line are truly what make this company so special. I always say, ‘it’s not just about doing things right, it’s about doing the right things.’ This translates into every facet of our business and certainly to the 700,000+ guests who sail with us each year. And, this is one of the many reasons we enjoy the highest repeat rate in the cruise industry.

3. The HAL ships are spread out all over the world. Can you tell us what is the shortest and the longest cruise you offer?

In 2008 we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of our first world cruise which we originated in 1958. And, on Jan 4, 2008, our 1,380-guest flagship, ms Amsterdam sails on a 114-day voyage featuring 39 ports in 29 countries on six continents. The itinerary comprises a true circumnavigation of the globe, cruising nearly 36,000 nautical miles round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., through the Panama Canal to the South Pacific, New Zealand, Far East, India, Arabia, Mediterranean, Black Sea and North Africa before crossing the Atlantic via Bermuda to return to North America.

Typically our shortest cruises are Pacific Northwest coastal cruises as we reposition to and from Alaska. And, in 2008 we are offering a 3-day cruise on our new Eurodam round trip from New York. So from 3 to 114 days – quite an amazing array of cruise choices.

4. Do you know how many different ports your ships cover in a year?
In 2007 we will visit 314 ports of call in 97 different countries, territories or dependencies. In 2008 we will visit 328 ports of call in 113 countries, territories or dependencies. We truly cover the world.

5. I have heard a lot from guests who have sailed here with me who have raved about your ” Signature of Excellence ” program. Please can you tell us all about what appears to be something very special?

Back in 2003 we took a close and very focused look at all facets of our company and determined that as markets and customers were changing, so must we change. Signature of Excellence began in 2004 as a very innovative $225 million initiative, investing into our product, our services and our brand. And, although the ‘initiative’ was very successful – creating new and distinctive spaces on board and enhancing the overall guest experience – it has become much bigger than that initial effort, and has today become in a way our brand promise. In fact, our company mission now reflects this pursuit of excellence. It is ‘through excellence that we create once in a lifetime experiences, every time.’

6. I have also read that you are starting an open seating dinning plan at dinner. What do you believe are the benefits of this service?

We tested our program, As You Wish dining extensively and received very positive responses from our guests. The benefits are around choice. As You Wish dining is an innovative program that allows guests to choose from the best of both worlds – either traditional pre-set seating and dining times, or a completely flexible dining schedule. One level of the two-tiered restaurant will offer a flexible/open dining service from 5:15 to 9 p.m. daily, and the other will host two seatings; a traditional early and main seating.

7. Holland America has a rich tradition all over the world and obviously in Holland itself. The ships are named from provinces in the Netherlands, which one do guests have the hardest time pronouncing?

That’s a toss up between Zuiderdam and Oosterdam! At the office we have a couple of sayings that help. Zuider is “Zider”, like apple cider. And, we pronounce Ooster ‘oaster’ like toaster, not ‘ooster’ like rooster!

8. Now, I am very excited to hear about the Eurodam which will be a new member of your family. What are the major features of the ship? I also understand that you are starting a blog of your own all about the concept and which will offer updates on the building of the vessel. Please tell us more.

The Eurodam will be delivered to us in June 2008, and she will be a gorgeous ship. While it follows our developed style of evolution rather than revolution it will have many new features – new stateroom designs and categories, new restaurants and dining venues, exciting and elegant shopping and more. I encourage all of your readers as soon as they’re done reading your blog for the day to visit www.eurodamnews.com to learn all about the Eurodam and see it as it is being created!

9. I hear that you cruised on the Carnival Valor. What were your impressions of a Carnival Cruise and did you have fun?

Did I ever! I sailed on Carnival Valor late last year. What a great ship and what a super product. I was impressed with the layout of the ship – it was so easy to get around despite it being a big ship. The food and service was excellent and I loved the entertainment. And people really had fun. It was truly fabulous to see the brand promise of Carnival being delivered in the product and service. Keep up the good work!

10. I know that you are proudly from the country of Norway. So, for those of us who have never been or would like to know more, please can you put your Norwegian Tourist Guide Hat on and answer these questions.

A. What are the three most beautiful and important places to visit in Oslo.
You have to see the Vigeland Park, the Holmenkollen Ski Jump and the Viking Ship Museum. The Vigeland Sculpture Park is absolutely unique. Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian artist who dedicated his life’s work to creating a city park unlike any other in the world. His “The Little Angry Boy” and “The Monolith” are world class sculptures and you can just walk up and touch them. The Holmenkollen Ski Jump is amazing, and what great views. Our former King Olav, the present King’s father, actually jumped in Holmenkollen. King Olav was a great athlete in his youth. And the Viking Ship Museum takes you back a thousand years to the days when the Norwegian Vikings roamed and pillaged their way around the world in long, wooden boats.

B. I imagine taking a cruise to the Fjords must be very special, does Holland America offer such a cruise and if so why does everyone say it is so amazing.

It’s simply stunning. You can sail for hours into some of the deepest and longest waterways in the world, and then at the end find picturesque villages, waterfalls and scenic beauty untouched by modern development. I have taken friends and my American relatives into some of these fjords and the universal reaction is one of awe.

C. Please let us know one Norwegian food delicacy we should try.
We’re not exactly known for our food delicacies but when in Rome……, I mean when in Norway, do as the Norwegians, and try the multiple ways herring is presented. And if the herring doesn’t completely agree with you, chase it with some Norwegian Aquavit, but go easy on the stuff – it’s like firewater!

11. Finally, fill-in the blanks please.
THE LAST BOOK YOU READ WAS
T.R. Pearson’s amazing book “Seaworthy”; about William Willis’ solo sailings on rafts across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. What stories!

THE LAST MOVIE YOU SAW
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”. I took my two kids – I think I had the most fun!
COFFEE OR TEA
Yes please.
BEER OR WINE
Red Wine, although I don’t turn down a cold beer on a hot day!
ICE HOCKEY OR BASKETBALL
What’s Ice Hockey?
AND, IF YOU COULD SIT AT DINNER WITH FOUR FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM TODAY OR YESTERDAY AND CHAT ABOUT THE CRUISE INDUSTRY & LIFE…..WHO WOULD THESE PEOPLE BE.

I think I’d want to have some real cruise industry insiders for this dinner. I’d ask Warren Titus, former President of Royal Viking Line and the first President of Seabourn Cruise Line to join. He’s over 90 years old now but is still going strong. He’s had an incredible life and is one of my mentors. I’d love to be able to have Micky and his dad Ted Arison together. Although Ted passed away several years ago I’d love to be able to see these two incredibly successful and visionary guys together discussing how far our industry has come, and what tomorrow’s Carnival Corporation will look like. And to ensure we had some really good red-wine served us we should have Bob Dickinson, the long time President of Carnival Cruise Line and another icon of the modern cruise industry attending and acting as sommelier

I would love to see Bob serving the wine and I guess also I will be doing the washing up at that dinner………oh well.

I think all of us agree that that interview was written by someone who truly loves what they do and I am sure that after reading it there will be many of you who will want to pick up the phone and try the Holland America Experience for yourself.

Thank you Sir, I will be forever grateful for your time and wish you happiness, success and lots of herring.

OK, finally, here is something I am embarrassed to tell you. Today, in Istanbul I had one of the worst experiences of my life and it is all Alan Adkins fault. He wanted to go for a Turkish Bath and somehow he caught me at weak moment and persuaded me to go with him………………..what a huge, degrading mistake.

I will just tell you this, I have never been beaten, slapped and spanked like this in my life. I thought I would have a man do this but the baths we went to …………oh know……….its John……….lets bring out Fatima………..and with respect…………the name fit. She was a cross between a Sumo Wrestler and Bulldog who had eaten for days. She poured buckets of soapy, slimy water over me and then brought out a broom…yes a broom……….and started scrubbing me down like a bloody elephant at the zoo………..the water was tepid at first then came the freezing cold water and if I was indeed an elephant’s, thanks to the cold water I was one without a trunk .

Then she threw me ( yep she literally picked me up like a sack of feathers ) onto a marble slab and then got this hose pipe thing and started shoving it in places that are usually EXIT ONLY. Then its scrub, wash, soap, slap, and smack for the next 20 minutes. After the beating, she started giving me some kind of massage on my neck and as those two hands mauled me like a hungry wilder beast I started to cry…………I said “stop, it hurts “………….but the beast just smiled and kept going. From across the room I heard Alan crying like a baby and through my pain that was the only thing that kept me going……….he was in as much pain as me.

Finally, after 45 minutes of which can only be described as ” humiliating ” I dressed and as I left Fatima held out her huge King Kong like hand for a tip. I really wanted to shove the TIP of the brush she had used somewhere…….but instead and in fear of another pasting I gave her 10 euros and ran away………….very fast.

Alan and I are clean, cleaner than we have ever been before. We both said we would never speak of this subject again but I had to share this with you in case any of you are thinking of taking a Turkish Bath. Maybe there are different types, but for me I would rather be stuck in an elevator for 24 hours with Mrs. Mahjong than ever go through this again.

One more thing, tonight, as I walked backstage some of the water from the hose that had been placed up. well you know where, decided to come out and I had to go back to the cabin and change………..Fatima it seemed, would be with me for some time to come.

Goodnight

Your friends

John and Heidi