Comments on: Goodbye Istanbul http://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/ Mon, 21 May 2012 19:18:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: ThePlazhttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6882 ThePlaz Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:28:47 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6882 I love the not-so-positive experiences you share. It's so much more then every other corporate blog out there. This might sound strange, but I think it helps Carnival in the long run when you post about everything; not just regurgitate the marketing speak. I love the not-so-positive experiences you share. It’s so much more then every other corporate blog out there. This might sound strange, but I think it helps Carnival in the long run when you post about everything; not just regurgitate the marketing speak.

]]> By: Catmama044http://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6881 Catmama044 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:50:16 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6881 Good morning John. No, this blog has not run its course. I think the upcoming blogger's cruise and the soon to be determined future blogger's cruise are good examples as to this blogs LONG future. Again congratulations for all that you do and for your outstanding award. Keep up the good work. Good morning John. No, this blog has not run its course. I think the upcoming blogger’s cruise and the soon to be determined future blogger’s cruise are good examples as to this blogs LONG future. Again congratulations for all that you do and for your outstanding award. Keep up the good work.

]]> By: Ship-bound Tomhttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6880 Ship-bound Tom Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:58:57 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6880 Hi John I just thought I would drop a line to see how you and Carnival Freedom were. I still remember our cruise with you like it was yesterday. All the fun we had with BALTIMORE John. God rest his soul. And that rainy day in Istanbul. You remember our friends all 3000 of them on the promenade at the same time. Well your doing alot better now. With all that going on getting everyone out and to there excursions well congratulations and I mean that. I bet Heidi gets up on Istanbul day and has 4 cups of coffee then stubs her toe just so she is good and ready for-all the fun thats about to happen LOL..... And I know you stay under the cover for as long as possible... OH GOD are we here again please I Dont want to die....LOL....Any way I glad you got it together Oh we are going back to Sorrento in Feb for three weeks we rented a Villa and have made all the arrangements we thought after our cruise with you that next year we would do it land style and really see Rome Naples etc..... Well take care and we will keep reading. Isnt it something how long this Blog has been going on WOW. Tom San Lorenzo California, USA Hi John
I just thought I would drop a line to see how you and Carnival Freedom were. I still remember our cruise with you like it was yesterday. All the fun we had with BALTIMORE John. God rest his soul.
And that rainy day in Istanbul. You remember our friends all 3000 of them on the promenade at the same time. Well your doing alot better now. With all that going on getting everyone out and to there excursions well congratulations and I mean that. I bet Heidi gets up on Istanbul day and has 4 cups of coffee then stubs her toe just so she is good and ready for-all the fun thats about to happen LOL….. And I know you stay under the cover for as long as possible… OH GOD are we here again please I Dont want to die….LOL….Any way I glad you got it together Oh we are going back to Sorrento in Feb for three weeks we rented a Villa and have made all the arrangements we thought after our cruise with you that next year we would do it land style
and really see Rome Naples etc….. Well take care and we will keep reading. Isnt it something how long this Blog has been going on WOW.
Tom
San Lorenzo California, USA

]]> By: jimnihttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6879 jimni Sat, 29 Sep 2007 19:03:53 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6879 I love the blog just the way it is. Please, don't take away this distraction from the everyday drudgery of real life! PS - have to agree with Big Ed, no gators! I love the blog just the way it is. Please, don’t take away this distraction from the everyday drudgery of real life! PS – have to agree with Big Ed, no gators!

]]> By: Max Hartmanhttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6878 Max Hartman Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:23:52 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6878 JOHN and HEIDI:Congratulations on a well-deserved Award for your Blog.You both, while working extremely tight schedules onboard, never forget to laugh, even in the most adverse pressure cooker situations, like you wrote about so real-life and nonchalantely in Istanbul the other day.When you come to Puerto Limon, please give my boss and Partner, David Carnegie (Negie) a call at (506)385.1177 or pay a House Call to our Office across from St. Mark's Church and School only 6 blocks from the PAX Terminal in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.We'd love to do a short interview with you for our Blogs, which I write for David, but have very few readers due to the fact Limon does not have much of a reputation, YET, for positive Publicity.We at Caribbean Costaricans Tour Operator, an Autochthonous (unique) and locally family owned-and operated Eco-Friendly Tour Operator Business with high hopes for the Future Homeport Plans for our beloved Port City, are trying to change this negative image for the better, and perhaps by listening to some of your experiences, should you and Heidi have some free time, it would indeed be a privilege and honor to meet with you.We have our own 14-28 and 54 PAX AC Buses and can meet you in a timely manner in front of the Puerto Limon Terminal at the hour of your choice.Please give David a call upon your arrival.Sincerely Yours,MAX HARTMAN Weather Advisor and Volunteer Helper Caribbean Costaricans Tour Operator Puerto Limon, Costa Ricawww.caribbeancostaricans.citymax.com http://caribbean-costaricans.blogspot.com JOHN and HEIDI:

Congratulations on a well-deserved Award for your Blog.

You both, while working extremely tight schedules onboard, never forget to laugh, even in the most adverse pressure cooker situations, like you wrote about so real-life and nonchalantely in Istanbul the other day.

When you come to Puerto Limon, please give my boss and Partner, David Carnegie (Negie) a call at (506)385.1177 or pay a House Call to our Office across from St. Mark’s Church and School only 6 blocks from the PAX Terminal in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.

We’d love to do a short interview with you for our Blogs, which I write for David, but have very few readers due to the fact Limon does not have much of a reputation, YET, for positive Publicity.

We at Caribbean Costaricans Tour Operator, an Autochthonous (unique) and locally family owned-and operated Eco-Friendly Tour Operator Business with high hopes for the Future Homeport Plans for our beloved Port City, are trying to change this negative image for the better, and perhaps by listening to some of your experiences, should you and Heidi have some free time, it would indeed be a privilege and honor to meet with you.

We have our own 14-28 and 54 PAX AC Buses and can meet you in a timely manner in front of the Puerto Limon Terminal at the hour of your choice.

Please give David a call upon your arrival.

Sincerely Yours,

MAX HARTMAN
Weather Advisor and Volunteer Helper
Caribbean Costaricans Tour Operator
Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

http://www.caribbeancostaricans.citymax.com
http://caribbean-costaricans.blogspot.com

]]> By: Lance and Ildahttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6877 Lance and Ilda Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:48:28 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6877 Hello John and Heidi,John. First, we would like to express our feelings on your response to winning the (much deserved) award. It was done in your usual, tasteful and classy way. Secondly, what would the British be if not for their irreverent humour? (spelt correctly)It is the very reason why I appreciate British television and films as much as I do. The US has become so obsessed with being "Politically Correct" that we have lost our collective sense of humor. We are afraid to be funny. To expose the absurdities that abound in life. I have always been of that "ilk" myself. It is why I appreciate Faulty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Benny Hill, etc., etc. It exposes the absurdities of people and their reactions to particular situations. In no way have we ever thought of you as "stepping over the line." I do not believe, Mr. Award Winning John Heald, that all of your blogger faithful would be logging on if you did. I do believe there is a grass roots feeling to this blog that touches a nerve in all of us. We would all like to react to a particular situation the way that you do, but for fear of ostracization, we refrain. We can however, experience what it is like to deal with the difficult folks of this world vicariously through you. We always get great delight in the way that you handle these situations with guests who are, shall we say, a tad bit "impossible." We would also LOVE to resond to these particularly annoying people in the same way that you do (I know I would!) I often tell my wife, it would be SO much easier to deal with people if they wore a label that reads "I'm a moron." It would save me SO much time!!! So, please do not change a thing. If you do, this blog thingy will just become another piece of politically correct pablum. THAT John, would truly be a pity. Keep it coming!!! Hello John and Heidi,

John. First, we would like to express our feelings on your response to winning the (much deserved) award. It was done in your usual, tasteful and classy way. Secondly, what would the British be if not for their irreverent humour? (spelt correctly)

It is the very reason why I appreciate British television and films as much as I do. The US has become so obsessed with being “Politically Correct” that we have lost our collective sense of humor. We are afraid to be funny. To expose the absurdities that abound in life. I have always been of that “ilk” myself. It is why I appreciate Faulty Towers, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Benny Hill, etc., etc. It exposes the absurdities of people and their reactions to particular situations. In no way have we ever thought of you as “stepping over the line.” I do not believe, Mr. Award Winning John Heald, that all of your blogger faithful would be logging on if you did. I do believe there is a grass roots feeling to this blog that touches a nerve in all of us. We would all like to react to a particular situation the way that you do, but for fear of ostracization, we refrain. We can however, experience what it is like to deal with the difficult folks of this world vicariously through you. We always get great delight in the way that you handle these situations with guests who are, shall we say, a tad bit “impossible.” We would also LOVE to resond to these particularly annoying people in the same way that you do (I know I would!) I often tell my wife, it would be SO much easier to deal with people if they wore a label that reads “I’m a moron.” It would save me SO much time!!! So, please do not change a thing. If you do, this blog thingy will just become another piece of politically correct pablum. THAT John, would truly be a pity. Keep it coming!!!

]]> By: Joko Joanhttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6876 Joko Joan Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:11:29 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6876 Dear John: I just have to send you my prediction that someday (soon, I hope) you will be authoring your first "best-seller." Of course Fatima is among my favorites. You had me belly-laughing on the floor with that one. I wish I could draw, for the mental picture of Fatima as you described her is hilarious. Dear John:
I just have to send you my prediction that someday (soon, I hope) you will be authoring your first “best-seller.” Of course Fatima is among my favorites. You had me belly-laughing on the floor with that one. I wish I could draw, for the mental picture of Fatima as you described her is hilarious.

]]> By: lv2cruisehttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6875 lv2cruise Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:44:39 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6875 JohnI love the stories about passengers! The funny, the sad, the happy, the frustrating, the outragious... all of them are what makes your blog "real". Your reactions/interactions with these guest is what I look forward to reading about each day.More than once, I've come home from a frustrating day at work and read your blog and had a good laugh. Other times, when I'm fretting about some little thing, your guest story reminds me how fragile life can be and that I should just stop sweating the small stuff.Please don't stop sharing these stories and other realities of your daily adventures! Its good tonic! John

I love the stories about passengers! The funny, the sad, the happy, the frustrating, the outragious… all of them are what makes your blog “real”. Your reactions/interactions with these guest is what I look forward to reading about each day.

More than once, I’ve come home from a frustrating day at work and read your blog and had a good laugh. Other times, when I’m fretting about some little thing, your guest story reminds me how fragile life can be and that I should just stop sweating the small stuff.

Please don’t stop sharing these stories and other realities of your daily adventures! Its good tonic!

]]> By: ARNOLD & ELIZABETH TUCKERhttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6874 ARNOLD & ELIZABETH TUCKER Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:41:51 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6874 HELLO JOHN & HEIDI We hope HEIDI & HER MUM are having a wonderful & most excellent time together ! JOHN you and your staff do a WONDERFUL JOB @EVERYTHING YOU DO . That is obvious by the Istanbul incident that you described above. I would not let that 1 % of misunderstanding peoplelet you think negativley about your blog focusing on too much negativity. I do not think that is occurring in your blog. You are sharing your real experiences from your job as a Cruise Director. You are always very careful to give the person a fictional name. I see nothing wrong with the way the blog is being done. let that 1% of compliners blog elsewhere. It's not not like you do it every day and by gosh, some times it gives us a relief from the stress of the day. I do have another question, on 3 of our cruises we had a head waiter named Blaze from Shri Lanka , have you ever done a story or interview on him? If so let us know. We think of him often. Thake care Countin down in Fla The Tuckers HELLO JOHN & HEIDI
We hope HEIDI & HER MUM are having a wonderful & most excellent time together !
JOHN you and your staff do a WONDERFUL JOB @EVERYTHING YOU DO . That is obvious by the Istanbul incident that you described above.
I would not let that 1 % of misunderstanding peoplelet you think negativley about your blog focusing on too much negativity. I do not think that is occurring in your blog. You are sharing your real experiences from your job as a Cruise Director. You are always very careful to give the person a fictional name. I see nothing wrong with the way the blog is being done.
let that 1% of compliners blog elsewhere.
It’s not not like you do it every day and by gosh, some times it gives us a relief from the stress of the day.
I do have another question, on 3 of our cruises we had a head waiter named Blaze from Shri Lanka , have you ever done a story or interview on him? If so let us know. We think of him often.
Thake care
Countin down in Fla
The Tuckers

]]> By: lookingforwardtothenearlysmokefreecarnivalfreedomhttp://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6873 lookingforwardtothenearlysmokefreecarnivalfreedom Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:19:22 +0000 http://johnheald.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/goodbye-istanbul/#comment-6873 Rikki -In answer to your question, I understand that the transatlantic cruise is sold out. I spoke to my PVP earlier this week just to see if any upgrade deals were worth it and even he could not pull up an empty cabin for the cruise. Looks like the Mrs & I are stuck in the outside balcony cabin.See you in 29 days.--------J0hn -I think the real problem is the 702,000 slaps you have received - that much abuse must do some damage to your brain synapses. :)Don't even think about stopping the blog or pointing out the absurdity of some of the complaints that you received.I had a dream the other night - I was talking with you on the Lido deck when we were approached by an unhappy individual who rudely interrupted us without even waiting for my sentence to end. As you tried to explain to the individual that you would be with him in a moment, I chipped in "Oh, no - it is obvious that his complaint is much more important than mine. Let him go first." As I recall, the look on your face (in my dream) was priceless.See you in 29 days.Jon Rikki -

In answer to your question, I understand that the transatlantic cruise is sold out. I spoke to my PVP earlier this week just to see if any upgrade deals were worth it and even he could not pull up an empty cabin for the cruise. Looks like the Mrs & I are stuck in the outside balcony cabin.

See you in 29 days.

——–

J0hn -

I think the real problem is the 702,000 slaps you have received – that much abuse must do some damage to your brain synapses. :)

Don’t even think about stopping the blog or pointing out the absurdity of some of the complaints that you received.

I had a dream the other night – I was talking with you on the Lido deck when we were approached by an unhappy individual who rudely interrupted us without even waiting for my sentence to end. As you tried to explain to the individual that you would be with him in a moment, I chipped in “Oh, no – it is obvious that his complaint is much more important than mine. Let him go first.” As I recall, the look on your face (in my dream) was priceless.

See you in 29 days.

Jon

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