It was Christmas afternoon around 4 pm that I realised that something was not quite right. I had enjoyed a morning at the hospital hosting the radio show (more about that later) and having just eaten turkey, Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, peas, carrots, stuffing and cranberry sauce I sat in a very comfortable chair and prepared to drift off to sleep.
However, I had a dull headache which had been annoying me since I had woken up and I had put that down to tiredness, etc. but as the turkey and trimmings began the journey to my bottom the headache turned into a fully loaded attack that felt like the entire country of France had decided to hold a party there………..with free ………very cheap wine.
Then the sneezing started thick and fast and after an hour my handkerchief looked like Shrek had been blowing his nose into it. Anyway, by the time I had left my parents house and arrived home I was coughing, sneezing and generally feeling very sorry for myself.
Heidi immediately told me that this was my own fault as I had not been taking my vitamins or vitamis as they say in America and the bollocking continued as I was told that the reason I felt like this was the fact that I had dared to drive with the window down while I enjoyed a cigar. I was going to tell her that the tiny crack the window had been down was compensated and then some by the heater that Heidi had set at “Amazon.” However, considering that I felt as bad as I did I just grunted and headed for bed.
It is only now 29 hours later that I have found the energy to leave my bed and write a few words to all my friends in blog land.
Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and please excuse my outpouring of self-pity but I really did have a bad cold or flu or whatever it’s called these days. Heidi looked after me but decided to sleep in one of the spare bedrooms incase I gave her bird flu or SARS or the plague or something.
Up until the flu it had been a great Christmas spent with Mum and Dad and my sister and family who had come home from Hong Kong. It was especially nice to see my niece and nephew Luke and Isabel and my goodness how fantastic it is to be a kid in these times because the toys are amazing. They got Playstations and remote cars and dolls that talk and robot dogs and transvestites that apparently turn from cars and trucks into cyborgs.
Whatever happened to train sets and Barbie and Ken? ………………talking of which here is a bit of trivia for you. In Amsterdam there is a brilliant Chinese Restaurant called Dynasty, I think I mentioned something about this before………………Anyway, right across the road is a Ken and Barbie store with a difference…………..there is no Barbie…………the store is called Billy and Ken. Basically, it’s all the same things that Barbie has, the houses, cars, dresses, ballet shows etc and they are all enjoyed by Billy and Ken………….the happy couple……………………..only in Amsterdam!
So, the radio show went so well and I have to say it was one of the most satisfying shows I have ever done. The strange thing is that unlike a stage show there is no feedback from the audience but reports are that the dedication section was very appreciated and I ended up reading out over 100 letters. The only trouble I had was keeping time and unfortunately the show ran 12 minutes over …………….oops.
I want to say hello to all the folks at Southend Hospital who I know are new readers to the blog and especially to Dr. Basu who has been our family doctor for many years…………thanks for everything Doc.
It was a real honour to do the show and there were a few times when I had to wipe back the odd tear as some of the dedications were so very touching especially those from and to the children.
I have offered my services when I am home next time and I hope they will give me a chance to repeat something that made my Christmas so special.
Naturally, after Christmas I am starting to think about the Bloggers Cruise which is now just a few weeks away. I see from the comments that some of you have been asking for me to confirm our schedule for the next few months so here it is as requested.
JANUARY 9 – FLY TO MIAMI
JANUARY 9 – 12 – MEETINGS AT HEAD OFFICE AND DINNER WITH FRIENDS
JANUARY 12 – 19 – SAIL ON CARNIVAL FREEDOM AND PLAN SCHEDULES AND SHOWS ETC – PLEASE NOTE I WILL NOT BE THE CD FOR THIS VOYAGE
JANUARY 19 – BLOGGERS CRUISE ON THE CARNIVAL FREEDOM
JANUARY 26 – DISEMBARK FOR TWO DAYS IN MIAMI
JANUARY 28 – 5 DAY CRUISE ON CARNIVAL IMAGINATION – PLEASE NOTE I WILL NOT BE THE CD DURING THIS VOYAGE
FEBRUARY 2 – MARCH 28 – CD ON THE CARNIVAL FREEDOM
After this is preparation for the Carnival Splendor and of course from January 12 there will be daily blogs…………….yep…………we go back to daily blogs…………….with all the news, interviews and guest comments you can handle. Hope that sounds good …………… Oh and yes, once back onboard I will answer every comment on a daily basis as before, something I have not been able to do here on vacation.
I really wanted to be at embarkation to welcome all the bloggers to the ship but I doubt that will be possible so the first time we meet will be directly after boat drill when we have a cocktail party for all the bloggers in the main lounge. It will be such an honour to shake hands with each and every one of you and I am sure Big Ed will be on hand to lend me………ummm…………a hand in his role as ATTCD. By the end of next week I hope to unveil the sailing and date for the next Bloggers Cruise in 2009 so get ready to book for that.
After Christmas we also start looking ahead to the New Year and more about that later. However I want to also to have you listen to a great chap who will also take a look back and a look forward. The look back will be at the astonishing help and assistance Carnival Corporation has given to the island of Cozumel and at the new “Must See” port in the Caribbean…………Grand Turk.
So, rather than me waffling on lets say hello to Mr. Giora Israel who took the time a few days ago to answer some questions exclusively for this blog thingy.
2. You have been responsible for the development of one of the most popular ports in the Caribbean, Cozumel. Can you tell us what work Carnival Corporation has undertaken there and what current work is underway in the repairs to the pier facilities following the hurricane? As you recall Puerta Maya (Cozumel) which is Carnival Cruise Lines most popular destination by far, was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The pier that was built in the late 1980s by a local construction company — prior to our involvement in Cozumel — and was completely destroyed by the hurricane. More than 85,000 metric tons of debris, including mangled concrete and steel, had to be removed from the water before reconstruction of the pier could begin. The construction of the new pier – built to withstand a category 5 hurricane — started on June 18, 2007. The port and new excursion pier, as well as all its passenger facilities on land, will be ready by November 1, 2008.
3. What about poor old Costa Maya which was devastated this year. Any updates that you can provide to us? John, as your readers know and as you’ve mentioned in your blog, Costa Maya experienced tremendous devastation as a result of a Hurricane Dean earlier this year. With its magnificent beaches and excellent shore excursion opportunities, Costa Maya has been a very popular destination for Carnival Corporation & plc ships for many years and we know that the folks that run the port are very hard at work rebuilding the facilities so that our guests can return to the destination and enjoy all that Costa Maya has to offer.
4. Now, on to Grand Turk. This has become one of the most popular ports of call anywhere and reviews of the port are outstanding. Why has it taken so long for this beautiful port to become part of our destination package and what investments has Carnival undertaken to make sure this port is so successful? The island of Grand Turk, which is part of a group of islands called Turks & Caicos Islands, a British colony in the southeast part of the Bahamas, is a small island consisting of 8.5 square miles. It is the smallest island where Carnival has a regular port of call (Half Moon Cay is smaller and Carnival also calls there, but it is a private island owned by Carnival’s sister company Holland America, not a regular port of call). While Grand Turk is small, it is large in what it has to offer. Grand Turk’s entire length is only about seven miles but it is one of the most spectacular snorkeling and diving destinations in the world. While it has pristine beautiful sandy beaches, Grand Turk has much more than just beaches and sea, however.
Grand Turk is the capital of the Turks & Caicos and for hundreds of years was an important center for commerce. Its main export, all the way to the 1960s was to supply salt to the British Empire. Until today, big patches of the island are still abandoned Salinas where the salt operation existed. A recently opened exhibit tells this illustrious story of the salt industry when salt was considered as valuable as gold (remember the word salary comes from the Latin word for “salt” and Roman soldiers used to be paid with salt. The importance of salt lies not at all in its ability to flavor food but rather in its use in preserving food prior to the invention of refrigeration). The extensive salt commerce led to the development of housing both for commercial purposes and personal use by employees and now plays a part in the historical part of Cockburn Town.
Walking down the streets of that district will take you back hundreds of years to the Caribbean that can rarely be seen anywhere else. Yet, Grand Turk has a more recent claim to fame. In the early 1960’s, as part of an agreement between the US and the British government, NASA opened a training and recovery center for the Mercury and later Gemini space programs. It is here in Grand Turk where John Glenn trained to escape the capsule Friendship Seven. The astronaut base and training center were located only a couple of feet from the cruise center’s location. It is here, close to the cruise center, where John Glenn landed after his first orbit and it was there that President Lyndon B. Johnson came to embrace the famous astronaut as one of America’s greatest heroes.
5. What do you like about the port on a personal and tourist level? What would you recommend our cruise ship guests do during their stay? Grand Turk has, despite its small size, offers lots to interesting places to explore, including a beautiful historical lighthouse and hiking trail around it, Her Majesty’s jailhouse fully restored as an exhibit, and the Grand Turk Museum which includes a section about its history as an NASA base. Grand Turk also offers one of the most exciting dune buggy rides, including driving through salt beds – something that you can’t do anywhere else. It offers one of the most spectacular locations in the region for horseback riding and horseback riding in the ocean, and more. It was all of this and more that attracted Carnival to Grand Turk.
Without interfering with any of its rich underwater world or above water land, we identified a peaceful and vacant location where we built a state-of-the-art hurricane threshold 5 pier able to accommodate current ships, as well as a 15-acre welcome center that includes 15,000-square-foot retail facility carefully designed to replicate the British and Bermudan influence on the island, including chimneys, using Bermudan color schemes and merging them with local Caribbean touches.
If you wonder why chimneys adorn buildings in Grand Turk, it was because of the Bermudan businessmen that came here to harvest “the white gold” – salt. Bermuda, which is located much further north, gets cold in the winter so building chimneys was a natural for them. Bermudans on Grand Turk obviously realized too late that it is never cold in Grand Turk but the chimneys became a signature design of housing there. The Grand Turk Cruise Center also has a nice beach where passengers can get off the pier and embark on one of the 20-plus tours offered on the island. Also featured is Margaritaville, the Caribbean’s largest theme attraction encompassing 17,000 square feet with a large fresh water swimming pool, lounge chairs, umbrellas and fun. Carnival has invested close to US $60 million that includes not only the welcome center and pier but also renovation to local attractions, repaving roads on the island, and providing loans to local entrepreneurs to develop excursions. Remember that this island only has 120 rooms in six hotels!
6. Can you give us an insight into other areas that the Corporation is investing in as ports of call? As I said, we are always looking for new destinations and at the moment our most exciting project is the creation of Mahogany Bay in Roatan. This new cruise port on the beautiful island of Roatan will surely enhance the visit which is already offered by Carnival. The new facility is expected to be ready on October 1, 2009. We are also looking into other locations.
As for existing ports, one of the most exciting projects already announced is the expansion of one of the greatest ports in the Caribbean, St. Maarten. The port is planning to increase its berthing capacity allowing all Carnival passengers to disembark into a first-class facility. St. Maarten, a favorite for cruisers in the eastern and southern Caribbean itineraries, is the first port in the region to offer passengers an extensive, affordable water transportation system, making the visit an exciting one. In addition, we are continuously looking into improving the facilities that Carnival’s ships sail from. Those include Long Beach, Calif., designed and built by Carnival, and opened in April 2004, the recently opened state-of-the-art new terminal in Miami, upgrading our facilities in New Orleans and Galveston, among others.
What a great interview and it shows Carnival Corporation’s continuing investments in these and many other ports of call. It is easy to forget the impact that the cruise industry has had on these wonderful places and although a few cynical folks may say that that cruise ships have “spoiled” some of them there is no doubt that thanks to Carnival Corporation and others who have followed our lead these places are much better off with daily ship visits. I for one cannot wait to visit Grand Turk and thanks again Giora for allowing us a look behind the scenes.
OH………………by the way……………please can we get Grand Cayman to build a pier………. 8 ships…………………all tendering………………………surely with all that money on the island they can afford a drop or two of concrete?…………………..By the way, this is one of those times the disclaimer at the side of this blog comes into play. …………..although I have an idea I may get some support on this from a few people who have had fun tendering into George Town.
I see the building of the new pier in St. Martin or St Maarten is now underway. It’s another favorite of mine. I love the Dutch side where the people are warm, friendly and welcoming. Then there is the French side where the people are …………..well ………………. French. I am kidding of course. The French side is stunning and the beaches there are some of the finest in the Eastern Caribbean and it is exciting that we are investing in the future of this fine port of call.
Pierre and his friends are still using my head as a party venue and I have Campbell’s pea soup coming out of my nose so I am off back to bed. Last night I took two Nyquil yablets and boy did they make me dream!
It was one of those fever dreams and I awoke full sweating as though I had run a marathon, gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson and then had a sauna while wearing a fur coat. I do not remember much about the dream except…………and this is true I promise………………I was on a beach………….with George Hamilton. I asked him how he got so many women……………he told me he put a baked potato down his Speedos. He then pulled out a potato which had been grown in a bed of steroids which he said he had got from a top restaurant in Miami………………..I told you, this was one weird dream …………………..anyway, there we were walking along a beach, huge potatoes down our Speedos without a care in the world……………it was then that the fever must have started because I spent what felt like hours of the recurring nightmare of George and I being chased along the beach by Stelios, the past owner of Easy Jet, the President of Royal Caribbean and a gang of ugly, smelly men all wearing berets, with strings of onions and garlic around their necks.
I am taking two more tablets tonight and I will let you know what happens to George the potato and I…………..tomorrow.
Goodnight
Your friends
John and Heidi
Filed under: Tales from the Ship | Tagged: Tales from the Ship
John, I am so sorry you aren’t feeling well. You have many people praying you recover quickly and are back to 100% before long! Take care of yourself. Heidi — Stay away from him!! Do not get sick!! Keep taking your vitamins and stay healthy!!
Your Christmas sounds lovely (pre-illness). The menu is similar to ours. We just save our Yorkshire Pudding for New Year’s day with roast beef. But, I love brussel sprouts, and in Texas they’re hard to come by if you want them fresh. The corner grocery doesn’t always have them in produce – but I seek out those little heads of goodness! Then broil them with carrots and a sprinkling of olive oil, salt, and pepper…. Yummy!!
I, like MANY others, am hoping that Costa Maya returns as a port of call soon. I LOVE it there! It was good to hear that it is important and a priority.
I have 37 days and counting till I’m on the short 5 day Ecstasy. This is Mom’s birthday cruise… 83 years old. She and her powerchair, get around like a champ! (She’s even ‘jogs’ with me on the track…) But this 5 day cruise takes care of that yearning in my soul! Then two more later in the year, and I still am thinking about ading one more for MY birthday… “I have to do something fun with my four weeks of vacation…”
Alan has been in my prayers, keep us posted! And Roberto, thanks for keeping up with everything, even during these holidays when I’m sure you have better things to do! Heidi, stay healthy, you’re much too sweet and wonderful to let John get you sick. And John, thank you for writing even though you felt terrible!! You’re very special to all of us and if it means some silent days on the blog, to get you back to 100%, we understand!
God Bless you all!!
Best regards,
Kirsten
John, my friend!
So, how goes it what Mr. Potato hea… uhhh… nevermind…
What a shame that you’ve been taken asunder by some nasty virus/flu thingy, particularly this time of year. My allergies have had me in a similar state albeit without the interesting dreams. I think I’m the winner in this one!
What are the chances of getting Mr. Israel to part with some of the details for the improvement of the facility at Galveston? Perhaps this is a job for PA007. I, and I’m sure a great many Texas and Gulf Coastal residents, would love to know what’s in the works to improve Galveston.
It looks like you’re going to be one busy gentleman in the next few weeks as the blogger’s cruise approaches. I’ll be looking forward to updates on all the excitement and fun that transpires. If I can’t be there at least I can enjoy the sailing vicariously.
Here’s hoping that Alan’s recovery is on track and that he’ll be his old self come the New Year.
Offer my ‘howdies’ to the lovely Heidi and the Amazing Roberto!
All the best, my friend.
Greg
Good morning John & Heidi,
John, poor baby – to feel so sick at the holidays! Just stay warm, drink plenty of fluids, listen to Heidi and take your medicine (not necessarily in that order). But I hope you’re feeling much better (and don’t have any more of those horrible dreams or hallucinations).
Xmas dinner sounded delicious (especially at 7:00 a.m. while I’m having my bagel & cream cheese). How are Alan and his family?
Thanks so much for the insight into Turks & Caicos, etc. and for the lovely photos. It brought back all my memories from a few weeks ago. And good news about the progress in Cozumel and the area. And in Roatan. I was not very impressed when I was there 2 years ago, but I will definitely plan to go back there when the construction is complete. I second the motion about a pier in Grand Cayman. The last time I was there I thought they were building a pier – I guess I was mistaken. It’s not a terrible tender ride (not like the long one at Belize), but I prefer solid, stable piers instead of moving small craft.
I want to wish you & Heidi a very happy, healthy & prosperous New Year. And I wish the same to Roberto, PA007, everyone at Carnival and of course to all the Bloggers. Enjoy the a bit of the bubbly.
Love,
Carol
P.S. I told my neighbor that you would like her to write a review of the Emerald Princess when she cruises next month and she agreed. And she even had some positive comments about Carnival. Maybe we’ll get her after all.
John & Hiedi,
Have been reading your blog thingy for 8 to 9 months now. Really enjoy it. Would love to meet you both. We will be on the transatlantic cruise on the Freedom 26th April 2008 from Miami to Rome.Will you be CD on this trip. Sure hope so. By the sound of things you have a great time of it.
Michelle Mutz
John, how did you manage to send your sickness via Email to me. Yuk! to the Shrek looking handkerchief.. I will have to remember to spray your Email with Lysol before I open them.
For sure I will be there to give you a hand. That’s my job as Official Assistant to the Cruise Director.
But as Captain of MY EVIL CREW I will also be busy protecting the FREEDOM from their evil.
Happy New Year to ALL.
“BIG” ED
ONLY 22 days to go
i can tell you that grand turk is indeed grand now john as we were there last week on the miracle! the grandchildren said the beaches were wonderful and the carnival pier was so nice!!
hope you feel better soon my friend, and say hey to heidi!
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
Happy New Year to both you and Heidi; sorry you’re ill. Hope yu have a speedy recovery.
See ya in July.
So sorry to hear that you are sick. Heidi is right you have not been taking your vitamins and have let yourself run down. Very common during the holidays.
The interview with Giora was great. The story about why they have chimneys is so funny, and it answers the question I had when my husband and I visited there, and it was soooo hot! We could not imagine building a fire for warmth.
I was not impressed with the Island of Roatan which we deverted to because of the distruction in Costa Maya, but since Carnival is building Mahogany Bay we will probably make a return cruise to that island.
I can not wait for the information on the 2009 Blogger cruise. It gives me something special to look forward to. I start treatments on the 7 January, but I am lucky it is only for 6 weeks. I will be reading your blogg thingy everyday for a good laugh. Hope to see you and Heidi soon.
CarolAnn
Hi John,
Well, there’s only 16 days left until my “VIP, Platinum” cruise on the Carnival Valor. I guess I’ll be leaving a day after you leave on the blog cruise. We are looking forward to this cruise as we are our proposed “family” cruise sometime in Jan 09. Take care,
Eric
Great to have you back, John. However, I am sorry to hear you are under the weather. We had that same cold/flu thing in our house right after Thanksgiving. I feel your pain. Thanks for posting your schedule – remember I will be on the January 12th sailing of the Carnival Freedom – can’t make the Blogger’s Cruise this year. Any way, appreciate your schedule posting. Hope you have enjoyed your time off and are ready to get back to work – WOW, that will be hard. Loved the interview…not sure I can say the same about your dream. George Hamilton. Hmmmm….now you are dreaming about the man. Hmmmm….not saying any more. Thanks for a very funny blog.
I’m sorry to hear that you not feeling well Mr. Heald. I really enjoyed the note about Mr. Giora Israel. It looks so beautiful of a place. Does Cozumal have a dock for the ship to land or will it be tendering. Also, Nanette just sent me an email to inform me that you WILL be the CD on the Freedom when I have my cruise. Checking your schedule it says FEBRUARY 2 – MARCH 28 – CD ON THE CARNIVAL FREEDOM . That is an exciting thing for me. It seems I’ll have that opportunity to sit with you and have that spot of tea. Nanette told me to just dream and she was right. It seems that I will now meet you some time during my cruise. I hope that your health will be better and in a month we will finally meet even though I was unable to go on the bloggers cruise. 2008 is starting off with a bang. See you in February I hope.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
Welcome back John. Glad to hear how meaningful your stint as a radio DJ was. Hope you’re feeling better soon.
Looking forward to sailing on the blogger’s cruise in just a few weeks!
Lisa K
John,
Sorry you’re not feeling well… but what is a blog for if not for self pity.
I don’t have to have a disclaimer like you, but I sure agree that Grand Cayman needs a pier or a dock or whatever the correct sailor term is for a place where you can just walk down the gangplank. When we were there before there were at most three ships there, but the tendering was still slow and painful. Grand Cayman is a fabulous port of call, just think how great it would be if it had better facilities.
Wish I could have swung it to be on the blogger’s cruise with you guys. Just wouldn’t work for us this time around. Hope that SOMEHOW, you manage to SOMEHOW have a great time without me. I know, you’re thinking …”duh, that’s easy”.
I am sorry I will not be able to go on the bloggers cruise. I made reservations but had to cancel for financial reasons. I hope to make your next bloggers cruise and will await your information on it. I will be watching for your reports on the cruise and have fun.
Feel better soon! That crud has a habit of hanging on…Matzos ball soup cures all!!!!!!
Only a few weeks to go! Wheeeeeeeeeeee!
John, Heidi, and everyone HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR THE BEARS
Thank you for your schedule. Have a safe trip and will see you on the 2-09 sailing.Happy Newyear
Welcome back John! You were sorely missed. Sorry to hear you are feeling under the weather. Hoping you will be feeling better soon.
Sounds as if you had a fantastic Christmas! What a great way to spend the holiday.
Thank you for the info on the Blogger’s Cocktail party. Would I be correct in assuming this is a casual dress party, as it is occurring on our first day?
22 days and counting!
Elaine
What a wonderful way to spend Christmas morning — minus the sick stuff of course. Glad to hear that you are on the mend and sure hope you have not shared your cold/flu with Heidi.
How is Alan? Please let him know that we are keeping him in our thoughts.
Happy New Year to you and all of the bloggers.
John -
Great posting – right up to the tale about the potato.
Now, I am afraid to go to sleep
Happy holidays and looking forward to the soon to resume daily blogs.
The Smokefree advocates
John
So very sorry to hear you are under the weather, as we are thinking way ahead,we have booked the 49 day cruise on the new Splendor, talked some friends into joining us I do hope you and Heidi will be there as we have bragged about you so much, feel better, friends from the Glory and just missed you on the new freedom hugs Judyand Jim
John,
I hope you recover fully from your malady (whatever it is) before you have to return to work. Man that Nyquil must be powerful to induce such weird dreams. Scott and I kept trying to get rid of our colds or flu or whatever with OTC remedies, finally gave up, went to the doctor for antibiotics and prescription cough medicine. Happily, we’re now almost 100% better.
I enjoyed your interview with Mr. Israel. Sounds like exciting times in some of those ports.
And your radio show experience was apparently a smashing success. Congratulations on one more accomplishment.
Try to not share your illness with Heidi. One of you needs to be well.
Have a Happy New Year eve celebration, and a healthy and happy new year to you both!
Myra
Hi John, Glad you are feeling better after that bout with the FLU! Didn’t you get your flu shot this year? You of all people should get one being a CD and around a lot of people all the time! You never know what you might catch! Well, I think we are going to book a cruise on the Liberty on the Western Caribbean cruise, going to Key West, which is one of my favorite places, and Ocho Rios which I have never visited, the year we were supposed to go there we went to Montego Bay instead because another ship hit the dock in Ocho Rios. This cruise also goes to Grand Cayman, which I haven’t visited in at least 3-4 years. We are thinking of either 4/20 or 5/4/08. Then we might take the Splendor in November 08, we’ll see! As soon as I hear where the 2nd bloggers cruise will be and what ship, I will book that one too. I will miss not seeing you and Heidi but for sure will see you on the 2nd bloggers cruise. We had thought about taking the Imagination this time, but decided on the Liberty because we have not been on that ship yet, and we like to check out different ships. How is Alan doing? Hope you got all you wanted for Christmas, and I am sure you must have opened all the gifts us bloggers sent. Hope you liked Mike’s and my gifts. Hoped to get a Holiday card from you guys, but not yet! Well, take care, pretty soon the bloggers cruise will be here. I understand from Nanette that you are leaving a “pass” for her to go onboard the Freedom in Puerto Rico, how nice of you to do that! Say Hi to Heidi for me, and Happy New Year to you both! Linda & Mike the Handyman!
John–Hope you are feeling much better. Something like this hit me about a year ago; unfortunately, when I was on vacation in Jamaica. I totally ruined that trip. I don’t blame Heidi for sleeping in another room. Hubby (Bruce) has a bad cold and I have been sleeping in the den (he claims I snore, too). Thanks for the information on Grand Turk, which we will be visiting during the January 28 Imagination cruise. I already have the dune buggy tour booked and am greatly looking forward to that. Yes, I know you’re not going to be CD on that cruise, but Linda and I are going to get to you anyway! Look for the toilet paper adorned woman, and I hope we can have at least some sort of informal chat with you–I really look forward to meeting you and Heidi in person!
My Mom and I were on the Carnival Freedom with you during the weeks of August 17-29th. We were wondering if there was a video of the entertain crew playing the game “Liar Liar”? It was so hilarious I would love to have that on DVD. If not could you send me a list of the unusual words used so I could try them out on friends? One more question Can you tell me the story behind Alan Atkins? Is he a real person or ship talk for latecomers on the ship? We enjoyed our cruise so much. Definately a highlight of our trip. Thanks again for all your hard work. We love to read about all you do on John’s Blog.
Thanks,
Anna & Roma ( from Hawaii)
John,
Hope this note finds you feeling better, nothing like being sick at the holidays
I am gald that you posted your schedule for Feb.
because now we can enjoy you on the Freedom starting Feb 23rd.
Happy New Year to you and Heidi and enjoy the rest of your vacation
Papanh
Yeah! Daily blogs again!!
John & Heidi,
Even though we have not personally met, I feel like I do know you since I have read and kept many of your “blogger” stories. I started reading your blogs the moment my wife and I signed up for our trip on the Carnival Freedom. Wish we could have joined you guys in Europe but we cruised recently on the 15th of December to San Juan, St Thomas and St Maarten. All I can say is wow what a ship. We had a blast and the time of our life. We travelled with our grown kids, who had not cruised before and they loved it as well. We particularly enjoyed “James” and his sense of humor and Nordy and her crew as well. We sat in table 165 in the “Chic” Rest and were taken care of by Ivca and Enio and our cabin attendant “Romel” and Cesar (RM 6344) took care of our living arrangements. And Bolain (From Croatia) took care of us on the Lido for breakfast. Sorry I cannot mention the attendant for our kids cabin, but I know they did an excellent job. Sorry that we cannot make it for your “bloggers” cruise but I definitely will be checking in on the 2009 schedule. Maria wants to sail on the Freedom again next year sometime (November/December) timeframe but I warn her that there could be a good chance these wonderful “Freedom Staff” will not be there on our next trip (any insight let us know). I’ve mentioned to her that maybe we can try the “Splendour” and probably see some of the familiar faces on that ship as well. So to end John & Heidi have a great New Year, safe trip to Miami and Bon Voyage on your upcoming cruises.
Your friends in Tampa,
Luis & Maria Torres
John
13 days until we sail on the Miracle to St Maarten, St Lucia and St Kitts…Yipee!! Now I know this is thanks to the work of Mr. Israel and his team. Thanks! Hope you feel better.
Happy New Year to you and Heidi.
Hedi and John,
Good luck Hedi taking care of John when he is sick! John is going to have to be in tip top shape for this bloggers cruise…if he’s sick, I might have to ask for a discount, or refund, because I feel like I won’t be getting the 100% best of John that I booked the cruise for….LOL
Happy New Year!
Susan
First, above all, thank you for doing your radio show for the hospital on Christmas. My eyes filled up reading about it. I can not imagine the dedications that you must have read. I have been keeping my eye on a little boy here in Georgia who was diagnosed with cancer this year. a little soccer player who decided to lose the leg from the knee down in order to beat the disease. he is the bravest and I have learned so much from these kids at this time of year! sorry you have gotten the grunge…..I think Heidi needs to rub you with menthol and chocolate…………..Oh, sorry….Feel better though. Update on Jeff’s nose surgery. he has been cleared for kissing girls over 16 years of age…………Be sweet. Have a Happy New Year. Love, Prayer and laughter to Alan, Hedi and family. See you soon! Kathie ( Kap)
*cough-cough-cough* (yup, me, too!)
We disembarked from our pre-Christmas weekend cruise on Carnival’s Paradise on Christmas Eve, and I soon discovered one of my fellow passengers had given me the “gift” of their cold bug!!
Still…..Christmas is wonderful, even when one is not in perfect health!! Larry & I hope you and Heidi had a wonderful Christmas.
John, I would just like to make special mention of the piano bar entertainer we had on the Paradise: Barry Miller. Larry & I both thought he was the BEST piano bar entertainer we have seen in many, many years (and this was our 9th Carnival cruise). The same attitude that makes you the best Cruise Director is what made Barry stand out: his focus was entirely on making the passengers ‘the stars.’ Most piano bar entertainers will take requests (and we’ve actually had some that won’t even do THAT), and that’s it. With Barry, as soon as you walked into the piano bar, he brought you into the entertainment — you were part of his special group of what he continuously referred to as “the coolest people on the ship.” He encouraged all the patrons to participate, and everyone loved it! I included all this on my Comment Card, but if you could make sure that these kudos for Barry Miller are passed along to the proper people in charge, I would appreciate it. Outstanding performance deserves to be recognized.
Now….having mentioned what we absolutely LOVED about our cruise, can I mention a new policy we discovered that disappointed us? We LOVE Mysty, the Karaoke Hostess on the Paradise, but were surprised when she told us that passengers can no longer bring their own karaoke discs to sing along to.
We did speak to the CD on the Paradise (Mr. Halliday), who explained the reasons for this policy. And while we understand the reasons, we would still like to express our disappointment and hope that the policy might be reconsidered. The problem of passengers claiming discs being damaged could easily be overcome by having anyone who wishes to use their own disc sign a waiver. The other reason given — that being lack of control of content (I can imagine the objectionable lyrics of some rap music, etc.) — requires a bit more thought, I realize. But it does seem as though a good Karaoke host could keep control of this, simply by forwarning people when karaoke starts that offensive language is not acceptable and that they will shut the system down if lyrics are deemed offensive…and then do it! This is how other karaoke bars (not on ships) handle it, and it seems to work. The karaoke lounge is one of our favorite activities on ship, and the limited catalog of songs/arrangements on ship was beyond disappointing. I have only recently (at 58 years of age!) shed my inhibitions enough to get up and sing (as you know, Larry has never had that sort of problem! *L*) and I had brought one disc of vocal standards that I felt comfortable performing….and wound up not being able to do any of them.
Is there anyone in particular to whom we can address our concern about this, or at least make suggestions or requests regarding additions to the ship’s catalog? It may seem like such a small thing to some, but as I said, it is our favorite ship activity so it is important to us. Thanks for listening!
Onward to 2008 — the best year yet!!!
Terri & Larry
Oh my god, that’s where I got my cold !!! I’ve got blog-I-tis ! There is no known cure I’m told!!
Get well soon John , I hope mine goes away A.S.A.P.!! too… it’s off to Vegas next week!! Dinner with Todd English…well his restaurant anyway!
Happy New Year to you and Heidi!
Kathy and Paul
So Sorry you are under the weather,feel better soon, Listen to nurse Heidi.
Hope you both have a GREAT New Years. Do you have any big plans?
How is Alan?
Jennifer and Danny
Hi John!
I still read and thoroughly enjoy your blog even though I don’t usually post anything. I’m
sorry that you’re sick! From the green mucus, It sounds like what you had turned into a sinus infection. You’ll probably need an antibiotic to clear that up. I hope that you feel better soon. From the large dinner that you had with the brussel sprouts, I thought for sure you were about to launch(literally) into one of your stories similar to your sugar free jelly beans!
Cindy Bruce and Booooob
John,
No poems today. Busy preparing for a “non” cruise vacation. (everyone has to take a few every once in a while to make them realize how great a value Carnival is)
I would like to comment though on one the new Carnival ports.
We have a condo on Providenciales, and while not exactly the same as Grand Turk, both are a beautiful sight to see. The belongers on the island are truly thrilled to see Carnival and their guests and it’s a testament to Carnivals working with each islands unique culture and tastes.
Giora has done a wonderful job of marrying a port with an unspoiled island. For those of us who have “been there done that” with many of the Caribbean stops, this is a don’t miss and Carnival should be applauded for making it part of their packages.
What’s amazing is that while beautiful above sea, it’s holds some of the greatest treasures under water. Rated as one of the top five diving sights in the world, it offers opportunities rarely found anywhere in the world.
Keep up the great work. Now it’s off to snowskiing in New Mexico to prepare us for our warm weather Spirit cruise in late January.
Here is to a blessed New Year to you and yours!
John,
No poems today. Busy preparing for a “non” cruise vacation. (everyone has to take a few every once in a while to make them realize how great a value Carnival is)
I would like to comment though on one the new Carnival ports.
We have a condo on Providenciales, and while not exactly the same as Grand Turk, both are a beautiful sight to see. The belongers on the island are truly thrilled to see Carnival and their guests and it’s a testament to Carnivals working with each islands unique culture and tastes.
Giora has done a wonderful job of marrying a port with an unspoiled island. For those of us who have “been there done that” with many of the Caribbean stops, this is a don’t miss and Carnival should be applauded for making it part of their packages.
What’s amazing is that while beautiful above sea, it’s holds some of the greatest treasures under water. Rated as one of the top five diving sights in the world, it offers opportunities rarely found anywhere in the world.
Keep up the great work. Now it’s off to snowskiing in New Mexico to prepare us for our warm weather Spirit cruise in late January.
Here is to a blessed New Year to you and yours!
Hi John,
Sorry to hear that you’re sick and hope that you feel better soon. Speaking of not feeling well – how is Alan doing? Hope he’s getting better as well.
Just when you’re getting to Miami we’ll be getting on a 3 day Disney cruise. I’ve always wanted to try one but they’re way too expensive but now that we’re working for Disney as seasonal we’re getting a discount. I just want to see how someone else does things. Still hoping to get in another Carnival cruise next year besides the Splendor but it will probably be later in the year. We’re anxiously waiting for the info on the ‘09 Bloggers’ cruise so we can book that ASAP.
Hope you and Heidi have a great New Year’s and enjoy the rest of your vacation. Hope it goes slowly for you before it’s time to fly to Miami.
George and Linda
John – so sorry you are under the weather. Hope you will be feeling better soon.
Happy New Year to you and Heidi
Melanie and Dave
Seems like everyone gets sick around the holidays, at least there was no porcelain god involved. Best new Years wishes to you and Heidi.
-BigMike
Hi John,
We hope by now that the nasty bug that decided to call your body home has moved on. Just don’t give it to Heidi! We are enjoying our holiday including our new upside down Christmas tree. Yesterday we got our travel documents and are counting the days until the bloggers cruise when we can see everyone in person. Have a wonderful vacation and get the rest you both need. Take care of each other. Lynn and Mike PS I hated brussel sprouts as a child (feed them to the dog when the parents were not looking). As an adult they are not allowed in my house.
John,
Especially for you!
______________________________
‘T’was four nights after Christmas
And throughout cyberspace
The bloggers were worried
‘Round and back they did pace.
Frightful news they’d received
From their hero, Sir John.
He was flat on his back
Or else sitting upon
That most ominous of porcelain
Or fiberglass seats
With his tummy awash,
Full of menu repeats.
Would they stay down or rush through
Or come up in a splash,
Leaving John with a spasm
And a face white as ash?
And why, you might ask
Should the bloggers take note
Of the perilous state of
John’s treacherous throat,
Or his tummy so fragile,
So rumbly and weak,
Where with all said and done
Worst may not have been reached.
Well, the reason is plain
Since the cruise now draws near;
The cruise where the bloggers
Meet their CD so dear.
They’ve waited so long
To look full on his face,
To reach out and touch him
And be in the same space
As this hero they’ve wakened
Each morning to heed,
As the wisdom of John
In his blog they did read.
Oh it just cannot be
That cruel fate will deny
The meeting they’ve longed for.
“Where’s justice ,” they’ll cry!
But with luck and good medicine
John’s sure to get well
And show up on schedule.
So dear bloggers don’t dwell
On the worst that could happen
And, of course, that would be
That you’d have to set off
Without John, Heidi and me.
Now me you won’t miss
Since you don’t even know me
But without John your cruise
Would be ever so yucky.
And Heidi gone missing
Would make John’s mood sour.
So keep thinking good thoughts
‘Til the very last hour.
I’m sure John will make it
He’s that kind of guy.
He’s a man of great character,
A thing one can’t buy.
He promised he’d be there
To meet each and all
Who’ve signed on to sail
To those fun ports of call.
But more importantly
John will be there
To make every blogger
Be glad they are where
He is, sharing his kindness
And giving his time
To ensure that each blog fan
Has a cruise that’s sublime.
_____________________________
So sorry we can’t be with all of you on the Blogger’s cruise. Maybe next year. I know you’ll have a great time.
Best Wishes and a happy new year to you all!
Myra and Scott
John and Hiedi, Your discription of the Queen Victoria was wonderful! I so enjoyed the pictures too.
Sorry you arn’t feeling well—try to rest up a bit.
Have an outstanding New Year!
Marilyn and Joe (TA from Miami April 26th)
Hey John,
Loving the blog as always. Hope you are still enjoying your vacation.
We are considering a family cruise on the Liberty for mid February (possibly the sailing before the drydock). We have several concerns. Even though we would sail before the drydock, I assume that everything is still in good condition? Since we are traveling with two teenagers, will there be a lot for them to do on the Liberty. I assume we will experience all of the normal pool games, nighttime entertainment, etc? We haven’t cruised with Carnival in several years, but I assume that we will find all of the great varied entertainment (possibly comedians, magicians, etc. and late night comedy sometimes)? Since on the 8-night there are more sea deas than usual, I assume there are more onboard activities? And lastly, I hope Carnival does not have any plans on makign cutbacks on the poolside bands, because we read other lines might, and one thing we love about cruising is laying by the pool and listening to the Caribbean/reggae bands. (sorry for all the questions)
Thanks for your help; as always, it’s greatly appreciated. Oh yea… one last question – a while ago I had asked you about our waiter from the Triumph Roberto Dejesus… he was one of the best staffmembers we have ever encountered on a cruise, and we would love to see him aboard again. Unfortunately, we misplaced his contact info. I know last he was on the Victory, but do you know where he is now (and hopefully in Feb.) Any chance the Liberty?
Thanks again, and enjoy the last weeks of your vacation. Have a happy/healthy New Year.
-Matt
Just a quick note to thank you for answering my e-mail about sightseeing in London before our cruise in August. Looks like some great suggestions and we will call Carnival about some pre-tour packages.
Hope you are feeling better. Looks like after the first of the year you and Heidi are going to be kept very busy before going back to work on the Freedom.Make sure you take your vitamins so you don”t get sick for your bloggers cruise. Wish I could be there, but my husband is a teacher and can only go away when school is off. So therefore we get stuck going on vacation at the busiest times.
Glad you had a merry Christmas and we wish you and Heidi a very safe and healthy new year.
Happy 2008…
Pam & Tony Lettorale
Hello! I hate to hear that you are not feeling well. May I suggest an over the counter medication, Mucinex. It’s the one with the huge green mucus like creature walking around. It works very well
I emailed a few times a while back about a wedding on Freedom.
From what I have been reading, you will be the CD on that cruise, correct? We sail from Miami on April 5th, and will marry on shore in St. Thomas on the 8th. You and Heidi should join us for the wedding! We are sailing with 26 people…I am sure you would be the life of the party!
I hope you are feeling better!
John
your safe ill defend you on this i know it was not you sending the sickness it was the RED HEAD sitting next to big ed at christmas dinner she has infected us all with that cold from #$&@
Oh John!
I hope you are feeling better. There’s nothing worse than a headache and upset stomach – yuk! You aren’t going to blame HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are you?
Anyway, rest up for the “Bloggers Cruise” it will be a yahoo-festival for sure. The girls and I are looking forward to seeing you and Heidi.
E-mail me!!
Best,
Anita
http://www.expertcruiser.com/category/blog/
P.S. Are the Bangers going to be on the Blogger Cruise?
PLEASE REPLY!
Hello John,
Hope your feeling better soon. I work in a pharmacy, so I am seeing lots of this stuff come through everyday. Not a pretty sight! And a such a shame to spoil the holidays.
My question is, on the Glory in December we tried the new LEX (luggage express) program. And it worked great! How nice to set your luggage out the night before and not worry about it until you get to your final destination!!! It was well worth the $15. Anyway, will this program be available on the Freedom. We would really like to take advantage of it on the bloggers cruise.
Thanks for the update on your upcoming schedule and glad to hear that you and Heidi had such a nice Christmas (pre-illness). Hope all is well with Alan and family and that we will see them on the cruise.
Wishing you and yours all the best in the coming New Year!!! See you soon!
Barb
John,
I am very excited to see that you will be the CD on the March 22 sailing. This will be my 17th Carnival cruise and my 1st with the infamous John Heald as CD! My first cruise was on the Celebration back in 1994 and Graham Seymour was the CD.
Do you know who the CD will be on the Fascination for the March 17 sailing? I am doing a warm up cruise prior to the Freedom!
Personal note. please reply direct
John if you would tell me what your favorite jelly is, I’ll pick you up some sugar free and bring it to you on the bloggers cruise. It comes in just about every flavor.
Carolyn and Don
mammama8515@bellsouth.net
After a week on the Triumph being spoiled by Brad C. I’m happy to be able to come home to a new blog posting! Thanks for the interiew with Mr. Israel. Grand Turk is on my list to visit. Though looking forward to our July 13th trip on the Splendor certainly helps with the blues
I may have to get over my post-cruise depression by looking for a cruise that has Grand Turk as a POC for next winter.
A dry martini usually does the trick for me!!
Looking at the Cozumel connection, I’m wondering where we’ll be docking? If I missed this in other posts, well…sorry. I thought I heard it was Punta Langosta.
Get well…and A Happy, Safe and Tasty New Year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR HEIDI, JOHN, ALAN AND ALL THE BLOGGERS!!
I hope you are feeling better by now John, and I hope Heidi didn’t get sick also! By now it is new years eve day in the UK. Are you doing anything exciting to ring in the new year? Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy yourselves! See you in 2008! Sheryl
Hi John/Heidi:
Hope you had a wonderful holiday and are feeling much better.
I look forward to hearing more about Roatan and the completion of the piers at both Cozumel and St. Marten. Both are 2 of my favorite ports of call and I enjoy reading about it.
Just got back from sailing RCL out of Port Canaveral. Saw the Glory there. She’s a beauty.
Thinking of you.
David
John,
Hope this entry finds you feeling much better. I think Heidi is probably right. You need to be sure to take your vitamines! My husband swears by holistic remedies. He is always reading about natural remedies and things like that.
I am glad you will be getting back to the daily blog in preparation for the Splendor! I just typed that magical word- Splendor! We are certainly getting excited about the maiden voyage in July.
I was also glad to see you listing some “must see” things in London. We will be flying over and arriving in London in time to do some sightseeing.
It has been a while since my husband and I were in England. We are certainly looking forward to getting back.
Take care and I hope you will have a fabulous time on the Bloggers Cruise.