I have never been to Las Vegas. It’s not that I never wanted to go, it’s just that I never seemed to have a reason to go there. The reason however that I mention this is that tonight I heard a guest say to his friends………………”This is better than Vegas.”
Now, you would have expected him to say this as a cascade of quarters poured out of the slot machine he was playing or after watching one of our award-winning shows …………… in fact he was saying this about the ship and the overall experience ……………. more about that in a moment.
Heidi had a special treat today……………..something called a Hot Stones Massage in the new Spa Carnival. She told me that they use small stones from a volcano in Bali ………….. although they probably pick them up from the beach in Nassau. Anyway, she returned floating on air proclaiming she felt like a new woman…………I said I felt like a new woman as well which was met with a close encounter with a pillow. Heidi did say that the Spa is stunning and I will write more about that and slap on some photos later this week.
Tonight, I had an interview with my friend Paul Motter, the editor of Cruismates.com. We spoke about the success of the bloggers cruise and how much he and his readers were looking forward to the 2009 Bloggers Cruise on the Carnival Fantasy. Let me therefore say a big hello to all the Cruisemates readers especially Kuki and those who sailed with me last week.
Following dinner I walked to the dining room to meet Heidi, George (or Hor-Hey as he calls himself after 5 pm) Solano, the hilarious Cruise Director and his assistant Noonan. George and I have been friends for many years and we have shared many great times together and he still shares my jokes each and every week with the Carnival Imagination’s guests. Noonan was on the Carnival Liberty with me and is a firm Carnival favorite. He will I am sure be a brilliant CD one day soon marking a very proud day for his parents whom I had the pleasure of meeting.
To get to the dining room I walked along one of the guest corridors and for a moment I truly thought I was in one of those hip hotels that seem to have sprung up in all the major cities around the world. Now remember the last time I was onboard this ship was 1995 and my memories of the guest corridors are somewhat cloudy and seeing them now ………….well I was gobsmacked. What a fantastic job they have done here and even though I will slap on a few photos they will not do these passage ways justice…..this is more than a Nip Tuck…………..this is Boat Ox !
Of course millions of dollars has been thrown at the guest cabins as well and the new fixtures and lighting again have the feeling of a boutique hotel on South Beach and as I approached the dining room I was met by George who was talking to three guys in their forties. I listened in to their conversation as they explained that they all were partners in a carpet cleaning company in Chicago. They told George and I they had one vacation a year with their wives and one with “the boys” which was always in Las Vegas. This year however they had decided to take a cruise and here they were on the Carnival Imagination.
They rattled on about the casino and how friendly the dealers were and that the food was excellent and they went on and on………………Hor-Hay was puffing his chest out proud as a peacock and I made a note to share this brief encounter with you.
As I said, I have never been to Las Vegas and it would be nice to maybe one day see what it’s all about but judging by what the three rug cleansers were saying we have it beat. Dinner was wonderful. I had prime Rib (end cut extra burnt) and Heidi had the lobster and said it was cooked perfectly. After dinner we went to the show which is called “Living in America” which as always received a great ovation from the audience.
It was interesting however on this formal night to compare the guests with those I have been used to on my three years of European cruising. There, Formal night means just that ……….Formal night and the only people not dressed up are those poor sods whose luggage is in Botswana. Here though on the Carnival Imagination there were probably 30 percent of the guests in the dining room who were dressed more in a smart casual way and by the end of the show as the lights came up I noticed many were dressed in a very casual manner.
Is there still a need for formal night?…………….This is a topic we have addressed here on my thingy before. My opinion is yes………..it should be something we should have once a cruise. For most of us the chances of dressing up in our finest gowns and Bond like Tuxedos are few and far between. However, like tonight, the fact that as I looked to my left and saw someone wearing a polo shirt and a pair of chinos did nothing to stop my enjoyment of the half a cow which sat on my plate……………..it will as always be interesting to hear your thoughts.
Once the show had finished I went backstage to congratulate the cast and after a walk on deck under the stars here I am back in the cabin getting ready to say goodnight. Oh, I am going to type this here because I need to remind myself to send a note to the office that our welcome aboard letter in the cabin directory is still the one written by Bob Dickinson ……………..oops………………..I guess this may be a fleetwide thing………………time to get that changed.
Tomorrow we will be in Grand Turk and I will of course be reporting on my first ever visit. My love of the new Carnival Imagination grows stronger every day. Someone told me before boarding that she had gone through a Nip Tuck………………..well from what I have seen this is more than that…………..this is more than Boat Ox ………….this is complete and utter rejuvenation. ………………….Vegas just lost three carpet cleaners and they are I am sure the first of many.
Good Night
Your Friends
John and Heidi
Filed under: Tales from the Ship | Tagged: Evolutions of Fun
Hi John. Grand Turk is one of my favorite ports of call… it’s as good as a private island only better.
Give my regards to “Margaritaville”… have a beer for me!
I’m just back from a week (last week) in the Western Caribbean… I can still remember the massive portion of Nachos at Margaritaville in Grand Cayman… even with 2 of us we could only eat half.
Back to work in the rainy, cold UK. Can’t wait till my next cruise in March (I’m an addict).
I’m getting a bit tired with dressing for 2 formal nights on a 7 night cruise… I think just one formal night would be better… but I think the chefs should go “all out” with a real banquet of a meal that night… really show what they can do!
I cruised P&O Oceana in November round the Caribbean… 99% British passengers… and there were 4 formal nights in a 14 day cruise… everybody dressed up, just as you say happens on your European cruises… and there were only a tiny handful not in the full Dinner Suit & Bow Tie rig. The one good bit was an 8 hour direct charter flight from the UK straight to Barbados… no running to connect at Chicago or Atlanta!
Imagination looks great on your photos.
Once again the pictures are fabulous! The Imagination certainly does look wonderful.
Oddly enough, I have heard the same comment you did… ‘This is better than Vegas’… uttered more than once on board Carnival ships. Each ship is a unique experience. I love ‘em!
Were the three fellows from Chicago pitching for a job? I’m betting it would be more than they could handle. I’ve always been amazed at how the staff keeps the ships totally spotless… Those folks deserve an tremendous amount of credit for their hard work.
Well, I need to get back to simulating being busy so folks will leave me alone!
Thanks again for the pictures!
Offer my howdies and thank to your entire team!
Greg
I’ve been to Vegas ….a cruise is more FUN!!! Not to disparage Las Vegas however….. it has its own unique charm and plenty of variety.
Formal Night…..I suppose it is admirable to dress up in your fancy duds and sparkling evening gowns (not exactly that lovely dress that John had on in a previous post …) but guess I am more in favor of a more casual dining experience (I hate ties). Coming to dinner in your bathing suit of course is not what I have in mind. But one can be smartly dressed WITHOUT going to extremes. Perhaps too the type and location of cruise has much to do with what attire you wear.
Strutting around in a tux or fancy schmancy garments to me is like putting on a costume. I suppose the clothing designers and fine haberdashery owners would have a coronary but they aren’t the ones trying to enjoy themselves on a cruise ship. I think the motto should be ….be yourself, dress nicely ….don’t be slob….. and no need to overdo it.
Hello John and Heidi,
I love a good formal night or two, or three. My children beg to differ, but by gosh, they know how to tie their own ties.
Some things just deserve respect, and meeting the Captain of a ship or having the chef prepare the most anticipated meals of the cruise are such reasons for formal dress.
It has been my experience that the level of behavior and manners increases as the formality of dress increases. This seems to be true of most adults as well as children.
Now this is just my opinion. I am rather conservative in this respect and I enjoy seeing my family dressed formally. I would suspect the food even tastes better after it has been swallowed through a bow tie or settles into a stomach reigned in by a girdle!
Please keep formal night for us old- fashioned people !
Hi John & Heidi
Sounds like fun.
We are taking our Grandkids on the newly
remodeled Carnival Inspiration, in March,
the kids are off for Spring Break,,
Tampa is just 20 minutes from our house,
thats cool,,, no driving for ever to get there.
have fun on the Imagination.
looking forward to NOLA
hugs to all
tom & jane
Hi John & Heidi,
Happy days on the Imagination. Everything looks as wonderful as it did in December. I never got to the mini-golf though.
Before I forget, even though it’s a few days late, Robert and Suzann I am so, so sorry about Dusty. I still have tears in my eyes as I’m writing this. I’m such a softy! I have 2 cats now. But when I lost my first cat about 5 years ago, it was like my child died. I knew he was getting older and having problems jumping up on the table (I said I was a softy). But when I came home from work and found him on the floor, it was like the air was knocked out of me. When I went to work the next day everyone knew something was wrong. Even the V.P. of the dept. came over and offered his condolences. I don’t even want to think about it happening in the future again. But I know it will. The circle of life. But anyway, my deepest sympathy.
John – you asked about formal nights. I still want them, if only because I wear jeans most of the time to work and I want to wear a little glitz and sparkle sometimes.
I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news (as of now)is that I won’t be able to make the 2009 bloggers cruise. I really don’t want to fly in the winter, and I’d rather be on a Conquest-class or Spirit-class ship for longer than 5 days. But my good news (at least for me) is that I have booked the 9/30 cruise on the Miracle – 8 days Eastern Caribbean out of NY. I can’t wait to see NY’s skyline sunset from my balcony.
Of course, there is always the possibility I may change my mind about the bloggers cruise. We’ll see.
Bye for now,
Carol
John,
You should have gone with Heidi and had a lobster (or in your and my case ten). How’s about some responses I feel like I’m talking to a wall.
_BigMike
Hi John & Heidi, The Imagination sounds and looks wonderful! I especially could go for the water park. I’m really impressed! I’m glad the guests are appreciating their surroundings! And formal night….yes, keep it. But know that there are some who aren’t that interested in dressing up and be fine with them wearing whatever they decide. When we were in Europe last May, everyone was very dressed on formal nights (and well dressed the rest of the time!! I’ll be ready this May!), but in the Caribbean, even at Christmastime when we were there a month ago, I noticed alot of people who didn’t bother with suit jackets or dressy wear, but there were others who obviously enjoyed the opportunity. I think you should leave things as they are and leave individuals to decide how much they want to dress up. I know that we and our 2 daughters usually slipped back to our room between dinner and the show at Christmas to change into something “comfyer and warmer!” Everyone I saw was having fun regardless of “level” of dress! Glad you’re having a bit of a break on this cruise and not being CD too! Rest up my friends…the Bloggers Cruise sounded like it was both busy and fun! Gloria
~~~~~~~ waving ~~~~~ to John.
A short while back I posted a poll on “dress codes” on CruiseMates. The choices for a 7 day cruise were….
2 formal nights
1 formal night
all smart casual nights
come naked if you like
1 formal night was the most popular, by about 70% of those who responsed.. if I recall correctly.
Some expressed some concerns about drawing the line at what casual is. Are shorts ok , etc.
Most seemed to agree that wherever the line decides to set the standard, they should make an attempt at enforcement.
Of course, if we just went to fully naked, the food budget could be greatly reduced, with so many people losing their appetites on the way in to the dining room.
Regards,
Kuki
CruiseMates.com
Heidi & John,
First of all once again bravo for such a success for the bloggers cruise big ed’s crew are still raving about how much fun they had. I for one am glad to hear your enjoying your cruise together on the imagination. I am as you know booked for 2009 already and waiting to get on the plane for NOLA only thing I have noticed many of the people in the evil crew saying is they are sad it’s only a 5 day cruise. And that 7 days just wasen’t enough for the last one how will they manage for 5 days. But most of us will be there will some sort of evil plans in the works. Looking forward to the next blog.
Kevin
Good Afternoon John and Heidi,
The photos of the “Boat Ox” of the Imagination are wonderful see. Please keep them coming.
Formal Nights….yes I still feel that most cruisers (especially the ladies :O) look forward to them. It’s nice to be able to dress up, go to a wonderful dinner, see a “brilliant” show and have a nice picture taken for the family. Please don’t stop doing them. I for one would be soooo disappointed.
Now on to something else. We know when your Birthday is how about letting us know when your lovely wife, Heidi’s Birthday is? She is an important part of your life and that makes her important to the Bloggers too. Will you fess up or do we have to pry it from you
Oh by the way the Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers last night. “Sheed” had hot hands. Thank goodness. Go Pistons!
Take care
Joan
Hi John/Heidi:
Ahh, Grand Turk…What memories. I’m jealous
Great pictures today. It really makes a difference when you see it for the first time because it does not resemble the dark browns/woods/reds/tans that used to line the hallways. It appears brighter and more modern.
Nice to see this renovation working so well. I look forward to seeing this on other vessels.
Thanks for another great blog today!
David
Yes to formal nights John. We had lots of fun dressing far beyond our normal beach garb. It was fun to sport a diamond or two and black looked great on both of us.
Yes, there should be a formal night. It was lovely sailing on the Liberty and the Freedom to Europe,everybody looked fabuous all dressed up. I’m sick of T-shirts!
When I danced in Vegas people still got dressed for the dinner show. It made it special ! Now a days they look like well….slobs !!
Your carpet cleaners are wrong !!! Chicago hummm they are “the BOYS” !!! There’s only one Las Vegas Baby !!!!
Kathy and Paul
I got to tell you that the Empress Bee and I am still thinking about the great time we had on the Freedom. Stop by my blog for Saturday’s Photo Hunt, All photo’s are from the Bloggers Cruise.
sargecharlie@blogspot.com
Prince Charlie
John, maybe you should have BTB Bloggers cruises. I already booked the 5 day bloggers cruise and the 4 day the following week. I don’t know if my laughing mussels could take 9 days with you though. They are getting a rest this week though.
When I get home I will send you the pictures My Evil Crew will send me.
BIG ED
Your mate forever
Hi John,
Sorry I haven’t written sooner. Life has been crazy since getting back on land.
It was so nice to meet you and Heidi. Lisa and I had a very good time on the bloggers cruise, especially meeting everyone in Big Ed’s crew. It truly was the highlight of the week.
I’m afraid we won’t be able to make the 2nd annual bloggers cruise. We have been to the ports and prefer ships that sail for 7 days. But I’m sure it will be a blast!
Enjoy your time away from work!
elaine
John,
Loved the photos…she looks beautiful. As for formal night I for one would be thrilled if they were dropped. We are on vacation and not having to dress up is one of the best things about vacation. Putting on long pants for dinner is about as “dressed up” as we want to get. Plus, it would be great not to have to lug the extra clothing.
I realize some folks like this so whatever Carnival does, people will whine. We were on the Miracle two weeks ago and I too noticed folks in shorts in the dining room even on formal night. It didn’t bother us but boy out table mates were upset that the “no shorts” rule wasn’t enforced.
Hi John and Heidi! We too noticed last week on the Miracle that the welcome letter was still from “Uncle” Bob. So I’m guessing it is indeed still fleet wide. Our weather was similar to what you and the bloggers experienced…rainy and heavy seas at times. Never got a pretty sunset to enjoy. I did however wear my Blogger’s t-shirt for embarkation, and got lots of inquiring looks…especially regarding loving your thingy! LOL
Personally, I think hubby and I are done dragging all the fancy clothes with us. They take up too much room, weigh too much and frankly, we’ve cruised so much that formal nights are a drag now. Although we are only able to cruise once a year, we go to get away from all the pressures of work, and dressing and eating on someone else’s schedule just isn’t that much fun anymore.
Glad the Blogger’s cruise went well and that you’re enjoying the Imagination!
Better than Vegas I agree….We were supposed to go to a convention in Vegas in Sept 2000. Well after adding up the hotel cost, air fare, extras, we looked into a cruise. We ended up going on a 7 Day Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Triumph and our cruise director was none other than John Heald. This was our third cruise and first 7 day.
Our other cruises had been in 1989 and 1990 on the Emerald Seas. Boy had cruising and the ships changed!!! John we laughed each night at your shows till we cried. It was a wonderful vacation and we were truly hooked.
We are now platinum with Carnival and are looking forward to Sept when our daughter will marry on the Carnival Legend. We all love the cruising experience and the adventures of checking out different islands on one vacation.
Enjoy your time on the Imagination and thank you for the photos and updates on the ship. It looks great!
Hi John: Everyone keeps asking why you aren’t responded to emails anymore. You mentioned again that you hadn’t been on the Imagination since 1995 but you were the cruise director on our first cruise in Feb. 1998 on the Imagination! That was why we were so anxious to find you again and did twice on the Glory! Well, sounds like you are having a blast on the Imagination this week, it’s nice to be a guest once in awhile huh? Where will you be next week? A lot of the bloggers are wondering why a 5 day cruise for the next bloggers cruise, and as I said we won’t be on it from NOLA, so plan a 2nd one for 2009, this time 7 days from Florida! Have a fun week! Linda & Mike
hi john and heidi! i think one formal night on a seven day is okay, i think two is overkill and would like to see that go. i don’t believe it will though as the photographers love formal nights!!
grand turk is grand for sure, enjoy!
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
aka the empress bee (of the high sea)
John and Heidi,
The Imagination looks lovely. We can’t wait to sail on the Fantasy in 2009 (only 374 more days to go!!)
John, we were in the Victoriana lounge on the Bloggers Cruise when the question of assigned seat dining was posted to the panel of Cruise Critics. Of course the responses were split down the middle. One important aspect that was not addressed was the decline in the quality of cuisine in the dining rooms. I have spoken to numerous people who were unhappy with the quality of the food on the other “Freestyle” cruise lines. The reason for this is simple. When you have assigned seating, the food is prepared as ordered. Quality and freshness are much easier to control, maintain and monitor. In casual “anytime” dining, the food must be kept over a longer period of time. That means it has to be of a more processed variety (high in sodium, sugars and preservatives) in order to keep for longer periods. Food is re-heated, or re-constituted utilizing either microwaves, convection ovens or boiling water baths (for pre-cooked pasta dishes). It would be reminiscent of an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. Out of the major value-added cruise lines, Carnival’s cuisine ranks high and with good reason. We cruised on RC only once and found ourselves longing for the Carnival dining experience. We look forward to “dressing up” and going on a dinner date. We enjoy the relationships that are formed with the wait team. We enjoy the attention to detail and the fact that our food is not over-processed. The dining experience on Carnival is just another facet of onboard entertainment, it’s what sets Carnival apart from the other cruise lines. You can have fun and games, as well as great food and service, all in one cruise. I have noticed in recent times, the total “dumbing down” of America. Respect, protocol, romance and style have been completely discarded. In their place, we are subjected to an “I, me-me, mine” attitude. We dress slovenly for important occasions. We listen to discordant, misogynistic music that celebrates vulgarity and violence, insults women and subjects the general public to the same, whether they want to hear it or not. We treat each other with disdain and anger. It has seeped into every facet of our lives. It is celebrated on a national level. Marketing to the lowest common denominator has become paramount. Vulgar sells. When we cruise on one of Carnival’s beautiful ships, we know we can get away from all of that (albeit for a short time) and experience a more gentile, elegant way of dining and interacting with our fellow cruisers. If Carnival succumbs to the current national marketing trends, there will be no oasis in which to escape. That would be a pity indeed. I respectfully submit that one answer to this may be to have smaller, more intimate dining rooms for those of us who still hold our values dear, so that we may enjoy the total dining/cruising experience. The Lido areas can then be expanded and the staff increased to handle all of those who wish to dine in their underwear, while talking on their cell phones and listening to their iPODS, totally ignoring each other, while enjoying a nice freeze-dried, reconstituted dinner.
Yum!
John & Heidi, the extreme make-over of the Imagination sounds/looks spectacular, hope to see more photos and excerpts while you’re onboard…..need to take a moment and do a shout-out to my new British friends we met on the shuttle (the family stated as they boarded ‘the British are here, the British are here’) ride from the ship to the beach bash in Jamacia followed-up by our great conversation as we waited in (learned a new word) queue for lunch on the beach. Hope you traveled safely back home across the pond. It was a great day on the beach. It sounds like you and Heidi are at a more managable pace this week which you certainly deserve after the bloggers cruise. Cheers for now….Ray
Hi John & Heidi,
Well I have just booked my next cruise on the Carnival Inspiration out of Tampa for the 19 May 2008. It is my celebration for making it through all the radiation and chemo treatments. I am so looking forward to this trip, maybe more than any other. I might not even get off the ship, just recuperate. And I will be definitely spending lots of time in the spa. I deserve it.
John please answer.
A couple of question, who is the CD on this ship and has it been rejuvenated?
As for formal night – I love it and so does my husband. We use to live in San Francisco where we could dress up for dinner or the opera or just go to the theater in town. But since our jobs moved us to Georgia we don’t have that opportunity as often so formal night is our night get my hair done, to dress up and wear some of my best jewelery. You have all the other nights to be casual, so those that don’t like it suck it up and get with the party.
John and Heidi,
We are actually anxious to attend the formal dinners on our cruise in April. We don’t get that type of opportunity here so it will be a treat.
The snow is driving me nuts, but I’m counting down the days. After reading the other blogs, it’s obvious we could possibly become cruise junkies also. I just hope the week of our cruise doesn’t go too fast but I know that won’t be the case, oh well.
Love your stories. Keep them up!
“Boat Ox”, hee hee, that’s a good one! I saw more than a few Boat Oxen on Carnival Freedom – coming off the end off the buffet line.
Formal night: I’m all for them, but like you, what others choose to wear is no scampi off my plate. Since all the ships have two dining rooms, maybe declare one of them as a “formal only” zone and the other as a “formal optional” zone and let the people choose?
As long as I’m giving my two cents (before taxes), here’s some more suggestions:
1. The luggage carousels in Miami are an improvement EXCEPT when one of your bags gets put on the wrong one! I spent so much time watching other people’s bags go round and round I really started to worry I might miss my flight. And it wasn’t just me. I saw CCL personnel moving 4 bags from wrong carousels. Rather than all the debarkation tags being blue, why not make 1/3 of ‘em red and 1/3 white? Then, instead of carousels A, B, & C, call ‘em the Red Carousel, Blue, etc. I bet this would eliminate a lot of mistakes.
2. The Fun Pass (where you enter all your info online BEFORE you come to the port) is a GREAT idea. But why must those of us who completed our Fun Passes wait in the same embarkation line behind people who didn’t? Couldn’t we have our own check-in line?
3. The itemized bill from the S&S card needs more detail. All it shows now is the date, location, and dollar amount of each item. It needs a description, too. My bill showed a charge at the Formalities shop which I KNOW I didn’t even walk into. I had to ask a purser who fortunately knew that this was the On Deck For The Cure contribution, but it should have said so on my bill.
4. I LOVED the new tandoor buffet, so I filled out one of those little comment cards and dropped it off at the Purser’s desk. Later on, I was puzzled to get in my cabin a letter from the Purser that seemed to be apologizing for something. I finally figured out that this was just a form letter acknowledging my comment. Now, I can imagine that when people make a comment they are more likely to be complaining rather than praising (unfortunately), but couldn’t they have a second form letter to send for the occasional NICE comment?
John, I hope this post doesn’t sound too negative. I REALLY enjoyed the Bloggers’ Cruise and I will follow up with another comment about how much fun I had. I just thought I’d put all my suggestions in one place for simplicity’s sake.
Hello John,
I’ve been ready your blog for just over a week now, and I’m hooked. I’ve taken to printing it out and making people read it. After two days, I got my husband to agree that we could book the 2009 Bloggers Cruise. I can’t wait! About the formal wear question – I’m glad you asked. I agree with the poster who said that after several cruises, getting all dressed up and having your picture taken looses it’s thrill. I also agree that I’d rather not have to drag the garment bag – one more piece of luggage. If there is a formal night, we dress up, but we’d both rather we didn’t have to. I feel a compromise of 1 formal night on a 7 night cruise is fair. I was happy to notice that Carnival only has 2 formal nights on a 12 night Med. cruise.
By the way, I hope you are the CD on the Blogger’s Cruise next year. As much as I’d like to meet you and Heidi and “hang out”, really like to see what you’re like as a CD, and how you compare to the other CD’s we’ve sailed with. What people don’t understand is that you are an entertainer, and that you do it because you love it. Why watch someone else do what you love? It’s torture, especially if they don’t do it as well as you do. Anyone who has sung, danced, acted, etc. should understand. That’s my opinion, anyway. Thank you for a wonderful and entertaining blog thingy.
WOW! what a great facelift the Imagination has had. Great Job!
I want to cast my vote for the formal night, 2 isn’t too many for me. It is about the only time a lot of women have to get dressed up in the fancy clothes and show their hubbies what beautiful women they are married to.
Well I have washed and ironed for 4 days. I think the whole group of bloggers on our floor slipped their dirty clothes in our suitcases. So I just wanted to let you know, you can pick up your laundry now……… there will be a slight fee though…..giggle
John, I will post Don’s compliments after you post your next blog. Maybe I will luck up and be the first comment.
Don and Carolyn
The tuxedo has just about gone “bye-bye” on our cruises. Why? To maximize space and weight limits imposed by the airlines. Husband wears size 12 shoes and with a tux, he needs his tux shoes. Although I can stuff my shoes inside of his, they are not light weight. He would look rather silly wearing them on the airline flying in with his khakis and polo shirt. In the UK on BA, you are only allowed one 50 pound bag and one carry-on (a purse is a carry-on). So we are going with the dark suit and wing tips that he can wear with his sports coat and slacks for other nights.
I vote for one formal night on a 7-night cruise and two on longer ones.
Tucker in Texas
Hey John , I think that the evolutions of fun water works looks WAY better than the tradintional 3-4 story water slide on the Holiday , Fantasy, spirit class , destiny class/triumph class ,and conquest class.
from :your pal Jake
Definitely keep formal night/s! Our lives need a bit of sparkle now and then. I do feel that there are enough casual cruises to satisfy the folks that don’t want to dress up so much. To be honest, it takes a bit of the “spark” out of formal night to be in our best formal wear, sitting next to someone in a T-shirt and casual slacks. It doesn’t upset me, it just takes the tone of the evening down a notch or two. Each to their own though, cruising is just the best there is as far as travel and entertainment go. I’m loving the blogs John, happy to hear that I am not the only woman with her mouth gaping open as she slaps on the mascara! Hello Heidi, glad to have you both back!
Good Evening John & Heidi,
I just returned home so first I want to say what an enjoyable week it was sailing on the Carnival Freedom last week; I’ve been reading the blog for a few months and was delighted to have the opportunity to be on the Bloggers Cruise along with many friends and my 83 yr old Mother. It was also great to see/meet many of the names I had read–especially Big Ed.
Although I registered online a couple months ago, our registration somehow got lost in the shuffle so we did not get to attend any Blogger events but we never felt “left out” as CD you made the cruise fun for all and was nice to see you and Heidi in person.
My son and daughter-in-law just returned from the Imagination on Monday. They too enjoyed the many improvements. (and I went directly from the Freedom to babysitting my 3 wonderful grandchildren while they were cruising).
Looking forward to sailing on future Carnival ships where you are Cruise Director…….
Hey John,
The formal night should be kept, if not for the sake of tradition, but also because it’s a good excuse to start flirting with someone else.
Nice pictures; the reborn Imagination looks awesome.
Back to homework…
I vote for a maximum of one formal night or better yet none. With the weight restrictions on luggage these days it means I am packing dressy clothes I will only wear once. We are retired and wearing fancy outfits just doesn’t fit our lifestyle.
Jo and Dave Myerly
The Imagination looks wonderful. I especially like what was done in the cabin hallways. Thanks for the pictures.
I think there should be at least the one formal night and depending on the length of the cruise another one.
People have a choice if they don’t necessarily want to get dressed up they can go to the Lido buffet. The food and service there is excellent also.
It is sometimes confusing when checking your sail & sign you see some entries and scratch your head. . . oh yeah that what it is.
The Imagination sounds wonderful, and is already on the list of ships we want to go on, reasons is Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay, and they both sound like great ports. As for formal night it is as you have said there is always a group that is not dressed up, but the will not spoil my fun as I love formal night and I may not have the most expensive thing there is but I do love an excuse to wear my black velvet, and Kevin in his black suit looks soooo very handsome, but he look good anytime…… oh ya I tend to get lost when it come to my wonderful handsome husband…… and the boys look good too in their suits, now if we could just get a picture that looks perfect…. This is the challenge as something is always wrong…… someone blinked or moved or is not smiling ….. Oh well I will keep trying.
Best to you both
The one and only 1
Heidi-Beth
John and Heidi,
Thanks for the marvelous pictures from the Imagination. I told my husband and daughter over a quiet dinner Tuesday night- without the children- that after the Splendor we needed to take a look at returning to the Caribbean. I shared with them what you had been saying about the renovations on the Imagination. The sentiment seemed to be that returning to the Caribbean would be a good move.
Speaking of dinners, I am in favor of keeping the formal nights. My daughter and I love the chance to show off some dressy gowns. I love to see my husband all dressed in his tux- ready for the formal nights. Our granddaughter and grandson only come to dinner in the dining room on formal nights. Our granddaughter always gets very excited about getting all dressed for dinner.She can not quite understand why we buy her a special dress that can only be worn once or twice. By the time the next cruise rolls around, she has outgrown it! But anyway, she does enjoy the formal nights in the dining room. Now the grandson is not quite into it as much, but he is only seven. Our best pictures are definately from formal nights. Usually we get a picture of the grandkids and our family together. You know, John, we never know from one year to the next what will happen. Those pictures from cruises are wonderful memories of quality time spent together.
I feel assigned seating is better for several reasons. First of all, we have the opportunity to meet and get to know the fine waitstaff in the dining room. They can get to know our likes and preferences. Our daughter thoroughly enjoyed our waitress last summer. Her name was Agatha.
A beautiful blonde who our daughter loved talking to. Agatha and our daughter would often talk about fashion when our daughter would arrive with her matching accessories. Secondly, if it is freestyle dining, they can simply resort to heating food up very quickly. I can zap something in the microwave at home. I do not come on a cruise for that type of food. It would also involve using more additives to be sure the food remained fresh.
I just feel you will get better service in terms of quality of food as well as attention by having assigned seating.
The Imagination was the first ship I went on. I can’t wait to go on it again to see the changes.
I think formal night should stay. However, I think it should be more enforced. I know that I would hate to be the guy that says you’re not dressed up enough to enter the dining room. But, maybe that is the only way. It sucks going through all of the trouble of getting dressed up, doing your hair and making your husband put on a suit and tie and then having the people at your table wear khakis and a shirt.
John – as many people have mentioned above, there will always be a debate about formal nights vs. casual. I for one love to see everyone dressed up and don’t feel it is a hardship to do this. Unfortunately, many younger people don’t share that sentiment. We just cruised the Miracle a couple of weeks ago and constantly saw people going into the Lido buffet dressed in only bathing suits and no shoes. I don’t think this is a problem if you are eating out by the pool, but why do people think everyone else wants to look at them half dressed while eating their food? If they are sitting across from you while you are eating, all you see is skin. Your mind starts imagining other things if you get my drift!! LOL! There were 4 guys who I constantly saw throughout the week that only wore their swimming trunks – no shoes, no shirt, just their trunks. It didn’t matter where you saw them, they were always dressed the same. Until the cruise lines start enforcing their “rules” for dress codes, (whether that is formal, casual or whatever), nothing is going to change. I fear that if the cruise line changes their dress code to informal or casual during all meals, that this will end up still not being good enough for some people. The cruise lines serve a 4 course meal in the evenings with the wait staff dressed in uniforms. If they are going to go through all that trouble to make a memorable evening for their guests, why is it so hard for the guests to show their appreciation for a fine dining experience and dress appropriately????
John,
I totally agree with what “LanceandIldamissingtheevilcrewsers” said about dining. KEEP FORMAL NIGHTS!!! (Please?)
The ship looks great. I really appreciate the cool pictures you’ve been posting. Thanks!
Myra
I love formal night! I found a vintage Emma Domb gown to wear on our next cruise (Holiday, March 1) and can’t wait.
I do realize there will always be people who 1) just won’t dress up or 2) will think they’re dressed appropriately when they’re not. And I know Carnival wouldn’t dare insult them so as to toss them from the dining room. But with so many other dining options available, perhaps the guidelines should be enforced.
I think it’ll always be a touchy subject.
And that, as usual, the thing to remember is that no one can spoil your enjoyment except YOU! (And I don’t mean, you, John, I mean..well bugger… you know what I mean. I hope.)