The following dream is sponsored by Nyquil.
I was on a beach………….we walked through the golden sand enjoying warm feeling beneath our naked feet…….I had taken my socks off long ago. She was wearing a white silk shirt which stopped short of her knees and occasionally the gentle breeze would lift her shirt revealing her brown supple thigh and her long brown hair as silky as the shirt she was wearing tumbled down her back.
In one hand she held mine……tightly…………never wanting to let go………in the other hand she held her award for best actress which should have been an Oscar but instead was a solid gold plastic trophy.
We stopped and watched the turquoise water lap gently onto the shore and in a fluid motion and as one we laid down together. She laid her trophy to one side using her free hand to stroke the back of my neck ………my naked chest pounded with pent-up passion……………we stared into each others eyes…………and we kissed………..gently at first until we could hold back no longer and we embraced so strongly I was sure I saw the tip of my tongue come out of her ear…………….this was raw passion and as the warm water caressed our bodies my hand reached inside her shirt unbuttoning it with the skill that only great lovers like me and George Hamilton would possess………………it was time…………..the moment had come…………..and then………………I started shaking and something was hitting me in the back………………what the……………………..I sat up in bed……………Heidi was using her elbow as a torpedo and at the same time telling me I was “making strange murmuring noises.”………………it was 5:08 am.
The two Nyquil that I had taken had provided me with the most realistic dream about Marion Coltillard who won the best actress Oscar………….I lay back down knowing two things for certain…………I was in the 5 am doghouse for waking Heidi up and second of all that it was only a dream……………if I was stranded on a deserted island with Marion the only way anything like that would happen would be if she eats a poisonous berry or a nut which makes her temporarily blind, dumb, stupid, forgetful and desperate………………………………………I once had a girlfriend with long flowing brown hair down her back………………she had none on her head………………..it was just all down her back.
Anyway, Good morning from St.Thomas U.S.V.I where we were docked once again with the Carnival Triumph and the ship that looks it has two pairs of humongous lips sticking out both port and starboard sides…………..I had hoped that the Queen Mary would be in with us this week as she was here during our last visit but sadly my visit to her majesty would have to wait another day………….it was just us, The Carnival Triumph and the Botox of the Seas.
Since I had my cold…………….don’t worry, I am not going to go on about it…………..but since last Thursday I have not been off the ship and apart from a visit to Lido to check on the Oscars I have had no fresh air. Therefore after a few hours of paperwork I was informed by Heidi that we were going for a walk…………….so we did. We met James and Gary who are both on the Carnival Triumph. For those folks who have read the blog in the past you will know that both were Entertainment Staff with me in Europe and both will be joining us on the Carnival Splendor. They are the future…………..young…………funny…………..good looking ……………I hate them.
It was good to see them and we went for lunch and ate local Caribbean food……………Chinese. This restaurant is close to the ship and looks like a rough, smelly awful restaurant where the only things who would eat there would be rats, various insects and the French.
However, for me, the best advertisement for a Chinese restaurant is when you see lots of Asian crew eating there……….and there were loads…………we decided to be brave and thank goodness we were ………….the food was fantastic. Heidi had duck and vegetable spring rolls served in a Satay sauce and for her main course General Tso’s chicken………Heidi said it was fabulous. I had the hot and sour soup which was fresh and steaming hot and very spicy followed by Mongolian Beef …………it was historic.
Never judge a book by its cover.
OK, we have just sailed and I had better press on with the news.
First of all……………..the Carnival Splendor. Last week some of you were asking about transfers and hotels for the Carnival Splendor’s Baltic cursing from Dover in the U.K. Here is the latest news hot of the presses thanks to of Super Spy PA 007.
Does Carnival Cruise Lines offer Transportation to/from Port of Dover (London)?
Yes, transfer services between London Gatwick or Heathrow Airport and the Port of Dover are offered. These services are only available on the day of your cruise and immediately after your cruise. We also offer transfer services from an interim downtown London location for those guests who are arranging their own hotel accommodations. We encourage you to take advantage of our transfer service as the travel time between the Port of Dover and the London area Airports or the city are between 2 and 2.5 hours (see below).
Where can I Purchase Transfers & How Far in Advance:
Purchase of transfers can be done through Carnival Reservations up to 7 days prior to your sail date; you will need to provide your flight information at the time of purchase. Flight details are provided to the transportation company to assist in expediting your transfer to the pier. It is your responsibility to update Carnival with any changes to your flight schedule to ensure you are met by the transportation company.
Guests arranging their own hotel accommodations can purchase transfers through Carnival Reservations up to 7 days prior to their sail date (transfers are not sold at the station). The interim location is Victoria Coach Station departure terminal. The station is located at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Buckingham Palace Road.
Purchase the transfer at the London Gatwick or Heathrow airport with a Carnival Cruise Lines airport representative*.
*Cash payment is not accepted. The transfer costs are charged directly to the guest’s onboard Sail & Sign Account by the airport representative.
Cost of Transfers:
London Gatwick or Heathrow Airport to Port of Dover:
One Way:
$85.00
Round Trip: $170.00
Combination of Transfers
London Gatwick or Heathrow Airport to Port of Dover / Port of Civitavecchia to Rome, Fiumicino Airport
**applicable to 09/11/08 sailing
One Way:
$85.00
Round Trip: $160.00
Transfer rates are subject to change and any unused services are nonrefundable.
What are the Flight Guidelines for the Latest Airport Arrivals and Earliest Return Flights
Travel Time between the Port of Dover and:
London Gatwick Airport – 2 hours
London Heathrow Airport – 21/2 hours
Victoria Coach Station – 2 hours
Latest Flight Arrival:
Arrivals into the London Gatwick Airport:
Arrivals into the London Heathrow Airport:
12:00pm
11:30am
Earliest Flight Departures:
Earliest departures out of the London Gatwick Airport:
Earliest departures out of the London Heathrow Airport:
Earliest departures out of Rome, Fiumicino Airport**
12:00pm
1:00pm
9:30am
Prior to your cruise you will be met at the Airport:
You will be met and assisted by our meet & greet service in the arrivals hall outside of the customs area. They will direct you to your motorcoach for transfer to the port. Commencement of transfer times vary depending on flight arrivals.
From regal robes, crown jewels and sumptuous state apartments,
where else but London
Why not take a little extra time and explore London’s historical sites with a premium hotel as your home base. Visit Covent Garden for lunch and enjoy the street performers and mimes. Explore history with a tour of Hampton Court the 16th century palace of Henry VIII. London offers something for everyone, young and old.
Choose from any of the 2 properties below (transfer option available)
Royal Lancaster Hotel, Hyde Park– superior guest accommodations with superb views of Hyde Park, Marble Arch and the London cityscape. The Royal Lancaster Hotel offers superior guest room accommodations with superb views of Royal parks, Hyde Park, Marble Arch and the London cityscape. The London Underground, Lancaster Gate Station/Central Line is adjacent to the hotel. From the hotel, there is a 5 minute walk to the Marble Arch and Oxford Street; Harrods Department Store in Knightsbridge is 10 minutes by taxi. Hyde Park is one of the famous Royal Parks, acquired by Henry VIII in 1536 from the monks of Westminster and opened to the public in 1637 by Charles I. This park houses the Serpentine Lake with its network of beautiful bridges, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain and The Serpentine Gallery, a haven for art lovers. The park is open from 5:00am until midnight, all year round.
Park Plaza County Hall – brand new 4-star contemporary hotel in the heart of downtown London, minutes from the Waterloo Underground station and overlooking the River Thames. Location provides easy access to the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Aquarium.
I have not stayed at either Hotel but both are in great locations for touring London. Have a look and let me know if you need any advice.
What else…………..oh yes…………….finally got our confirmation for our Emerald Princess cruise. We have to disembark in Barbados as there are no flights from Antigua and we need to get back for our European trip. I am really looking forward to writing multiple daily logs about our experiences which start on March 25.
OK, here are today’s Random Photos…………..let’s start with the one of the Carnival Triumph. Do you remember the piece I wrote yesterday where the people at the top had decided to have the words CARNIVAL SPLENDOR in capitals because they didn’t like the way the “P” was written………well…………I think we all agree………….strange……………I spent many years on the ship and never noticed.
Here are a few other random photos.
Heidi and the Nanni family
Heidi Art
Marcus Anthony rehearsing with the band
My life
The godfather, Ken the matrie’d, and the Nanni family
Following on is of course today’s In Their Own Words Section. Somehow I seem to be way, way behind and again have over 100 on my desk. Therefore I will be answering those that include PLEASE REPLY………………..here we go.
CATMAMA044……………thanks for asking about Alan. He is doing well and I continue to be amazed at just how well he is doing. I know he appreciates so much everyone’s continuing thoughts. I have a hope that he will be joining us in 2009 for the Bloggers cruise. Thanks again and my best to you and the cats………………Heidi is a huge fan of Garfield by the way and she wants me to by her a stuffed toy Garfield……….good grief.
SUSAN V…………..Hello Susan. I can tell you that we have taken the Cruise Critic meeting very seriously and we are formulating the best permanent options that I know everyone (even the skeptics) will be happy with. Meanwhile, if you have any Cruise Critic groups sailing in the immediate future let me know via my thingy. I am working on the group for the Carnival Pride and will have the confirmation of that shortly. I promise I will make sure you have a room on your Carnival Valor trip as well in September as by then the plan will be firmly in place. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and all the best to you and everyone at Cruise Critic.
TERRI910……………………..Talking of Cruise Critic. Please ignore any rumors you have heard about the Carnival Spirit going into dry dock and your Hawaiian Islands cruise therefore being canceled………….its not true. Here is a quote from our Vice president Mr. Terry Thornton…………………….The Carnival Spirit is not going into dry-dock in 2008 and the 9/24/08 Hawaii cruise will operate as scheduled. There. Straight from the horses mouth…………not that Terry looks like a horse.
It amazes me where and how these rumors start………..somebody must just wake up and say “I am so bored………..Oh, I know let me start a rumor that our cruise is canceled, that Carnival is buying Victoria Secrets or that John Heald wears ladies underwear.”……………….one of those is true by the way………………….anyway………….your cruise is going so relax, have fun and please tell everyone on Cruise Critic that I am here to answer any concerns or questions they have. Thanks and have a brilliant cruise.
KUKI………………hello mate and I knew you would have something to say about the dress codes as I know this subject is something we have chatted about before. You asked if the decision had been made about dress codes and if this was going to be a fleet wide change. The answer is no decision has been made yet. This was a trial period and we will examine all the pros and cons. One thing I can tell you is that from what I have seen very, very few people opted not to dress elegantly and instead just wear slacks and a shirt. I also agree with you that sleeveless shirts and baseball caps are a definite no.Times are changing, look at dress codes in many work places these days…………do we need to change…………maybe……….we shall see and I will make sure that the first group to know if and when this should happen will be all my blogging pals. Cheers mate and please send my very best to all my Cruise Mates friends on line.
CARAVANPARKMANAGER………………Hello mate. You asked if I like Bovril…………yep………….love it but no, you can’t get it here. I miss Bovril and Twigglets so if you see any think of me. Have fun on the Emerald Princess and give my best to the cruise director when you see him or her. Can I book a caravan for my Dad’s holiday? Write when you get back mate and stay warm. Cheers.
PETER G…………….Hold on mate……….nothing has changed………..this is an experiment on one ship which stops after this week. The guests were indeed all informed by their travel agents long before they packed and again I was surprised at how many people actually did not dress as they always have on formal nights.
As for shorts………….it’s a trial and again I have to say that maybe 1 in 100 people decided to wear smart dress shorts to dinner. I guarantee that if you entered our dining room tonight you would see very little or no difference at all………………I can understand your concern but I promise you Carnival is not following anyone except you….our guests………..and their wishes. I will keep you informed Peter. Cheers mate.
CAROL SCHOENBERGER……………..Hey Carol, did you ever hear back regarding your concerns you wrote to me about? Just want to follow up. Hope all is well and best from us both.
BOB AND NIMIA………….Hello and firstly a huge thank you for all your kind words. I am happy to hear that the blog helped you return to the world of Carnival……………I am honoured. You asked if I would be the cruise director for your Carnival Freedom cruise in June but unfortunately I will be preparing the Carnival Splendor. Your Cruise Director will be the fabulous Todd Wittmer and he will be someone I know you will enjoy. I hope one day we do get to cruise together and until then I hope you continue to enjoy the blog.
RALF…………………Hello Ralf. Your English is very good and thank you for reading the blog as much as you do. The Carnival Freedom does not offer tours to Chichen Itza as it is too far away. However we do offer tours to Tulum which is the birthplace of the Mayan Indians and is also a spectacular sight to see. You can book excursions on line or onboard and please let me know if you need help doing so. Heidi and I send our best regards to you and I wish we were with you in April. Guten Nacht mein freundin.
RUTH JAMISON…………..Hello Ruth. Thanks for all your kind words. You asked about your waitress Agatha and if she is going to the Carnival Splendor. I asked Ken who told me the staff for the ship have not been chosen as of yet but she certainly has a good chance considering she has already worked on here. If you remind me I will check again in a few weeks as see if there is any update. Meanwhile I passed on your regards to her and Heidi and I send you ours.
SHIRLEY……………..Let me know if you would like to arrange anything for you. Cheers.
MYRA BUSHNELL…………..There will certainly be a bloggers party for the trans-Atlantic cruise, Myra………..great idea. I have no idea who is going but nearer the time we can start a list and send invitations. See you soon.
JIM FASANO………………Hello mate. Welcome to the blog and thanks so much for booking the Bloggers cruise……….It will be brilliant I promise. Heidi and I send you our kindest regards.
RBGATES………….Hello Mr. Gates. I was intrigued by your posting about the Holland America Line’s captain who also has a blog. I contacted someone from our sister company and discovered he will return in April. When he does I thought it would be super to interview him and to put up a link thingy to his blog. Thank you again for bringing this to my attention. I trust you will continue to read this blog until the Captain’s return. Cheers.
SHERRIF ROSCOE P COLTRANE……………..Sorry Sherriff………..I didn’t mean to ignore you. How are you? Hey, can you do me a favor and in force the no tank top wearing rule in the dining room………..can the Sherriff help. Send our best to Mrs. Coltrane and Flash.
DAVE AND BARB……………..Glad to hear from you both ………..we will talk about Mum in a moment. I just want to make sure that I let you and everyone know that carnival has not changed its policy. The clothing rules and regulations remain the same across the fleet except here and that stops at the end of this cruise. The trial was to see if things changed and honestly they didn’t ………if you had been here you would not have even noticed we had given people options. Please don’t worry……….this will never effect how much you enjoy your dining room experience and lets see what happens in the future.
You asked if Todd is going to be the Cruise Director of the Carnival Freedom and indeed he is for your trans-Atlantic cruise. I am so happy that you are able to bring Valentine barb’s service dog. I need a favor please…………we have a big group of sight impaired guests sailing with many of them bringing dogs. We do have an instructional video that the crew is watching but if you have any advice on the do’s and do not’s I would really appreciate you sharing them with me.
Most importantly I read with sadness that Mum is not well and please know that Heidi and I send you our thoughts and best wishes. Please write soon.
MARC G………….Sorry mate, I must have missed your question which was have we decided to replace Britney Spears in the Carnival Legends show. This was discussed and eventually indeed she will go………….we discussed many possibilities but strangely Gene Simmons was not one of them. Who would you like to see……………..really? Let me know your advice mate. Cheers.
LINDA HERNACKI…………….Thanks for asking Linda. I did indeed have a wonderful time with Nani and family. They came on the ship and I got to have a chat and some time with them. Then Heidi and I surprised them with a dinner in Ken’s dining room and although I was unable to join them I know they had a wonderful time. They are a great family and I was happy to see them especially after the tough year they had with the loss of their loved one. I hope I get to see you and Mike very soon as well……….it has been too long that this has not happened.
KEVIN AND HEIDI AND BETH……………..nudge
ERIC R THAYER…………….The good news is that when you take your 2009 Carnival Valor cruise you will indeed have a Big Screen to watch movies under the stars. As I write people are watching a movie called The Golden Compass on a beautiful night here in the Eastern Caribbean. I hope this makes you even more excited about your cruise and please let me know if you need anything else. Cheers.
LISA RINDLER……………Although you did not have a direct question I just wanted you to know that I loved your letter and your sons sound great guys. The way you described how much they enjoyed the dining room team is exactly what we strive to do each and every week on each and every ship. I have forwarded this letter to the Carnival Valor for you. I hope they are there in the fall and I hope one day I hope to meet you and the boys.
I am going to stop there. I still have a huge pile on my desk so please do not worry if I have not answered yours yet………..I will, I promise.
Oh, just before I do let’s chat about the never ending topic of Dress Code. I see that many of you feel strongly about this and especially in the area of enforcing these codes. It’s a difficult one …………of that there is no doubt. However, just to add my two pence here…………..Remember that as you look at the table opposite and see people not formally dressed that maybe…….their luggage was lost and that’s all they have …………… maybe they don’t have any formal clothes at all…………do we have the right to say you cannot eat here and if we do say that then maybe indeed we should do a better job enforcing it.
Now, I am not saying I agree with then above but certainly this is a topic of conversation that has many sides and most of them are correct …………I know one thing…………..if I have a tasty steak and fresh lobster in front of me I wouldn’t care less if the man opposite is wearing a mini skirt………….I’m going to enjoy that food regardless. Anyway, debate is a wonderful thing so please keep your comments and thoughts coming …………….that’s what this blog thingy is for after all.
Computers are just below hemorrhoids on my table of things I hate. Its strange then that every day and every night I sit here using one……………in fact…………..as I sit here and type I have both a computer and hemorrhoids…………..bugger.
Some people love them………….love them, worship them and more importantly understand them. One such person is John Harshaw. This young man is one of the most loved employees we have. He started life onboard as an Info thingy something or other and has since risen through the ranks to become in charge of ……….well…………more thingies………..see for yourself as we interview Mr. John Harshaw.
1. John, please tell us about your career so far and what your current job title is.
My current job title is Director of Operations, Information Systems, Carnival Cruise Lines…….. I also sometimes go by boss, hey you, coach, Mr., son, dad, hubby….and many other titles, and will allow you to elaborate or contribute if you choose to. But let’s briefly start at the beginning (not birth mate) of my IS career to understand how I got to Carnival and my current position.
Without going into too much detail and boring your readers, I started in IS (IT) as a 17 year old youngster assigned to the US Navy aircraft carrier, USS Independence….. I spent 44 months assigned to that ship and was involved in deployments such as Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, along with support for the multinational peacekeeping force in Beirut, Lebanon (circa 1983). This served as a foundation for both my love of IS and my appreciation of the sea, and all things to follow.
After I completed my enlistment, I spent 8 and a half years as a regional IS service manager for a major computer manufacturer which gave me a better appreciation of IS in the private sector, and completed my final step before approaching Carnival Cruise Lines…… After nearly 9 years removed from the Navy, I felt I needed a break from land, traffic, bills, cars, you know…. “ALL OF IT”…. and really sought a change of pace….. It was for these reasons I chose to go back to sea, but this time on a cruise ship, and as the ships IS purser.
I really enjoyed my time working on the ships especially the smaller vessels such as the Festivale, Tropicale, Jubilee, etc., due to the great camaraderie of the officers, staff and crew. This decision is one I value and appreciate almost daily, as it is how I came to know you John along with thousands of other great dedicated people, including my wife of over 10 years now………a former Carnival production show dancer and member of the inaugural cast for the Carnival Inspiration during the 1996 delivery. I have since shed my sailor cap and moved shore side but still have the fondest memories of my time as a Carnival IS manager.
2. So, what are your responsibilities?
To be there for my staff and team!………… Who, in turn, are responsible for ship and shore IS operations, with the focus of ensuring maximum uptime of all IS systems. This includes overseeing daily operations of our shore side data center, managing all aspects of IS data security, IS change management, IS customer service desk, maintenance and support of Carnival’s PCs, printer’s, laptops, and server support. In addition our team is responsible for all aspects of IS shipboard support, IS new shipbuilding programs, supporting our reservation call centers, Carnival.com and hundreds other mission critical servers…. Oh……. They also print and encode the Sail & Sign cards used on all Carnival ships, and create the necessary cruise documents prior to sailing which are emailed or mailed as requested………I believe they also take out the garbage, some cook, wash dishes, and occasionally do yard work…..of course… all this when not responding to their Blackberry’s.
3. The shipboard I/S manager is one of the un sung heroes aboard any cruise ship. What can you tell us about their daily routine and what exactly does a shipboard I/S manager do?
They are a jack of all trades and are the first responders for any and all ship board IS issues. They support IS hardware and software for all other ship board departments, and help to ensure minimal downtime of all critical systems. When they are unable to resolve an issue aboard, the IS managers work directly with Carnival’s shoreside professionals to restore service in the shortest possible time.
On a daily basis the IS managers will monitor the health of all systems, verify reports, computer logs, and backups, respond to service requests……and even assist IS managers on other vessels, as they have created a rather large knowledge network across all Carnival ships;……… this includes an intranet site shore side where all IS managers are encouraged to contribute and solicit information. As I previously mentioned, they are the primary IS contact for service and support for most major ship systems. This includes support of the following areas to name just a few; the shipboard Ethernet network, guest and crew I-Café’s, hotel, embarkation, dining, tour, casino and point of sale systems, gangway access control, electronic cabin locks, maintenance of the ships pc’s, printer’s, data center servers and email system.
There are many, many other systems that ships IS, AV and electronics engineering staff support including all broadcast and IATV equipment, satellite transmit/receive equipment, telephony, plasma screens, safety systems, navigation, engineering and control, and, countless back of house applications to support our guests, officers, staff and crew. It is a team effort and all technical teams ship board work closely to maximize uptime.
Critical issues are logged into our shoreside incident management system, which then can escalate to the appropriate support team as needed, while providing a detailed description of the reported incident and all resolution efforts. Some of our IS managers were even guests sailing on our ships and were simply intrigued about ship board IS while on vacation and decided to join our Carnival team………………….When not taking care of problems our IS managers can be found updating critical windows and virus patches, studying and learning about new and existing technologies, relaxing in one of the crew facilities, and last but not least and time permitting,……………. time off in one of the many ports. …………………They usually work 6 month contracts with 6 weeks vacation before returning for another tour.
4. On a ship like the Carnival Freedom how many office computers are onboard?
Well as you can see there are many systems required to support a vessel of this size. In real basic terms a ship like the Carnival Freedom has over 150 Windows PC’s, 140+ point of sale systems, 50+ laptops, 100+ network printers, 200+ Wi-Fi access points, 300+ VoIP mobile telephones, 75+ Ethernet switches, 30+ servers and many, many miles of fiber and copper cabling, which occasionally needs a connector replaced. There are dozens and dozens more embedded systems throughout the vessel that are regularly maintained by manufacturers to ensure a safe, comfortable, and memorable vacation for our guests.
5. The world of I/S is changing all the time. What do you see down the road, what big changes will come to pass?
Smaller, faster, cheaper, more reliable! …… and oh ….. Can we have it tomorrow?……………. It’s a great time to be in IS as we have barely scratched the surface on potential solutions, technology and applications. In the shipboard arena we expect more consolidation or convergence of the network, and an expansion of IP since most systems can now connect to the data network. This means less proprietary cabling and independent networks, and a more common architecture which will allow for growth in mobile solutions, data exchange, and quicker implementation of new solutions. In the future everything will have a data cable on the end….. so next time you flush your cabin toilet I bet you look to see if its plugged into a data socket for further monitoring…………….OK maybe we will stick to kiosks and leave the porcelain alone…..”e”-Everything! ……. Less physical documents and more electronic data exchange……… and the future is now. Consumers more and more are requesting e-docs for their bank statements, reoccurring bills, and all other personal accounts, and Carnival is no exception. With better than 90% of our guests now registering into Funpass prior to beginning their Carnival vacation, and more users selecting e-docs for their cruise documents, we expect a continued reduction of consumables and paper, and continued growth, expansion and improvement of the very popular carnival.com. Even more information will be shared electronically.
Satellite! It is everything to us and our lifeline between ship-shore data exchange. We continue to seek ways to maximize usage of the ships satellite network and expect a greater demand for bandwidth in the future…….. more systems to support shipboard, the immediate need for accurate bi-directional information will further expand offerings related to satellite connectivity.
Innovation. We are always looking to improve upon IS solutions, and we are currently working on further modifications and enhancements to our current portfolio. We have always been an industry leader in IS, with innovative solutions such as “Bow to Stern” Wi-Fi, mobile phone connectivity on all Carnival vessels, laptop mobile embarkation, interactive TV and even ATM’s, and the future will be no different. There are many initiatives currently underway to improve upon the products we currently present to our guests.
6. Your move to the office has been one huge success story……….however, do you miss the shipboard way of life and what do you remember of the old days onboard.
I’m not the first to come shore side from the ships and won’t be the last. Even our Chairman Mr. Arison spent some time onboard during the early days and I think it is a great experience to work both sides of the anchor ………. Yes I do miss ship board life and for many reasons… What I miss the most are the people…….Sounds cliché but the people aboard a cruise ship are brilliant and share a common bond…. The cultural diversity is second to none with 50+ nations on a single vessel, there is something to learn each and every day… I have said a thousand times over that if the UN or NATO could successfully emulate the trust and friendships that occur on a cruise ship, the world would be a much safer, trusting, happier and less judgmental place. Cruise ship life is in some ways a Bohemian life style, where only cruise ship people know what it is like……… you know……….. to live in a box at sea for months on end, no car or king size bed to escape to, no kitchen or backyard……… but is what makes all ship personnel share a common bond and mutual respect toward one another.
They are the hardest working individuals I have ever met and live solely to serve the needs of our guests…….. I miss the exotic ports of call and never under appreciated them, as my time in the Navy many years prior taught me to appreciate each and every day…… and I continue to live my life that way……. I used to love scuba diving as a crew member and will never forget comet Hale-Bopp passing in 1997, as we were in St. Croix with very little light pollution, a perfect full moon and two night dives in store…….. upon my return to the surface of the water I gazed to the stars and will never forget the bright flash of dust, ice and space particles as it crossed the sky (very slowly over months mind you). It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Lastly every month when our internal Carnival newsletter “Seaview” is published, I always look for the faces of colleagues I worked with during my ship board years……. Not all memories are fond of course…….. but let’s leave on a positive note as no one likes a complainer!
7. I imagine you to have all the latest gadgets and your house to be full of the latest technology………..is this the case.
Well yes I must admit it…..I am a bit of a techno geek, and in addition to my work toys, I also have an mini music studio in my office……. Along with my music toys, we have 3 Apple Mac’s, a few Windows PC’s, photo printers, 3 HDTV’s, satellite DirecTV, multiple generations of iPods, a TIVO, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, multiple digital cameras, 3-4 boxes of every conceivable cable to connect anything from a 1970’s reel-to-reel to the latest HDMI cable…….. We even have a toilet with a network jack!……… OK that was a stretch but wanted to see if you were still awake.
8. I do know that your job can be very stressful, how do you relax.
Stress is obviously not unique to my career but exists in most jobs, as I’m sure you know better than most. The key for me is to achieve a balance between work and play, i.e.. “relaxation” that hopefully compliment each other. My first choice is spending time with my wife and two sons, ages seven and five and a half. I coach my boys in soccer…………I mean football, sorry mate…. along with baseball, as well as assist with both roller hockey and even ice hockey.
Nothing takes me away farther from IT support then teaching thirteen 7 year olds how not to be hit in the head by a baseball. When we are not playing youth sports we attend all major local sporting events, and are homers following all Miami professional teams, regardless of how they are doing in the standings. The beauty of looking at the world through a child’s eyes is that standings do not matter, and they just want to see the silly mascot, watch some fireworks, maybe catch a free shirt in a giveaway, laugh, and just spend time together.
It really brings the family together, and I am a firm believer of the notion “the family that plays together stays together.” When I need a break from coaching and working I look toward my hobby of driving my sports car at least once a month, along with a large group of fellow middle aged car aficionados. We spend a few days detailing our cars (currently a 2005 Corvette), then a brief 30-50 minute cruse, culminating with showing them off in a small auto show, and usually at a parking lot of a restaurant.
I am also a musician (loosely defined) and have a mini recording studio and love to experiment with creating all types of music. Other hobbies include photography, fishing and of course a daily quest for learning via; people, TV, books, subscriptions and researching everything on the internet.
Of course I never have enough time for the above as I happen to love what I do and usually bury myself with work. My wife and children are really teaching me the meaning of balance……… so that’s what I’m working on these days.
Thanks John and congratulations on your continuing success. …………..oh by the way………….can you make the cup holder on my computer smaller…………..oh………….and can I have a computer in the bathroom on the Carnival Splendor………..I do spend a lot of time in there. Thanks mate.
We are in St. Martin tomorrow and after we sail I have another meeting with the lady who was so upset that we didn’t have an Afro American dancer or staff member onboard. I invited her to see Marcus Anthony last night and she did go and reports are she was really smiling and having a great time………….I hope she will be more understanding tomorrow ………….lets hope so.
Can I just say sorry to the fans of the Sacramento Kings who were soundly beaten by my Miami Heat…………this marks the beginning of a run all the way to the NBA finals………………woohoo.
OK, it’s Showtime now and then straight to bed. My cold is better, much better so thank you for all your kind words. I am going to take more Nyquil and hopefully dream of that beach and me and Marion Coltillard rolling naked in the sand together………knowing my luck though it will be the same beach, same sand……………I will be naked but Marion will have been replaced by George Hamilton……………….bugger
Goodnight
Your Friends
John and Heidi
Filed under: Tales from the Ship, Uma Thurman | Tagged: Splendor Godmother
Hi John.
It’s certainly true that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover – I had to go to London a week or so ago, and booked into a fairly low-priced hotel in Docklands.
I thought I’d be somewhere near Canary Wharf… turns out I was in the back of beyond… between a derelict factory and a bomb site.
However, the hotel had a marvellous Chinese Restaurant on the ground floor… salt and pepper squid, unattractive but delicious king prawn, a delicious hot and sour soup, mixed seafood in hot sauce, mmmmmmmm.
Had I not been woken by the hotel’s fire alarm at 3am I might have had a similar dream to yours… however, it was not to be.
I’m looking forward to the Emerald Princess and I will seek out the CD and ask him to get some twiglets in specially for you.
John,
You are so talented, you should write a romance novel. BUT…..it’s a good thing Heidi can’t tune into your dreams………. You’d be in the doghouse indefinitely…………lol
Carolyn
John,
Thanks for the great pictures. I especially love the one of Ken..he was the Maitre d when we were on the BC and all I can say is what a voice. Please tell him Stephanie, Paul & AJ from Dennis’s table said hi. Countinue feeling better.
Stephanie
PS
AJ says hi.
I was certainly glad to read your blog and brighten up a gray, gloomy, cold (57 degrees) day in Florida. Yesterday all over Florida we had electrical blackouts. It’s all okay now but no explanation of what caused the outages. Hope you had more pleasant dreams with the help of Nyquil. Jeri
John,
I don’t recall where your parents live, but I hope they are OK after the earthquake last night.
I might have missed the news except that my wife, who’s in London on business, said she slept well “despite the earthquake.”
Please let us know how they and all your mates are.
Cary
Rated “R” to be continued Rated “XXX”
John, I think your about to take this blog where no cruise blog has gone before. But when you do title that post “ADULTS ONLY” the slaps on your thingy will cause it to blast out of the top of the charts.
With your names like “booger of the seas” and “Botox of the seas” nobody will have a chance to win the naming contest for that cruise lines new titanic class ships.
I’m ready to go to a Chinese restaurant any day with you and you can do the ordering. I see we like the same things, Hot and spicy. Who cares what those hemorrhoids will be doing to use the next day.
Captain Ed
of The Evil Crew
John..
In the words of Martin Luther King… We share a dream.
ok.. those weren’t exactly his words.
The dream sounded so good I’m going out to buy some Nyquil.
If I book the excursion from Gatwick airport ( my flight arrives at 7am) to Canterbury on July 13 will I still have time to see some of Dover before boarding the ship?
John,
Thank you so much for whetting my appetite about the Splendor by listing two hotels. Sounds like things are beginning to shape up.
About the dress code, I know you have to choose your battles carefully. If I were in your shoes, I am not sure it is one I would choose to fight. Personally, we enjoy bringing dressy clothes for the formal nights. It gives my daughter, granddaughter, and I a chance to shop for fancy clothes. It would be nice if passengers would read the recommendations and then adhere to them. I agree with you, though, it is a little hard to enforce. Do we really want scenes in the dining room when people are not served because of their attire? Some people are not gracious and would not leave quietly.
Oh, I wanted to ask you about the earthquake in England. I hope your family is all right.
That’s it for now!
Ruth
Hi John,
Starting to try to figure out my B2B2B Splendor cruise. It seems we will be sharing a port or two with Eurodam and another dam ship or two plus a few more. Here is what I see, so far:
July 02 – Genoa – Carnival Splendor…
July 03 – Cannes – Carnival Splendor…
July 04 – Barcelona – Carnival Splendor, Brilliance of the Seas, MSC Orchestra, Costa Magica…
July 05 – Sea…
July 06 – Lisbon – Carnival Splendor…
July 07 – Sea…
July 08 – Sea…
July 09 – Le Havre – Carnival Splendor…
July 10 – Dover – Carnival Splendor…
July 11 – Amsterdam – Carnival Splendor…
July 12 – Sea…
July 13 – Dover – Carnival Splendor, Crystal Symphony…
July 14 – Sea…
July 15 – Copenhagen – Carnival Splendor, Eurodam, Costa Marina, Seabourn Pride, MSC Armonia…
July 16 – Warnemunde – Carnival Splendor…
July 17 – Sea…
July 18 – Helsinki – Carnival Splendor, Constellation, Seabourn Pride…
July 19 – St Petersburg – Carnival Splendor, Eurodam, Rotterdam…
July 20 – St Petersburg – Carnival Splendor, Rotterdam, Silver Cloud…
July 21 – Tallinn (Muuga) – Carnival Splendor, Costa Mediterranea…
July 22 – Sea…
July 23 – Sea…
July 24 – Amsterdam – Carnival Splendor, Norwegian Jade…
July 25 – Dover – Carnival Splendor…
Hello John,
Thank you for your response regarding my post. I’m sure you’re super busy so I do appreciate your response.
As far as who I would like to see replace Brittney, I saw plenty of suggestions on here when you had that post a few months back, if anything I would ask everyone else for their input once again. Me personally I would like someone that is rock and roll related. I mean you have Elton, but thats not rock and roll (I’m younger if you can’t tell) I would say someone more like Bon Jovi would be a really good one. Have someone with a long blond wig on, singing “Living on a Prayer” I think would be a lot of fun and you’ll have the whole crowd singing along I’m sure too. Or even have a Paul Mccartney would be fun singing “Hey Jude” would be nice to end the show too. I dunno just a couple of suggestions to you.
Either way have fun, feel better, and don’t drink too much Nyquil, it will cause hallucinations, you don’t want to be walking around and all of sudden see Marion Coltillard and you try to hug her when it is really a guest on the ship.
Cheers!!
-Marc
Hi John/Heidi:
Great interview with Mr. Harshaw. As someone who has dealt with IT/IS in our office, it is a very difficult task. I can’t imagine having to work in this capacity on a huge vessel.
I liked his Festivale picture, but more imporantly, I love your “Godfather” picture. I could use that on a tshirt. It would be a classic.
Glad to hear you’re feeling better.
I’m jealous you’re in St. Thomas/St. Maarten. 2 of my favorite islands in the whole world.
Thanks for another great blog!
David
John, please reply. Yes, please. Could you arrange that all ten of my group are at one table for the early seating? Our cabins are 1321, 1325, 1337, and 9202 on Carnival Freedom sailing on March 15. If it makes a difference in seating arrangements, we have one person who will be in a wheelchair.
Thanks for your assistance. I know you are a very busy man and now are handicapped by a Nyquil hangover. I was worried that your talents would prove to be elsewhere (like erotic fiction) until I read about your tongue coming out of her ear, and then I knew your destiny is to continue to be the world’s best (and funniest) CD.
I look forward to meeting you in 17 days, and letting my family see what I’ve been raving about (you and Carnival).
John:
Glad to hear you are feeling better. I think you sent your cold via the internet and I caught that cyber bug because now I have it! Niquil is wonderful and is helping me too!
Thank you for the update on meet and greets on the ship. I am sure everyone will be thrilled.
We are still waiting for your CD schedule for 2008. Looking forward to knowing who will be our CD (Chris Jefferson, hint, hint) for our sailing in Sept. I know it helps a lot of people choose a particular ship based on the CD if they are torn between two.
Hope you have a wonderful day in St. Maarten! I see the ship is backed in again. Hope you are able to get off for a few hours and enjoy the sunshine!
I don’t know how it happened but I have caught your cold! I am pretty sure The Runny Snot Of Seas keeps leaving my nose yard (sister ship of the Booger of the Seas).
Glad to hear you’re feeling better. I hope to be feeling better myself. I am popping lots of vitamin C and Advil!
Hi Heidi & John (Godfather),
Loved the photos of you and Nanette’s family. I’m glad they had a great time.
In answer to your question, yes I did hear back about my concerns (actually they sent 2 identical letters about a month apart). First an apology for what happened, then a thank-you for bringing the matter to their attention so it doesn’t happen again. And finally, let them know when I sail again so they can give me a Bon Voyage gift. Thanks for wanting to know.
And now I have a question for you – please jog your memory.
Since we were talking about CDs and the Bedtime Story, I think the first time I heard the Bedtime Story (actually called a Fairy Tale then) was when I was on the Jubilee – either in 1987 or in 1988 on the Cyndi Lauper cruise. The CD had dark hair, I think a beard, I think he was Canadian – any clue? But from then on, that story has been one of my favorites and I have been disappointed when I don’t hear it on a cruise. It should be mandatory!
Yesterday, during the black-out in Miami I spoke to my Vacation Planner and put more money on deposit for the Miracle – Almost fully paid, now I just have to wait all summer.
Almost forgot, glad that “lady” saw Marcus Anthony perform. Hope your meeting goes well.
Take care,
Carol
John,
For all us gals that read your blog, after todays blog PLEASE let Hedi do the next blog. I think I would like to read about her dreams.
I enjoyed reading Princess Nanni’s blog about her visit yesterday. Once again you showed how kind of a person you and Hedi are.
John,
I remember Gary, he was on the Freedom in July along with Adele. Regarding phone connections on the ships, wouldn’t it make sense to hook up VoIP directly through the internet so it only cost 75c/min vs $6.99/min? Since Dover is close(r) to home for you n Heidi are you going to be doing cruises out of there?
_BigMike
Blog Security Master
Hi John –
Thanks for the interview and all the IS info. As the old yeoman, I can tell you it was barely 20 yrs ago that
-Sail & Sign was done manually (with 1000 or so completely illegible bar bills given to the yeoman at night). Imagine THOSE charge disputes.
-There was little if any TV reception at sea and we would dutifully rent our VHS tapes of The Cosby Show or Cheers from a very smart entrepreneur in Grand Cayman
-There were no cellphones to call (or be called) from the office, and in an excuse to get to the beach faster, one could yell into a payphone from Mazatlan ‘what?? whats that?? Im sorry, I think you’re cracking up…??’ and then be off with a smile.
Yes, so many great memories – my most lasting reminder is that (after all this time,) I still will not flush without putting the lid down for fear of getting sucked into oblivion.
Enjoy eating Chinese food in Puerto Rico – the ability to process food is something unique to cruise personnel too…the mere thought of eating jerk anything from a cart on the side of the road now sends me for the Pepto.
And lastly for today a word of advice for the future – all those pictures of people you swear you’ll never forget their name because they are your best friends forever and ever? Yup, label them…now…while you can.
That said, I have a few oldies that I can try to scan and send you….where to? I’m still hunting for the elusive Roger Blum shot….I can see it in my head, he has his purser whites on, long-ish hair and mustache, standing with a lovely dark haired girl (cant think of her name) – but do you think I can FIND it? It doesnt matter how much space you have, its easy to fill isnt it!?
Anyway, cheers for now, and let me know how/where I might send some pics if I can get them scanned.
PLEASE REPLY
John –
My friend Sarah and I are wondering if you will be the CD for our Trip on the SPLENDOR Nov 29-Dec 6th. I saw the schedule posted but it was a little fuzzy towards the end. I know at some point you will be on vacay but wasn’t sure when that would be.
Also like one of the other blog readers, I realized that I may have missed the calling of life at sea. I thought of a great way to fix this…By being Wee Jimmy’s Assistant CD not only on the ship but for life! =) I know you have connections and any help would be appreciated. I work as an admin assistant (so I am very organized) and am very outgoing. I am the perfect woman for the job (on all fronts)! =)
Anyway, thanks for the blogs! I have enjoyed reading them and love that they make me LAUGH out loud at time! Also have you ever thought of interviewing Roberto and Stephanie? (if I have missed them I apologize)
Much love to you and Heidi!
Ashley
Hola John!!!!!!!
Love the picture of Don John it is my favorite!! I put it as my profile picture in facebook and send it to all the members of the evil crew(sneak peak until I finished writing my blog) right after we got back from the ship . It shows the good time we had. The time with spend with Tina in the dinning room was precious.It was a celebration with muchos huggos and great memories.The 5 of us(including Tina) couldnt stop smiling. She remembered everything about us. Even talked with the others( my nieces) in the phone. She is the best!! I hope that one day we will meet again.
We are still smiling remembering every bit and piece of a wonderful night.
Give Heidi a grande huggo from all of us. One of the best things was getting to know her better.The kids loved her.
God bless you both.
A big huggo friend
Nanni
Hi John
Funny that you would mention that I would be in the doghouse after writing my cruise memoir about working the M.S. Ecstasy.
Thought everyone might want to read a sweet and funny article about my recently published book – Permanent Passenger: My Life on a Cruise Ship. The reporter was trying to show how I went from a “swinging bachelor’ on a Carnival ship to responsible dad. Nice try! and .. .yes I am in the doghouse because of wonderful picture of Julie (she was dancer you probably remember under Kerry) in half dress with me in doorway. Nothing happened!
here is link
http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_8369678
Enjoy
Micha Berman
When will the iteneraries for the Magic and/or Dream be avialable?
John,
Let me tell you that you look completely in your element with a cigar in your hand surrounded by a bevy of beauties… Tell the others to bugger off..
By the way… Please Reply!
I was hoping to see the cruise director schedule but I suspect it’s still in the works. When it’s available, please sir, I’d love to see it!
I swear, John, you should be writing those paperback novels with the scantily dressed, slinky woman draped seductively over the heavily muscled hero, blond tresses flowing in the breeze!!!
What is Carnival’s position on the new proposed modification to the Passenger Vessel Services Act??? If you can’t answer that… what is your take on it? I can’t see it going forward… what a horrible mistake that would be!!!
Well… I’m being distracted by work… I just hate the way work interferes with my time planning, cruises, reading your blog and surfing CruiseCritic.com…
Until the next time, sir, please offer my best to Heidi, Roberto and the very special Stephanie!!
Cheers!!!
GregB
Hi John, This is my first time writing on your Blog Thingy! I have become addicted to your daily blog! You bring such down to earth humor and I look forward to reading it daily.
My husband and & were set to sail on the Freedom last Oct. 2007, but my 91 yr. old Mom was hospitalized with pneumonia 2 weeks before our cruise, and we had to cancel. My place was with my Mom, but part of me missed going. So, we have booked the Freedom for April 12, 2008 and are going to the Western Caribbean. My husband and I met in Jamaica 1n l968 so this is kind of de ja vu for us. It doesn’t make up for Italy, but I was really looking forward to sailing on the Freedom. With my Mom now in a nursing home, I didn’t want to be gone too long so that too is why we picked a shorter cruise. I just wanted to write and tell you that you bring sunshine to us here in snowy Ohio. Thank you!
Hey John,
Another thought. Heidi-Beth is really wanting to go on the cruise in December so that we can be gone on our anniversary. But she also wants to go on the blogger’s cruise. We really prefer the 90 minute drive to Tampa, as opposed to 9+ hours to drive to New Orleans. It is a lot easier for me to get time off of work at the end of the year instead of the beginning of the year. Our cruise on the Inspiration is only $18 less for the four of us. We would have to leave Florida on Friday to get there for Saturday morning. The schedule would be tight, and would require a lot of careful planning. I am not sure what to do. Maybe we should put it to a vote and see what everyone thinks we should do. Seems the fair way to do it. But remember, I live in Florida, and we don’t know how to count votes here. Any input you can give would be extremely helpful.
Till next time,
Kevin
Kevin, I’m driving from Michigan to be at the New Orleans Bloggers Cruise. A lot of My Evil Crew are going to arrive on the 5th to be there for the Pre-cruise activities John has HINTED at. So Kevin my hanging chad has been removed from the YES vote on the punch card.
John, Yes I did upper case the word HINTED for you to notice it. We hope you get past HINTING soon so we can make our reservations.
Captain Ed
of the Evil Drew
Hi John,
When I started reading your blog today I thought I had accidentally stumbled onto the Harlequin Romance website. Wait, no, it was a little too steamy for standard Harlequin. Maybe more like a Silhouette Romance, the Blaze series. Although, I’m more partial to historical romances or ones set in the West, I love me some cowboys… Okay, that was a waaaaayyyyy over-share. And now I’ve revealed that my guilty pleasure is trashy romance novels. Can’t help myself.
So the opening of your blog today really hooked me in. And then I get further down and get to read an interview with your IS honcho. Well, I was just in nerd heaven! I fell into the computer field completely by accident and found that I had a head for it. I’ve always been curious about the IT people and the systems they support so thank you for the peek. Now I’m curious about what kind of training they give the shipboard IT people.
Anywho, I loved that pictures that you and Nanni posted. She even took one sitting in the piano bar just for me! Ah the memories, as fuzzy as they might be…
As usual, my regards to Heidi, Roberto and Stephanie.
Cheerios,
Laura
John
1st would like to say hope you are feeling better. I know it can be quite hard to work & have a cold.
Thanks for the info about Todd Whitmer, being on the Freedom on 11/30/08
As a member of Cruise Critic, I can tell you alot of people are very delighted, he is going to be the CD, & also sorry that we can’t have you. There are approx 250 cruise critic members & families going on the 11/30/08 cruise. We have 112 pages on the board right now with about 2220 post.
Is there anyway that you or Todd can place something in the Capers for a get together or something? I know it is 9 months 2days away.
I forgot to tell you a bit about myself. I am a nurse & my husband is a plumber. We own our own plumbing company. We live in Charleston, SC.
My husband & I will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary in June. This B2B(11/30/08 & 12/06/08) on the Freedom is our Anniversary present to each other. We have been sailing Carnival since 1989. 1st cruise was on the Carnivale. This will be our 12th & 13th cruise. We have only sailed with Carnival & I can tell you we will never sail another line.
We have only had 2 problems:
1st- On the Sensation- They lost our luggage, We only had 1 bag. They found it the day we pulled back into home port. This was a 3-day cruise, wearing only the clothes on our backs, except for formal night- we did carry that on -board.
The 2nd issue was on the Liberty last Oct. There was a very rude man in the casino. Got mad at me because I would not give up one of the 2 two-cent machines I was playing. ( I was winning good). He reached over & cashed me out on both machines & hit me in the nose at the same time. Some one went & got security & it took them forever to get him out of the area.
The 1st issue was handled nicely by Carnival. The 2nd I got a letter of apology from Carnival
Sorry to go On & on.
What can you tell me about San Juan- We are there 5pm- midnight. We are not real crazy party animals.
Say hi to heidi & take care of that cold. Keep up the great work
Cheri
Please Reply
Hi Mr.Heald,
My family and I are going on a cruise on March 15th on the Freedom (W/C) and I am interested in the technical side of theatre. I operate the light board for my High school’s productions and work at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. My Dad has been reading your blog thingy and showed me the picture of TJ and his lighting boards. I was wondering if it was possible that I could get a tour of the technical side of the amazing theatre aboard the Carnival Freedom.
John, botox of the seas?
Just kidding , THAT IS FUNNY!
And to tell you the truth Royal caribbean or should i say ”ROYAL TURD” has been strugiling from the evloutions of fun on the fantasy class , and the addition of sea side thaters.
The Celeberty corporation thought they would become once again gloryiouse whith the new 130,000 ton celeberty solctice , and new line azmarie …………………..but NO!
HA HA TO THEM!!!
The P in Triumph, OK granted that it looks
kind of funky, maybe cartoonish, but it
is within the Carnival font family.
That was my guess, though. The “P”
is the cuplrit in relation to the Spendor’s
signage. Thanks so much for some answers!
P.S. Could not they have gone “Carnival SPLENDOR”? I’ll let you know when I get back from the Fortuna.
No Freddy though. 
Hi John,
Someone asked about the Legends Show and replacing Britney Spears. I think that is a wise choice. My suggestion would be Janis Joplin, Bette Midler or Celine Dion. All three have some major hit songs and you could easily come up with costumes. Janis Joplin’s Me and Bobby McGee is a great song. And the fact that my daughter sings it brillantly has nothing to do with my suggestion.
When you get a chance, could you let me know if a meeting place for our Cruise Critic group on the 3/15/08 cruise is a possibility. Our family is very excited to meet you. We are in cabins 9268 & 9270 on the Lido Deck. We were told we can open the divider on the balcony for one big deck. I sure hope this is a fact. Can you open it for us? We’ll even let you join us for a drink or two. Heidi too.
I don’t know if this can be arranged ahead of time or not. Hope you have another Nyquil kind of dreamy night.
Margie Tracy
PLEASE REPLY
John Heald aka Monsieur Maison de Chien -
Where, in heaven’s name, are you getting your Nyquil and, more importantly, can I get some, please? I have never had a dream like the one you related. Usually, mine are so strange that they become the subject of papers in psychobabble conferences.
Well, it is time to break the sad news. We have canceled the Genoa sailing. Too many things were working against our going – I guess one trip to Europe per year is sufficient.
The good news – we have changed our plans and need some info from you. I am hesitant to ask the questions on this forum, as a certain du-et might just discover our plans, but I will take my chances – who will be the CD on the May 31st Carnival Liberty sailing from Miami and, more importantly, what can I do to torment s/he?
Kathy, Stacy and I will be taking this seven day absolutely wonderful itinerary – Half Moon Cay for a day on the beach, Old San Juan for its scenery and shops, St Thomas for its ambiance (and jewelry, no doubt) and Grand Turk for, well, Grand Turk since we have never been there.
I am debating whether or not to advise or surprise our two friends – they are in Harry’s, so we can have plenty of time to enjoy their music, even if they do have to tone it down a bit. What do you think? Advise or surprise?
Last question – did you ever get my 3:13AM opus email? There are a couple of things I would like to discuss with you off-line.
Now, onto John Harshaw -
Hello to a fellow swabbie. You must have joined right as the wife and I got out. Somehow, the idea of working on a cruise ship never occurred to me after leaving the Navy. I never went Haze Grey and Underway (my sea duty was NavStaHosp, Keflavik, Iceland), but now I love cruising and it more than makes up for never getting onto an aircraft carrier (the only sea going billet for my NEC).
One request – can you please get my PVP’s computer to work when I call. It seems like everytime I call her, she comments “Why won’t this computer let me do this (whatever task she is trying to do)?” Eventually, it gets done, but it is a constant.
All the best to all the best (bloggers, that is)
Jon
Hi John & Heidi
Glad to hear you are feeling better John after your bought of man flu, ha, ha, ha
Was great reading John Harshaws interveiw and please say I said hi next time you see him. He was always a funny guy and good fun to be around.
Am loving ready your antics everyday, one of the first things I do when I get into the office of a morning. Keep up the great work.
Take care
Sam Lloyd xxxxx
Hey John, Thanks for the interview with (the other) John! IS is what I am looking at for a career – doing what John Harshaw does. Maybe I will come work for you! Drexel University (a school I am looking at going to) has a co-op program where each student gets to spend 6 months with an employer in the field. Do you participate in this? -Michael
John…
I had to start fanning myself, it was getting warm… your writing… it’s so realistic… Ummmm, Marion would be lucky!!! Heidi IS lucky!!! Thanks for the story… I think maybe I’ll just take it from there and let the dream pan over to me and ….
Rumors… aren’t they grand! I do think that when the sale is final, and Victoria Secret has shops aboard all ships… that every night instead of mints on our pillows there will be a small sample of their finery???? What a stir that would cause… and possibly a whole new generation of CARNIVAL CRUISERS would be born…
Again, your interviews capture not only the working side of the guest… but also their family and human side. Thanks for letting us get to know both sides of the staff and execs!!
Regards and Thanks,
Lambie
Hi John, This is my first time posting here. I found your blog about a week ago and have spent a lot of time catching up with you. I have been on 10 (soon to be 11) Carnival cruises. Unfortunately I have never sailed with you but hope to some day. My wife’s aunt married a man from Cornwall about 12 years ago. He sold everything he had a moved here to the states to marry her aunt. He was a great guy and had tons of funny stories. He passed away a little over a year ago and we miss him a lot. I hear his voice as I read your words and it really brings a joy to my heart.
I have read in your last few blogs about your up coming cruise with the seeing impaired people. We were on a Carnival cruise a couple years ago and there were probably 50 – 70 service dogs. It was amazing to see these people navigate the ship. Most of them could find their way around better then those that could see. One of the things I noticed was trouble with over crowded elevators. When the bell rings and the door opens they are coming in. We saw one incident coming back from a port; we were waiting for an elevator and there was a guy and his dog first in line. When the bell rang and the door opened it was packed, he proceeded to squeeze in with his dog. The door closed and the tail was still hanging out. You could here a gasp from everyone out there watching. The elevator started to rise with the tail still out there he pulled it in just as it got to the ceiling. One of the things I didn’t like was they always reserved the first two rows in the theater for this group. First off only about 5 – 10 of them would come to the show, not to be insensitive but do the blind need to be in the front row. I would put them in the back because it easier to get in and out and you can still here fine from there.
Well this got a lot longer then I ever intended so I better go for now. Keep up the great entertainment and I’m sure now that I found you I will be talking to you again soon.
John
Hello John!
Thanks for your answer and greetings. Bad luck for me. I am booked on Carnival Imagination going to Costa Maja after TA on the Splendor in November. Perhaps I am more lucky then.
You know why I started cruising? I wanted to see Tulum. So I checked out every way getting there. I found out a Cruise ship leaving out of Tampa: Carnival Jubilee in 2002. I booked my first Carnival Cruise after my River Nile Cruise in 2001.
Their Boat Drill: Do not care just don`t go below any passenger deck, if we are sinking (No life wests (very few)).
I am looking forward seeing you on Splendor
Ralf
John the steamy romance novelist,
I have a dream, a fantasy (well a Fantasy Class ship anyway)…
To help me through reality…..
Give me some of that Nyquil!!!!
However rolling around nekkid in the sand….the sand would get everywhere…..
….And my destination makes it worth the while
Gotta get that ABBA song out of my head now…
…. Carnival Sensation with the parents for their first cruise… T Minus 10 days and counting… Sure I would have LOVED to have taken them on the Freedom with the steamy romance novelist CD, but time contraints made that not possible. I’m sure they will like it regardless.
Something good in everything I see
ABBA?!?!? …. Bugger!!!
Hi John:
I’m not sure if you have any Pittsburgh people on board but if so, you might mention to them that a beloved Pittsburgh icon – Mr. Myron Cope – passed away February 27th. Anyone who is from Pittsburgh and loves the Steelers will remember him as a kind man with a raspy voice and quite a vocabulary – his favorite word being “yoi”. He was also the inventor of the “Terrible Towl”. (ask someone, they’ll explain that to you).
Sue
John.
Great story, career and amazing BIO, I’m very proud to be part of your I/S Operations team, i got those positive vibs from that big day almost 2 years ago on my interview where I met you for the first time and knew it was going to be very exciting working for you and being part of the Carnival team.
Wish you many more years of success, happiness and many more great dreams to come…
Tony Di Perna
John – - PLEASE REPLY – oldsealegs@mail.com
It was so good to meet you on the Bloggers’ Cruise in January. We are also booked on the Oct. 5 sailing of The Mediterranean & Greek Isles cruise aboard the Carnival Splendor. I need your help with a few questions regarding transfers:
We are due to arrive at FCO at 8:50 AM on embarkation day and would like to transfer to the ship via the “Rome At A Glance” tour/transfer. I hope that we’ll be able to board the bus within an hour of clearing customs. Possible?
On disembarkation day (Fri. 10/17), our flight departs FCO at 10:40 AM. I believe it would be prudent to disembark and transfer to the airport at about 6:00 AM. Will there be CCL coaches leaving at such an early hour? Would it be better to book another ground transfer company? If so, which company(ies) would you recommend?
Thank you,
~ Dave Carson
Hey John
How about a blog about Jason & James
(The Destination Specialist/Super Shoppers).
I think they are still on the Freedom unless PPI has transfered them
Cheers mate