My mission should I accept it……….and I had no choice but to…………was to clean the house before Heidi came home and thus avoid an immediate relegation to the doghouse.
Heidi has not been here for over a month and even though for two of those weeks I was also not here (we were both on our Europe trip) when I examined the place last night it looked as though Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and George Hamilton had held a party there. Now, I am not suggesting that there were empty beer cans, cigarette buts, bits of Pizza and scantily clad women laying all over the floor but it certainly looked ………. well ………..not up to the standards that Heidi expects.
At this point I should add that if Heidi and I ever disagree about our living conditions it is normally based on two subjects.
Firstly, Heidi wants the house to look like the front cover of some coffee table magazine such as Country Life or Homes and Gardens. Everything has to be in its place and looking like a show home just in case Hello Magazine show up at the front door to photograph our house.
Me, well I like the lived in look and personally I don’t care if we make the front cover of Pig Farmers Weekly, a house is supposed to look like someone lives in it………….who cares if there is a cup on the coffee table overnight or if one of the sofa cushions isn’t puffed up properly? Well, apparently my wife cares and she cannot sleep if she knows that there is a plate left over from dinner still on the table or a pair of underwear on the bathroom floor.
The second thing we always argue about is the temperature. Heidi likes a warm house and if she had her way she would have the fire on 24 hours a day even in summer …………. she is always cold. Me, I like the house cold. Now, living in a barn means that many of the rooms are naturally cool but in the summer …………….yes…………….we do have a summer in England…………..last year it was on a Thursday ……..the arguments begin. Heidi fails to realize that she has very little meat on her while I have an entire cow on me and that’s when battle commences.
Anyway, as Heidi was due home this morning I found myself realizing that resistance was futile and that was me………….puffing the pillows…………….emptying the dishwasher (I hate that thing) and vacuuming all the rooms that have carpet………….thank goodness some have wood floors.
Talking of vacuuming, I once entered a contest to write a commercial for a vacuum cleaner company…………….I really did…………….it was many years ago and I never even received a letter to say thank you but you have won nothing………………..however…………I thought as I used one of the things this morning I would let you see it.
So, picture a white picket fenced house in suburbia………………the door opens and we find the perfect North American family sitting on a couch all singing this song.
YOU’VE GOT A PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH
ALL MUSHED DOWN IN YOUR RUG
AND THE BECKHAMS ARE COMING OVER
YOU DON’T WANT THEM TO SEE THAT CRUD
SO YOU GO TO BUY A VACUUM CLEANER
DON’T GET A KENMORE OR ELECTROLUX
BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES TO VACUUM CLEANERS
YOU KNOW A HOOVER………………REALLY SUCKS
I think I should have won.
It was while I was cleaning this morning that my mind wandered and I found myself remembering the time when I had to clean my own cabin……………this didn’t happen for long but in the beginning of my career at Carnival cleaning my cabin was something I had to do………and this morning ……………the memories came flooding back.
I spoke a few weeks ago about how hard it was to say goodbye to family and friends and board the Continental flight to Miami for my first day at Carnival, as well as my negative experiences with the medical treatment (I still can’t say the word stool without getting cold sweats) and the lack of information and care that Carnival provided new crew members back in the 80′s. Of course, things have changed and now the crew has their hands held from arrival until they board the ship and Carnival is the trendsetter in this regard.
I remember boarding the Holiday in 1987 and waiting for ages before someone came to collect me and the other new crew from the gangway. I was shown to my cabin ………… given the key…………..and I entered the room which was the size of Heidi’s walk in closet. There were two bunk beds………….a small desk………..one chair and a small wardrobe. The two bunk beds were also small and judging by the fact that there were no bedclothes on the top bunk I guessed that’s where I would be staying.
I had primed myself up for the cabin to be small and to the fact that I would sharing a cabin but as I sat on the chair and looked around………..I felt like crying……………so I did.
You know, as I write this I realize that I have never told anyone this before……….not my parents or Heidi……………I cried like a little boy whose puppy had just been run over by a steam roller…………….I wanted to go home.
Remember, I had never lived away from home before and here I was, on a cruise ship, in a tiny cabin, no friends and about to embark on a job I had no idea if I could do or not.
As I sat there and sobbed like a big girl I didn’t think it could get any worse……………..it was then that it suddenly dawned on me that there was no toilet or shower in the room …………just a sink. When I had been dropped off at the cabin I had not been told anything …………I was literally just dumped outside the door and told to wait here ………and therefore I had no idea about the communal hell that awaited me and I shall talk more about them later.
As I sat there realizing that there was no shower and no toilet I didn’t think it could get any worse…………..it was then that Pierre Jean Le Bouef entered the cabin ………. here was my cabin mate…………..he was from Paris…………….he was rude…………….he bullied me……and he never bathed…………here then my friends was the start of my hatred for all things Parisian.
You would expect that upon meeting someone who is going to be sleeping a few feet below you that I would have received a warm welcome but he was from Paris and therefore by law……..he had to be a complete and utter bastard…………………and he was.
I will never forget his first words to me as he told me that this was his cabin and then went on to tell me the rules and as he did so he lit up a cigarette and puffed away without a care in the world……………I was actually glad as it covered up the smell of the two skunks which seemed to be living under his armpits.
I will never forget this man who was, in fact, fired a few weeks after I joined the ship for stealing a bottle of expensive champagne. He smoked in the cabin, he would play his music when I was trying to sleep and worse of all when he couldn’t be bothered to walk down the corridor to the communal bathrooms……………….he would pee in the sink ……. honestly………….I caught him doing this when he thought I was asleep and that for me was enough and after a close encounter with his face in his own pee he never did that again………..physical violence is never the answer………………unless you share a small cabin with a stinking, rude Frenchman who pees in the sink………….you then have God’s permission to beat the crap out of him………………..which is what I did.
As I said, he was fired a few weeks later and my new cabin mate was absolutely fantastic. His name was Bican Celaloglu from Istanbul, Turkey. By this time I had been promoted to wine steward as had Bican and we became firm friends. Bican taught me to love Turkish Tea which he would boil in the cabin everyday. After work all the wine stewards would get together and cook…………yes……………cook………….in the cabins on there little portable stoves.
We cooked meat, fish, even lobster and had a good old time together. Back the Wine Steward position was the easiest job onboard. I knew nothing about wine and listened and learned from the others. We would have one of the seven Wine Stewards work the lunch session and then at dinner we would pay a busboy to set the glasses and clean them away after. All we did was turn up, serve the wine and chat with the guests………it was easy and I have fond memories of those days.
I am not sure how I got through those first few weeks which were a cross between being in the army, boarding school and prison.
Nowadays it is of course so much different. The crew are welcomed with open arms and given a full orientation before they start work. Many of the crew will have had to pass through a college specific to their job before they join their ship and there is a dedicated department onboard who are there to assist with training and crew welfare. My training was the Bar Manager Colin Campus handing me a tray and a menu and off I went to serve drinks I had never heard of before…………I nearly punched a male guest who asked me for “sex on the beach!”
Today, our modern fleet have private facilities for all the crew and also provide a TV, DVD player and a refrigerator in each cabin and of course smoking in the cabin is strictly forbidden as, of course, is cooking of any kind. The reasons for this are obvious and it’s remarkable that back in the old days there were so few rules and regulations when it came to safety procedures…………….we have come a long way…………….thank goodness.
So, to be a crew member with today’s Carnival is compared to the old days ……….pure luxury and when you consider that now we have crew internet, crew gyms, crew phone rates from the ship, complimentary further education classes, a crew committee who organize constant crew activities and events as well as Carnival’s continuing policy to promote from within……….well………you can see why so many want to come and work for us. It is still a hard life living at sea……….but ask any crew member who can remember “the old days” and they will tell you that today……things are a whole lot better.
I have to tell you about a DJ who …………..ummm……….caused a bit of a fire on the Carnival Imagination in 1995. ……………nobody was hurt and the fire was confined to just his cabin………………but I will never forget this incident.
I was Cruise Director and I remember being called by the second in command who we call the Staff Captain to come down to Deck 0 to the DJ’s cabin……………..there had been a fire.
I sprinted down there…………….I could in those days…………….and discovered the fire squad leaving the area fully equipped in breathing equipment. The corridor was full of water and as I paddled into the cabin this too had been given a good soaking from the team and from the automatic sprinkler system. The walls were blackened from the smoke and it was obvious that this could have been very serious.
The Staff Captain asked where the DJ was and I had the staff go and fetch him. I asked the Staff Captain what had happened and he showed me a Bunsen burner that had been left burning on top of which had been placed a cob of corn. Well, the movement of the ship had caused the thing to fall over and the fire had started…………….this was not good.
Eventually we found the DJ and we all went up to the Captain’s cabin. The DJ whose name I just cannot remember knew straight away that he would be leaving the ship immediately and would not be on Carnival’s Christmas card list…..so he decided to confess all.
The DJ was from Haiti…..I remember he was a brilliant DJ and the guests loved him. He also loved a dancer who he dated for sometime but who left him for one of the Italian Officers.
He explained to the Captain and I that the Officer had stolen his girl and that he was using Haitian Voodoo to cast a spell on him and that he was burning the cob of corn which represented the Officer’s …………..ummmm………….thingy………….he had left the cabin for a few minutes and obviously that’s when the fire had started.
The Captain and I could not believe our ears. Here was a brilliant DJ who originally from Haiti and now a US Citizen was practicing voodoo right here on the ship and who believed that by burning a piece of corn the man who had stolen his girl away would wake up in the morning to find himself victim of a Haitian Bobiting.
He was fired………………..and the Captain and I made a decision not to tell the officer in question about what had happened. The officer in question is now a Captain and the voodoo never worked as he has two children.
So, the house is clean…………….ish……………..and hopefully I will pass inspection. I am off to the airport shortly to collect Heidi and bring her home…………….I missed her very much.
In the coming days I will be writing more about the old days and reminiscing on some of the wonderful stories which I hope you will enjoy.
Today, you have learned a few things about me. You now know that I cried like a baby when I first joined the company and wanted nothing more than to go home to my Mum.
You now know one of the reasons why I may now and then make fun of the French …….and you now know why since 1995…………..I have never eaten a corn on the cob.
Cheers
Your Friends
John and Heidi
Look, friends — there are a few things you should remember before you comment. The space below is for you to post your comments about the post I've just written above. If it is something that's unrelated, please use the Ask John tab above. Now, while I may not be able to reply to your comment below, I do sit in my underpants almost every morning and read everything that is here. So feel free to comment on the comments and then if someone wants to comment on the comment to the comment then go ahead as well. Please be courteous unless the poster is French...........then you can say whatever you want.
dude! very heartwarming story… heidi is a lucky girl. i bet you don’t hear that too often either but she is. of course you are lucky to have her as well, but just sayin’…
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
John,
I am trying to get an official meet and greet for cruisecritic members for Carnival Freedom, June 15, 2008.
Can you help me with this?
Ciao,
Barbara
Thanks for you wonderful website. We can always feel like we are cruising.
John, what fascinating memories you have of your earlier days with Carnival. I’m looking forward to hear more tails of your career.
One that intrigues me surrounds that famous picture of the Triumph plowing through some tremendously impressive swells off the coast of Canada, I believe… Of course, I’ve seen the picture on the web and it was the center of much discussion but what brings this to mind is seeing that self same picture on the wall of the Carnival Shrine that your father has made!
Again, you have me laughing like a loon. Thanks so much. I can use a good laugh now and then and your blog is my daily source.
Here’s hoping that you pass muster when Heidi walks in the door. Perhaps she’ll have pity on you as we men are notoriously bad in the tidiness department.
Please pass along my ‘howdies’ to the lovely Heidi and my thanks to our MOB, Stephanie, for all she does!!
Cheers, my friend!!
GregB
Wow! What a horrible begining to a career. I marvel that you were able to stick it out. It’s no wonder you make such fun of the French. Ugh! Thank goodness things are so much better for new crew members now. How lucky we all are that you didn’t give up on the cruise industry.
John, don’t they have Molly Maids in the UK. Like your rent a dog friend these are rent-a-maids. While your typing this blog she could have cleaned your whole house for a few pounds and even pick up your underware and washed and folded them. I can just see you dancing around the house pushing your Hoover. Stop that …….ummm….John that’s not what it’s for.
Welcome home Heidi. I hope John took you to his Mum and Dads today, Happy Birthday Heidi.
BIG ED
PS. Also Happy Birthday to Roberto we know your lurking out there keeping an eye on us.
Thanks for letting us know about the Paris problem! I had always wondered why you had such a dislike for things French…so now we know.
May I suggest an item to help keep you out of the doghouse? It is called a Roomba…it is a robotic vacuum and I have one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Works great on wood and carpet. Your vacuum commercial reminded me of our first trip to London….with a group of teenagers. We all got a big kick out of a huge billboard that stated, “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux!”
Hugs to you both…and welcome home, Heidi!
Duchess Sandy
xoxoxo
John,
By now you have your lovely wife back with you where she belongs. It is very touching to read your blogs and realize how much you love and miss her when you are apart. She is very lucky to have you, and you, her. You show us in so many ways what a huge heart you have for all things but the french! And, the fact that you cried–well, I am sure you have heard the old saying that it takes a true man to be able to cry! Again, your soft side came thru showing how much you didn’t want to leave all things comfortable such as mom, dad, family and friends! I also had a bit of a crying spell when I left home for college. Driving down the freeway leaving all behind me, I started to cry. Some guys pulled alongside my car, rolled their window down and asked if I was ok, and if I wanted to stop and have a beer with them. Well, at 17 I had never had a beer and wasn’t about to stop, but it did wake me up and to this day I still laugh when I think about it. Thanks for sharing your stories with us. Oh, did you call and “rent a dog” for Heidi’s homecoming?
Sheryl
I don’t care how old you are, being away from home the first time is hard. You at least had the sense to stick with it and look where it got you today! So many kids today just give up. I for one, am very happy you stuck with it because now I am reading this blog
John,
Hey my last name is Hoover, so like they say: When you have a Hoover you have the best and my husband has shown me that it is true. *sign*
Sometimes growing pains can be difficult, and I am sure most of us have been there. I remember when I had 3 babies under 15 mo., (I had a son and a year later twin daughters) and everyone was crying at the same time, I just sat and cried with them. But it is all part of the growin process and it makes us stronger. NOTHING WORTH WHILE WAS EVER EASY. You sure have proved that with all your experiences and you are now very succesfull in so many eyes.
It is good for us to look back to see where we came from and where we are today. We have survived the bumps in the road as best we could.
Have a wonderful reunion with your lovely wife and don’t worry about blogging right away, we understand.
Ciao, Kathleen
Awesome blog…..the olden days stories are fantastic! I can imagine that much has evolved since the early days of Carnival, especially as it grew! thanks for sharing the great stories! I’m sure you and Heidi will have a lovely vacation together and hopefully the house will be satisfactory (it will probably NOT be good enough, but I’m sure Heidi will appreciate the effort you made!). Gloria
John,
I’m so happy for you that you are getting Hedi back today. Try to stay out of the doghouse for at least a day.
I can not imagine why you didn’t win the hoover commerical…that was really bad…LOL
Voodoo on the Carnvial ship…now that’s funny, until it started the fire.
Can’t wait to hear more of your stories!
Please give us an Alan update!
And WELCOME HOME HEDI!!!!
Princess Susan
John,
Today’s post is amazing! I’m still giggling. Did you really rub Pierre Jean’s nose in the pee? Your description of your time spent with him certainly explains a lot about your “dislike” of the French.
And…voodoo!!! It’s hard to believe in our culture, but I guess it continues even today.
I can relate to your crying jag when you first arrived onboard. When we first moved to Paris we were in a hotel the first month and of course Scott was with me, but the entire situation of such a city and a language I knew none of, the leaving behind of family and friends…all just became overwhelming and one night I literally had an anxiety attack requiring a nice injection of some calming drug by a hotel provided physican. He assured me I would survive in his city. Actually, he was very kind (and spoke good English which helped tremendously!). And, of course, over time I became fairly comfortable in France. Except for being cold most of the time as they, too, only have summer one day per year.
Anyway, thanks for a really fun read. Hope Heidi is back in your arms and you two are planning your four day get away. BTW, weren’t you supposed to tell us today where you’re going???
Looking forward to your next post, so hurry up,
Myra
PS: I too think you should have won the vacuum cleaner jingle contest. Maybe Heidi will give you a “prize” for cleaning the house, hmmmm?
lol i am always amused that when men talk about crying they say like a girl. you know.. girls can be the most heartless creatures.:) i am glad heidi made it back ok and you two will be enjoying your days together again.
Good Lord…..the French sink peeer (I know it’s not a proper word but ….but it sounds appropriate…more appropriate than his behaviour and besides we can make up words as we go)…GROSS No wonder you have a distaste…..oh wait….if you brushed your teeth in that sink….. you might have had a taste…. VULGAR
http://photos.igougo.com/images/p153677-Brussels-Mannekin_Pis.jpg
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.
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However I still like corn on the cob even though voodoo equates it to that glass thingy you blew a while back…. Floss is however needed afterwards…..
The Flying Dutchman
Mark
Love You, John!
Cindy Bruce
John,
What great stories! Keep them coming! Hope you and Heidi have a great homecoming.
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Roberto!
Princess Elaine
Hi John,
Well you’ve outdone yourself with this blog. I had people turn around at their desks to find out why I was laughing out loud. I had to read your vacuum commercial to them.
Thank you for remembering the early days. Now I can fully understand your feeling for the French. Was this before or after you taught your sister that French greeting?
I wish I could remember the names of the crew members on the Holiday in 1989 that tried to …shall we say, get romantic with me and my girlfriend. They came to our cabin for a drink one night, but panicked when we opened the door to go across the hall to get another drinking glass. Panicked because it was strictly forbidden to go to a passenger’s cabin. (my girlfriend and I knew what we were doing and managed to get rid of them shortly). But you reminded me of that because I think they were either Turkish or Cypriots.
So clean the house for Heidi and enjoy your time together,
Hugs,
Carol
Hello John and Heidi,
I’m here at work, laughing so hard there are tears in my eyes. Thank goodness you stuck it out! I didn’t eat corn myself for years, after the day I helped my cousins pick it out of my aunt’s garden, and we were “shucking” it, I saw the size of the worms that lived in it! Like small snakes! Arghhhh! But your reason is better. Hee hee hee. I don’t know who was worse, the disgusting roommate, (good for you for thrashing him) or the nutty guy who could have burned down the whole ship and killed you all because he didn’t have the brains God gave a flea. I’m really looking forward to the stories about the “old days”. Please keep them coming.
Looking forward to meeting everyone in Feb. ’09.
It’s never easy when someone leaves home for the first time…. Often inexperienced and quite impressionable….. out into the world on their own without direct parental support….
I remember….
First, when there’s nothing but a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide deep inside…your mind
All alone I have cried silent tears full of pride
In a world made of steel, made of stone
Good Afternoon John,
I’m sure my Jack can feel your pain. I have been waiting many, many years for “House Perfect” to showcase my home in their magazine, only to suffer the disappointment and anguish of not being in the magazine. (sighhhh). I can sympathize with you but also Heidi. I’m a “clean freak” and an empty cup on a table MUST be put in the dishwasher (love that thingy). Poor Jack, if he puts a glass or cup on the kitchen counter and it stays there for more than 5 seconds…..it’s scooped up and put in the dishwasher. No abandoned cups, plates, glasses or silverware allowed. It’s just a never ending job(LOL). I certainly hope you passed inspection and can remain in the house and not in the doghouse. (See you shouldn’t have a dog because he would be homeless alot! ;D). No matter I bet you are just happy to have Heidi home.
By the way the day will come when you are going to want the heat up and Heidi will want it sub zero. Trust me on this!!
I’m glad to hear that the conditions are so much better for the crew than before. I think I would have cried too in the situation you found yourself in.
Take care
Joan
John, by now, considering the time zone differences, your lovely wife should be ensconced firmly in your arms, and I would hope after so many weeks apart that you are NOT reading this blog until later.
Thanks for sharing your stories, and for allowing us into another facet of your past. It is good to see that the crew of the best fleet afloat is treated with some dignity commensurate with the great service that they provide. It is hard sometimes as we lounge in the lap of luxury to realize that below decks there is a veritable ant farm of activity going on to ensure that we have the very best vacations ever. Our thanks to the crew–past, present and future–who do so much for so many for so little.
Adieu, mon ami
Rus Franklin
No wonder you make fun of the French! I would be crying too. The DJ story is hilarious. Thank goodness it didn’t become more serious. Hoping you past muster in the cleaning department.
John…
Now I’m in trouble for not working hard enough… I was doubled over in laughter and everyone came to see why… I’m a work and I was not working… uh oh…
I’ll survive… I’m invaluable, you know…
I love your stories… I can’t imagine the fear… The cabin, your cabin mate, and then sailing out to where you can see no land… you’re stuck alone, in the middle of nowhere…
My first thought (of course, I don’t ever think naughty thoughts…) of the ear of corn, was that he was making popcorn. My eyes got big as saucers when you went on to explain his plan… OUCH!! Thank heavens the current Captain will never know, just the thought must hurt!
John, I guess I’m too lax when it comes to housework… life it too short to be perfect! A little here, a little there, it’s OK… Just keep it all healthy and presentable…
Now give Heidi a hug from me… have your wonderful SHHHHH four days together…
Thank you for laughter and fun!!!
Lambie
John:
Sadly I can not relate to the “Better Homes and Garden” addiction….as I am extremely Domestically Challenged. I hate to clean and do laundry…not crazy about cooking and have absolutely no talent for decorating. We won’t even mention my lack of sewing abilities.
That is why God created Merry Maids and eating out!!
I can relate to the sadness of watching your “little one” leave the nest. As many tears are you shed, multiply that by 1,000,000 for your Mom.
The first year we packed Josh off the college, I cried …. a lot. But (like you) he has blossomed on his own, which is a testament to the parents!!
We will be packing him up and bringing him home from college tomorrow. He has done very well, so far, in his Chemical Engineering major and seems to be growing into a well rounded individual.
We sail on the Legend a week from Sunday. He missed the last 4 cruises, since this college year started….so he is pleased to be going on this one.
DJ is about 8 cruises ahead of him….which (as you can imagine) thrills DJ!!!
Now I have all next week to do one of the many things I hate (laundry)….so I can get the packing done.
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
AND the Domestically Challenged Goddess of Big Ed’s Evil Krewe
Hi John/Heidi:
This is one of the best blogs. I really enjoyed all of the stories.
How sad that the fire started due to voodoo. Its pretty funny but could have been catastrophic.
The picture of a young John beating up his french roomate is a picture i will never forget.
Thanks for another solid blog today. I look forward to hearing more.
Take care!
David
Hi John and Heidi just writing to tell Heidi WELCOME HOME! John really missed you.
James
I absolutely love hearing stories from the past, especially cruise line stories. My first cruise was on the Doric in 1978 when the crew was “permitted” to fraternize with the guests. I was a young thing then and met a very charming Italian cabin steward who took my heart in just two days. I got to see first hand where the crew slept and experienced how small those bunk beds really were along with the rest of the room. Of course, I thought the idea of working on a ship was just wonderful and went home and promptly wrote a letter to the head of Home Lines to apply. They didn’t want me, I wasn’t Italian. Good thing, that Cruise line doesn’t exist anymore. Now if it had been a Carnival ship for my first cruise, who knows what my future would have held. I guess I’ll never know….I’m too old now. Keep the stories coming!!
Hi John,
Wonderful stories-thank you so much. I really am glad the crew is treated so much better now. They are all such wonderful people and they work so hard. I have read two articles recently about how terrible crew life is and I am glad to know that they were either entirely false or perhaps dated (and certainly not Carnival). I also wonder how much your impact has had in changing things. Quite a bit, I bet.
Enjoy your vacation. Can’t wait to read more!
Oh John,
Thanks so much for laughter and the memories – I can picture exactly the cabin you were in on the Holiday all those years ago. And suddenly when you mentioned the “medical exam” on arrival, well the hair on the back of my neck stood up…some nasty visions just came back to me -yikes!
I too remember cabin cooking, its quite amazing what you can concoct in a toaster oven and rice cooker if you really try.
Now that everyone is thinking how terrible it all was back then, you best ‘fess up on some of the fun moments too…it wasnt ALL work and no play – was it?
OldYeoman
John just might need a little help remembering some of those fun times so feel free to give him a lot of help. So post away we all await.
BIG ED
John,
Brilliant blog this. I can still remember my first day on the Holiday…not exactly the same as your experience, but pretty close. After all, I had to share the cabin with that good looking bugger Doug Boyd who made me look like the underside of a lepers foot. Darn him……still looks good. He even dropped me an e-mail the other day…imagine my surprise!
It’s odd how you mention the differences, because I try to tell the “newbies” on my ships how it was back then compared to now, and they just don’t believe me. I mean, I remember attending one safety meeting on the Holiday and that was that. No one told us about conduct, dress code, where to get medical attention…oh, and calling home meant lining up for the payphones at the Port of Miami. Forget e-mails…what was that in 1990?
Just signed off the Diamond today and will be on holiday for a month or so, and then off to Alaska…where for comparison to the old days, I will still have to attend all four of my inductions, and go every morning to a new safety meeting. I kind of like it this way.
Aloha,
Dave
Hello John,
I have to say that I am like Heidi, I like a very clean house, while on the other hand, my husband would win hands down the title of Slob of the century. Even his car is a wreck.
I have said it before, but I will say it again………..you have to write a very large book some day. It would truly be a best seller.
I can’t wait to read your blog every day.
Sharon
How timely your little voodoo tale was as a number of men have been arrested in the Congo area for performing magic to reduce or remove (eek!) a man’s man-thing. True! It’s in the news. There’s a peepee panic going on there!
I, too, wrote something about vacuum cleaners along the line of your little verse. It was just a headline and it did get published (and I got paid) which read: This Really Sucks. Great minds think alike, eh? Too bad your attempt wasn’t appreciated.
John, it is always hard to move away from home for the first time, but all the way to America, to a new kind of job, where you had no idea what you were doing, with a Frenchman as you cabin mate. It must have been awful!!!!!
Keep the stories coming, they are wonderful.
Grandma
Hi John – I have traveled with you many times but met you only twice. The first was the Greek Isles itinerary when Bob Dickinson was on board, we met before the past guest party. The second time was on Feb 9th when I was with my sisters and other girlfriends, we talked briefly before the Captains party. Your experience as a new carnival member brought back memories of my first day as a Delta flight attendant, arriving in Chicago after graduating from flight attendant school. Scared to death and in tears because of this. Your comments brought back these memories and I just wanted to share them with you. My husband, Richard and I have traveled with you 6 times in Europe. Our next Splendor trip is South America and I understand that Todd will be our CD for that trip. Hope you change your mind!!!
Hi John-I have traveled with you only once, but I had a wonderful time. We were on the October 22, 2006 Mediterranean cruise and I had the best time. Your skits were so funny and I can’t wait to cruise with you, again. My mother and I are cruising on the Splendor July 13th (2008) and we are so excited! We’ll also be staying at the Royal Lancaster for three nights and this is my first time in London and I can hardly wait! I want to thank you and Heidi for making our cruise memorable and hope to see you again, some day soon.