Monday, May 12th, 2008...4:39 pm
A Whose Who on Lido Deck Blog
I met someone from Detroit today while I was waiting for my polar-bear-killing Range Rover to have a new headlamp bulb fitted. I noticed last night when driving home that the car had only one head light working and unless it was suffering from Bells Palsy I knew the lamp had gone. So, as I was waiting for the expert engineer to change a bulb I was sitting in the waiting room drinking something that was pretending to be coffee out of a paper cup when in walked my new friend from America.
I knew straight away that he was American but not only from his thick accent when he spoke to the receptionist but from the T-Shirt he was wearing…………it said………. “Detroit,” proclaim the T-shirts, “where the weak are killed and eaten.” On the back of the shirt was a big American flag with the words “Sorry we missed you” and a picture of a huge Magnum gun………..yep………he was American and that was the most honest T - Shirt I have ever seen.
He sat down to wait and me being me I decided rather than drink the rancid coffee I would chat to Captain America. We spoke for about ten minutes or so until the engineer brought my car round with a brand new headlamp bulb and a bill for $110………….I hope he likes hospital food.
During our conversation I learned that Captain America (I never did learn his name although I am sure it was something like Hank or Chuck) had married someone from the UK and actually lived not far from me. I asked him if he missed the States and indeed he did especially the food……………I told him that we have Burgers and Pizza in Essex but after a giggle he told me he mostly missed American sports. One thing he did say was that he felt very safe in the Essex countryside and he loved the fact that there was no crime.
He portrayed a very sad image of city life in Detroit and seemed to think that in England’s green and pleasant lands crime was non-existent…………….well, maybe it was once was but today I would say there is little difference between London and his hometown.
Just a few years ago gun crime in the UK was unheard off but today, it’s very different.
Today in parts of London that the tourists never see there is a chance of being hit by a hail of drug-fueled gunfire. It used to be car alarms that kept parts of London awake at night. Now its the distinctive sound of AK-47s and 9mm’s.
And things are going to get worse because the Sunday Newspaper’s claimed that former Irish paramilitaries are now selling their guns in pubs. Bloody Hell………does this mean I can go down my local The Cliff and order a diet coke, a cheese sandwich and an Uzi?
There is a problem and in 1990 eleven people were killed by gun crime in the UK ……..in 2007 it was eighty-one.
My American friend was correct of course…………Detroit has a much larger problem than London and the chances of getting shot in the UK are about the same as being struck by lightning at the same time you are collecting your Lottery winnings from a naked Jennifer Simpson………….however………..the way things are progressing I may have to design a T Shirt just like Captain Americas replacing the Stars and Stripes with the Union Jack.
Of course there is no safer environment than being onboard the ship. You won’t believe the number of parents I have spoken to over the years who not only love Carnival for the great value and superb product that it is but because it is the safest vacation environment possible for them and their children.
I want to thank you all for the wonderful comments about Alan. I am glad you finally got to meet him………..he is one of a kind.
That will be the last video for a while as I don’t want to get lazy and revert to posting those instead of the written word.
However, before I go………………I haven’t commented on the situation that took place on a ship a few weeks ago where the Captain got himself in a bit of a hot water because he requested over the PA system for the German guests to please not reserve the beach chairs on the open deck. Now, I have to be very careful here because I don’t want to get a bollocking from anyone or upset a certain member of the press with whom I am as popular with as pus-filled boil.
However, I see from certain e-mails and messages on the boards that this subject is still being vigorously debated.
The reason I am stirring the pot is that yesterday Carnival Cruise Lines reinforced its no seat saving policy with all onboard management being reminded of the company’s policy and the Cruise Directors empowered to announce these measures at shows and over the PA system as well as in writing in the daily Carnival Capers. The Cruise Directors will stress that if a chair has a shoe, a towel, a book or a small goat on it and it is not occupied after a 30 minute period these items will be removed by ship staff and in the case of the goat taken to the galley and turned into a delicious curry……..this has been a long time coming and we must make sure these rules are enforced.
However, I do feel sorry fro the British Captain who was so publicly rebuked by some people on the World Wide Web thingy.
He was British after all (I think) and certainly he had that sarcastic British sense of humour. He probably made his comments having read the words of that brilliant group of philosophers Monty Python who once said…………………”They pinched the sunbeds and barged into the queues and frightened the children and if you weren’t at the buffet spot on seven, Fritz had wolfed all the sausages.”
Certainly from what I have seen on our ships it’s not just the Germans you have to worry about as everyone is at it. There are no shorts too big and no G String too small that can be used to save a sunbed. However…………..last year on the Carnival Freedom there was country who dominated the seat saving and it wasn’t Fritz and his family ………….. nope ………the worst of them all………………..were the Russians.
For those of you who have been reading the blog thingy for some time you will remember me being chased around the cigar bar by a Russian guest and his good friend Stoli……….you may remember some of the antics they got up to when demanding to be first off the ship and other such incidents. I like Russians but what I didn’t like was the fact they would all reserve chairs in big groups at 7 am which for most of them was the time they went to bed.
I just spent two days in Russia and don’t get me wrong…………….St.Petersburg will be the highlight of the Baltic itinerary …………..however, the Russian people are a little different.
They’re either far too ugly or far too beautiful. There’s no middle ground. And like the Western world, no part of the body is immune from man-made enhancement. The Americans go for surf-white teeth; the Russians for alarming Special Forces tattoos and both the Russian woman and the Russian man seem to see anything wrong with breast enlargement.
I saw one Russian woman on the Carnival Freedom’s lido deck who had the body of a walnut and a chest that put the smoke stack in the shade.
However, where the Russians move into an easy lead is Lido Deck attire. For the men it’s the traditional Speedo which usually is a bright colour and worn by Russian men of any age, while the women seem to get their fashion pointers from internet porn sites. I haven’t yet seen anyone at the Mongolian Buffet on Lido in stockings and suspenders but it’s only a matter of time.
As easy to spot on Lido Deck as the Russians are the Brits are just as noticeable. When God made the British he designed them to take vacations in cold and damp places and not to venture into the sun where when exposed to anything but fog and rain we turn redder than Sergei’s Speedos.
Now they may not be as easy to spot as the Russians with their Spetnaz tattoos and their nipple tassels but if you see someone that looks like they have just come from a 5-minute session in a microwave……………you can bet your life…………….they are Brits.
Americans and Canadians also are easy to tell from the rest of the herd as they like to wear T-Shirts that proudly tell you where you have been before and of course the women all wear the sarong thingy accompanied by the pair of flip flops which must according to US and Canadian law be flowery by design.
Of course the North American lady can also be seen wearing sunglasses with huge gold hinges on them similar to those that can be found on the doors to the Great Ballroom at Buckingham Palace.
Then we get to the question of the American/Brit and Canadian teenagers who strut around with the words like “peachy, hot and party “on their bikini bottoms. This is unnerving. Try to read a book about Great Cunard Oceanliners when you’ve got a 17- year-old advertising her backside nine inches from your face. …………while I think about it we need to keep these ladies away from the Russians in their tight, revealing Speedos.
So, Lido Deck is a melting pot of different cultures all of which will have to obey the no seat saving policy which us Cruise Directors are now in charge of enforcing……………so it will be me this season who has to tell the Sergei, the Russian Speedo wearing ex special forces soldier who has just drunk a vat of vodka he can’t save a deck chair……………..with that in mind I am off down the Pub for a pint and a 9mm automatic.
Goodnight
Your friends
John and Heidi
46 Comments
May 12th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Hi John,
You sure had me laughing at this blog. You really know how to read people. That’s probably what makes you such a great CD. I love people watching, and you really know how to describe them. Right down to the backside banners!
Hello to Heidi!
Princess Barb
May 12th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I’m glad to hear that the no saving seats will be enforced. I will look forward to seeing that on my next cruise.
Cindy
May 12th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
It would be absolutely wonderful to see the deck chair saving policy enforced once and for all!!! Please Carnival, put some meaning behind this and follow-through with its enforcement. This is one of the very few things I can find to complain about and you would win a lot of added loyalty with this.
Also, all of us know there is no way that flip-flop, orange, or paperback book is going to get a decent sun-tan at 08:00 AM!!! They should at least wait until early afternoon before plopping their fat sole, peel or cover on that deck chair!
May 12th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
John, I’m wiping the tears from my eyes as I type this. Hilarious blog! Just wonderful!!!
Thank the Carnival brass for me regarding the seat saving thingy… Although on my most recent sailing on the Inspiration I didn’t see one seat reserved by a towel, a shoe or an errant pair of undies… Soon enough folks will get used to the fact that arriving on the Lido Deck at 8:08 AM and tossing a towel or two on some deck chairs will only result in missing towels… at $22 a pop.
Although I truly enjoy meeting people from around the world I believe I’ll have to pass on the Russians for the moment. There’s something about a guy in Speedos that tends to make me want to return my most recent Drink of the Day… ugh…
Great job! Looking forward to the next installment!
My best to all!!!
Ciao!
GregB
May 12th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Funny stuff, John. And you can always tell who the Chinese are. They are the ones who plow through anyone who is in their way like a, well, bull in a China shop. After cruising on the Freedom last year, I had to take a week off to let my bruises heal after being tackled for 14 straight days by people with no concept of personal space. That was “sum fun.”
May 12th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Oh you have made my day!
I will think positive and beleive that when I sail one month from tomorrow I will not be aced out of a place on deck by a lovely over-cooked banana having a sun day!
However, I must tell you it is possible all your readers will ask me what part of Britain I am from as I will be the color or well cooked lobster in no time flat!
May 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Good Evening John,
Captain America is sort of right about Detroit but I do have to say that it’s a lot safer then in the past. Although I really think the biggest criminal “allegedly” is Detroit’s illustrious Mayor. No, I’m not even going to go there! In many instances Detroit gets a bad rap. So that said all I can add it GO PISTONS!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for finally putting into place the no saving chairs rule. Now hopefully it will be enforced.
Take care
Joan
May 12th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
I had to laugh John when you said 81 people were killed by a gun in 2007 in the UK, in the county I live in (which is not a high crime area, we had more than 100 deaths by guns in 2007) and that is just one county in the entire state of Florida! So, believe me I am sure that Detroit’s crime count is a lot higher than 81, and that is just one city in Michigan. Glad to hear you will be enforcing the no saving of seats on the lido deck, now if you could just see that happening in the main lounge where all the entertainment takes place that would be great! I for one always sit down when someone says “Sorry these seats are reserved”, I reply yes they are, as we are now sitting in them, when the person argues with me, I tell them what part of NO do they not understand, there is NO seat saving! I probably piss a lot of people off, but too bad, if I get to the lounge early and all these people are saving seats for the late entering guests, that is their problem! Get their early if you want a seat! Right? Yes, the speedos some of these guys wear are ridiculous, and the ladies bathing suits or should I say drawstring, are much too revealing, they should also make it a requirement on cruise ships that no revealing bathing suits are allowed. These ladies that wear a bathing suit top that lets it all hang out are just disgusting. We enjoy the videos along with the blogs, I for one love hearing your voice, wish Heidi could be in some of them too. So, keep the videos coming too! Only 3 weeks till the inaugural of the Splendor, surely by now you know who the godmother will be! LET US INQUIRING MINDS KNOW ALREADY! Ha! When will you start responding to emails? I thought you had said you would be doing that while you were home? Linda
May 12th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Hi John,
First, nice to see Alan doing well in the video from the last blog.
And the Lido Deck comparisons made me laugh, haha. Good stuff there. I’ll keep an eye out next time and match people up according to what you said
May 12th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
since i don’t go there other than to pass through it doesn’t bother me (or as you say dude, i’mnotbothered! i can still hear you sayint this! ha ha) but it is about time!!
good show, indeed…
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
May 12th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Who is Jennifer Simpson?
May 12th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Thank you for taking a stand against chair hogs! Even as a single cruiser I have a tough time finding a good seat on a sea day! And in the mean time some seats go unsat in for hours!
May 12th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
John…we saw a lot of chair saving on the Liberty when we sailed in April.
To Peanuts..I have to add GO PISTONS also..but i need to add GO REDWINGS!!!!
May 12th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
John - great to hear about the seat saving policy, but I do have one question. Why don’t the cruise lines just put out more deck chairs so the seat saving issue is not so severe. We were just on Crown Princess two weeks ago and there was plenty of room around all of the pools for more deck chairs. More chairs would be the easiest solution to the deck chair saving problem. Thanks for listening.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Hurray, Hurray, Hurray!!! Hopefully now that Carnival is actively going to enforce the 30 minute rule to lessen the “chair hog” situation maybe Princess will be forced to follow suit. I have no tolerance for the “all about me” mentality and, at least on a cruise, chair hogs lead the pack. You buy that 9mm automatic and I’ll supply the ammunition. And, while you are at it please feel free to use those sports wearing their Speedos to practice your aim on. Or perhaps maybe we all need to throw money into a charity fund to buy them mirrors — for lord knows they must have no idea just how gross they look.
And for the record I don’t own a single sarong thingy or a pair of sun glasses with huge gold hinges - mine are silver :)!
May 12th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Hello , john
I have beean reading!
Anyway I have a question.
i know that the victory is leaving miami and so is the freedom and the liberty is coming in.
Is the triumph still going to be departing on a sat. whith the liberty?
or sun. whith the valor?
thanks from , JAKE S.
( :
May 12th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I’ve only recently begun reading your blog and have to tell you that I love it! It’s always good for a chuckle, if not an outright belly laugh.
The thought that the chair hogging policy might, at long last, be enforced is thrilling, to say the least! Trying to carry on a conversation with a towel or paper-book in the next chaise is a challenge and not one I was looking forward to on my next cruise.
Now, about that British Isles cruise….
May 12th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
This just proves the old point - just becuase it comes in your size does not mean you should wear it - think Roseanne Barr and hot pants….
May 12th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Hello John and Heidi!!
I did it John! I am all caught up on every blog, and loved every one of them…it was too much (almost) fun reading blog after blog!!!
I am happy that you will work to end the saga of the lounge chairs!! Without a breakfast of mimmies, I am not a big sunbather, but have observed much injustice with empty lounges sitting a very looooong time!!
Missed the blogs every day we were away, and loved the video!!
Hugs from me and Mum,
Eva
May 12th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
John.
You are hilarious. I just wish I could say half the things you write in the blog. I hate having to hunt around for an hour for an empty lounge chair and I have been known to resort to pretty desperate measures. Last time I cruised I walked around for over an hour and noticed two lounges unoccupied but obviously being saved. You know, the towels,sunglasses, books etc. Well, I just took everything from one and moved it to the other and sat down. After another 40 minutes the offending party returned. I apologized and offered to move but as I was leaving I told them to wipe down the chair as I had a communicable skin disease. Of course, I didn’t but it worked and I kept my lounge. I still laugh when I remember the look on her face.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
John,
I bet I will be the only one you will hear this from. I don’t care a bit about sunning myself in a deck chair on the lido deck. In fact, I get upset if I can’t find a chair in the shade. I guess it must be because I have such fair skin and that I only burn, blister, peel, and I am white again. Must be that part of Irish and my red hair. I use sunblock 50 made for babies to keep me from burning.
I am probably the most dressed person on a cruise ship, and the one that tries to avoid the sun at all cost.LOL.
But I did enjoy your post today!
Princess Susan
May 13th, 2008 at 2:05 am
No seat saving actually being enforced! I am thrilled! Although I have to admit, I was looking forward to taking some of those single sandals, books, and goats to the desk and report them as lost/found items!
So does this mean we will see you often on the lido deck during our 2 July Splendor sailing?
May 13th, 2008 at 4:59 am
Hi John.
I think that I have a solution to the chair-hog problem.
If each lounger is fitted with one reversible “clock card” (like the clock that disabled drivers display) bearing the text “I’ll be back soon” and on the back “This lounger is free”
The passenger turns the clock to show the time he left the lounger. Vacant loungers are checked regularly by deck staff, who turn the card over after 30 minutes to show “this lounger is free”.
30 minutes is enough to reserve your lounger while you have a swim. 30 minutes is enough to pay a call of nature. 30 minutes is enough to go for a snack. Any longer, and your chair is made vacant.
The system is fair for everyone - and easy to supervise. Cost - surely less than $5 a chair.
Only a thought…………
May 13th, 2008 at 6:37 am
I remember a group of Germans (no offense, Detrich is about as German as it gets) back on Home Lines (going way back) who had a thing about sitting on the sun deck in wet bathing suits, so they would always have two swim suits and casually change from one suit to another in full view of the entire ship. Nothing against nudity, but unless everyone is into it . . .
May 13th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Hello John,
Please let me know if the Russians are going to be on the Splendor 3-29-09. I might have to seek the refuge of the shade by the smoke stack. Just don’t tell Michelle.
Mike
May 13th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Wonderful video of you and Alan. It is nice to finally hear you instead of reading you !!
We are VERY happy to see Carnival finally taking action about the widespread chair saving ! It remains to be seen if the enforcement actually lasts.
We have only been on 6 cruises (all Carnival) but it is a fact that on each and every one of them there were always many, many chairs being “saved’ for HOURS !
It was also useless to tell the MAA or another ships crew about it…they did nothing but look at you with a dead stare.
Now, we are not for laying around near the pool so we usually go aft and up to find peace & quiet and plenty of chairs.
We do sit near the pool to have breakfast and lunch at a table. It is during breakfast that we see the saving begin.
Rest up now John, you will quite busy with your new assignment very soon.
Phil & Liz
Houston, Texas
May 13th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Hi John,
So glad to hear that Carnival has decided to enforce their no seat saving policy!
May 13th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Princess Susan, you are wrong…that would be ME sitting in the shade. I don’t do sun. At all. I have the same white-skin syndrome, but at least we won’t have alligator skin as we age, right?
Duchess Sandy, sittin’ in the shade
May 13th, 2008 at 9:45 am
no seat saving policy on Lido and show room to be enforced by CDs ?? Boy this will be entertaining. John, you know people can’t read or hear on a cruise. Good luck if it happens. Now what about the enforcement of kids in the Whirlpools ?? You know the parents can’t read and hear also.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Hey John, as avid sun bathers, my sister-in-law and me get up early to get our chairs and our husbands float back and forth all day. I have seen many chairs stacked up and never put out by staff on sea days. We have seen customers trying to get chairs out of stacks by themselves. I hope that Carnival will address this issue also.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Hi John
I am so glad that Carnival are finally doing something about the sun bed saving. I was on the Freedom ..16 Feb 2008 and had big problems trying to get sun beds. People were putting their towels out early morning and not returning till lunch time. I made an offical complaint but the problem was not resolved. I asked the staff if they
were aware that they had to remove items that were on vacant beds for more than half an hour and was told …no…
I am hopefully travelling on the Triumph on 24 May so I will let you know if the issue has been addressed.
I love your blog and have been reading it since Feb.
Kind regards
Sharon Earls
London
May 13th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
John,
Hilarious post! You do have keen insight into human nature.
Re: deck chairs. How about charging a fee ($5 maybe) for renting one to be used in the pool area…whether Lido deck or the one above (Panorama?) where the idea is to sunbathe and be near the pool? Pay the money, the chair would be put in place by deck staff (and removed when renter finishes with it), but it would be the renter’s all day if he wanted. All chairs on other decks would be free. There MUST be some solution that won’t keep everyone angry at everyone else. Maybe assign numbered chairs to cabin numbers. Earliest “bookers” get first dibs on Lido deck (or whatever deck they want).
Whatever!
Ta,
Myra
Hey, Heidi
May 13th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
John,
I spent yesterday shooting guns… well, not the whole day, but a portion! We were wishing our adopt-a-unit well before they deploy to Iraq and they gave a few of us a day in their training… Flying Blackhawk helicopters in simulators, firing guns and seeing it we could hit the targets or distinguish between good and bad targets, and HumVee rollovers and getting out… WOW!!! There is so much… I thank each and every one of our brave men and women who are heading off to protect our freedoms!!!
Giving each of them a hug and thank you was the highlight of my day! I will keep them in my prayers!!
When you wrote about guns… it’s all so fresh in my mind and EARS!!!
As for chair hogs:. I must be lucky… this has never reared it’s head where I have been concerned. I have always found a chair and worshipped the sun and admired the activities and surroundings, with no problems… I’ve always admire CARNIVAL for ample chairs and sun!!
John, this blog was WONDERFUL… Keep ‘em coming!!!
Till I see you again!
Lambie
May 13th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Hi John,
Thank you for sharing the video of Alan - it was great to put a face to all the wonderful stories you have told about him. Alan is always in my prayers!!
I have been trying to catch up on all the blogs I missed during my vacation on the Valor!! You have such a unique sense of humor – How did things go in LA – when are we going to see the TV show?
It’s nice that you and Heidi have down time and you indulge her with romantic movie night – how sweet!!
As far as chair saving, it is still going on. During my recent sailing on the Valor, I was up at 8am during sea days and sat in the comfy blue chairs and watched as folks came up, plopped down their towels and left for what ever….During the day there were many lounge chairs with towels on them or a book on the them - but no body around – so I know this is an issue and I know Carnival does post no saving chairs, but I don’t know how it’s ever going to be enforced.
After sailing the Freedom on the 12 day Mediterranean in late Oct and then sailing the Valor on a 7 day Caribbean - boy does a week go fast - I’m having severe cruise withdrawals and keep waiting for someone to serve me my Chocolate Melting Cake for dessert
So the only thing to do is to plan another cruise - Alaska - her we come!!
May 13th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
hello everyone! have been absent for awhile - real life and too many projects got in the way!
Phil & I are just back from our first Transatlantic cruise on RC Voyager of the Seas. It was our first time on RC and we are happy to say we are still loyal to Carnival!! I will be posting a review on the cruise critic website by the weekend if anyone is interested in reading the details. (same user name)
Can you believe no port talks, no walking maps and the same old steak, chicken, pork, salmon and white fish for dinner every night? There should be a law : )
There are a couple of lines we haven’t tried yet, and while we probably will someday, Carnival, in our opinion, still offers the best overall cruise for value and service. **ok, send my prize now** LOL
Our son Randy will be home from the desert around June 1st. We are taking him on the Carnival Spirit in August to celebrate. Figured Alaskan glaciers was the furthest we could get from the sandbox! Looks like he will be going to pilot’s school next! We are excited and very proud of him.
John - we hope all is good with you and your family, and will read back as time allows. It is nice to know your blog is still here when we need a safe place to come back to!
Phil & Janet, Puyallup
May 13th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
OH!! I forgot to mention - so funny that you would be addressing speedos on my first blog back!
We could not believe the number of these (as well as XXXL’s in bikinis) on the crossing cruise! I am certainly not a size 5 and prefer tankinis to cover my middle! haha
There were many European folks on the ship, and while I commend their confidence in dressing as they please . . . it wasn’t my “cup of tea” : )
Janet
May 13th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
John and Heidi,
It is exactly 60 days until the Splendor does her maiden run to the Baltic! I noticed that someone had written a comment about cruise withdrawal and missing the warm chocolate melting cake!
Wow! I am really looking forward to having that the first night of the cruise.
I am glad Carnival is going to enforce the “saving seat policy”. We do not see the need to rush on sea days and it is impossible to get a chair on those days. Actually, when I think about it, Jim and I might be just as content sitting at the back of the ship as we sail toward the next port. He really enjoys sitting at the back sipping his coffee. For those twelve days, he doesn’t have that many responsibilities. Hmmmm….right now that is a lovely thought! Anyway, 60 days until we board the Splendor!
I can not wait to actually see her!
Ruth
May 13th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Hi John/Heidi:
Boy, this blog was just like an around-the-world cruise hitting on every country. Thanks!
I will have to stay on the lookout for all of these characters in the future. Pretty funny.
Excellent blog today and i’ll be sure to duck the next time i find myself in one of your pubs.
Hope all is well.
Take care,
David
May 13th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
John after much thinking has come up with the perfect solution to the chair hogs. His new assistant cruise director is Chief Thunder Cloud. Good job Chief Thunder Cloud all the deck chairs are now empty.
BIG ED
Sitting in the whirlpool all by myself.
Thank you Chief
May 13th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
We have seen the same Russian speedo wearing gents on all of our cruises. Whats up with that?
One of our main activities on board a fun ship is people watching…that is why we go!
One thing that we have observed that disturbs us to our souls is the waste of food. Please only take what you are going to eat. If you are unsure if you are going to like it …..take alittle and go back for more…you will never go hungry on a cruise……but please don’t be a glutten.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I’m new to the blog thingie & I will need to get busy & catch up.
I look forward to the enforcement of no chair saving!
Thanks.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Hi John,
Bravo to Carnival for enforcing the “no-reserved seat” rule (hopefully). John, your descriptions are hilarious. A number of times I was at one of the hotels at Disney World and, without fail, was able to pick out all the non-American males just by the bathing suits. Of course there was also the Arab gentlemen wearing a Speedo while his wife was covered heat to toe in black voluminous robes (in 95 degree heat).
Linda, I love your comments - you and I are so much alike.
Take care,
Carol
May 14th, 2008 at 11:10 am
John, I’m sorry you had such a horrible introduction to the Detroit area from Captain America. Believe me, it is much better than he paints - wonder when was the last time he was there? Since hosting the Super Bowl, baseball All-Star game, and opening new casinos, hotels and eateries, it’s a lot more fun. They’re even developing the waterfront to be very attractive. It’s a much better place than he paints and I hope you get the chance to visit sometime.
Paula
May 15th, 2008 at 11:05 am
John,
Your discription of people had me rolling. I love people watching and I can’t wait to go on one of the European Cruises to expand my people watching skills.
Now that Carnival is going to enforce the seat saving rule, it’s time that another rule is enforced also. The Adult Only rule. On every cruise I have been on the adult only hot tub is always swarming with children. Don’t get me wrong, I love children and even have a few myself, but sometimes I just want to relax without having to fight off little ones splashing water in my face.
Ok, enough from me right now,
Mike
May 15th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
John:
I enjoyed your blog. I went on my 12 th cruise with Carnival in April on the Glory. Everyday at sea a family of 10 would hold up 10 chairs. 3 of those folks were toddlers!! I personaly like a regular chair , but some folks in our group like to lay out.in the sun. At one point I moved 3 towels off of 3 chairs that had not been used for 2 hours. When the people got back, I pretended like I had no clue what had happened. It is really a problem, however sometimes eating lunch takes longer than 30 minutes…especially with the lines on the lido deck. I especially think that VIP folks (me) should not have to look for a chair. We should be able to flash our platium card and a chair would become available!!:)
May 19th, 2008 at 11:33 am
John:
Several months ago, I suggested that the Carnival towels should have the standard Carnival LOGO on one side and
“I am not a chair hog. I will be back in 15 minutes!” on the other.
When someone must leave to tend to food (or other things), they simply lay the “I am not a chair hog!” side up to show they will be back shortly!!!
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