Bugger!
Well, she is correct. I did say they were expecting rain, both verbally and in the Carnival Capers, because that’s what www.weather.com told me.
Good morning by the way from the straits of Messina where as I write it is ……guess what………….raining.
This morning after my travel talk I met with Mrs. Weather Girl. Now, normally, people who complain about things like this have a bark a thousand times worse than their bite ……….not this lady……………..who was so mad at me I think she would have……….bit me………..if she could.
The conversation started by her telling me that I gave false information in order to sell raincoats at the gift shop…………”That’s not true but thanks for the idea,” I said, hoping laughter would break the ice………….it didn’t…………and she gave me a look as though she wanted to rip my head off with her bare hands and fashion it into a decorative fruit bowl.
“I want a refund,” she snarled, and “I want it now”…..this was getting ugly and a small crowd of seven or eight people had gathered to watch as she boomed her demands out loud.
I stood there thinking……………does this happen to Willard Scott or Lovely Lisa? ………………Do they say it’s going to be raining and when it isn’t be threatened with castration by a lady with hands the size of melons?………probably not. You see, weather reports in the past were crap — works of fiction that may as well have been written by J.K. Rowling. And now they aren’t. We are told that a heat wave will end on Tuesday, and it will. We were told that Wednesday will be muggy and thundery and it will be.
It is not just 24-hour predictions, either. Now you are told with alarming accuracy what the weather will be like in two or even three days’ time………….so how come that www.weather.com got it so wrong? Maybe I should listen to the old farmers who say you can tell when rain is coming because the cows are lying down. Not so. According to various Web sites, cows lie down because they are tired.
Anyway, none of this was going to help me with the Weather Girl and I will continue this story a little later in the blog.
So, good morning from a day at sea. It’s been raining and a bit grey for most of the day but, once again, the retractable roof has been a godsend and everyone is in really great spirits. I had a fun welcome aboard show including a lady called Melissa who was on stage and told me her husband was in the casino and refused to come to the show.
So, seeing as though his wife of 36 years was on stage and wanted her husband’s support, I asked one of the entertainment staff members to go to the casino. Using their internal paging system, I had her husband Evander paged to come to the showroom ………………… because he had won $1,000 in a raffle…………..about five minutes later in walks Evander looking excited at the prospect of loads of cash coming his way…………
I met him at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the stage. I then asked him why he was here………….he replied, “To claim my money.” Now, at this point I should mention that there are 1,600 people in the showroom………he is just 15 feet from the six people sitting on stage…………one of them is his wife…………and he has not noticed her yet.
The audience is now laughing hysterically and when I said, “Do you recognize anyone on the stage?”…………and he said, “No “………..people were crying with laughter. I said, “Look again”………….and he did………….and then came one of those moments where you wish you hadn’t had been holding the microphone directly in front of a guest ………because Evander did look again and said, “Shit, that’s my honey.”
It took at least two minutes before I could talk not only because the audience’s laughter is raising the theatre roof but I was laughing as hard as any of them.
I mean………..everyone was laughing ………..everyone…………except one very muscular lady wearing a brand new raincoat.
Lets pause now and look at some great photos taken by our Club O2 Director Jessen in Napoli yesterday………as you can see……it wasn’t raining.
Naples
Naples
Naples view of Mount Vesuvius
The Egg Castle
And now, here are some letters written to me by some of our honeymoon couples onboard.
In 1996, I had the honor of delivering the Carnival Destiny and she has always been one of my favorite ships. Well, she is coming home to Miami after many successful years sailing out of a place I miss very much…..San Juan.
Here is the latest Carnival Destiny news.
CARNIVAL DESTINY LAUNCHES NEW FOUR- AND FIVE-DAY CRUISE SCHEDULE FROM MIAMI SATURDAY, SEPT. 27
Largest Cruise Ship to Offer Short Cruise Program Year-Round
MIAMI (September 25, 2008 ) – When the 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny begins a new schedule of four- and five-day cruises from Miami on Saturday, Sept. 27, it will not only provide consumers with an exciting new “Fun Ship” vacation option but will also be the largest ship to be deployed year-round on short cruise itineraries.
Additionally, the Carnival Destiny offers nearly 500 balcony staterooms and suites – the most of any ship operating a year-round short-cruise program – providing consumers with unprecedented variety in their accommodation choices.
Carnival Destiny’s deployment to Miami will also further solidify Carnival’s position as the short-cruise leader, with 29 such options from 12 U.S. homeports – the most in cruising. In total, Carnival’s ships will operate nearly 850 departures of five days or less in length with roughly half of its 22-vessel fleet offering short cruise itineraries.
On its new Miami-based schedule, Carnival Destiny departs Thursdays on four-day cruises to Key West, Fla., and Cozumel, Mexico; Mondays on five-day cruises to Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands; and Half Moon Cay, a private Bahamian island; and Saturdays on five-day voyages to George Town, Grand Cayman; and Ocho Rios, Jamaica..
In addition to providing a convenient and affordable vacation option, Carnival Destiny offers a host of on-board amenities, including some new features that were installed during a recent two-week dry dock. These include Carnival’s Seaside Theatre, a massive 270-square-foot outdoor LED screen on Lido Deck displaying movies, concerts, sporting events and other programming, along with an expansive new “Circle C” facility catering to the 12- to 14-year-old age group.
Located on Sun Deck 12, “Circle C” features a high-tech sound and lighting system, plasma-screen TVs displaying movies and music videos, a touch-screen jukebox, and gaming pods with the latest video games and consoles. A variety of cosmetic enhancements such as new carpeting, wall coverings and tile work, were also completed.
“Short cruises fit in perfectly with today’s lifestyles, offering an unmatched combination of value, convenience and fun. The Carnival Destiny’s four- and five-day schedule from Miami takes this concept to another level, providing consumers with a wide range of on-board choices along with attractive itineraries featuring the Caribbean’s most popular destinations,” said Ruben Rodriguez, Carnival executive vice president of marketing and guest experience.
Continued Expansion of Short Cruise Market
The deployment of the Carnival Destiny to Miami is one of several enhancements to the line’s short cruise programs.
This past weekend, the 2,052-passenger Carnival Fascination began year-round four- and five-day cruises from Jacksonville, Fla., becoming the newest and largest ship to sail from that port on a year-round basis. The 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination, which offers such features as a water park and adults-only area – all part of the “Evolutions of Fun” product enhancement initiative – began a new three- and four-day schedule from Miami last week, as well.
Next year, Carnival will dramatically expand capacity on its short cruise programs from Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, when the 2,052-passenger Carnival Fantasy and the 2,758-passenger Carnival Triumph, respectively, launch new programs from those ports in November 2009.
A Spectacular ‘Fun Ship’
Carnival Destiny — the world’s first 100,000-plus-ton cruise ship — offers a host of resort-style facilities and features: 18 lounges and bars, including a 1,400-seat theater featuring lavish production revues, a 14,500-square-foot health and wellness center, a jogging track, an Internet café, ship-wide Wi-Fi access and cell phone service.
Dining options include two two-level main dining rooms with extensive menus and wine lists, a 1,200-seat poolside eatery with a 24-hour pizzeria, a patisserie serving specialty coffees and sweets, and complimentary 24-hour room service.
In addition to the new “Circle C” facility for 12- to 14-year-olds, Carnival Destiny offers numerous other family friendly features, including a children’s program, “Camp Carnival,” catering to kids ages two to 11, and “Club O2,” the line’s award-winning teen program for 15- to 17-year olds.
Carnival Destiny also offers a variety of accommodation categories, including a wide range of balcony staterooms and suites. All staterooms feature the Carnival Comfort Bed sleep system with plush mattresses, luxurious duvets and high quality linens and pillows.
That’s great news and for those people who have always wanted a Destiny-class ship to conduct shorter cruises……..well……….Carnival listened…………..again.
Now, it is with great pleasure that I welcome back to the blog our old mate Chris “Bubba” Roberts who has finished another hugely successful Alaska season on the Carnival Spirit. Here he is with the latest news.
The fall 2008 reposition begins
Greetings to all out there in the blogging world. It’s September 24 and the Carnival Spirit is docked in the port of Vancouver one last time as we wrap up our final Alaska cruise and get ready for our first of two Hawaiian cruises.
The work already started for me weeks ago in getting Capers and scheduling done. Even though we sail these cruises twice a year, the itineraries are never quite in the same order. Plus, you usually never have the same management personnel from year to year….by that I mean the spa, gift shop, casino, etc….they always want to completely redo everything, so each time we do a Hawaiian voyage, it’s like starting a Caper from scratch.
In fact I will be making changes to the Capers right up to the last minute of when it goes to print. Some cruise directors do not like producing Capers because of the behind-the- scenes work. I really enjoy doing them, as one you pretty much have the Caper memorized by the time it’s gone to print, and secondly, I do actually enjoy desktop publishing. If only the people who advertise in the Capers could get the ads back to you in a timely fashion.
It’s not only the Capers and scheduling that started before this Hawaiian voyage….we actually already have guests on board from our last Alaska cruise who are doing the Hawaii cruise, as well. It’s about 220 of them. They call it the “fire and ice” cruise. It’s a pretty cool idea if you can take 19 days off to do both itineraries. Out of the 220 people, two are from England, two are from Canada, four are from the USA and the rest are Australian.
Yesterday, on our final sea day, I hosted a reception for all of them in our Versailles Lounge with complimentary cocktails and snacks to thank them for doing both cruises and to explain how the transition works from one cruise to the next. The majority of these guests think they have booked a 19-day cruise, but the reality is that they have booked two cruises, one seven-day and one 12-day. I explained to them that some of the activities and entertainment will be repeated from the previous cruise, but that we would also have a whole lot of new things, as well.
I explained to them about clearing through immigration in Vancouver and how to enjoy their last day on land before our five days at sea. Also gave them a few sneak peeks at some of the cool shore excursions that are going on in Hawaii and introduced them to the shore excursion manager who were going to help them get a jumpstart on their bookings.
Afterwards there were very few questions…they all seemed to enjoy their Alaskan voyage and were ready for Hawaii. They all especially seemed to enjoy the FREE drinks as by the end of the cocktail party they were quite a few dancing to the background music.
This morning debark went really well….the process is actually pretty fast here in Vancouver as the terminal in Vancouver is one of the nicest I have ever seen. We started just after 7:30 am and were done by 9:45 am. About 110 of the 220 back-to-backers decided to stay on board for the day. While there was the down time between the cruises, our engine team went up and opened our pool dome for the first time in months. We keep it closed for the Alaska season, but in preparation for getting to warmer weather in a few days, we opened it now. It’s safer to open and close the dome when we are not moving and since we will be on the move for a while, we figured lets go ahead and get it opened now.
Today we will have a few new sign-ons join us. For Hawaii, we have a naturalist come on board, as well….except we call him “the ambassador of aloha!” His name is Dirk. He will be coming on for the two Hawaii cruises to host lectures about Hawaiian wildlife and culture. Dirk is a professional naturalist. He has worked for many cruise lines all over the world. In fact, he will also be the naturalist for the Carnival Splendor when it does its South America repositioning cruises. I look forward to meeting him.
Our itinerary for this Hawaii cruise is:
Sept. 24 – Vancouver – sailing at 5 pm
Sept. 25 – 29 – FUN days at sea
Sept. 30 – Nawiliwili, Kauai at 8 am till 6 pm
Oct. 1 – Kahului, Maui at 8 am staying overnight
Oct. 2 – Kahului, Maui sailing at 6 pm
Oct. 3 – Hilo, Hawaii at 8 am till 6 pm
Oct. 4 – Kona, Hawaii at 8 am till 6 pm
Oct. 5 – Honolulu, Oahu at 8 am staying overnight
Oct. 6 – Honolulu, Oahu is debarkation for this voyage.Our crew and I are all very excited about getting to Hawaii. The season this year in Alaska has been cold and we – more so than previous years. So we are all looking forward to some warm weather and sunshine. Hopefully we will be able to find some. I am looking forward to trying some new things entertainment-wise once we get there, but for now I have a very busy five days to keep everyone amused. Boat drill starts in just about an hour and then the welcome aboard show tonight. We’ll keep you posted on how the journey is going and I hope to have some cool pictures for you once we arrive in Hawaii.
All the best
Chris “Bubba “Roberts
Thanks Chris………we all look forward to receiving an update on your adventures as much as you are looking forward to smothered, covered and chunked grits from the Waffle House. Have fun and once again, thanks for taking the time to write mate.
OK, back to Mrs. Weather Girl. When we left the story Mrs. Weather Girl wanted a refund for her raincoat, wanted me fired and not necessarily in that order. So, there I was, standing in the lobby being bollocked by Hulk Hogan …..in a dress…………and I needed to take care of this situation as honestly………she was screaming at me.
So, I asked her to give me an hour to speak to a few people and I arranged to meet her at 3 pm. This was a lie. I didn’t need to speak to anyone….I needed to change my underwear ……that was one big woman with two big hands and she wanted to use them ……… on me.
So, after changing into a new pair, I called the gift shop manager to see if she had, in fact, sold many raincoats as the Mrs. Weather Girl had suggested in her letter………………she sold five……………five! She also told me that she could not give a refund.
Apparently………..and get this…………the lady had been into the shops after sailing from Naples demanding a refund. She could not give her one because she had taken the labels of and…………there was a stain on the front!
Now, I had at this point, pretty much decided that as scared of those huge Hummer-sized hands as I was that under the circumstances I was not going to give her a refund. So, I went back to the cabin and started to prepare a letter that would start with an apology and then in the middle a copy of the www.weather.com report showing heavy rain.
And then, everything changed……………….I ended up giving her a refund. I paid for it myself ………… I had to………..because when I opened the weather page………….it showed the weather in Naples……………….Florida…………….what a complete and utter total overweight, hemorrhoid-suffering, hairy-eared idiot I really am.
Nope, that is not a joke……….not made up…………..I actually gave the weather forecast for Naples, Florida.
For 3,000 years man has been trying to explain the reason we have bad moods. Now, my utter stupidity has, hopefully, come up with a way to make them go away.
By the way, I didn’t dare tell Mrs. Weather girl that I had given her the weather in Florida. If you’d asked the Greek playwright Aeschylus how he thought he would go to meet his maker, I bet you any money he wouldn’t have said: “Good question. And I think it almost certain that what will happen is this: I shall be out for a walk and an eagle will drop a tortoise on my head.”
We spend the first part of our lives imagining that we will not die at all, and the second part hoping that we will slip into the darkness of eternity, aged about 109, while fast asleep. I hate the idea that later I might sit on the suction pump in my swimming pool and have my intestinal tract pulled clean out of my bottom. That happened to someone in America last year. Someone who’d woken up that morning imagining that it was going to be just another normal day.
I have no idea who I will leave this mortal coil………but I do know that had I told Mrs. Weather Girl my mistake ……..I would be sitting on my cloud……. playing my harp and saying……..”bugger.”
Goodnight
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.
San Juan………………Come visit!!!
John,
If it’s any consulation…it didn’t rain in Naples either. The weather.com people need to look out the window.
Love the blog.
Stacy from Florida
It takes a big man to admit his mistakes and a smart man to know who to admit them to… Excellent move, my friend…
How I wish we had a video of Evander recognizing Melissa!!! No doubt that was a scene that will not soon be forgotten!
Naples is just as lovely as I left it… Thanks for the pictures.
Wonderful news about the new itineraries for the Destiny!!! I have got to do the five day just for Half Moon Cay!! Brilliant!!
Here’s hoping that Bubba gets an opportunity to defrost a bit while he’s in Hawaii. It sounds like it’ll be a fantastic cruise and the Fire and Ice thing is stunning. What a lucky group of folks!!
All my best to the lovely Heidi and the oh so hard working Stephanie!! By the way, did she send you the link to the Freddy video??
Ciao, my friend!!!
Host Mach
I it humbling to admit one has made a mistake–woohoo–you aren’t just funny–you are human too!
Well, the bright side, is, you have a new rain coat that sounds like it fits!
Jeff
dear john, it didn’t rain in podunk. can i have a refund too? what do you mean i had to actually BUY a raincoat? that is no good reason….
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
You may not be prefect, but you do know how to make someone laugh!! All of my co-workers just about jumped out of their seats when I erupted into gales of laughter at your error. We have all been there…thinking we were perfect, then WHAM! A dose of reality hits you up side of your head. But at least you have the good grace to admit when you’re wrong and to do so, OH SO publicly on the blog thingy. (By the way, “Thingy” has become my new favorite word.)
Looking forward to sailing on the Victory on Saturday! YAY!
John, by the way you owe me a full refund for the thong I had made by Omar The Tent Maker for the 2008 Bloggers Cruise. You said that you and I were going to jog around the Lido Pool in our thongs. So I had to go have one specially made for me. I even tried to find one of those sumo thingys. Could you please send me my $299.99 ASAP, Omar is not cheap. I will apply that money to the security fund I’m setting up to hire bodyguards to protect me from you on the 2009 Bloggers Cruise. Since you have said many times you will get even with me for that little April Fools joke I pulled on you back in April.
“BIG” ED
PS; To All bloggers if you want to be part of the “BIG” ED’S Security Staff you got to make your booking for the 2009 Bloggers Cruise soon. Only 135 days before we sail.
I think you should have the jacket cleaned and give it to Heidi since the woman stole hers’ last year!
John:
This was another one of those blogs that should have come with a warning:
Make sure you are not drinking soda when reading this blog.
Another afternoon of cleaning my computer screen…thanks!!!
Well, on the bright side, you can use one of the raincoats to replace the one that the old lady “borrowed” from Heidi and never returned.
(just make sure it is not the stained one)
DJ asked would you please tell Jessen he said HI!!
He and Jessen had a great time on the Legend in May. I hope Jessen will still be there, when we sail in November!
Yep…you have to watch those “live mics”………..
just ask Jessie Jackson!!!
DJ loves the Redneck weather predictor….it is never wrong.
If the rock is hot…it is sunny.
If the rock is wet…it is raining.
If the rock is white…it is snowing.
If the rock is “rocking”….it is windy.
If the rock is gone….TORNADO!!!!
DJ’s Joke for Today…
Why did the Goodyears fall off the car?
They were tired.
Don’t worry about getting things wrong every now and then…it happens to the best of us!!
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
Dear John & Heidi,
John, I couldn’t do your job. I’d get fired in one day. That’s a very funny story about the weather.com. Still, you didn’t make her buy a raincoat. You just said it was supposed to rain. I live near New York City, and grew up in New England. Mark Twain, who lived in my home state of Connecticut said, “If you don’t like the weather here, wait around. It’ll change.” The weather people are only right some of the time. I only get annoyed if they say it will NOT rain or snow, and the precipitation is HEAVY. What is she doing, going on vacation without an umbrella or some kind of rain gear? She should be angry with herself because she forgot an essential item, not with you. Putting a weather forecast in the Capers is a courtesy. OK, end of rant. Anyone could make that Naples, FL mistake. Hee hee.
All of the pictures are absolutely gorgeous! I wish my pictures looked that good! Thank you for those. The man who came running in from the casino was priceless. I wish I could read the letters you publish. Honestly, I have to just scroll down, and get the gist from your comments, because I just can’t see them. They’re too light for some reason. I was very happy to learn that the cruise director from RCI reads and enjoys your blog. I wonder if he read the one about the “Booger of the Seas”. That one cracked me up.
2 days until we (hopefully) go to Italy on Al Italia,
Cheryl D.
John,
Too funny! I wouldn’t have told Mrs. Weather Girl either. Lets hope she doesn’t read the blog!
It did rain here. Does that mean I don’t get a refund?
Pat
InMN253
Well John, it may not have rained in Naples, Fla. but it did rain in Melbourne, Fl. yesterday. I nearly fell off my chair when I read that you had given the forecast for Fla. instead of Italy. When was the last time you had your eyes checked my dear man? HA! HA! Anyway, I am glad you didn’t give her a refund either! Come on back to the caribbean and sail with us out of Florida, we miss you! Your Friends, Linda & Mike
I was terribly confused and your mis-information caused me great distress….I want to be compensated…..a free cruise…… 
Lucky I didn’t book a tour!
Back in April when you were doing your FAM trip and described the wonderful castles and the Royal Palaces of Zeeland ….. I just couldn’t find them …. I looked all over and there were none to be had…..
http://www.ci.zeeland.mi.us/
You should have made it clearer that you were not referring to my home community but some far off place in like Copenhagen, Denmark. How was I to know that the Splendor couldn’t have made a slight jog…..from the Baltic region just a short hop across the pond then lumbered through the St. Lawrence Seaway….circumvented Niagara Falls via a wee little channel and then journeyed up and around the Great Lakes (pert near all of ‘em) to dock in Holland, MI and then visit some non-existent castles in Zeeland, MI? Big Ed would have hopped on in Detroit….
The Flying (non-Danish…but I luv danishes) Dutchman
John:
I really enjoy your blogs abd that is coming from someone who is a long time RCCL cruiser who said they would never sail Carnival because of the prior history between the companies. Well, I purchased Carnival stock, booked a 2 week cruise on your sister line Princess and maybe, someday, will consider a cruise on a ship where you are the CD.
Keep blogging.
Bob in CT
respond?
Didn’t see that coming!!! Don’t you hate it when you do something DUMB!!!!???? Trust me, I do it a lot. What a guy though, to refund her. It’s okay, everyone goofs up occasionally.
Bestest wishes to you and the cutie you live with!
Your Pal, Myra
10 days and counting. I am already half packed.
Love the blog today. Naples Florida HaHa. Sorry can’t think tonight. Hope to be better tomorrow.
CarolAnn
John: I have just been labeled crazy by my husband and brother-in-law as they heard me laughing at the opposite end of my house. I can see everything just as you describe them and that is sooooo funny.
Why did that big gal not bring weather gear with her to begin with? You did have the final laugh as did we bloggers.
Great pictures!
Marie
You got to be kidding me John . You gave a refund for what, just for making a mistake. She didn’t deserve it. As I read your blog each night I’ve been noticing that there are many people that get angry and sort of force themselves on you and the Pursors just because they want something special from you. I know that it may be only one or two of them, but it just makes me fume knowing that the person could afford the cruise and yet they want something for nothing. It has to be frustrating for you. At the end I really know why you do it. You are such a loving and caring person. Oh well, thjat’s just the way you are. That is what makes you such a fantastic cruise director. Ciao my friend.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
Bugger indeed!
Actually, reading Derek’s post above has got me thinking, “Thingy” could be the new Carnival buzz word. The company’s tribute to the immortal JH could be named ‘Carnival Cruiseshipthingy’, with a few jacu…whirlp….bubbly thingies strategically placed by the pools, and a nice relaxing steam thingy in the spa.
Carnival – The Fun Floatingthingies!!
Donal, Donegal, Ireland (the big green island thingy to the west of Britain where it always rains)
John,
Thanks from the pics from Jessen! I was on the Splendor Inaugural (7/2/08) and participated in Club O2. He is the finest club director on the seven seas! Send him my best!!!
Thanks,
Kenny Miller
Very entertaining blog! I was laughing so hard I have tears in my eyes! But you did the right thing…. I wouldn’t admit to that one either…. at least not to Mrs. Weathergirl!
Tell Bubba Chris…. we are waiting for pictures! I loved Hawaii when we were there a couple of years ago. Can’t wait to go back…. but I want to go back on a Carnival Cruise ship! I think it would be the best way to see all the islands… without wasting time in airports.
Hello Heidi! Will we be hearing from you again soon? I hope so!
Hugs!
Princess Barb
Hi John,
It’s me PennyB from New Orleans.
Please don’t be too down about the weather mistake. It could happen to anyone or anywhere – how about Venice, Rome, Paris, Holland, and the list goes on. Multiple names around the world. In Maine, there is a whole area of European named towns. By the way,what color is your new raincoat? I might like to borrow it on our Feb. cruise. Everyone thinks it is always hot or warm in New Orleans but that is usually our rainiest/coolest time of the year. I imagine the ship’s giftshop will do a big business on sweatshirts without you even saying it might be cool. Please bring your speedo too. It might be warm in Mexico or maybe I’m thinking of young, tan Italians, Spaniards, & Frenchmen in their speedos diving off a cliff in the Med. Only 3 more nights to sleep and I leave for Rome (Italy). Please warn Todd a wild and crazy group will be arriving soon with blue bands (bracelets)on our wrists. I’m sure our ships will cross in the night somewhere – until then ciao from the Big Easy, New Orleans (Louisiana, USA).
PennyB
**Please reply**
Hi John!
We’re going on the Destiny 10/4 for our honeymoon and are theoretically going to be the first ship back into Grand Turk. However, some folks on Cruise Critic have said that they’re itineraries have changed-and they’re cruising after us. We spoke with our PVP yesterday and he says our itinerary hasn’t changed. Have you heard anything about the status of Grand Turk?
Thanks!!
John Please reply
We are sailing on the Liberty 10/18 (1st cruise post drydock) and have 2 questions
Who will the Cruise director be?
We have heard rumors the Liberty will start anytime dining on our cruise. Is this true? If so how do we make sure we stick with traditional dining?
John .. I love your raincoat story and I laughed out loud too .. do you know how long it takes to describe that to a husband that doesn’t read the blog ..
My problem
We have group joining with another group on the Spirit on Oct 27 .. and we have some traveling before that .. and we have tried the email address and we have tried calling .. and we keep hearing we will get back to you this week .. and that week goes by etc .. Any help you could give our roll-call would be really appreciated ..
Btw .. we are looking forward to sailing with Chris”Bubba”
Dear John.
I love complaints where the person says “I have already contacted my Lawyer….”
I usually reply requesting the lawyer’s contact details in order that I can deal with the lawyer directly.
That’s usually the end of the matter.
Good morning John & Heidi,
It’s pouring here – can I get a refund on a pair of sunglasses I just bought?
That story was too much. I sure don’t want to meet up with her – ever. But a stain on the raincoat – what nerve.
Great pictures of sunny Naples (Italy).
I probably just missed you on the Destiny – I was on her the end of 1997 (when Greg Kneale stole all your good jokes). I think I told you the story about how I ended up sailing on her – my girlfriend & I were planning a trip to Disney World & I went to a travel agent to get some brochures. What I walked out with was the brochure for the brand new Carnival Destiny. The pictures of the atrium lobby had me drooling. My girlfriend didn’t need convincing either – so it was the Destiny instead of Disney. I will be on her again.
I may leave early today, so if I don’t see another thingy by then, have a wonderful weekend (and 2 weeks, because I am not going near a computer until I get back from vacation). And remember, when I get back I expect a refund for something that may or may not have happened.
Hugs to John, Heidi & Stephanie,
Carol
The Flying Dutchman,
One of these days Carnival or one of the other cruise lines will see the value of putting a cruise ship on the Great Lakes. All those people from the south that come north for the summer would just love a summer cruise just like all us from the north love to go south and take a winter cruise. With all the beautiful cities around the Great Lakes there are plenty of ports of call to set up compleatly different BTB cruises. I’m sure the Great Lakes states and Canada would do all they could to help make this happen. Michigan gave the movie industry tax breaks to get them here and they are discovering that Michigan and the Great Lakes are beautiful.
BIG ED
Looking for a job as Carnivals Great Lakes Port Director.
I have enjoyed reading your blog. Would be nice to meet you on our sailing in November. Also a previous posters comments on no shore excursions is true and we would love to see some choices. We have been booked since January and have had a very limited choice and we checked quite frequently. CS reps don’t seem to have any idea – even one told me they hadn’t finalized the European excursions and my sailing is in the Caribbean. Hope you have a wonderful day!!!
John, the Naples confusion reminds me of something that happened over 25 years ago about which I’m still bitter! A hunky New Zealander that I had met in college made a return trip to America and wanted to see me. He went to my college and asked a professor we both knew where I was – and the professor said I was living in Paris, Tennessee. Sadly, though, I was in Athens, Tennessee (opposite side of a long state). Paris, Athens – they knew it was the same as some European city! So my heart does not bleed much for Ms. Raincoat.
Thanks for the photos of Naples, it was a reminder of the truly lovely day we spent there in’07. Time is flying by. The pizza is soooooooo good there on the side street with all the charm…
Big Ed in a thong. That’s a visual!
Thanks you guys for the laughs. I need them.
Hi John/Heidi:
Ah, Ms. Raincoat. A new name. TOo funny. Sorry you gave her the forecast for Naples Florida.
Gorgeous pictures on the blog. Is that a Costa ship i see in the background?
I enjoyed hearing from Bubba. The Fire and Ice cruise sounds like a great 19 days.
Hope all is well and thanks for another great blog.
Take care!
David
great photos of Naples. Makes me whistful.
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Your raincoat story made for great dinner conversation. So, did you get the raincoat back or let her keep it? I would put in on display, like Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” she sang about. It could be labeled the “Raincoat of many curses.”
“Back in the hills of Naples I go wandering once again-
Back to the end of my lost youth-
I recall a weather report that John Heald gave me,
And how that scammer didn’t tell the truth!
I had clothes of many colors,
And all of them too small.
It was supposed to rain in Naples
And it was early in the Fall.
So I went down to the gift shop
And bought a new raincoat,
But when the next day turned out sunny,
It really got my goat!
My coat of many curses that the gift shop sold to me,
I couldn’t get a refund and was mad as I could be!
Although I lost my money, my manners and my pride,
I took it out on John Heald, and then out of his hide!”
Thanks for printing the message from Bubba-can’t wait to go cruise Hawaii with him. I see Cruisin’ Grandma is going in 10 days too. Could it be she will be on the Spirit? Pat
Patricia, your poem is the bomb!
HI JOHN&HEIDI greetings from your blog team in New York we cant believe it’s been almost a year since we cruised together on FREEDOM in the grand med. have great memories of there and also onboard LIBERTY the previous year. sorry to report the Yanks&Mets are out of it this season,better luck in 09 season,with two new stadiums! will continue to read the blogs,talk at ya soon.regards Kevin&Robin p.s. is your bro in law still ugly?
JOHN…
I WANT A REFUND TOO!!!
Maybe Ralph should be fired???? It rained in Cozumel on Friday and NO ONE told us!!! I know… I saw the rainbow… I should have known it meant something was coming, since I was aft looking forward and the rainbow ardhed over the funnel at sunrise as we headed into Coz…
But it’s RALPH’S FAULT!!! I took Mom ashore with her electric wheelchair and no umbrella or poncho… OH NO!!! It POURED!!! POURED BUCKETS!!! I walked back to the ship, retrieved our umbrellas and ponchos… then walked back to Mom… I left her under an overhang, praying this would not be an Alzheimer’s moment… But a kind stranger (off the Legend) offered to sit with her…
I believe it was 100 miles down the pier and through that shopping mall…
And when we got about 10 feet from the ship… POOF… after an hour… it stopped!!!
SO… I WANT A REPLY AND I WANT A REFUND!!!!
I think a refund for the entire cruise would be too much… maybe just a 1/7th of it… Nah… go for it all… that one day, that one hours… it ruined EVERYTHING!!! I want it all!!! 
I send my love to you, Heidi, and Stephanie!!! Thaks for all you do!!!
Lambie