Sometimes when I write a blog, the cursor thingy will wink away until I have eaten an entire bag of pistachio nuts and a box of sugar-free jelly beans.
Sometimes though the words just vomit out of my head as my fingers dance on the keyboard desperately trying to keep up.
Tonight, as I sit here typing to you at 12:35 am, the floor is full of empty nut shells and an empty box of sugar-free jelly beans lays discarded by the mouse thingy…..and in a few minutes time, the cabin will smell like a French prison…………which, is the nearest me or the guests are going to get to France this cruise. Today has been like one of those French films you sometimes find on cable TV in the middle of the night. It promises much and it delivers plenty a breast or three. But somehow that isn’t really enough.
So, it was just before departure from Barcelona that my phone rang and the number 250 showed it was the captain. This either meant something was wrong…….or……he needed to borrow a movie to watch.
He didn’t need a movie.
This is why.
From: r.obinu
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 4:56 PM
To: Cannes, France; SPLENDOR CRUISE DIRECTOR
Cc: SPLENDOR CAPTAIN
Subject: URGENT URGENT URGENTDear Captain, John,
Please give me a call as soon as possible in order to discuss about tomorrow call in Cannes:
Regards
Roberto OBINU
Roberto is our agent in Cannes, and a genuinely nice guy, and when he writes an e-mail like this you know something is up. So, having received this information the captain called me to his office…………so, I put my brown pants on and up I went.
We called Roberto, who told us that because of very high winds and strong swells, the Port of Cannes would be closed tomorrow to all the cruise ships due to call. Remember, Cannes is a tender port and when there is any chance that this operation may be dangerous we will not operate the service.
Roberto had told us that the winds were gusting up to 50 knots and obviously that means Cannes…….was Cannneseld…La Bugger.
Right then, what were our options. This is when sometimes the less-experienced cruisers tend to get a little confused. The occasional guest will expect that when you cancel a port the captain says, “OK, where shall we go instead….mmmm….I know lets go there”…….. and he just turns the ship around ……….and of we go.
It’s a little more complicated than that. The first thing I do is inform the guests…….there is no need to keep them waiting. If you know something and it’s a certainty……tell them. This has always been my philosophy and it’s something that I hope other cruise directors believe in as well. So, that was me, on the bridge telling guests and crew the following.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen and my apologies for disturbing you inside the cabins and in all areas of the ship. I am here on the bridge with Captain Cupisti and we have just been informed that due to expected high winds tomorrow, the Port of Cannes will be closed to all cruise vessels.
Tendering guests ashore in these conditions would be extremely dangerous and therefore as your safety is always our number one priority we will not be calling in Cannes tomorrow. Now I am sure all of you will be disappointed and I do not blame you, however, I am sure there is not a single guest that will not understand completely that we cannot control the weather and I am positive that everyone acknowledges that the safety of all our guests must take priority.
Now your excursions will be automatically refunded to your Sail & Sign accounts and at 8 pm I will make another announcement with any news on the plan for tomorrow. Please do not go to the information desk as …well……..they don’t have any…….information that is. All news will come through me and regardless if I have any or not I will keep you updated at 8 pm. Thank you so much for your understanding and I will talk to you again at 8 pm.
I then asked for this announcement to be made in Russian.
Goodski Eveningov Comrades………..Canneski nietski goski.
Then it was back to the captain’s cabin to call Miami operations to discuss our options. There are three main factors we talk about when a port is canceled and you are looking for a new port to call at.
1. CAN WE GET THERE? It’s all very well saying “Let’s go to Naples,” for instance but can we get there. Does the top speed of the vessel allow us to arrive at an optimal time?
2. IS THERE SPACE AT THE PIER? OK, so we can get to Naples but is there a berth for us at the pier.
3. YES THERE IS SPACE – NOW WHAT ABOUT EXCURSIONS AND TRANSPORTATION? OK, there is space at the pier but are we able to book coaches, guides and shuttle buses on such late notice…………especially in Europe.
4. IS IT VIABLE TO SPEND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN FUEL TO GET TO A LOCATION IF THERE IS NOTHING FOR GUESTS TO DO? This is also important…………guest service and satisfaction is paramount but so are costs especially these days and this particular point would come into play as you will see now.
First, we tried Monaco but not only was the pier occupied the high winds that were closing the port in Cannes were also likely to close the pier there, as well. So, even if there was a pier available it would have been like my cabin is as I write now….too windy.
Next up………..Genoa. This is “just round the corner” from Monaco and the port is protected from the wind and yes………there was a pier available to dock. YIPPEE.
However, as the office investigated further…….problems arose. There was an International Boat show taking place and this meant that the tour operator could only provide excursions for……are you ready?……….300 people. That’s 300 out of 3000.
“OK,” I said……….”Can we supply coaches and buses to take guests into town on their own”……..”Nope……we don’t have any…………it’s too short notice and………the boat show has closed the main road so it will take about an hour to get into the heart of the city.”
Now, Genoa is a nice place………this ship was built just down the road from there but it’s not exactly a “happening” place and, quite honestly, there is more action in Judge Judy’s bedroom then in Genoa and, without transportation to the stunning areas of Portofino and Santa Margarita, the YIPPEE of five minutes ago now turned into a BUGGER.
OK, let’s try this ………and I suggested going straight to Livorno and the captain confirmed we could arrive at 1 pm and stay overnight and then the next day as we were scheduled to do……………..wow, this was looking good. I then spoke to my friends in our shore excursion department and they confirmed we could offer tours to Pisa, Florence and Tuscany giving guests a chance to do more than they could usually during our one day call. This was it then……….all we needed was a pier……………………….so we waited for Miami to confirm………and they did……………………..they confirmed that there wasn’t one.
SACRA BLEU AND LA GRAND BUGGAIR
And that was it………we were out of options. We had spent over an hour and a half trying to find somewhere to go but luck was not on our side and it was time to let the guests no.
And that was me back on the bridge.
Good Evening again everyone. Well, here I am and the only good news I have is that tomorrow, we can all have an extra few hours in bed because we are going to enjoy a relaxing day at sea. The captain and I have been trying to find an alternate port for the last hour or so. We tried Monaco, Genoa, Livorno and Ocho Rios, Jamaica but unfortunately the weather has affected these ports as well and at others there are no docking spaces available. Therefore, the Captain will provide us with a smooth ride down to Livorno where we will arrive on schedule on Saturday. If any of you have any concerns about this and wish to talk to someone, I will make myself available in the Lobby in 30 minutes time. Meanwhile, we will work on a new Carnival Caper which will be placed in your cabin letter box tonight. Thank you again and have a super evening onboard.
Now, just before I continue here is a copy of a letter that went to each guest cabin and was also translated into Russian, Spanish and Japanese.
October 2, 2008
Dear Carnival Guest:
We hope you are enjoying your cruise aboard the Carnival Splendor. We also want to provide you with some information about our itinerary.
Unfortunately, we will be unable to call in Cannes tomorrow. The unfavorable wind and sea conditions will not allow us to safely operate the tender service.
We sincerely apologize for this situation and we know that it will be disappointing for you. Please understand that we made this important decision to ensure your safety which is my number one priority.
We also carefully reviewed all the options to provide you with a replacement port of call including Genoa or adding an additional afternoon call in Livorno tomorrow. However, none of these options were viable. We will now proceed directly to Livorno for our scheduled call on Saturday.
In the meantime, we have a full schedule of exciting activities and entertainment planned for you aboard the Carnival Splendor. In addition, my officers, staff and crew will continue to do everything possible to provide you with a great cruise experience.
Sincerely,
Captain
P.S. A $20 per person credit will be applied to your Sail & Sign account to cover a refund of the government fees and taxes for Cannes. In addition, excursions purchased for Cannes will be automatically refunded to your Sail & Sign account.
OK, let’s come back to the guests’ reaction later and talk about what happens now behind the scenes.
Well, the first thing is that I call all the department heads together for a quick five-minute meeting and indeed, 10 minutes later I had the F&B manager, casino manager, gift shop and spa manager, housekeeping manager and chief purser with me. I then explained what was happening and that I needed their hours and schedules for an extra day at sea e-mailed to me as soon as possible — or now actually.
I should say that most cruise directors already have an emergency day at sea caper ready……………I didn’t. This cruise was our sixth new itinerary since June and I just have not had time to put one together. And so, as the department heads sent in their hours, I sat with the F&B manager to ask if we could do the following.
A WESTERN DECK PARTY WITH APPROPRIATE FOOD – WINGS, GRITS, RIBS, GRITS, FRIES, GRITS,BEANS, GRITS AND HOT DOGS
AN EXTRA TEA TIME TO ACCOMPANY A CLASSICAL CONCERT
A COOKING DEMO
A MARTINI MIXOLOGY CLASS
He said yes to everything. Now, you may think………well, why wouldn’t he? Well, again, it’s not that easy. Most ships bake their own pastries and bread products and this is always done to a schedule the night before. Obviously we had not planned for an extra tea time so he had to make sure the chef could have a team make the pastries for 200-plus people.
The Western buffet……….why wouldn’t he say yes? Well again, we need to make sure the food can be taken out of the storage and freezers. Do we have enough and do we have the team ready to prepare this for 3,000 people………well, we didn’t but somehow he is going to make this work.
Then, I have to plan with my team a whole dollop of extra fun activities and after 15 minutes of brain storming I think we have a great program tomorrow…….what do you think?
The Library – Deck 4 Forward
Opening Hours: 9:00am – Noon,
2:00pm – 5:00pm & 7:00pm – 8:30pm.
Good Morning Trivia
9:30am………………………………..El Morocco Deck 5 Aft
John’s Morning Show
9:30am………………………………..Channel 6 and Seaside Theatre
Carnival’s Bean Bag Toss
10:00am………………………………………….Lobby Deck 3
50’s Sock Hop Trivia
10:00am……………………………..El Morocco Deck 5 Aft
Big Screen Movie Trivia
Do you recognize these movies?
11:00am…………………………Seaside Theatre Deck 9
Behind the Scenes Q and A with John
10:30am………………………………..Spectacular
Saturday Night Fever Dance Class
11:30am………………………….Spectacular Spectacular
What Year? Trivia
1:00pm……………………………………….The Cool Deck 5
The Match Game
1:00pm………………………………………………Lido Deck 9
Fun On Deck and By The Pool
1:30pm………………………….Spectacular Spectacular
Language & Word Trivia
1:30pm……………………………………….The Cool Deck 5
Hip Hop Dance Class
2:00pm……………………………Spectacular Spectacular
Human Body Trivia
2:00pm……………………………………….The Cool Deck 5
Carnival’s Bean Bag Toss
2:00pm……………………………………………Lobby Deck 3
11 Games Of Bingo for 410
2:45pm………………………….Spectacular Spectacular
The Newly Wed and Not So Game with John
3:45pm………………………….Spectacular Spectacular
Sports Trivia
4:00pm & 7:30pm…………….Our House Deck 5 Fwd
MINI GOLF TOURNAMENTS
Meet at the Mini Golf Course on deck 12 Fwd
at 10:00am & 2:00pm.
Guest Speaker Denise Moreland Presents:
A conversation about Hawaii and its Culture.
That’s just some of the activities and we also have a matinee performance from Penny Mathisen. She has already performed her main shows and was due to leave tomorrow in Cannes…………….but she can’t, of course. And she has graciously agreed to perform a Sound Of Music show at 5 pm………..it’s only a 30-minute spot but I know the guests will love it………….more about Penny and entertainment in a moment.
We also have all our bands and musicians working and the orchestra will be performing two Dixieland music sets in the lobby and I will be holding a Country and Western deck party with our party band Elite playing under the dome as the guests gnaw on a chicken wing and grits.
Back to entertainment. And again, I know that most people who cruise are understanding and see the big picture of what missing a port means but, as I said earlier, one or two don’t and there’s a domino effect. Take Penny Mathisen the brilliant vocalist and audience favorite I was talking about just now. She was due to leave tomorrow and fly to Naples to join a Holland America ship………she can’t and right now the cruise director of the ship involved is saying “Dam”……….and not just because the name of the ship he is on ends in those three letters. Will the ship have a show tomorrow night now ………….. maybe not?
And that brings me onto our show tomorrow night. We were due to have a very talented and brilliantly funny juggler Steve Rawlings perform. He can’t. He is …..or was ………… supposed to fly into Cannes tomorrow. So, I have made calls and canceled his journey and now he is going to join us in Livorno and perform then.
So, as it stands we have no main show tomorrow. Therefore I am showing two movies in the main lounge and hoping everyone will join me for a huge party upstairs. The acts fly onto and out of ports of call and when you miss one……….well…………you do your best to provide the guests with a fun evening and I think tomorrow will be one…………….my staff and I will certainly do our best to make it so.
At this point I have been typing for an hour and I wanted to pee three hours ago ………….. so I will be right back.
OK, that’s better.
Where was I?
Oh yes, the Capers and at this point I have to say I have no idea how I would have managed without Heidi. She marshaled the staff and then stayed behind this computer thingy for two hours making a brand new Caper which is, as I write, sitting in the guests’ mail box outside their cabin. Thanks, Heidi.
Well, I went to the lobby as promised and I spoke to about 30 or 40 guests in the space of 30 minutes. Most wanted to say hello……….two or three were worried because they had booked private tours in Cannes and wanted to see if they could cancel them and we provided free phone calls for those who had this concern.
I met poor Gaynor Middleton who was in tears. She had planned to meet her daughter who had married a Frenchmen and who lived no in France. She and her son in law had planned to drive down to visit them while the ship was in Cannes………….and as she cried on my shoulder …………. literally……cried on my shoulder.
I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do or say to make her feel better. We organized the phone call but that was it…………..she wasn’t going to get to see her family ……………..there would be no happy ending to this story and all I can do is call her tomorrow and offer my apologies one more time.
However, the entire time I stood in the lobby only one…………just one………….guest was angry and shouting like a spoiled child…………..and guess who it was? …………… Mr. ABCNBCCBSFOX……………he had heard that I was going to be there in the lobby and he took this chance to tell me that he should receive compensation for missing the port and ………..you know what……………..”Am I bovered”………..the word bovered has been spelt as I say it in my Essex accent…………..”Am I bovered”………………….nope. ………………and so as he told me that Carnival was this and I was that………..I just stood there thinking ………………..”Am I bovered, though”……………..he was the only one………..and has been the only one……….so far out of 3,000 guests who has shouted and screamed about missing the port.
Yes I am sure there are many others who are upset…but he was the only one who wagged their finger in my face and told me and the company I worked for was a big lump of poo……he actually said a “big piece of shit” but I can’t write that…..am I bovered, though?
It’s now 1:05 am. I have been up since we arrived in Barcelona this morning at 7 am. I had so many plans for today’s blog. I had the bloggers cruise to discuss. I had another chapter in Bubba’s Hawaiian adventure to share and a hilarious letter I received from a guest as well as loads of great stories and photos to slap on…………….and I had important news about my schedule for the rest of the year.
But, I can’t. I am tired and its bedtime and I need to rest before tomorrow comes. So, stop by for this and more tomorrow.
I should have known it was going to be a bad day after I awoke this morning and still very much asleep I brushed my teeth and realized that the very sweet sickly taste in my mouth was due to the fact that instead of the Colgate toothpaste I had put my hemorrhoid cream on my toothbrush.
So, I will say goodnight and leave you with the hope that the next time you are on a ship and you miss a port that this blog thingy will have helped you understand what’s happening behind the Crew Only door.
Oh yes …one more thing………….thank you………..each and every one of you who has read the blog thingy over the last 15 months ……..this morning we went over the 3 million reader mark. ………….thank you all
Your friends always
John and Heidi
Filed under: Destinations, Europe, Tales from the Ship, Travel | Tagged: Carnival Splendor
John:
Thank you for writing this blog on such a difficult day but you shouldn’t have. Please rest and take care!!
Muchos hugos!!
John:
I certainly don’t wish any hardships on those that cruise….but events like this truly demonstrate the hard work and ingenuity of you and your staff.
You and Heidi and all the dedicated Carnival team make it look effortless. And if it were not for this Blog….we would think it was effortless, when in reality it is not.
Little things like Goose having a Past Cruiser’s Party, on our 3 day cruise to nowhere; when he really did not have to…..and he did it only because he wanted to give the Carnival cruisers as much of what they were expecting on that original 5 day cruise as he could.
Or the wonderful “presentation” that Jorge and Noonan put on for the SuperBowl. It wasn’t just putting the game on the TV….it was “football food” right on the Promenade…right by all the TVs… just like we would have done at home.
Go get some rest……and tell Mr. ABCNBC”idiot” to go TIVO himself.
Linda (Mom of your friend~gearing up for the new Fantasy a week from today~DJ)
Good night John, I hope you can calm down and get some much needed rest. Please do not dream about , scratch that…. do not have any nightmares about Mr. ABCNBCCBSFOX
Good night and sweet dreams.
Don and Carolyn……….also heading to bed.
Dear John I feel for your crew and you dealing with these tribulations.This is what makes Carnival special.They have people who care about there passengers and try every avenue to make their trip a safe pleasurable experience.Best wishes Gary and Bug. P.S.Have another box of jelly beans and have a good night.
Good evening John and my congratulations for all that you and the crew onboard the Splendor have done to try and make the best of a bad situation. It has to be very difficult to suddenly change things but it seems that you and the crew have done a great job. It’s a shame that one idiot still doesn’t understand the problems and the effort that you all have done to make everyone happy. You guys are just tremendous. Ciao my friend.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
So many people don’t realize how much work goes into accident control when something like this happens, so thank you for that. The work that you and your crew put in often go unnoticed, but a blog like this helps us all confirm how much you care for your guests.
and John,
That is why you are the Sr. Cruise Director for Carnival and why you have such fantastic people selected to be part of the initial crew of the new Carnival Splendor. They roll with the punches, make the customer happy under bad circumstances and do it with a smile.
My hats off to you and the entire crew for pulling off the almost impossible.
Dave Myerly
Just left last cruise after 24 days
John, I have been saying for years that you should can Cannes and spend two days in Livorno. I’ve been to Livorno 3 or 4 times and I still haven’t seen everything I have wanted to see. If the rich French won’t build a pier quit going there. Most times we don’t even bother getting off the ship in Cannes.
Thanks for your insight on the domino effect that happens when you miss a port. Get some rest you deserve it. Did you really brush your teeth with the hemorroid cream? What did you do with the Colgate?
Jo
gosh they are still on vacation. they are still on a cruise. they are still on the great carnival splendor. they are still in europe. gosh, what’s not to love???
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
John, CONGRATULATIONS on your 3,000,000 slaps on your thingy. I’m so proud to be a part of this as 10,000 of them most likely are mine.
To all those that have helped this blog grow from the start Hiedi, Roberto (we miss you), Stephanie, all those that gave you interviews, all the ships that let you tour them, all those that took pictures of the ports for you when you were a prisoner on the ship and even your Mate Alan who has taken all your abuse We THANK YOU ALL.
BIG ED
King of the Evil Krewe
PS; ALL BLOGGERS, I have a post to John’s 3,000,000 slaps on my blog if you want to post him a comment there.
http://www.ekonefe.wordpress.com or just click on my name at the top of the comment.
How about giving Mr. ABCNBCCBSFOX a rubber raft and pointing him in the general direction of Cannes? What a putz.
Doc
G’day John, Mal here.
Knowing the way you, your entertainment staff and the rest of the crew on the Splendor carried yourselves in such a professional manner during our cruise I would bet that the punters have a great sea day. There will always be some clown who’d complain even if you’d arranged for Brad Pitt to fly him ashore in Cannes on his personal helicopter while Angelina served ice cold Veuve Clicquot. Don’t sweat the small stuff, I reckon a hit rate of %0.0003 unhappy passengers isn’t bad.
Keep smiling, and look forward to seeing you and the missus sometime in the not too distant future.
Cheers, and thanks again for the wonderful 24 days just gone,
Mal and Lex (6203)
Congrats on hitting 3 million. While the guests will be understandably disappointed with missing Cannes, especially the guest with family coming to port, safety is first and I can say as a guest on your September 2007 Grand Med cruise on the Carnival Freedom an extra sea day would be have been welcomed.
Love your Baltic video. You’re truly better than Travel Channel programming.
Kind regards.
Mary Hyder
John,
As usual, you go above and beyond for everyone! It is time for you to slow down, enjoy life, and accept every day for what it is and what it has in store for you. Obviously, if you are brushing your teeth with hemmorhoid cream, you are exhausted!
Congrats on 3 MILLION slaps to the “thingy”!!! Who would have thought that a blog would draw that much attention? ALL OF US, YOUR FAITHFUL FOLLOWING, THAT’S WHO!!! This just goes to show how much we love you, and hopefully you realize how many times a day many of us log on to see if there are more words of wisdom or funny stories from you. You make our day, and we thank you for all the time you devote to this blog. It takes away some of your sleep time, but more importantly, it takes away time that you could be spending with Heidi. So, THANKS TO YOU AND HEIDI!! You continue to write, and we will continue to read!
Sheryl
John,
Sounds like you need a hug!!
Melissa
Thank you for this behind the scenes view . . . . I always wondered. It is amazing what a dedicated team can accomplish!
Seems like Mr. ABCNBCCBSFOX has been on board for about a month!!! What a pain in the arse.
Ciao, Kathleen
I am glad to know that you are putting your hemorrhoid cream to good use.
I am sorry that your guests missed Cannes and Monaco. They are beautiful cities, but ____ happens and we must deal with it.
I hope you were able to rest. My, but you do need some….rest, that is. You should have taken a moment to drop Mr. Obnoxious, I mean Mr. ABCNBCCBSFOX off in Cannes. Such a miserable little man. You and Heidi do an amazing job which all those who love you can see. Take care of yourself!
Hugs,
Lori
John,
This reminds me of our sailing into Athens with you last year. 50 knot winds kept the captain busy for 3 hours just keeping the ship upright. Between the thrusters pushing us away from the harbor, and the winds pushing us toward, we had some spectacular leaning angles from which to photograph the waves crashing into shore! How Captain ever got Freedom through that narrow opening into the harbor still escapes me, but is a testament to the skills of your captain, and a clear indication of why my wife wasn’t allowed to drive the boat at the time.
We’re off to Long Beach next week for our daughter’s wedding aboard Carnival Pride. I can’t think of a more fitting setting for our 10th Carnival cruise, and our daughter’s “last” wedding. It’s a beautiful ship, with gorgeous artwork best described by Brad Paisley in “I’m Still a Guy” as walls covered with “drunk naked girls.”
Best always to you and Heidi,
Your friends,
Rus & Nina Franklin
John,
Thaks for the insight into the behind the scenes. I feel sdorry for the lady who will miss her daughter and son in law. good luck look forward to tomorrows blog, and congrats on 3 million readers
Capt Bill.
PS Steph, I hope all is ok with your mom
So the did the hemorrhoid cream help with any swelling in the mouth or face? LMAO. Were the lips just a bit smaller and less fuller than normal. LOL.
I can honestly say I’ve never done that but if I do I will think of you John.
Hi John.
I’ve had ports cancelled on previous cruises, and on each case I have had no $20 refund – no extra activities – zilch.
You do all this, that many other cruise lines do not bother to do.
That’s exactly why I’m trying Carnival next year – see you in the Baltic!
Yuk…what an awful thought…putting your hemooroid (?) cream on your toothbrush. Well if it helped towards the 3 million + visitors to the blog was worth the experience. Mind you I loved Cannes…better luck next time!
Thanks for the behind the scenes information. It’s one of the things I love the most about your blog.
We love days at sea. That Mr. ABCNBCCBSFOX must live a miserable life in general. Let it go. He’ll never be a happy person.
Kathy
Hi John,
You really do need to get more rest. When these unexpected things happen you could skip a day of blogging and we would understand.
Sorry about missing Cannes and I would be disappointed as well but it’s not your fault, nor Carnival’s and it’s just something that has to be dealt with.
Congratulations on the 3,000,000 blog hits. Hope you have a good sea day and arrive safely in Livorno.
Linda
I am glad that everything was arranged for your day at sea. I am sure that those that were disappointed, and probably most were they do understand. My ABC should go to his room, stay their for the duration of the cruise and not be allowed out of said room. He can watch TV, oh wait he hates what you have to offer. Better yet, he can watch some foreign channel and be even worse off then he is now.
You truly have a wonderful staff, they have not only the pax back but yours too John. The pax are so lucky to have you as their CD and your staff there to help them at this day at sea.
Keep smiling John, better days are ahead and Mr. ABC will be goon soon.
Congratulations John, Heidi, Stephanie and all the others that help to bring “our” wonderful blog to us.
John, you are definitely and inspiration on how to stay cool under fire. I work in a business that sometimes drops me right into the middle of one of those piles of poo you speak about and from now on when I am having fingers wagging in my face I will remember you and smile.
Thanks John for all the terrific writing, laughs and human insights.
Sallie
Thong Princess of King Ed’s Evil Krewe
John,
Your blog is such a delight to read! We sailed with you on the Freedom last year and with Todd this past spring. To show you how much you are loved, when we went to the past guests party and when you appeared on the big screen, the room erupted in applause!
Your blog provides some comic relief to our everyday lives as well as brings back great memories of the great times we had on our cruises!
Thank you so much!
Lisa & Paul
Hello, John & Heidi.
Hope you got a good night’s sleep. On my last cruise, we’ve had a port cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav… same scenario… tender port… heavy swells… We were disappointed, but we still had fun nonetheless, and the weather was nice throughout the cruise except for a little rain…. It looks like you have a good backup schedule up there. Hope everything works out great!
Congrats on passing 3 million!!! I’m sorry that I don’t write much. I still read your blog daily and I have enjoy every single one. I promise to write more in the future! Have a good day!
Cheers,
Alex G.
Sorry about your rough day and your deserve a rest–and what are you going to do when Heidi goes home? Who will help you with these things? That is probably why you are changing responsibilities after she is gone? You two are a team and seem to get it all handled effortlessly.
Its hard to miss a port because big or small you never know when that particular port is of huge importance to someone like the lady meeting her family. I would have never understood that when I first started cruising. Now I know that any port can be unaccessible in bad weather and tender ports definately shouldn’t be counted on–doesn’t keep you from being disappointed though.
Mr. ABCNBC should have been put on a tender and sent off alone into the night….
Hi John:
)
I have not been commenting lately, but I’m reading every day.
Congrats on 3 mil! That’s amazing!
Now go get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a better day
Glad to see the 3 mil mark is met, Congrates to you for all you hard work, not just in the Blog but in what you have so well showed us, in being able to inprovise and fast, this is a gift, that and Heidi to work beside you, it will be hard to replace an assistant like her… but you already know that.
our last cruise was altered by a hurricain that had come through and we got our ports changed, no big deal in the end, we are there for the ship and the food… and the wonerful staff (including cruise directors)and the shows and the activities and the boys want to add the 24 hr pizza (there favorite part)… In the end to say you may get the ones to complain just remember they are not the voice of most, just the louder ones… remember silence is golden … as in understaning (happy) passangers
Wish you both the best,
the one
and only 1
Heidi-Beth
Wow, what a day you had, huh? I watched a Medical show this week where a woman put hemorroid cream on her husbands chest and nitroglycerin cream on his (you know where) and he almost died, so don’t feel so bad! Looking forward to your next blog with your schedule. I don’t know how you do it, changing schedules, arranging all that you have to arrange. You are a Miracle Man! Linda
Hi John,
Still hooked, tomorrow will be a whole month since I found your blog thingy. Reading it every day, can’t miss it. Don’t know what I’m going to do when I am on the Splender 11/29/08. I may go into withdrawls.
You said you are getting off after the transaltic trip. Do you know who our CD will be? Does he/she write a blog?
Please send answer or have Stephanie do it for you.
Thanks for entertaining me.
Devious in TN
Hi John/Heidi:
3 million. Holy Cow! Congrats!
Quite an episode you had to deal with today. I’m sorry that passengers were unable to make it to Cannes. Obviously like you said, the safely of passengers/crew/vessel comes first.
Very interesting what it takes to adjust a schedule like that.
Hope everything else is ok and looking forward to hearing more.
Take care!
David
John,
I have been on two different Carnival cruises that had to cancel port of calls for the same reason. Yes, we were disappointed, but we understand that Carnival can not control the weather.
I sat back and started thinking of all the extra work that was going on behind the scenes. Then I sat there and thought, you know what all these crew members thought they would have time off when we were in port, but instead, they were having to work. So I made a note to thank each crew member for their hard work to make our extra day at sea fun. Even though they had to work, every one of them had a smile on their face, and was as kind, fun, and apologetic as can be. I don’t think many of us would be so understanding and happy about having to work when we were suppose to have time off.
So to make this a short story…(to late)…anybody that complains should have to work a day in any crew member on the ship!
Big hugs to you and Hedi!
Princess Susan
John,
Congrats on the 3,000,000 hits.
Your Faithful Blog Security Chief,
BigMike
Hi, John,
Hope you got some rest. You sure deserve it. This was a most interesting post. You and all the Carnival staff onboard and ashore surely are a “well-oiled machine.” May the rest of your cruise be less stressful!!!
Hey to Heidi.
Your Pal, Myra
John –
Thanks for the insight as to what goes on behind the scenes when a port is missed. I was on the Miracle last week and due to heavy seas and an emergency medical evacuation we missed a port. I didn’t hear anyone complain (although I’m not saying no one did).
I have a greater appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes having recently experienced a skipped port. That and the people who clean the ship. Those poor people worked overtime last week on the Miracle. Let’s just say the barf bags should be posted all along the hallways instead of just near the elevators
The entertainment staff and Captain Volpi did a fine job in adverse conditions. In my opinion that reflects favorably on Carnival as a whole. Keep up the good work!
John,You are extremely fortunate to be blessed with such a wonderful staff.
Thank you for the behind the scene overview of your work .
Best Wishes and keep up the GREAT work.
Cheers,
Butch
I have the utmost respect for Carnival and the crew when a port is missed. I was on the Carnival Conquest when Ike was doing his thing and we missed the Grand Caymen stop, stayed out to sea (SAFE) and then an extra day in Cozumel,MX and then on to New Orleans. We were provided almost immediate refunds for the tours and the port fee, amazing, and a new Caper with scheduled events for all. Thank you John for giving us an even more behind the scenes look at all this work. Our hats are off to you all. Carnival is great…
John,
Congratulations on 3 million slaps! And you thought it wouldn’t last! LOL Well, it lasted and now you are a part of the biggest family ever! Thank you for all your hard work and Heidi, thank you for giving all of us so much of your time and your marriage!
So, Mr. ABCNBCCBSFOX didn’t like having to miss a port…. on top of not having American TV! Then tomorrow carry that hemorroid cream in your pocket and when you see him…. Shake his hand (after you put a large dollop of the cream in your hand) and maybe he will go away!!!
Hugs!
Princess Barb…. the quiet one of the evil krewe
I wonder if Mr TVnut is a big gambler on American sports? Perhaps that is what is upsetting him.He has gazillions riding on some game, race, or goat-roping he cannot watch. No doubt he is a fan who screams at the players on TV, so having no one else to scream at, you are the logical target? Pat
Preperation H on your toothbrush? We had a gentleman in the nursing home turn up in clinic with a suppository in his ear. And guess where we found his hearing aid? Pat
You are SOOOOOOO GOOOOD!!!
Lemonade from lemons…
Blog from fodder…
Laughter and sincerity from tears and frustration…
You are a SUPER CRUISE DIRECTOR!!!
Lambie
Thank you, John. Up until now, my only mental picture of you has been a combination of the photos and videos on your blog blended with a collage of cruise directors I’ve sailed with in the past. Now, the next time I read one of you humorous encounters with an unruly cruise passenger, I’m going to be picturing your role played by Catherine Tate.
Come to think of it, I’d like to let her Lauren character loose on a few of those unbelievable guests! And hopefully you’ve seen Catherine Tate’s performances on Comic Relief (or YouTube) or this doesn’t make any sense at all!