I am so in the doghouse…….not just a little bit ………….a lot. Apparently, I embarrassed Heidi today and she says I haven’t done so to this extent since our stay in a hotel recently……….on that occasion we were getting ready for dinner and a lady from housekeeping knocked on the door. Upon opening it, she said “Good evening, I have come to turn down your bed.”……..I said……..”Well, you won’t be the first lady to do that………..everyone turns down my bed.”……….Neither she nor Heidi was amused.
And so, to this morning’s journey to the house of hounds……..here’s what happened when we went to buy a Christmas tree.
“Bugger me,” I said, or words to that effect. I definitely invoked our Lord’s name in vain, and I was as flabbergasted as someone who just discovered they were pregnant but had never had rumpy pumpy. I was frozen to the spot like the ass (donkey) on seeing a child being born in a manger; I gaped like the wise men when someone asked what the heck Frankincense actually was; and I quivered like dear old Joseph on being told by his wife that she was about to give birth to someone else’s child. But it was really quite all right, darling, and there was no case for jealousy and it was indeed a great compliment that she had been chosen by the chap in question.
“How much?” I asked again. We were at the Christmas tree dealer, and my glowing wife picked out a six-foot spruce. It was freshly cut and smelt like a Norwegian grandmother. The 14-year-old salesman had already used his chainsaw to whittle the stem, so that it would fit in our stand, and now it was being wrapped in white plastic netting. The only question left was the price.
I had a vague memory that last year, and the year before that, we had been asked for something in the region of £30 to £35 for a tree of identical height and beauty. So when he said, “£60 to you, mate, and that’s as cheap as I can do it,” I nearly decorated the tree with some projectile vomit. “Look here,” I said, after rustling theatrically through my wallet, “I am afraid I only have £50 on me,” and there was one of those difficult pauses like you get when people ask you embarrassing questions like….why do you have a climbing wall on a ship?
We looked at the tree, wrapped and ready to go. I looked at my wife, agog with excitement, and already thinking about the red balls and other Christmassy stuff that we were going to drape all over it while we all ate a Dutch Christmas delicacy called Kerststol and listened to George Michael sing about Last Christmas.
I looked from tree to wife, from wife to tree, and I knew there was nothing for it, and so I foraged despairingly in my wallet again. There in a secret compartment I found some US dollars left over from my recent trip to Miami, Dallas and Philly, and the beady eye of the 14-year-old lumberjack fell upon the greenbacks.
“How many dollars have you got?” he asked, since he is a well-traveled entrepreneur. “Twenty,” I said. And so for fifty quid and twenty dollars I did the deal, and as I fed the trunk into the back of the car I thought …..wow……………..the credit crunch has just hit me in the face like a Mike Tyson right hook.
The pound has fallen against the Euro, so that you pay more for your German tannenbaum. Sterling has fallen against the Danish krone, so that you pay more for your Nordmann non-drops; it has fallen against the Norwegian krone, so that you pay more for your classic Norwegian spruce and unless you intend to buy a £5 fake tree from Walmart (or ASDA as it’s called here) then you really are buggered.
Anyway, we got the tree home and as I write Heidi is decorating it in her usual way. This means the tree will look wonderful and despite my complaining and her embarrassment at my bad language at the tree farm, ours will be the best Christmas tree …….in the world.
It is traditional at this time of year for some people to moan about how much they hate just about everything to do with Christmas. ……..and while I hate the fact that Christmas now starts in September, I mostly love it.
Naturally there are one or two minor irritations. I don’t, for instance, like it when you get hit in the face by a remote controlled micro-helicopter the moment you walk through the door of a toyshop or in a shopping mall. I also despise the fact that in the politically correct world we live in certain Christmas traditions have now been cancelled in case we upset people who don’t celebrate Christmas. ………….And while I have the utmost respect for every religion and belief………it’s gone too far……….for example, a town’s traditional Christmas tree, coming from sustainable forestry, and recyclable, has been abandoned in favor of a plastic one – on environmental grounds.
School choirs have been prevented from singing carols in a local shopping center as the words may offend people of other religions…………..and in case people stop and listen, and cause other shoppers to trip over them. But mostly I get on well with Christmas. The lights work straight out of the box. I like getting long letters in cards from people I haven’t seen all year. I enjoy watching my Dad eat Brussels sprouts knowing that in a few hours time Mum will be decking the halls with a can of Oust.
I like turkey curry in January. You can never watch the Great Escape too many times. I don’t have any relatives who wet themselves during lunch and I am grateful for my new socks. That said, there is one feature of Christmas that fills me with such fear and such dread that I genuinely shiver whenever it is mentioned. It is the damp log in the fire, the boil on the arse of Christmas and thank goodness I no longer have to endure them on land or at sea………….I am talking about the company Xmas party.
When I worked in the city of London, the staff would each save £1 a week for the annual yuletide piss-up. By July they would have enough for the shrimp cocktail and by October they were more excited than a child on Christmas morning about the first glass of Baileys. I never understood why.
I still don’t. The notion that you turn off your computer at 6 pm and at 6: 01 pm are getting drunk with people you don’t like very much over a plastic cup of Asti Spumante seems really strange to me.
They are not your friends and you would rather have had your nipples stapled to a George Foreman grill then see them socially any other time of year. So why think for a moment that the evening will be anything other than hell? And, these parties can really spoil the whole spirit of Christmas
The streets become full of ordinary people who have suddenly lost the ability to walk in a straight line. And the atmosphere in every restaurant is firebombed by the table of 60 who order food not for its taste but its aerodynamic efficiency.
Some people put more effort into the office party than they do into the family event a few days later. Last year I went to a party of a company we work very closely with at Carnival …………..and boy…..did I feel old. I ended up in nightclub, looking at my watch every few minutes and thinking: Can I really go at 10 pm?
There are some rules, therefore, that I feel I should pass onto you, should you be considering an office party this year. Never, ever let your firm’s outing be organized by the most junior member of the team because their idea of a good night out — lots of vomit and silly hats — is likely to be far removed from yours.
You think you have nothing to talk about with the president and C.E.O., but you have even less in common with the office juniors. Your houseplants, for instance, are alive — but you can’t smoke any of them. There is more food in your fridge than booze and you hear your favorite songs when you’re in an elevator.
There is another problem. Wherever the office juniors are, all they talk about is where they’re going next. Wherever you are, all you want to do is go to bed. And they say, the day afterwards, “I’m never going to drink that much again.” You say, “I just can’t seem to drink as much as I used to.”
The second thing about the works party is rumpy pumpy. You sit opposite the slightly ugly girl for 48 weeks and it never once occurs to you that you want to see her naked. So how come, after one cup of warm Asti, she becomes Angelina Jolie and you have an overwhelming desire to take her for a bit of slap and tickle in the photocopy room.
On a ship it’s rather different and to find out what happens onboard we will soon be reading some guest blogs from our friend Butch on the Carnival Glory. OK, yesterday I replied to lots of comments ………….here are the ones I didn’t get time to reply to.
jerry Calvert Asked:
Since Carnival Corp doesn’t seem interested in offering a decent loyalty program that rewards us for all the lines (CCL,HAL, Princess), is there a credit card offering that gives us 2X reward (or similar ) for Carnival family?
Answer needed–see you on Carnival Valor 3/22John Says:
Hello Jerry.
I know there has been some conversation about this subject and certainly it makes sense that if you are a loyal Carnival Corporation supporter there should be some kind of reward system in place. However, the logistics of this are very complicated as each cruise line is run independently and each has their own loyalty programs. I will discuss this again though with my friends in the corporate offices to see if this has moved forward at all. Now, as far as your question about the credit card. Well, there is of course Sea Miles which rewards you every time you use it. Those rewards go towards cruises on all the corporation’s vessels. Please have a look at the website at www.seamiles.com
If you still need help or advice I am of course here for you
cheers and see you soon
Johnmickeyspal Asked:
Happy Anniversary John and Heidi!!!!
Sorry your “dinner and a show” weren’t exactly thrilling, but then I guess it’s the thought that counts, eh? But the gift was perfect! And you can both enjoy it for hours on end. We have one and they can become quite mesmerizing.
JOHN, PLEASE REPLY: Are you still getting a dog? You seemed pretty set on doing so, or at least Heidi did. Is there a change of plan with Thingy Desk on the way, or did the animal adoption agency turn you down, too? That would be hateful!
Great picture of you two. Bet Dad and Mum are enjoying having you home for a while.
Please continue to enjoy your time together and get some rest.
Your Pal, MyraJohn Says:
Hello Mate
First of all let me thank you for all your postings. They are a joy to read. The dog……………ah yes…………..well, this has been put on hold now the Thingy is on the way. Heidi does not feel she can cope with a young puppy, a Thingy and me.
I am sure in the years ahead she will get one though. I am really enjoying being at home and before you know it………I will be back at work
thanks again for all the kind words
Cheers
JohnStephen Smith Asked:
Please Reply
Quick question….. I am sailing on the Conquest on the 28th of this month. Is the Piano Bar non-smoking? I know you spoke of the Piano Bars and their smoking status in a previous blog, but I can’t remember what you said. For the record, and not to disrespect the smokers out there, I hope it is a non-smoking venue.
Thank you for your time and the wonderful blog.
Stephen SmithJohn Says:
Hello Stephen
Firstly, thanks for the kind words about the blog and I am so glad you are enjoying it so much. You must be so excited about your Carnival Conquest cruise and what a fantastically fun way it will be to bring me the new year. I checked with the ship and at the time of writing the piano bar on the ship is still a smoking bar. We did try making it a non-smoking area on the Carnival Splendor but so far this has yet to be implemented fleetwide. I am sure you will still be able to enjoy this fantastic entertainment area and please drop me a line when you get back about how much you enjoyed this special cruise.
Cheers mate
JohnPrincessElaine Asked:
Hi John, (PLEASE REPLY)
The activities for the Blogger’s Cruise sound great. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it.
Do you know if Ron Pass will be at the piano bar for the logger’s cruise? He is the absolute best.
Kisses to you, Heidi and the baby.
Princess Elaine, the quiet and single of Big Ed’s Evil KreweJohn Says:
Hello Princess
I just saw Ron had sent me a message on Facebook and I will now see if he can join us. It certainly would be fantastic if he could and I know you and many others are huge fans. Lets see what can be done. Hope you are well and please write soon
cheers
John
I will answer the next batch of questions at the end of the week so if there is anything I can do for you please let me know. I see many of you stopped by bestblogsatsea.com yesterday to read Eurodamnews. Well, on toady’s Captain’s log there is a fascinating look at what happens during a medical emergency onboard……….have a look, it’s a must read.
Well, bestblogsatsea.com has its official launch today and with that in mind here is the official press release.
‘BEST BLOGS AT SEA’ OFFERS AN INSIGHTFUL, BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT EIGHT CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC BRANDS
Blogs from AIDA, Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America Line, Ocean Village,
P&O Cruises, and The Yachts of Seabourn Showcased in Comprehensive New Web SiteMIAMI (December 8, 2008 ) – The success of Carnival Cruise Lines’ Senior Cruise Director John Heald’s blog has led to the creation of Best Blogs at Sea, a collection of Heald’s favorite web sites that provides a unique, behind-the-scenes look into eight Carnival Corporation & plc brands: AIDA, Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, and The Yachts of Seabourn.
Designed as a “one-stop shop” for the latest news and information on these distinctly different cruise operators – each a leader in its own market – Best Blogs at Sea (www.bestblogsatsea.com) showcases the fascinating personalities and magnificent vessels that have played a key role in these companies’ success.
“Have you ever been on a cruise and wondered what’s going on behind the door marked ‘crew only’ or thought what it might be like to be a captain of an ocean liner?” said Heald. “With Best Blogs at Sea, the world’s greatest cruise lines have come together to produce the world’s most brilliant blogs, all written by people who have a passion for the industry we all love,” he added.
In addition to highlighting the cruise industry’s top blogs, Best Blogs at Sea includes links to other cruise-oriented sites among the various brands along with a top 10 list of the most visited blogs within the site. Featured blogs include:
AIDA Web Lounge – offers photos and information on the top-rated German cruise operator, along with features such as the “Captain’s Blog.”Boat Buddy (Ocean Village) – an interactive blog that embodies the characteristics of the British cruise operator, which caters to younger, more active vacationers.
Carnival News Blog – features photos, video clips and news updates on the fun, unique vacation experience of the world’s most popular cruise line.
Eurodam News Blog (Holland America Line) – provides a comprehensive overview of the new Holland America Line ship, which accommodates 2,104 guests and entered service earlier this year.
James Cusick’s Blog (P&O Cruises) – within this blog, the executive chief purser of the Arcadia offers an insider’s view of the day-to-day operation of the 1,952-passenger ship.
John Heald’s Blog (Carnival) – the most popular blog in cruising, thus far 3.4 million visitors have logged on to read Heald’s interesting take on the cruise industry and life in general.
Odyssey Blog (The Yachts of Seabourn) – offers photos and updates on the construction progress of Seabourn’s newest and largest yacht, the 450-passenger Odyssey.
We Are Cunard – showcases the people and places – as well as the classic ocean liners – that make up the venerable British cruise operator.
World of Costa – the distinctive Italian flavor of Europe’s largest cruise operator is showcased in this comprehensive and informative Web site collecting cruise experiences, pictures and dreams of guests and prospects.
“When John Heald launched his blog in March 2007, it really struck a chord with readers who were seeking a different perspective into the inner-workings of the cruise business. We designed Best Blogs at Sea to offer a peek into crew-only areas that guests normally don’t see, with colorful entries by highly talented individuals each offering their own insight into our constantly evolving industry,” said Bill Harber, director of marketing for Carnival Corporation & plc. Harber added that the site will be expanded as other Carnival-affiliated blogs come online.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe and Australia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, The Yachts of Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Ibero Cruises, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia.
Together, these brands operate 88 ships totaling more than 169,000 lower berths with 17 new ships scheduled to be delivered between March 2009 and June 2012. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Tours and Princess Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
My thanks to all the contributors and I know that this sight will continue to grow. I had the same question from Don Cheeseman and Seaguard 100 about there being no blog representing Princess Cruises on this site. We didn’t leave them out I promise. Their blog is not ready yet and as soon as it is we will add it to the site and I will let you know when that happens.
And so, let’s continue my Heald’s Heroes basketball team. To recap we have.
WINSTON CHURCHILL – COACH
THE GODFATHER
COLOMBO
MR T
And also in the starting five………we have …………….James Bond. Obviously he is going to be our star player. He is unflappable and always resolute and a man with the capacity to defuse a nuclear bomb, have rumpy pumpy with Pussy Galore, be measured for a Saville Row suit and execute a pick and roll with Mr.T……….all at the same time.
It has to be Sean Connery, though……..not that big girl’s blouse, automatic non-gearshift driving good for a man to cry ………Daniel Craig. Sean is a man’s man and command’s instant respect. You know, he has always kept his Scottish accent no matter what movie he has appeared in………seriously……..can you think of a movie where he wasn’t as Scottish as a Haggis in a Kilt?
Even in my favorite movie The Hunt For Red October he played a Russian submarine captain with a Scottish accent……….Captain Vasillie McTaggertov. In the movie The Untouchables he was supposed to be Irish but again his Scottish accent rang true.
Anyway, I digress as usual. James Bond is in the team because he is simply the greatest male hero ever created and lives the life us mere mortals can only dream of. He has the ability to break through impenetrable defenses like volcanoes, submarines, underwater laboratories and the Detroit Pistons. Now, I did consider the other JB but Jack Bauer only make the bench. My problem is with him that he doesn’t obey orders. I don’t want Winston Churchill telling Jack to double team Dwyane Wade only to have him instead blow up the stadium before kidnapping the owner of the Miami Heat because someone’s trying to frame him. Nope, I need Bond not Bauer……..I don’t want him torturing the hot dog guy because he thinks he is a terrorist………Bond therefore is in the team ……….. wearing the number 007.
I want to thank you all for the wonderful anniversary wishes you posted on the blog thingy. Heidi is doing well and seems very healthy. She has booked a week of something called a yoga retreat with her friend Nadia in Devon. Apparently this is for special pregnancy yoga where they only consume fruit juice five times a day. It’s supposed to be a “healing” and “cleansing” thing, and I suspect that it will include the dreaded colonics.
I did suggest, before she went and wrote the check, that I could lock her in the shed and slip fruit juice under the door five times a day. I have the Sounds of the Forest CD from and could have piped that in as well and we have a very long hosepipe for the colonic thingy……….. It would have been a lot cheaper. She declined……..There’s no pleasing some people.
Goodnight
Your friends
John, Heidi and the Thingy.
Filed under: Tales from the Ship | Tagged: Best Blogs at Sea, cruise
John:
I am married to one of those people for whom Christmas is a chore.
That is the result of him being employed by United Parcel Service for almost 30 years and, of course, Christmas is peak season!!!
David could care less about Santa or the Reindeer, but as an Industrial Engineer (with an emphasis in Logistics)…. he can tell Santa how to get around even faster!!
Years ago, when Moby Dick was a tadpole, I was an accountant for a wonderful company on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we used to have a FABULOUS Christmas party every year.
It was always at the local hotel banquet hall complete with a free flowing bar, great food and a live band. Those days are gone now…but the memories live forever. (especially the ones of me singing with the band!!)
Sadly we have no Christmas tree this year. Since we just got off the Freedom and are headed to the Fantasy in 22 days….we decided not to bother with a tree this year. Josh is still at college and won’t be home for another week. He is thrilled to be going on this B2B!!! (Our first Cat 12 woo hoo!!!)
Also…just a note…I certainly did not want a complaint to be the only thing said about our B2B2B last month. Yes there were issues on the Splendor and Freedom debarkation…but they were FAR outweighed by one heck of a GREAT TIME!!!!!
I made a new friend for life (Michelle – karaoke host on the Splendor). I got to see Melvin!! She took Melvin’s place and did a remarkable job!!! We have been emailing since we left.
I fell in LOVE with Greg G (sorry David) in the piano bar on the Splendor. If I were only 30 years younger and single…look out!!! And was THRILLED with Todd for recognizing DJ’s 27th cruise at the Past Cruiser’s Party on the Freedom. The Club O2 Directors on both ships were PERFECT. I got to sail with Jaime again….which we LOVED!! I learned lots of new songs in karaoke on both ships and just had a BLAST!!!!
Thanks again Carnival!!!!
Linda (Mom of your friend ~ who just walked in and said “I need a cruise”~ DJ)
Hi John
Do you know how the fairy got to be on top of Christmas tree……Well…. a long time ago, in the North Pole, Santa had over slept and was desperate to get Presents in time for Christmas. So he sent all the elves and fairies out to find gifts……..now they all did a great job, apart from one lazy little fairy who came back with a 6 foot spruce wrapped in white netting, Santa was not best pleased with this and said ‘For what good that is you can shove it up…..’ anyway thats why there is a fairy on top of Christmas tree. So keep a little of your bum cream aside for the fairy. Have a great Christmas because from next year it will all about Thingy.
Brian
…..You think you have nothing to talk about with the president and C.E.O., but you have even less in common with the office juniors. Your houseplants, for instance, are alive — but you can’t smoke any of them. There is more food in your fridge than booze and you hear your favorite songs when you’re in an elevator…..
Cripe….you’ve got my life all figured out!!!
Speaking of Christmas stuffs that are cancelled or removed due to some frakkin politically correct buffoons and the weak-kneed morons that cave into it…… I heard from a friend who works in an elderly retirement home that their Christmas Village scene thingy with all its normal cutesy little porcelain structures people and lights has had the church removed after someone complained! Good Lord……
I suggested that to compensate the utter stupidity of removing the little church in the village display that they replace it with a strip joint, meth-lab, or a crack-house. I wonder if Dept 56, Lemax or another fine crafter of this type of collective stuff builds those types of decorative additions to their village series’.
…
It’s the holiday season and…..time for all of the cookies, the candy, and delectable treats that are associated with this time of year….
My Favorite: (yum)
http://katskitchen.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/grandmas-banket/
The Flying Dutchman
Hi John/Heidi:
I’m surprised there wasn’t any commentary on the costs of the ornaments for the tree. I thought that could cost just as much as the tree itself.
James Bond would be a good fit on the team. He’s not much of a team player though. Only with the ladies.
Company holiday parties are always quite the scene. Such a great example of what its like.
Thanks for posting and take care!
David
John – thanks for the response–unfortuneately that charge card is very restrictive on travel agents.
I cannot stress to you too much that it is a buyers market.
HAL is good but so is “X”.
You could help yourselves , with a good cross-marketing program in these trying times. Wake them up in Miami!!! Yes it’s complex, because each division must make money. However the business each Div. gets because of the overall program is never recognized.
In today’s market there is frankly little distinction between lines–loyalty programs, well designed can work.
Again –wake up Miami.
As a grandfather of 8, best of luck on your coming birth!!
Dear John a child’s smile as presents are opened.The glimmer of anticipation at seeing a Turkey a golden brown.A green not blue or pink tree topped with and adorning angel.Friends and loved ones together with joy and laughter everywhere.These are things not politically correct but are CHRISTMAS and not winter festival or what ever the name is correct this year.Best wishes to you all Gary and Sara(Bug)
BEST BLOGS AT SEA RULES!!!!
John,
Just a quick note to let you know that my daughter attends a high school of about 225 kids, and their small school’s choir was invited to sing at the mall in Springfield, IL. They sang three songs…Away in a Manger, What Child Is This, and Silent Night. Yes, she attends a public school and nobody at the mall protested or threatened them to stop singing.
Princess Susan
Hi John & Heidi: I hope you will post a video of you guys in your home with your Christmas tree, I know all the bloggers would love to see “A day in the life of John & Heidi Heald” at home! And of cause little Heather or Heath Heald?! Say John, you must have a lot of money saved from all the swearing, remember Heidi said everytime you said a bad word it would COST you! HA! I got an email from Chris, and he is sending the shirt from the Valor! Thanks a bunch! Linda
Dear John and Stephanie,
I wanted to write and thank you for everything that you did for us on our T/A cruise. As we arrived we were welcomed aboard.The great thing was they were expecting Valentine and even knew her by name! The litter was in the room as we requested. The funny thing was that they had placed it in a huge 4×4 foot box. She is a very small girl of only 10 pounds. She was lost. LOL
The crew was wonderful and always asked if there was more that they could do for us or Valentine. The table for 2 worked out great too. The other cruisers loved her and it may not have been a problem but you never know how others will feel about eating with a dog. David and I really appreciate all the help you gave us.
This cruise was amazing. We really like the long itinaries as we never feel the rush of a tropical cruise, get more time to relax and get time to meet some great people both passengers and crew. The food was good the weather was good the people were good sites were good, and time with nothing at all to do was good. What more could a person want?
Valentine became quite a celebrity while on board. People knew us when Valentine was with us but not at all when she wasn’t She wrote to the Morning Show 2 times and Todd (who really admires you John) gave her a ship on a stick for being the hardest working dog on board! LOL I’ll have to see if I can get David to send you a picture of her with the trophy.
We had a great time and thank the great staff of the Freedom. We enjoyed it so much that we have booked 2 more for next year. I really just want to say thank you both for help to make cruising with a dog much easier.
Sincerely,
Barbara, David, and Valentine
There are lots of wonderful things about Christmas but buying a tree is not one of them. Like Linda, I’m not having a tree this year since I just got off the Splendor and have much other stuff to get done before I go back on the Splendor in just 53 more days–I don’t spend much time here anyway. It’s lovely though that you and Heidi will have this holiday together–next Christmas there will be toys under the tree from Santa even though baby thingy will not be old enough to ask for them.
Merry Christmas John, Heidi, Thingy, Jaime, Steph and all the great people at Carnival!
Cheryl
merry christmas john! heidi! and lovely baby!
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
FYI: Got my first Christmas [oops, Winterval] card of the year today from a lovely duo–soon to be trio-in the UK. Only problem…it has a kitty. Methinks it should have a dog. And a doghouse.
A house complete with a six-foot spruce
Hi John,
It’s me PennyB from New Orleans – making lots of plans for the Feb. Bloggers Cruise. I made a trip to the bead store and got you and Tex some “special” things – no, nothing x-rated but there are lots available. I also bit the bullet -as they say in Texas, and booked the Dream for Dec. 3. Just can’t get enough cruising. Making new friends too – Linda, mom of DJ, will be on both cruises too. Don’t know what Mach has decided. Hope we can get him to cruise from Florida with us.
Adios until Feb.
PennyB
Joy to the world and prayers for the costs of life to drop all over the world! Not just in the area of Christmas trees, but food, heat and medicine! Dan still has about 5,000 of the 15,ooo lights to string around the lower twenty……..We are way behind this year but need to be up to expectations by next week. Hope your house is full of warm cookie smells and candy, and that your memories of this special year last forever!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Kwanza, and hope for ‘09 cruises for gifts to everyone!
Yours,
Kap
John, I saw this bit of humor and all I could think of was you. Enjoy!
Jeff
http://adage.com/brightcove/single.php?bcpid=1370868150&bctid=3130509001
John,
Until last year I had not had a Christmas tree for over ten years. I really didn’t celebrate the holiday even though I have a great appreciation for the true meaning of the day.
After a protracted email discussion with our mutual friend Lambie I decided to put up a tree and do all those things that make the season a bit more special.
I have to tell you that having that tree made a great deal of difference in my life. I’m a far happier man for having done that. In fact, my tree for this year is up and it’s lovely.
Having said all that… 60 POUNDS!?!!!! Wow… he’s proud of those things!!! At least you have the tree you wanted and Heidi has a project. All is good.
Amazingly enough, we here in South Texas had the tiniest bit of snow overnight but it was enough to earn a smile and a bit of additional sense of the season. Perfect timing!!
Here’s hoping that all is well with Stephanie, Heidi, Thingy and all the rest of the Carnival family!!!
Ciao!!!
Host Mach
Good Afternoon John,
I have another suggestion for someone besides Daniel Craig for James Bond. Christian Bale (Batman) or George Clooney. Both these actors have that “class factor” and the elegance that was James Bond.
As for the Pistons, I’m a bit poopy lipped since the General Manager, Joe Dumars, traded Chauncey Billips to Denver for Allen Iverson! I think “My Boys” have lost their heart. Since Iverson we have gone 7-8 not good. At least Antonio McDyess is back, he was part of the trade and he refused to play for Denver. Now that the mandatory 30 days is up he signed yesterday with the Pistons. So we will see what happens. Dumars wanted to save his salary cap so he could get Lebron or one of the big stars when their contracts are up. Good Luck with that.
You have a great day and tell Heidi to enjoy her retreat.
Joan
PS counting the days until the Dream Bloggers Cruise. A year from now we will BE on board. Yeaaaaaaaaaa
Love the Blog and your unique take on the simple everyday happenings in life. I have seen this over the years and now wonder if …………. Another Christmas Story – an antidote to all that mushy stuff may have been written by …. John Heald, perhaps?
A Christmas Story for people having a bad day:
When four of Santa’s elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.
Then Mrs Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.
When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.
Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.
Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.
Just then the doorbell rang, and irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, ‘Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn’t this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?’
And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.
Please respond….
Hi John,
I am sailing on the Freedom January 25th. I heard on CNN that carnival no longer charges the fuel supplement fee and that people who booked their cruise and paid this fee will get an onboard credit for the amount they paid on fuel supplement. Is this true? Love the blog. Best wishes to you, Heidi and the thingy.
Greetings, John. Thank you so much for reading my long-winded message, and for your kind reply! I would also like to thank everyone else who left kind messages for me. Many of you touched my heart, and I thank all of you. Ten more days until our Carnival Freedom cruise, and we couldn’t be more excited!! Since we’re going on the cruise over Christmas, I gave my husband a pass at dragging the million boxes of Christmas “stuff” out of the attic…he owes me big!! I feel like a scrooge for only putting up a few things this year, but I know that I’ll be thankfull when we return from the cruise on the 29th that I don’t have to take everything down! Oh, and my husband would have also had a heart attack at the cost of the tree, and I would have been embarrassed….I think it’s a guy/girl thing! Thanks again, John, for all you do!
Hi John
Just returned from the “Liberty’ western caribbean cruise which I must say was not one of the better cruises I’ve had with Carnival.
Although I heard people complain on things from Food to Entertainment my thoughts on the dancers and the shows were that they were great. There’s a review by one of the CC members for the november 15th cruise which you might want to read to get a better picture of it all.
My observation however was with regards to the entertainment staff as such. My daughter and I went to several of the activities i.e. trivia games, etc. and the staff were not enthusiastic about their job. One of them was constantly yawning and didn’t even know how to play Scattories and we had to find out amongst ourselves how to play it. You could tell she really didn’t want to be there.
The other thing (and I did mention this to the CD Steve) is the fact that one would like to participate in most of the “night time” activities however these were held in smoke filled rooms. It is very difficult to cheer and dance around if you can’t even breathe. There was a red and blue team activity which was close to the casino and again this was smoke filled so we couldn’t participate since my daughter suffers from Asthma. It was a pity that we couldn’t help our team earn more points. We mentioned this to Steve and he encouraged us to write this in the comments section as he agreed that something should be done about the smoking in certain areas of the ship. John to be honest surely if there is a game which normally doesn’t go more than 1/2 hr, the people can stay without a smoke?? Can something be done about this. I had met others during the cruise who voiced the same opinion.
The pianist on this cruise had alot to be desired!!! After the first night there I didn’t venture back, this was unlike the Baltic cruise where the pianist made it fun for everyone to join in with his singalongs!!!!
In one of your Q&A you asked for dembarkation comments. On the Liberty this worked great. We were all given our tags which were then called out at different times and it was well organized so this is one place that I can honestly say Carnival did a great job.
Now to my question. Will Ken still be the Maitre D on the Splendor for the SA cruise???? I’m travelling with Harold and my sister and brother in law and would love to be in his dining room. How can I arrange this???
Well John this ended up being long note but as a loyal Carnival cruiser I thought that I had to voice my disappointments to you. I do believe we require more “smoke free” areas on board (I do believe the Splendor seemed to have these areas) and if activities can be added that are smoke free then it would definitely be a step in the right direction.
I’ve read comments that the bloggers cruise is already full for the December 3rd??? I’m still trying to convince Harold to go to it. Does this mean I shouldn’t even try??? Best wishes to you and Heidi and little thingy.
Eva
Hi John! I’m hoping that you, Heidi and Thingy have a wonderful Christmas together at home. I agree with Linda Hernacki. A video with a day in the life of the Healds would be great!
I am so looking forward to my cruise on the Carnival Splendor with my daughter in 16 days!!! New Year’s with Carnival…YAY! Anyone else here going on that one???
Cruised with Greg Gallello on the Carnival Conquest and I’m not surprised Linda (Mom of DJ) fell in love with him. (Linda, you can find him on facebook.) He is so great at involving the people. He’s not just a singer, he’s an entertainer!! I think the fact that he will be on our next cruise is what we’re looking forward to the most.
To top it off, just found out today that after the cruise we may be meeting his Mom as well as catching up with some of the staff from our summer cruise on the Carnival Conquest! Another YAY! AND, (yes there’s more) another employee of Carnival will possibly be visiting me here in Texas the second week of January from England…hmmm….I can’t remember what town she hails from.
I think that’s one of the things I love about Carnival. All the people you meet and the friends you make! I hope to meet you in person someday, John. All of our cruise directors so far have been wonderful, but everyone here talks about you so much and your writing is so entertaining that it just sounds like something not to be missed if one can help it.
By the way, who ordered the snow for Texas??? 90 miles from the Gulf of Mexico…snow in the winter, hurricanes in the summer. Gotta love the variety, huh?
Again, Merry Christmas
I’ve been a Christmas elf recently and haven’t posted but I have to put in my two cents re Christmas: We all the bleed the same color. Life can’t be all serious. We’re telling our granddaughter that in two weeks we’re having a special birthday party for baby Jesus and we will go to a special mass to celebrate. No one can deny that a beautiful midnight mass and its preliminary events don’t make you cry or smile. Our tree isn’t up yet but we’ll be going and donating our american money this weekend some time. Our lights will be up this weekend too and will remain up until Epiphany Sunday or maybe until Valentine’s Day. My husband just made the most adorable four wooden snowmen for our front yard that made me cry and will make our granddaughter Faith say “awwww Pop-Pop they are so booootiful.” This world is a miserable mess and without humor and special dates to look forward to, what is there. I think the people who do civil rights and anti-celebration things were traumatized during childhood. Yes there is a Santa Claus Virginia because if you don’t have fantasies and dreams, you have nothing and will be a very lonely person in your old age. Agnotists, lighten up. You don’t want this, you don’t want that but you want US to give up everything that we do believe in or enjoy so much. I have Jewish friends who love being with their Christian friends. I have young Jewish friends who throw a Christmas party for all their stressed Christian friends. The women of Hadassah at our local mall are the ones who save us from going crazy wrapping presents at home raising funds for the Jewish poor. Yes the Jewish poor. The bible study groups who read the bible and talk about it nonstop should practice what they preach when they are NOT in bible study. I could go on and on but I won’t. The world needs to get back to basics, reading, writing and arithmetic and enjoying celebrations and being patriotic and BELIEVING in SOMETHING. Some people in northern New Jersey complain because “blue laws” are still in effect in Bergen County. (If you don’t know what blue laws are, it means that the malls aren’t open and you can only buy food on Sundays). God bless them that they have stood their ground. The sabbath should be taken seriously again, families should have Sunday dinners together again. Brothers and sisters who live so far apart any more should make it a point to come together at least once a year. Maybe I’m venting but maybe it’s because I looked down my street tonight, the same street that I grew up on and came back to, and knowing that the majority of my neighbors are Christian, you would think that our street was inhabited by people who don’t celebrate Christmas. I’m ready to go out and buy wreaths for every home and to put up the most lights I ever have. To the credit of my neighbors from Afghanistan, I commend you for letting your children learn western ways and putting up some bows and a wreath. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Who else would like to join me in the anti-scrooge movement. I don’t know about anyone else but the “winter holiday season” as I will call it, has always been my favorite and I still remember my cowgirl outfit I received at 5 and my orange Peanuts Schroeder sweatshirt received from sister when I was 7 with the quote “To those of us with a real understanding, music is the only pure art form.” Can you believe at 51, I still remember that quote! Have a wonderful English Christmas everyone.
John
I enjoy your blog thingy and have had the pleasure of having you as CD on the Liberty a couple of years ago, that said I wanted to utilize your forum to thank your company for another great cruise on 12/4 aboard the Elation. We cruised with our 17 month old daughter (her third Carnival cruise) and once again the Carnival staff was more then helpfull with our trip (this time my wife was also three months pregnant) The staff did all the little things like carrying my wifes tray at the buffet, getting us milk for our daughter and the room steward remembering Laurel’s name and calling her from down the hall. In her three cruises in 17 months of life your co-workers have been amazing in so many more ways then I can explain. I have thanked them all personally, left extra gratuities and comment cards but I felt one more shout out couldn’t hurt. Thanks for all you and your team do for us family cruisers.