Last night I went to see my local football team Southend United play a football match against a team called the MK Dons. I didn’t really want to go but in a moment of weakness I had told my mate Alan who loves nothing more than to watch 22 men running around a field in tight shorts that I would go with him. Now the problem was that the football stadium is about an hour from where I live……oh by the way……..when I say stadium it’s…. ummmm………..well………lets just say its like comparing the size of an NCL cabin to Texas.
So, as the pregnant Heidi didn’t want to stand in the freezing cold and watch some overpaid lads kick some pigskin around a field she decided to stay home. Living out in the countryside as we do I didn’t want to leave her without a car so I decided to take a taxi there and have Alan bring me back. So, I called the local Dumnow taxi service and booked a cab. So at 6 pm I was ready with my blue and white football scarf and right on time the cab pulled up. Now, when I say pulled up I should say screeched up. We have a lot of gravel on our drive or I should say we did have a lot of gravel on our drive because the driver had spread most of it across the county of Essex.
Kissing Heidi goodbye I headed to the cab to find it was being driven by Cameron Diaz …………..OK………….maybe her sister but this taxi driver was absolutely stunning …………. I couldn’t believe my luck. I felt like going down on my knees and praising the Lord but just in case Heidi was looking out of the window I didn’t. Do you remember back a few months ago I had a car and driver to take me from Venice to see the Carnival Dream? I wrote about this in a blog and the Italian driver was gorgeous…………this lady made her look like Judge Judy’s ugly sister.
So, being the gentlemen my Mum and Dad taught me to be I started to strike up some pleasant customer – driver conversation………it lasted about two minutes I gleaned her name was Kate and that she had lost her job as a banker working for the Royal Bank of Scotland and now she was working with her dad and brother in the taxi business …………. and ………….that’s when I stopped talking.
If you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and arrive at the Pearly Gates in soggy pants, you don’t need to have died at the hands of driller killer in a hockey mask – just try climbing into a car with Kate the ex-banker taxi driver from Essex.
I’ve driven fast and I have been driven fast. I have performed interviews on live television. I have done many scary things in my life, including seeing my self naked in the mirror. I know, understand and can cope with fear.
But I lost control completely after half an hour in a car with Kate. The bladder went, and round the back, I was touching cloth. That woman is easily the maddest driver the world has ever seen.
It was the tail end of the rush hour, we were in the middle of Essex and it was raining. She was driving a Chrysler 300 diesel but she thought she was driving a Lamboerrarimartin.
On a road called the A127, she put her foot down hard in first gear and I felt the back starting to weave. Then we were into second, foot still hard down, heading for what was unquestionably a set of red lights.
During the next 26 minutes we’d stop at red lights and, on each occasion, the driver alongside was scrutinized. If he was good-looking, there was some flirting then a race. If he was ugly, she’d skip straight to the race. And she never lost………..Southend United did 0 – 2 and I lost another perfectly good pair of underwear.
Here are today’s questions that were marked for my reply.
Bobby Asked:
HI John please reply, I have two questions to as you
1. We wanted to book the sea spi excursion for isle rotan Honduras but I didn’t see it anymore on the site.
2. I was wanting to find out how much is the supper club is? And is it by plate or just one price? What I was wanting to do is surprise my mom and dad with a reservation for the supper club but I don’t know if it cost 30 dollars. Is there away you could help? Figure out what to do?
Could u tell me if the excursion is sold out?
I hope you are having a good time being home
Take care of your wife and the thingy
Sincerely
Bobby
John Says:
Hello Bobby.
Thanks for taking the time to write and let me answer your questions. The Sea Spi tour in Roatan is brilliant an you are correct, I don’t see it on the web site. Please give me the weekend to get this sorted by either having it added or finding out if we are not offering this anymore. Either way I will let you know.
The Supper Club is $30 per person. This included five courses of food plus a few surprises from the chef. The meal will be a brilliant surprise for your Mum and dad and it will be a meal they will never forget. Let me know if you need any more help deciding when or how to make a reservation.
I will let you know about the tour as soon as I can
Cheers
John
Amy Asked:
John (please reply),
I have a quick question… My husband and I are on the Triumph for the June 11th sailing, room —-… This is “finally” our honeymoon cruise, but I’m curious as to why Honeymoon keeps disappearing (sometimes it’s there, then other times it has disappeared) from the Special Occasion area of my Carnival profile? And, is there any point to having it there anyways?
Thanks!
My best to Heidi and Thingy!
Amy
John Says:
Hello Amy
Good question and I promise there is nothing to be concerned about. The ship knows that you are on your honeymoon and I know you will have a brilliant time. You may even see a little honeymoon gift from me.
Best wishes to you both and remember to try and leave your cabin at least once during the cruise
John
Sara Jennings Asked:
Please reply
I want to commend you on approaching the nursing issue with careful consideration. So many people make an emotional decision on that. I am a huge proponent of breastfeeding ~ way to go Heidi! If you do get a little nervous about having to feed your thingy in public you can always get a hooter hider. It’s a blanket type thing that you wear to make nursing a little more private in not-so convenient locations. Best wishes with your little one.
John Says:
Hello Sara
A Hooter Hider ! Do they make those for men?
Thanks so much for your kind words of support, we both appreciate it so very very much
My best to you and your family
John
Elaine Asked:
John, please reply…
Does this Your Time dining only mean that you show up when you are hungry and either get a table or possibly wait a few minutes OR does it also mean that if we don’t want the 6:00 or 8:15 pm but would prefer lets just say 7:30, can we also request that and know that our dinner will be 7:30 each night? And, whether we can request a certain time (like the 7:30 each night) or show up when we are hungry, can we request the same wait staff each night?
And one more on this subject, when Shazer (as you call her out of ear shot)!!! says the following:
6. How do guests on Your Time dining tip the wait staff if they have a different waiter every night?
All gratuities are pooled and shared by service staff assigned to Your Time dining.
Does that mean that we leave a tip each night or will gratuities still be taken up front and added to our Sign n Sail card and then that tip will be pooled and shared?
Thanks so much AGAIN….
Luv 2 u, Heidi and “thingy”
John Says:
Hello Elaine
Lets start with your first question……..as if we would start anywhere else ……….. sorry about that. Your Time dining means that you can indeed go to the dining room anytime you want and if you choose to go at 7:30 pm each night the so be it. Unfortunately we can’t guarantee the same waiter as it will depend on table allotment and how many guests are in the dining room at the time you decide to go. If this is your biggest concern I do recommend that you request confirmed dining when you book as this way you will have the same waiter.
Then you asked a very good question about tipping which I should have made clearer. Tipping for Your Time dining works in the same principal as assigned seating where the gratuities that were placed on your sail and sign card will be taken off and as Shazer said distributed between the dining staff. I hope this answers your questions and I remain at your service should you need further assistance. Thanks for the kind words and my best to you and the family
John
Kari Kirkland Asked:
Hi John
*please reply if possible*
Going on Ecstasy for FIRST CRUISE on May 16th….with “man-friend” (he is too much man to be a BOY FRIEND) I was wondering how to get the room decorated or something FUN to do for him….as this is for first vacation, he is a disabled vet, and has some bad health problems on his legs….he will be VERY brave and use the slide and pool and said he doesn’t care WHO stares at him (that’s why I love him soooo much)….any who….what can I do EXTRA special to make this the CRUISE of a lifetime?
Kari
John Says:
Hello Kari
How wonderful that your MAN-friend is taking his first cruise with you on the Carnival Ecstasy. If you wish to have the room decorated you can do so by arranging this through our bon voyage department which Stephanie will provide the link for in a moment.
Bon Voyage: http://www.carnival.com/BonVoyage/Default.aspx
However, I would also like you to post a comment with your name and cabin number a few days before you sail so I can send something too him ……….nobody deserves it more. If your fellow guests do stare I am sure it will be in admiration and sympathy and …………if you would like the cruise director to recognize your MAN-friend on stage I will be glad to make that happen as well. Maybe you could tell me a little more about him.
I will do whatever I can to make him feel special …………because he is.
My best to you both
John
Jeanette Williams Asked:
Hi John
Can you tell who the cd will be on the Splendor October 11 2009 sailing. I hope he or she will be good. I have been on 18 cruises and you are the greatest cd I have ever met. Thanks for being you.
Jeanette Williams
John Says:
Hello Jeanette
Thanks firstly for the wonderful words of praise and I hope we get to cruise together again very soon. Your cruise director on your Carnival Splendor cruise will be Goose. This is his permanent ship for a while and although he is taking a vacation in May he will be back ready to entertain you when you cruise in October. I was sorry to hear that some of the bon voyage gifts were not delivered. I know that we have had some concerns with this but I am assured that they have now been taken care of and that all the deliveries are arriving correctly and onetime. Please accept my apologies for the problems you had last time and if you remind me a few days before you sail on the Carnival Splendor I am sure we can surprise you with a little something
My best to you and all the family and thanks for the kind words for Heidi.
Cheers
John
That’s all for today. Please remember to mark your comments “John, please reply ” and as always thanks so much for taking the time to write in.
So, what seems like months ago but was in fact just two weeks ago I was onboard the Carnival Splendor to film amongst other things the Red Carpet entrance of the celebrities who were performing for the VH1 Save The Music Concert.
I had intended to host the interviews myself but I never got the chance……..because I was stupid. I had been going flat out all day and had missed lunch completely which when you are diabetic is as stupid as going into Le Walgreens in Paris and asking where the shower gel is. At around 7 pm I began to feel listless and sweaty and as my Dad says I began to feel “floopy.”
It was then that I new my sugar was too low and my body was telling me that I was in trouble. So……….I sat down and asked a colleague to get me a fully leaded Coke. After drinking half the can I started to feel a little better but it takes time. I also knew that any minute the celebrities would start to arrive and I would have to be on the red carpet to interview them. So, knowing by body would tell me to bugger off if I didn’t rest I stayed seated on the Promenade Deck, asked Mr. Hair to get his camera into position and then I called for help. Luckily we had Jaime. She was in the shower when I called and after hearing the cry for help she did what no woman has ever done before in the history of the earth…………..she got ready in 10 minutes.
I don’t know what I would have done without her and I remained seated in my chair as my body finally got back to normal so angry at myself for letting myself and everyone down. Well………..as you are about to see, Jaime did a great job ……..in fact she did a brilliant job and here are her interviews filmed on the red carpet onboard the Carnival Splendor……….oh, and one of me with Kevin who by the way will be doing a follow up interview with me next week as I ask him some questions about Grey’s Anatomy and his thoughts on the Carnival Splendor.
I will never allow my sugar level to drop like that again……………idiot. Let me thank Mr Peter Hair for the wonderful video footage ………….and thanks to Stephanie for looking after me during my little sugar drop…………..here’s a photo of Stephanie and Mr. Hair………..my thanks to them both
Mr. Hair
Stephanie
For those of you sailing on the Carnival Glory you will notice that we now have Fun Force installed on the vessel. These brilliant interactive dancers, acrobats and entertainers were originally called G Force and some of you may have already seen them on the Carnival Valor and Carnival Splendor. Well, they are now part of the Carnival Glory crew and very soon you will members of the Fun Force team on many of our ships.
Also making appearances will be our table top/close up magicians. Have any of you met Rakesh? He was the origional of these brilliant and so talented magicians and he proved so popular that we are rolling this branch of our entertainment out to other ships in the fleet soon. These chaps will visit you in the ships lounges and along the promenade deck and also during dinner………their amazing close up magic skills will have you choking on your chocolate melting cake.
Laser tag has proven so popular on the Carnival Valor that we are going to add this on other ships as well. It isn’t just popular with the kids but with the big kids as well ……….. yep we have had all ages shoot each other and they love it. Look out for this on your cruise very soon.
Heidi is doing well and we are now in full readiness mode for the Thingy to arrive. The birthing bags are packed ready to take to the hospital. Our birth plan is filled out and it includes the words “We are not using that sodding birthing stool or the swimming pool thing.”
We took a tour of the hospital where Heidi is due to give birth and therefore I’m well placed to make some helpful suggestions on how the service might be improved. It would have been nice if some of the books in the waiting room had been manlier in nature instead of Hair, Sliming and Pregnancy magazines…….. And in the same vein, I do think that some of the prettier nurses could have been wearing stockings.
So we wait………..and tomorrow we shall sit watching TV ………….my Saturday nights out as studly twenty something a long and distant memory away. I remember Saturday nights being exciting times. I would start getting ready about 7 pm and where as now I can complete the three “S’s” in 30 minutes but back in the days when personal grooming and the hope of getting some rumpy pumpy was so important it would take considerably longer.
I concentrated on what to wear which considering I had three shirts and two pairs of trousers to choose from was not difficult. Then it was the hair……that had to be just right. Up until 1996 I had beautiful dark hair and then one morning a few months into the Carnival Destiny’s inaugural season I woke up…..looked in the mirror…………and a pudgy Richard Gere was staring back at me………grey is handsome my arse.
Once my hair was right, I made sure I had a £5 in my pocket (usually lent to me by Mum or Dad) and then right at 8:30 pm Alan’s shiny blue Ford Capri would pull up outside the house accompanied by The Pet Shop Boys or The Communards blaring from the eight-track stereo. I never really questioned my best friend’s taste in music and even now he is married with two beautiful children I say nothing when I hear he has George Michael and Cher on his Eye Pod.
Every Saturday night always started off full of hope that tonight ………a girl would find me attractive………tonight we would not be ignored by anything in a skirt …………. tonight ……..the evening would end with a trip down lovers lane and not end with Alan and I sharing a late night Kebab………….we ate a lot of Kebabs…………and the only person who found me attractive and was wearing a skirt was Brendan………… the errantly drunk Scottish bartender.
Each night we would stand at the bar nursing our drinks drooling over the beautiful women. We both had our goals..…I wanted to meet a blonde with blue eyes while Alan was very much into brunettes with the deep brown eyes ………. that of course was at the beginning of the evening and as closing time approached our standards had slipped a little and both us would have been happy with a girl with no hair, one blue eye and one red eye…………after a few drinks and when he realized all the girls in the bar were ignoring him Alan started to find Brendan the Bartender a little sexy.
Of course at the end of Saturday nights as we discussed our failure over a Kebab it was never our fault we had left The Cliff (our favorite bar) alone once again. Whereas at the start of the evening we had marvelled at the ladies’ beauty by the end of the night the reason Alan and I were alone again was that every girl in the bar looked like Joan Rivers. Even the local………..ummmm……….party girls who we nicknamed Easy Elsie and Rambo wouldn’t even talk to us and they were very ummmmm…………charitable…………in fact it was said that if Easy Elsi were to die they would have to bury her in a “Y-shaped coffin.”
One Saturday night Alan and I had witnessed a miracle, one so astonishing that the bar we were in called The Cliff went silent……everyone was in disbelief …….. why ……well two girls had walked over to Alan and I………met us….and as yet hadn’t left…………………….. Or thrown up.
I still remember their names ……..Paula and Sarah. Now, you have to remember that Alan and I had little practice in the art of “the chat up” and if girls did talk to us they usually dropped dead from boredom after just a few minutes.
I was working in London for Lloyds and Alan was at a local bank ……….we both had boring jobs. So Alan would always want to spice up our lives and in the past we have been Vets, Trainee Pilots and Submariners………however when Sarah and Paula asked “what do you do?” Alan decided to tell them that we were both at medical school and were going to be doctors.
The girls seemed very impressed by this and I clearly remember Sarah asking me all sorts of questions about her aches and pains and one hour later Saturday night had turned out alright (as Elton John once sang) as the girls were still with us and I was living in the hope that Paula may allow Dr. John to examine her later in the back seat of the Ford Capri.
My hope of Paula having a close encounter with her own Dr. McDreamy was still burning brightly as all four of us walked back to the car………we had been invited back to the girls flat (apartment) and I was trying to play it cool but my heart was beating double time.
However, my friend Murphy who has spent so much time with me the past few months was with me back in the early eighties as well because as we reached the car and the back seat beckoned …….. Alan couldn’t find his car key……….what a complete and utter idiot.
At first I thought he was joking but then I saw the serious look on his face that told me we were in the brown stuff. He looked everywhere, he even ran back to The Cliff where he looked in every corner and crack to see if he could find it, but it had vanished.
It was during the time that Alan was mincing about at the Cliff trying to find the key that would open the door to heaven that the girls decided that the two junior doctors were in fact in need of medication themselves and realizing that there was no ride home for them here……….they buggered off.
Alan returned…….keyless…….and asked me where the girls where………I told them they had left and you won’t believe this……….he gave me a bollocking……what was I supposed to do………tie them to a lamppost?………..sing Duran Duran’s greatest hits?……….we argued for a few moments blaming each other and then we both realized that we couldn’t get into the car……….and that was the end of the evening ………..Alan called his Dad to come with the spare key and then it was my turn to call Dad who came to pick up his 18-year-old son ……..my Saturday night was ruined ……….. and I didn’t even get a Kebab.
OK, Paula may have had legs that could have supported an Oil Rig…she may have had more spots than a cheetah with the measles………..but she would have been mine ……. and………….Paula was the prettier of the two.
This, and many other Saturdays like them was one of the reasons I gave up my job in the City of London and joined Carnival Cruise Lines in 1987. By then every girl in my home town had ignored me and Alan and I spent so much time alone………standing at bars some people thought we were……….well…………..you know. The final straw came when Alan and I went to a big nightclub called TOTS (Talk of the South) ……….it was ladies night…300 girls would be there…….many from out of town …… it would be a buffet.
We arrived and the place was heaving….surely not even we could fail. Things were going well, girls were dancing…….some even smiling and looking at us……in fact a group of gorgeous girls were looking at us both and laughing ……… wow …….. this could be fantastic……….so I smiled and waved back……..as did Alan……it was then that I noticed they were not laughing with us………… but at us……….in fact a few were pointing towards us and one was laughing hysterically …….I couldn’t figure out why……….I looked at Alan to mention what was happening when I saw what had reduced them to hysterics…….my mate Alan aged 19 years…… had removed his jacket……to reveal …….a T Shirt……with …… The Smurfs on it..…time for a kebab.
Goodnight
Your friends
John, Heidi, Alan and the Thingy
Filed under: Destinations, Tales from the Ship, Travel, Video | Tagged: Carnival Splendor, Carnival Valor, John Mayer, John's Replies, Jordin Sparks, Kevin McKidd, One Splendid Evening, Save the Music, VH1
Dude Mr. Hair is HOT!
John:
First and foremost….
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON!!!
Countess Carolyn’s wonderful husband has a birthday TODAY!!!
Jaime did an outstanding job….WOW!!! And to have gotten dressed in 10 minutes, she looked wonderful.
And thanks Stephanie for looking after John during his health issue on the Splendor. John, you would be lost without her.
What is up with “McKidd” calling our Splendor an “anything” (hotel, etc) of the Seas???? Next time, put a script in front of him!!
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
John Heald
101 Doghouse Lane
End-of-Heidi’s-Toe
Essex, 4KU UAO
UK
Dear John
I sent this comment to your doghouse address because I figure Heidi has read this post by now and booted your butt out of the house again. You will never learn will you. Talking about girls from your past, circa BH (Before Heidi) may get you a short stay in the doghouse but this present time drooling at taxi drivers will get you full time residence in that doghouse.
One of these days one of the 4,000,000 people that have come to your blog will end up in Judge Judy’s court or web site and tell her about all the comments you have made about her in this blog. Then you will be in her doghouse with the key lost for ever. (Alan do you get the hint)
BIG ED
Hi John!
The Smurfs? Yikes! I hope you gave him some grief that evening as well. What a shame that he also lost his keys.
Great videos posted today. Thanks for sharing.
Take care!
David
Hi John, Heidi, Stephanie, Peter and Bloggers,
Thank you so much for all of your hard work on this video.. you guys did such a great job!!
John, thanks for thinking of me to cover for you on such short notice. I hope you are feeling better, and cant wait to see you in a few weeks in Baltimore… I think John Mayer just may be the man we have been looking for all these weeks.. you can tell by his incredible eye contact. AND he is not even intimidated by my scary bags (the ones under my eyes). He loves the fact that I have wet hair and no make up I think!
=) Miss you all! I am having a great time on vacation, but cant wait to get back to work.
Take care,
Jaime =)
Hi, John Please Reply, i would like to book the supperclub with the Valor but i have to wait till this Thursday when i get paid. do i make the reservation or do you? Also thank you for checking the tour. i will get back to you when i am ready to book the supperclub
Good luck on being a father soon
Bobby
Hi John,
*Please Reply*
Just returned from my 4th cruise, a 7 day Southern Caribbean cruise on Caribbean Princess, and it was my best cruise ever. This was my 2nd on Princess also 1 on Carnival Celebration in 1996 and Mariner of the Seas last year. Not a big fan of RCCL, but loved Princess and everything except the food on Carnival. I have heard this has improved.
My question is what are the main differences between today’s Carnival cruises and Princess Cruises? I’m looking to book a cruise for next year and am debating on whether to stick with Princess or try Carnival again.
Also, one of the things I love about Princess is the fact they allow the staff to hang out and eat and drink with the passengers in the nightclub and at the late night Bistro buffet. Will this ever be allowed on Carnival ships. I know, currently, Princess is the only cruise line that allows this.
Good luck with Thingy,
Jason
P.S. Sam the deputy CD on Caribbean Princess is the best I’ve ever had. She is from Wales and has a wonderful, kind of crazy personality. The CD, whose name I’ve forgotten, was also wonderful, but not to the level of Sam.
Good evening John. After watching the video with Jamie and the gang on the Splendor I wonder why Jaime hasn’t been married. Are those men crazy? WOW is she a beautiful woman. If I hadn’t been married for 35 years and of course much younger, I would definitely would want to date her immediately. Hey guys, get smart. There is a fantastic young lady on the Splendor waiting to see you. I have my beautiful woman here with me at home.
I’m happy to see that you are feeling much better but you must start taking better care of yourself. Being a daddy you have to be healthy and wise. Oh well let Heidi do that. At least be healthy my friend.LOL The world of bloggers are excitingly waiting for the arrival of the new Heald in this world. Isn’t it fantastic.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
Hi John,
Happy Easter to you and Heidi and to all the bloggers. Hope everyone has a great day!
George and Linda
John
WOW…What a job Miss Jamie did…… BRILLIANT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT…… WTG Jamie…..
Just wondering when Carnival HR will have enough sense to Promote her and lock her into a LONG trem contract….. Looks like she is ready…
Any way just my opinion but Cindy and I would be the first to book any cruise where she was the CD.
Cindy N Bill
Hi John, (please respond)
I wanted to let you know how our Cruise on the Valor went the week of 3/22. It started out by my daughter getting an abcessed tooth, her girlfriend got a foot fungus from new flip flops, my husband lost his small plastic wallet with the sail and sign card, driver’s licence and credit card in the Carribean in Costa Maya, my daughter got bit by bugs in Belize and got Impetigo, her girlfriend lost a temporary filling from a root canal and last but not least I slipped on the wet gangway disembarking on the last day and tore a ligament and cartilage in my wrist. In between all of this we had our cabin door left open all day because of an error by the steward. I came back to the room after an excursion and found the room completely open to the public. The housekeeping manager didn’t really apologize just wanted to make sure we weren’t mad. The dining room wait staff was very slow. It took over 2 hours to have dinner each night we went to the dining room. We skipped the dining room a few nights because we didn’t want to spend 2.5 hours for dinner. We enjoyed being away and on vacation but I was not happy with the Valor. It was obvious that the CD was wet behind the ears with his position. Not too exciting! We sailed on the Liberty with you in 2006 and absolutely loved it. I guess we were spoiled with our first cruise!! I was so excited about this trip but can’t really brag that it was a wonderful ship. I am sure we will sail again in the future with Carnival. I was just disappointed in this trip. In regards to my torn ligament and torn cartilage of my wrist. I would highly recommend that the ship’s crew check the safety of the gangway before letting folks disembark. It was very slippery and I fell without even realizing I was falling. It happened very quickly. I didn’t stop to make a claim because we had to get through customs and catch an early flight. I just thought someone should know about it.
We really missed you as CD. Best wishes to you, Heidi and Thingy. I am sure this is a very exciting time for you.
Thanks for listening,
Nancy Anderson
Please respond.
Hi John,
Do you know if Carnival is going to do anything special for the Fantasy’s “official” first sailing out of Mobile? The ship is almost sold out for its 6-night sailing on Nov 10th. I am glad we booked early for this sailing.
Also you had said on the Blogger’s cruise that you would check into what happened to the “Fruit Punch” that is no longer served in the dispensers on the Lido deck. I know you have had a lot on your plate since then.
Anyone taking bets on who is going to hit the floor first, John or the placenta?
Dave
John,
If I wrote things about girls I dated I wouldn’t be in the doghouse , I would be under the doghouse.
Great blog as always.
Tomorrow at this time there will be eight of us on the Valor. I can’t think of anywhere else we had
rather be! Give our love to Heidi and Thingy.
Ronnie
John, We’ve been back for almost 2 weeks now from the Victory cruise, but just have not had time to write till now. WOW!!! What a great time we had. Our hats off to the great crew & staff of the Victory. Wee Jimmy was the best C.D. we have ever incountered. The shows were much better than the last time we were on the Victory, with more energy in the dancing & great singing by Crystal Harvey & Matt Samler. The Carnival Legends show was the best we’ve seen in a long time. Both the James Brown & Aretha Franklin singers brought the crowd to there feet. The dining was great as always with the waitstaff (Sugi & Elizibeth) making our dinners unforgetable. Even though my b-day was 1 day after debarkation they sang happy b-day to me & gave me some pie from the coffee shop. So much fun that yesterday we booked us & 5 more on the Dream for Jan 9th. Best to you ,Heidi & Thingy Larry & Connie
John I think you should consider Grant for the name of your son. Oh yeah, I’m predicting a boy for you.
Enjoy your experience this is truly once in a lifetime event.
God Bless,
JR
John, please reply
What is the status of getting fruit punch back on the lido deck? Some of us can’t drink carbonated like coke or acidic stuff like lemonade without paying the price. Should I plan on bringing powdered mix with me on the Legend in July?
Thanks and keep up the great blog,
Ron
Happy Easter to All!
Julie
John, Please reply.
Hi John,
It seems that we haven’t heard from PA007 in forever. Did Uncle Mickey figure who he/she was and terminate him/her or perhaps a casualty of the current recession?
Anyway, maybe PA007 or replacement can explain this:
Carnival Dream is still supposed to debut September 21, correct? I have read that “Your Time” dining will debut on Carnival Dream on September 18, or 3 days before the first scheduled revenue cruise. There seems to be a discrepancy here.
??????????????
Also, if the Healds were to do the Carnival Dream crossing, flights for the young Kuki could be somewhat reduced. Are you planning on doing the Dream crossing or is it a possibility?
Thanks,
bill
John, Please reply
Thanks for the videos! Can’t wait till you post some videos of your Thingy! Good to hear that Heidi and thingy are doing well!
I have never got to see “Fun Force”. My next two cruises are on the Liberty and the Dream. Do you know when and if this will be on these ships?
I think the magician and laser tag additions will be great! I have a couple of questions….
We will be cruising on the Liberty in September.
This itinerary has a daytime visit to San Juan. I have noticed that there are not too many tours posted for daytime visits there. I would love to see some beach tours or all inclusive resort tours added….whadya think??
Also, I was reading on your blog about fire hazards on the balconies. I often book cabins that are wraparound or have long balconies. Sometimes there are loungers ( the pool type where you can lay and bask in the sun) and other times there are not. I feel that on these long balconies, there should be at least one lounger of that type. If it is a fire hazard….well…there aren’t that many of these cabins available …. so I am sure that Carnival has the resources to put some fire retardent loungers on these balconies. I love to get up in the morning and stretch out on the lounger and close my eyes and just listen to the sea. It is a lot different that sitting in a chair….Please can you help make this possible? I am sure all cruisers who book these balonies feel the same. It is a little depressing when you first get to your cabin and walk out to check out that large balcony and see a couple little chairs to enjoy it from….thanks….
Also, still waiting to hear the great news of when and where the 2010 bloggers cruise will be…got that worked out yet??
Best to you and Heidi and Thingy!
Sea ya! Cruzn
Happy Easter! Next year you will have a little bunny of your own. I just booked the Dream Transatlantic and I’m so excited! Woohoo!
Jaime did a wonderful job as usual and I know she will continue to shine at Carnival!
You and Alan are very lucky to have made it to your current ages–you definately had a knack for getting into trouble.
Greetings from the Carnival Pride!
We are so happy to finally be on our cruise!
John… this ship is terrific and the people of Balitimore are so lucky to have this ship nearby! What a great hard working crew so far… and Mark Price is terrific!
The highlight so far?? Steve… yes, the same Steve who had his appendix removed a week ago… was chosen as one of Mark Prices “Cruise Brothers” on the Welcome Aboard Show… Hysterical to say the least!
Hope all is well, and Happy Easter!
Catrin
WISHING ALL A VERY HAPPY
AND JOYOUS EASTER
Pat and Big Ed Konefe
Happy Easter!
Great to see the video of Jaime (WE MISS YOU)
We had such a good time with her on the Splendor 49 day trip and really hope to run into her again soon!!! We also would love to cruise AGAIN anytime with Lauren, Owen, Adele or Brad — all contributed greatly to our trip. Thanks again.
Judy and Bob
Happy Easter everyone!!
John!!!! Please remember to ask your friend Kevin for something for Vivi. Remember??
Nanni
Woohoo…
US Sea Captain freed in swift firefight…
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-sea-captain-freed-in-swift-apf-14906274.html
3 less pirates in the world!
We were on Fantasy in May 2007 and I think Jamie was working there, she sure does look familar. We are going to be on the Legend Dec 6th with my Aunt and Uncle. He had a cruise booked for the week of the super bowl and had a stroke 3 days before the cruise and I want to thank Carnival for giving them a vocher for another cruise, I know and they know that Carnival did not have to do this. We are so proud to be part of the Carnival Family.(yes I consider myself part of your family) Thanks alot we would have still cruised with Carnival but this make us love the experience all the more. Best wishes to your expanding family.
Happy Easter to you John, Heidi and the thingy!!
James
Navy Seals
Three Shots
Three Kills
God Bless The U S A
Hi John ,
(please reply)
I’m so excited for both of you and your impending bundle of joy!!!
Now to my comments!!!
Our family loves Carnival and have sailed with you many times. My son and wife are sailing on the Victory out of San Juan on June 28th. I convinced them it was a great itinerary and they are sailing the Victory because years ago I loved the ship. Now I am reading too many negative reviews of the Victory on many websites. I pushed for them to sail on the Victory and now I am a bit nervous if the reviews turn out to be correct. Have you heard anything unusual about the Victory lately? Do you have any insight as to what the problem may be? I try not to let negative reviews influence me but lately the Victory does not seem up to par for Carnival. I feel responsible since I raved about the ship!
Thanks,
Barb
P.S. We’ll miss you on the Splendor 4/26.
John Please reply.
Hi John, bit off topic, but i still feel strong about this 6 months after our med cruise.
We set sail from Dover on Sept 11th on the new Carnival Splendor.
Our room was on DECK 2, at the very back.
From the first night, diesel fumes intoxicated our cabin, more so when the ship was docking at ports, but also on sailing days, which was also so very noisy, when the thrusters were in action..
It made my wife and I feel very unwell, and woke us up in the night and mornings.
We kept on going to reception to inform the helpdesk, but no one would appreciate our concern and that the fumes ina small cabin is potentially very dangerous.
For the 1st week, we were promised day after day that we would be notified of a free cabin to move to, but they ended up as empty promises.
The 2nd week, the smell was so bad, our cabin guy commented also, and said that this was serious.
Again, I tried to explain to reception, only to be told that if the engines didnt work we would sink.
No one could understand that fumes usually mean carbon monoxide and that the headaches and lightheadedness was unacceptable.
We survived the 2 week ordeal, and were given $100 off our bill, but to be honest such as gesture may have cost us our lives….
I have been meaning to write, and only had time now, and want to make sure that the problem had got sorted for the next guests.
I also want you to understand that although the reception is very busy, they need to understand that fumes in such closed quarters should not be brushed aside lightly, and to be honest myelf and my wife did not enjoy such an unpleasent experience and felt helpless.
Although they offered us a small discount on our next carnival cruise, I am afraid that the bad expereince has now meant we wont be travelling on carnival again, until passengers safety and concerns are taken seriously.
As a side issue of possitivty, we enjoyed your smiling face and entertainment you provided on the cruise, you are a one off, and I wish you and your wife all the best with your new child.
Kind Regards, Leon & Julie.
Happy Easter John, Heidi and still unnamed Thingy!
Smurfs=evil underlords! Their happiness is what lures you in, until their singing quietly steals your brain cells….
Beware!!
Have a great day!
[...] Living In The Past Last night I went to see my local football team Southend United play a football match against a team called the MK [...] [...]
Hello John,
Havn’t commented recently, due to some things and just today I was addressed that my greatgrandmother in Swedn has passed away after 97 healthy years. The spectacular Pride has arrived as you know in Miami. My grandmother who cruises as you know frequently booked the Miracle for October, and is going to cruise aboard Ruby Princess this summer in medeteranian. hope you are well.
from, JAKE S.
Hi John (please reply),
I hope all is well, and I hope that you enjoyed the holiday weekend. I am about two or three blogs behind as I’ve had a busy weekend between work and seeing friends or family. I look forward to catching up later tonight and tomorrow. I hope all is well with the Thingy, and I can tell you and Heidi are getting very excited. You’re going to be a GREAT Dad.
I am planning a family cruise for 12 people ranging from age 3 to 80 for New Years on the Dream, and I have a few quick questions.
-First, 5 of the guests will be first time cruisers (a 3 year old, 8 year old, 10 year old, and 2 adults). This is an expensive sailing, and they want to be able to relax and enjoy themselves without feeling cramped, but at the same time, they want to save money where/when possible. I am trying to help them decide whether to book a deluxe oceanview cabin for 5 people, or if they should book 2 cabins next to each other (either an inside and balcony or 2 regular oceanviews). If it wasn’t such an expensive sailing, I would have them go for a balcony and inside, but given the popularity of this week of travel, prices are forcing me to have them consider the 1 deluxe cabin to save about $700. What do you think? Also, do you know how many square feet the deluxe oceanview cabin will be v.s. how many square feet an inside and balcony cabin will be on the Dream (not including the balcony)? I am asking you because I have seen conflicting info on several websites. What would you do if you were them?
-One adult is single. Is there any way he can avoid paying 200%? I would book the 3 year old in his room, but then there would be no bed for the three year old in her parents room.
-I know a group cruise is considered 8 cabins or more, but does booking a family cruise of 5 cabins get us any discounts or onboard group specials? We will be celebrating several occasions at once (50th anniversary, 25th anniversary, and a birthday… plus the fact that we will all be away together for the first time) and we would like to try to find something special onboard to do together (not really sure what… but we definitely have plenty of time to think and plan).
-Do you know if the pool(s) will be saltwater like the rest of the ships? I don’t think there is a retractable roof by the pool, is there? Also, by the pictures, the lido pool seems a little larger than the lido pool on the Triumph-class ships… is this so?
-Will there be any special New Year’s party with champagne?
-Lastly, I assume that we will find the traditional reggae / Caribbean deck band on the lido on the Dream, in addition to other bands throughout this large, new ship?
Sorry for all the questions. We are all getting excited, and we want to book as soon as possible… once we figure everything out and arrange everything properly. I know that the Dream is definitely going to be an asset to the Carnival fleet.
Thanks so much for your help John. I… we all really appreciate both the blogs and the fact that you take the time to answer questions. You really are the BEST. Good luck with the Thingy, I hope you enjoy your time off and relaxing / preparing for the arrival of the Thingy, and I can’t wait for the next blog.
-Matt
Great blog, my friend!!! With the exception of those guys who were football heroes or had families with more money than God, I think we ail had the same problems with the girls… If the survival of the human race relied on us the monkeys would be running Congress. Hummm… come to think of it…
Jamie did a GREAT job on the video and she looked WONDERFUL!! Hi, Jamie!!!
Please pass along my howdies to the lovely Heidi and The Thingy. As always, my thanks to Stephanie and Mr. Hair d’Video!!!
Ciao!!
Host Mach
Hi John (Please Reply),
I thoroughly enjoyed your narrative of your harrowing drive to your football match…I really think you should use your “free time” to write some short stories. I love your writing style and you bring a smile to my face every morning, which reading your blog is now part of my morning routine.
On to the questions…
A.) is there anything special (besides ordering room decor or a cake, renewing vows or dining in the Supper Club (which I have planned) that you’ve seen, suggested or assisted in onboard that I could surprise my husband with for our anniversary (which we will be celebrating while on board)?
B.) How long are CD contracts for, when will they be renewed and when will I be able to take a peek at your cool spreadsheet and find out who the CD will be for our 11/29/09 Glory sailing?
Happy Easter ,
John, my sailing on Freedom No 5 out of Ft Lauderdale 25 April until 03 May. Do please make sure to let Todd know about him/her thingy birth telling us . Wonder how many crew i do remember/see again. Did TA Oct 2007, you seeing leaving her in Rome and back/back/to back adding up to 28 days april 08 t0 may 08. Same CD again.
ralf
Hello John,
Please Respond
We are sitting here typing to you on our last day at sea before debarkation on the Miracle. We just wanted to make a few comments and ask you a few questions. First of all thank you so much for the gifts along with the signed picture that was great and we just love it and intend to display it with honor at our home. This has been a fun cruise as the locks of panama were amazing. We did however have a few questions that possibly you could clear up, We were first issued #5 debark tags which we were suprised that being we were in a Cat 11 suite we were given such a high number. I went to the pursers desk and asked about getting #1 as we thouight that skippers club applied to debark also not just embark. They gave us #1 with little complaint so I was happy about that and thanked them heavly for doing that saving me from getting upset. So now I am confused why on some ships have we been on were we offered priority debark in a #11 suite without a trip to the pursers desk and on others I have had to make a trip to see the pursers?? Sometimes with and sometimes without sucess. Doesn’t a 11 suite give you a skippers club priority embark and debark?? We loved malcolm in the middle (woo hoo) once again (3rd cruise with him). Is there anyway or has carnival considered re-doing the smoking issue on board? I know you can only smoke in certain areas on board which is wonderful but it seems that we have a hard time standing on are balcony as the smell of smoke about knocks us over. Also we had to spray are room with deodrizer several times as we beleive the smell of smoke was coming from next door under the bottom of the floor. Has carnival considered making one side of the ships cabins non smoking? Or possibly even a floor maybe?? Kind of like hotels do a non smoking floor or non smoking rooms? Also one last thing as the other things in no way ruined or cruise but this issue really left a disapointing feeling with us. We had asked you a few weeks backs about booking another cruise while on board here on the miracle. Which we are ready to do now. You told us that they do that and they be able to help us onboard with that. Well……. they don’t do it on the spirit class ships is the answer we got here on board.
Now we dont blame you at all in any way as I sure if your were on board it would be different. You could go down there in your dolly parton outfit and scare them into submission. Why would carnival not do it on there smaller ships is our question its like saying the smaller ships arent as important or as if because we didn’t book on a larger ship then we arent as important? Oh and to me this is a VERY LARGE ship I’m use to a small canoe with a 5hp motor this to me is a LARGE ship. So we feel we have gotten the bad end of the deal here as we are ready to book another cruise at this time but wanted the discounts you get from booking on board.
Thanks Again
Frank and Bridie Rist
Hi John & Heidi,
It’s been way too long for me to finally get to read your blog thingy. I am having back/sciatica trouble and am even using a cane now. Hopefully I can leave it at home in November on the Dream. I am also getting grief from Simon Legree on the time off I’ve been taking. I just try to ignore him.
But I’m glad to be back. Happy Easter. Heidi, how are you? Still glowing? Are you glowing too John?
JOHN, Please reply when you get a chance: After skimming over the past few posts, I saw the “AnyTime Dining” mentioned for the Dream. Is that definite, or just a possibility? Also I haven’t gone back a few weeks so I don’t know if you answered my previous question – but should I change my dining preference to early sitting on the Bloggers’3 Cruise?
Thanks for the photos of the Spirit. My sister and brother-in-law just booked an Alaskan cruise for July on her. I’m gonna tell her all about Bubba.
I just made my day by reading your blog – I really missed it.
Take care,
Carol
John:
Just a quick note…..
it is great that you will take the time to assist in small matters that “pop” up with us cruisers…..
however, I have always hoped that this Blog would be light hearted and fun and not become a substitute for the well staffed Guest Relations Department that Carnival already has.
It seems (as of late) that it has been more about doing the Guest Relations job than chatting about cruising. The Blog seems to want to take that turn every so often….and we have to “redirect: it.
Folks, use the Carnival Guest Relations Department…that is what they are there for.
I understand the small questions that you answer for those of us who follow your Blog, but please refer major complaints (especially from other forums from total strangers) directly to Guest Relations.
Thanks!
Linda
John,
Make sure you take small bills or change to the hospital with you for the soda/snack machines. When my daughter was born (on a Sunday) I couldn’t find a diet coke anywhere. Ended up at a soda machine in the basement. If I hadn’t been hording dollar bills, I would be a thirsty, tired, new daddy.
dctravel
Hi John, please reply, i just wanted to tell you that i made a request for a reservation on the supperclub on the valor. also i was wanting to ank you if you found out anything on the tour sea spi for rotan hond.
thank you
Bobby
John please reply no need to reply
Just wanted to thank you or Stephanie whoever sent my note of this morning up to Mr. Cahill. His office did call Cindy this morning and although the answer was not what we wanted we doo understand the policy.
In any case many thanks to you both for seeing this thru for us..
Cindy N Bill
John,
Thank God our youth is a thing of the past and we were lucky enough to stumble onto our beautiful wifes who for some reason thought we were someone they could spend the rest of their lives with.
Who says miracles don’t happen anumore.
James & Nancy
The Cruzin2some