One of the things I love to do on the first day of a cruise is have a walk around the ship….no name tag on………dressed casually…………so unless someone has cruised with me before they will have no idea that I am the cruise director.
I have done this for many years as taught to me by Carnival’s greatest ever CD Gary Hunter. I do this so I can a feel for who is onboard and the demographics of our guests. One of the places I always hover around is the Information Desk or Guest Services Desk as it is now called. Here you will see and hear everything from cabin upgrade requests to people who are just lost and can’t find……well…………..anything. That was the case today but as always there was one person or in this case one couple who stole the show.
They were in their 50’s and both the man and his wife should have been wearing T-shirts that read Born to Moan. The line outside to check in was “ridiculous” said the lady in a thick New York or New Jersey accent. It was “shocking.” It was “a joke” that everyone has to put their bags through the scanner because – really – did they look like terrorists? You’d think in this day and age they could invent a faster way to blah, blah, blah.
Of course no one wants to remove their belts and outer garments and stand, legs apart, to endure light petting with an electronic wand and as Mr. and Mrs. Moaner rattled on at the poor purser. I wondered if they had complained in similar fashion to the airport security staff ……..who am I kidding. It proved once again that the cruise industry is a pin cushion for complaints …….most of which are total bollocks.
Oh…..the very smart guest relations officer ……mustn’t call them pursers anymore …………asked the Moaners how long it took them from arriving at the pier to coming onboard……answer 40 minutes……….as I said………what a load of bollocks.
So……….here I sit once again in the office chair I bought from an Italian version of Office Depot called Offacia Depoto some two years ago. Nothing has changed much. The chair is a little out of shape and one of the wheels has broken from where Todd had rumpy pumpy in it and the booger I left under the desk is still there. ………although it’s a bit crispier than I remember it.
The computer, the couch, the plasma TV, the files, the telephones are all still here ………… the only thing missing…………..is Heidi.
And so it begins. Here is the guest count and information for this cruise which we assign the voyage number FD6062809.
Guest Count – 3625
Platinum guests – 38
Children
AGE GROUP TOTALS
Under 2 Years 15
2-5 Years 74
6-8 Years 116
9-11 Years 157
12-14 Years 228
15-17 Years 255
18-20 Years 206
The kids seem very well behaved so far and as always our Camp Carnival and Circle C staff is doing a wonderful job. I, personally, do not envy them at all……..I mean, would you like to spend all day looking after kids? I think it takes a very special person to do that and they are very much unsung staff members. I am sure there are many bloggers who are parents who will want to add some words of praise for them.
The hardest age to control must be the Club O2 teens aged 15 – 17. 17 is the new 25 and they just want a place to “hang” and “chill with their housies”……or is it homies ……… I get confused.
I just feel sorry for those young men who wear their pant-crotch between the knees . . . walking around all day with like they just filled their diapers.
We don’t have too many international guests. The largest Non US and Canadian group is from Venezuela with 46 although having just walked around the ship I hear Spanish being spoke quite a bit which means we have a lot of people from South Florida. I also see that we have new movies for our Seaside Theatre big screen starting this week. Here they are.
NEW ARRIVALS
Quantum of Solace
Burn After Reading
Slum Dog Millionaire
High School Musical 3
Nights in Rodanthe
Eagle Eye
Nick and Norah’s Infinite
Bolt
These are chosen by our Miami office and it will be interesting to see how they go over. I know some of them and there are one or two I have no idea about……Nights in Rodanthe? As for Quantum of Bollocks……….well…………..I was left utterly bewildered by what on earth Bond was up to half the time. Was Mathis a goodie or a baddie bastard? I have no idea, and if I have no idea, what chance is there for the small boys whose fascination with 007 has kept the brand alive for so long?
Even the car chase was impossible to follow. It was designed to be the longest, and best, in all of movie history, but what we actually saw in the cinema was a crap. Why was it cut down? Presumably so they could show more shots of Daniel Craig smoldering. And deeper insights into his inner being.
In the olden days, Bond would get some orders from M and then embark on a series of fights, interspersed with some light rumpy pumpy, until eventually the baddie and his entire operation exploded. It was as easy to understand as first grade math.
Frankly I wish he’d just get back to the days when he head-butted Curt Jurgens in the face, blew up Donald Pleasance’s volcano and went to bed with Pussy Galore ……… but that’s just me.
Well, it’s time for me to get ready for the Welcome Aboard Show. It has been nearly three months since I did this and I guess I am a little nervous. Nerves are not good for my sugar level and besides………I only brought 5 pairs of underwear with me so I can’t afford to ruin any.
On with the show then and I will be back soon.
So, that went well I guess. My goodness the show room was full and overall I had fun and I think the guests did as well. My comedy timing was as rusty as 1976 Ford Pinto but hopefully the characters we met tonight have set the scene for what will be a great cruise.
Here are three of the people who I shared the stage with.
This little girl was so cute and we had fun on stage as I told her silly jokes. However … this is one eight year old who has a lot to live up to because her name……is Perfect ……….. yep………Perfect. I can understand that when she was born her parents looked at her and thought……..wow she’s perfect ………..I know I did when I saw Kye for the first time……but to call her that……….well……that’s a whole other story. Anyway, she was certainly a perfect choice for the show.
Then we have this guy
This is Big Bill from Nashville. He was absolutely brilliant and very funny. I asked him where he met his wife Kathy ……..this is how the conversation went.
So where did you meet your wife?
At work
What did you do?
I worked at Burger King
So, she came in and saw you, was it love at first sight?
And then he paused…..and then said the line of the night ………yep, she looked at me and new she was at the home of the Whopper!
Brilliant!
Finally we have Stan
Stan is 81 years old and last night he became a hero. I asked him if he and his wife of 55 years Mildred would be romantic tonight……he replied “We already did it once today …….do you sell Viagra onboard?“
Here is the reaction from those on stage
Yep………….it was a good first night.
Time for bed………….see you tomorrow.
Good morning everyone. It’s 7:15am and we are just heading into Key West. It looks like a gorgeous day so far although there are thundershowers expected later. The tours here are very popular with the Discover Key West by far the most popular because not only does it all of the town’s highlights but of course it leaves ample free time for shopping ……………….sorry chaps.
I will actually try to go ashore myself later today. I have never been ashore in Key West. I haven’t actually been here more than a few times and each time I have the ship has been docked at the Navy pier which meant guests had to take the trolley train thingy to get into town…………..and that took a lot of organizing. Now tough the ship is docked directly downtown so I will bugger off and see what’s up. I hope to find a Walgreens as I forgot to pack any hemorrhoid cream……….actually Heidi forgot to pack my hemorrhoid cream and they have been itching like crazy. I told Jaime that as she is Heidi’s replacement that she will need to rub the cream in for me……………and you won’t believe this ……….. she refused …………that’s her fired then.
Looks like we won’t be opening the main pool today.
From: FREEDOM HOUSEKEEPING
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 11:45 AM
To: FREEDOM HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER; FREEDOM GUEST SERVICES MANAGER; FREEDOM GUEST SERVICES; FREEDOM HOTEL DIRECTOR; ‘FREEDOM SAFETY ENGINEER’; FREEDOM STAFF CAPTAIN; FREEDOM ROOM SERVICE; FREEDOM YOUTH DIRECTOR; FREEDOM HOTEL ENGINEER; FREEDOM CRUISE DIRECTOR; FREEDOM CHIEF ENGINEER; FREEDOM ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER; FREEDOM MEDICAL CENTER
Cc: FREEDOM HOUSEKEEPING
Subject: Main pool closedGood morning,
Please be informed, main pool for today is closed due to fecal accident in the pool.
Thank you and best regards,
Pools & Decks Supervisor
A fecal accident……..brilliantly put. Well you may be thinking that we should just drain the pool and fill it again. Well we are in port so we cannot do this until we are out of the harbor and then a whole cleaning process has to take place. We still have other pools open of course but this is a pain to say the least. In the old days before public health and Coast Guard rules a deck hand would have fished the turd out with a net, thrown it overboard and everyone would have got back into the pool ….. I miss those days.
Time for today’s questions……………..here we go.
Canuck Cruiser Asked:
Hey John (Please reply),
Don’t know if my last post got lost in cyberspace.Well we’re booked on the DREAM for Jan. 30, 2010 and understand that
you will be the CD. Will Heidi and Kye be with you? Would be great to meet them both.
That’s all for now. Summer has finally arrived and with avengeance …………….very hot now……but when you run an ice cream business ……….that is great!
Counting down to the DREAM.B&D from Canada
John Says:
Hello B and D from Canada
Congratulations on booking your Carnival Dream voyage for January and yes indeed …………. I will be the cruise director. I am in discussion with Heidi about her and Kye coming to the ship with me and hopefully all will be well and they both will be with me. You will love your Carnival Dream and as an ice cream professional I will be interested to hear your opinion of our gelato which we will serve in the Ocean Plaza. Hope the weather in Canada stays hot and that business remains good.
Best wishes to you both
JohnAlex G. Asked:
Hi John, (Please Reply)Thanks for your brilliant response. I already knew that Mr. Solano didn’t teach you because your humor is unique and one of a kind…Anyway, my question is does Carnival still offer galley tours? I know you mentioned the bridge and engine room being off limits, and my friend who sailed with us wanted to see the bridge but I told him that
we can’t for security reasons. However, I did a galley tour on the Destiny post-9/11 in 2004, which was cool, and noticed that they didn’t have any galley tours scheduled in my past two sailings with Carnival. I know it would interest my girlfriend as she loves to cook and she’s never been on one of these tours.Also, I noticed we had new Sail & Sign cards, which were white, had the funnel on it, and a design which was blue, gold or platinum depending on status. Are these the new S&S cards? If so, they definitely look much better!
I forgot to mention that the reason I wasn’t sure about you being on the Dream for the 2-day sailing was because it’s scheduled to leave on Friday, 11/13 and the CD schedule has you leaving the Legend on 11/15. Thanks for posting the photos of the Dream. The more I see, the more I anticipate booking a sailing on her.
Keep the French jokes coming! You pick on some crew members as well, but I know you’re only joking around with them. I do the same thing here at work. I looking forward to hearing an update from Kye & Heidi tomorrow… (Kye-day) Enjoy your day!
Cheers,
Alex G.John Says:
Hello Alex
I am happy to read that you now know Mr. Solano did not teach me how to be funny. Being Colombian our Cruise Director George is wanted by the DEA ………… sorry …………..I meant wanted FOR DEA……………….Doing Everyone’s Act.I have spoken to my friends within food and beverage it is certainly something we will be considering again. I have reinstated the cooking demonstrations here and having just seen the brilliant Culinary Arts Theatre on the Holland America ships I am determined to do something similar across the fleet.
The current crop of Sail and Sign cards were well received but we also heard some rumblings from past guests especially those at Platinum level that they were not so keen on them. So we listened and indeed I think everyone will appreciate the new cards. I hope to show you them very soon here on the blog thingy.
I will indeed be on the Carnival Dream 2-day cruise and this may mean I have to look at my leaving date for the Carnival Legend so I make it to New York in time. I will let you know.
I do make fun of the French don’t I and I will try my best to keep doing so ……………. they deserve it.
Best wishes to you and the family
JohnJoe Asked:
John- (please reply)
Thanks so much for this blog thingy you do. The information you offer and insight you provide is amazing. I have a question, then some feedback to offer.I am booked on the Dec 12 sailing of the Dream- and I am so excited!!!
Thanks for all the interviews and pictures you’re sharing. It is a neat experience for me- three years ago I took my first cruise on the oldest ship in the fleet- the Holiday. In January, I sailed on the Liberty. Now I am going to be on the newest, biggest ship.I know this is the sailing after the bloggers cruise, and wondered if you would still be aboard?
And now, for some much belated comments stemming from my January cruise on the Liberty. She is a beautiful ship, and we had a fantastic time. The crew was absolutely unbelievable. One person that really went out of her way to make sure everyone was having a good time was Monica, the assistant cruise director. She was everywhere, extremely friendly and entertaining, and just a joy to be around. She certainly made my group’s cruise more fun and memorable. You could just tell that she loves her job.
I wanted to also offer some feedback on anytime dining. My group loved it, and would not want it any other way. The only constructive criticism that I have is that it was somewhat impersonal. We were certainly greeted by the hostess when we entered, but the wait staff never introduced themselves, and spoke to us very little. I am not speaking about casual conversation- I am talking about walking up to the table and just looking at us, waiting to be told what we want. It seems like with traditional dining, you meet the staff the first night and sort of learn who is doing what, and when. So, the staff is used
to everyone having a feel for what is happening, and probably not having to say much after the first night. For example- who is taking drink orders, etc. I was always confused about who I was supposed to ask for iced tea, etc.And now for a suggestion that my friends and I had, for whatever it is worth. We think a waffle bar would be a fabulous addition to the breakfast buffet. Imagine freshly prepared waffles with a bar of toppings and ingredients to make however you want. Yum!!
Thanks for listening, and for all you do!
John Says:
Hello Joe
Thanks so much for the wonderful posting and although the affordable fun and principles of the Carnival experience are the same across the fleet you will certainly see many differences in the facilities we offer on the Holiday and will offer on your Carnival Dream. Unfortunately I will not be there for your cruise as I will be on my way home to see Heidi and Kye after the two Bloggers Cruises I am hosting. Hopefully you and I will get to sail together one day soon though.I was glad to hear about Monica. I have worked with her in years past both as a dancer and entertainment staff and she certainly loves her job and loves life and I am so glad that to hear that she made a difference to your cruise.
As happy as I was about that I was equally saddened to learn that the dining room staff was not as friendly as you would have liked during your anytime dining experience. I must admit that this is the first time I have heard such a comment and that is why I am so grateful to you for letting us know. We want the anytime dining to be as fun as scheduled dining times and I promise that after I forward this to the folks in Miami that they will make sure that this situation is never repeated on any ship and that the anytime dining experience is exactly what you and your fellow guests expect.
As for the waffle bar – I know a certain Dutch girl who would love that and I will bring that to the table as well. I want a Spotted Dick bar.
Best wishes to you all
JohnKatiel53 Asked:
John, (Please reply)
I just wanted to comment on the dress code. I have no problem with the code as it is; clean jeans and a nice shirt look great on a lot of men. I do, however, object to the baseball caps, sleeveless shirts on men, shorts that have seen better days, wife beater shirts etc. It appears that not only are these worn during casual nights, but on the
cruise elegant nights as well. If your code is not going to be enforced, why have one?Whenever people post on Cruise Critic regarding the code, it is always pointed out that it is a suggestion, not a requirement.
To me, allowing the above mentioned attire shows a lack of respect to not only the waiters/waitresses, but to others on the cruise who take the time to dress appropriately.
I know Carnival is not the only line with this problem. I do believe that the Maitre D’ should not allow inappropriate dress in the dining room. I feel they don’t stop people for two reasons. The main reason is that if they do, there goes their tip, and secondly, no one at Carnival will back them when the comments on the cards state they weren’t allowed in the dining room.
Believe me, I am not one who has my nose in the air and I am very happy with the newer relaxed code. My husband hates dressing up, but he does do so on the cruise elegant nights. He is a shorts and cut off tee shirt person at home, but does wear a golf type shirt and dress shorts as well as long pants etc. for the more formal nights.
Perhaps if when cruises were booked people could be notified of what is expected so that they will be prepared. The more people are allowed to be sloppy, the more it will happen.
Thanks for your time and response.
John Says:
Hello Katie
I can only say this. While I value everything that is said on the message boards I ask everyone to keep an open mind about this as often not everything is fact based but opinion based. The same of course can be said about this blog but in this case I want to pass on some facts.The Maitre D’s do enforce the dress codes we provide to guests. I purposely checked each dining room last cruise both on elegant and non elegant nights and found nobody dressed as you described has been written on the cruise boards. I saw no bathrobes, no sleeveless shirts or tank tops and no baseball caps. I apologize that I don’t know what a “wife beater” is so maybe you can enlighten me.
Anyway, as this has been a hot topic here on the blog recently I have asked our CD’s to check and they all report the same thing…………the rules are for the most part being enforced. Yes, there are guests who prefer to wear jeans on elegant night but we do not allow anyone to wear tank tops or ripped jeans in the dining room on any night of the cruise. I will make sure that the fleet is aware of what is being said and I promise you that we will continue to supervise that the dress codes we ask for are adhered to.
I encourage all of you to keep me informed on this subject please.
My best wishes to you Katie and if you have a follow up to this please let me know and thanks again for giving me the chance to talk to about itJohn
LorrieB Asked:
PLEASE REPLYI was talking to a friend who said that she had heard that
the Carnival Magic will be based out of Galveston. Now please, please,
please tell me this is true.John Says:
Hello Lorrie
Unless your friend is phsikick………physick………..unless your friend can see into the future I cannot confirm or deny where the Carnival Magic will homeport. I can honestly say that no final decision has been made and if you friend turns out to be correct can you ask her what the winning lottery numbers will be please.
I promise to let you all know as soon as I do
Best wishes to you and Mystic Meg
JohnSpencer Asked:
Please ReplyJohn,
I know these questions won’t change my cruise experience, but I was just curious.
I am leaving on a Southbound Alaska cruise on the Spirit on July 1, 2009.
When you say the old cards, do you mean these?
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2965417170105042200tPVHYt
or do you mean the cards they have been using for years.
Or do you think they will be using the new card by then?
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2588129500105042200zSxDkC
Too see the pictures you will have to copy and paste the link into
your address bar.Thank You for taking the time to answer my question.
Spencer
John Says:
Hello Spencer.
I am very jealous of your pending Alaskan cruise. I have never had the chance to sail to the last frontier and it certainly is on my bucket list.For some reason I can’t open the attachment showing the sail and sign cards so let me try and explain. The ones that we currently are using are the ones that are red, gold and platinum. All three have a wave effect in the right hand corner. These are now being phased out and replaced with a new design which I hope to show you in the days ahead. There is a good chance that you will have the new cards by the time you board the Carnival Spirit as each ship will start using them their current supply runs out. I will be asking for everyone’s views on the new cards.
I wish you a wonderful Alaskan adventure and I look forward to reading your review
Best wishes
JohnLorrieB Asked:
PLEASE REPLYI was on the Carnival Conquest for the Hurricane Ike cruise, September 7 – 14, 15, 16….., 2008. I wanted to know…. how many times has Chicken Little (Assistant CD) turned 21? He had his 21st birthday on our cruise and then we were told by others who had been on the Conquest either previously or after that he turned 21 on their cruise as well. I know time runs differently on a cruise ship but…. really!!!!! When he is 80, will we still be celebrating his 21st? Inquiring Minds Want to Know!!!!!!
John Says:
Hello Lorie
Ummmm……..I am not sure who Chicken Little is and why he is 21 ………again. Let me find out for you and maybe it’s time he celebrated a 25th birthday.
I will be back to you soon
Best wishes
John
DocF Asked:
Hi John, (Please Reply)this is a follow-up to my previous post about diabetes.
You asked why I use insulin rather than metformin or another oral drug.
Type 1 diabetes is a lack of insulin production. Type 2 diabetes is a resistance to the action of the insulin you body makes.
Actually, I started out on glipizide which makes your pancreas produce more insulin. This drug over-stresses the islets of langerhans and this eventually leads to less and less insulin being produced. At that point, I had to make a decision and I felt that I could maintain better blood sugar control by using multiple daily injections of insulin along with an oral drug than with oral meds alone.
I have been able to maintain an HbA1c score of under 6.5 since I have been on insulin. I suppose I need to explain to others that this is a long term score of your blood sugar. Normal folks have a score of about 5.0.
I have used several different oral drugs and am currently trying metformin. I think I will continue to use this as it seems to be helping me deal with my increased insulin resistance. I also am going to try adding Byetta, an injectable drug to my mix and see if I get enough better results to justify the cost.
It is all a juggling game, as you know.
There are several benefits to being on insulin. I can eat warm chocolate melting cake by just adding a bit of additional insulin to my meal dose. I can have a bit more flexibility in my eating and time my meals a bit less rigidly.
I must say that your latest videos and pictures are showing a slimmer you. Keep up the good work. If you are not using insulin, weight is your biggest enemy for maintaining good control.
I am always willing to help anyone who has diabetes in any way I can. The most important thing to remember is that either you can manage your disease or it will manage you.
Take care, my friend.
Doc
PS: Even though I should be pissed at you for stealing Jaime away from
us, I do love you.John Says:
Hello Doc
I thank you so much for this motivating and challenging post. I monitor my sugar level three times a day and it continues to be between 5.0 and 8.0 which I am quite happy about. I am eating well and have cut out all the bad carbs. I truly thank you for this outstanding offer of help and support and I am determined to control my diabetes and not let it control me. I will be in touch soon.
Best wishes
JohnFrank & Bridie Asked:
John please respond;John those are beautiful photos of Kye, it looks like she is about ready to give her first shopping talk. As always we love hearing about her and your adventures on board. Our question for you is we have heard the carnival is stopping the past guest pins. Say it’s not so? I love showing off all my pins on my sail and sign lanyard when we cruise. If so has carnival considered possibly having them for purchase? Wow I don’t agree with this.
Big fans as always,
Frank and BridieJohn Says:
Hello Frank and Birdie
Thank you for the kind words for Kye and I am glad you are enjoying all the photos. We have been discussing the pins quite a lot here on the blog thing in recent weeks and yes, it is true, we have stopped handing them out. The reason was that as popular as they were with many they were equally unpopular with others and it seemed that many did not wear them or use them at all. And so we decided to stop handing them to our past guests and instead sell them in the gift shops onboard.I can tell you though that many of our loyal past guests were not happy with this and some threw their toys out of the stroller in protest………and I can understand why. I personally love to see people wearing them with pride and therefore I went to battle on your behalf. Well, the battle goes on but I hope that in the weeks ahead to have some really good news for you. I can’t say anything else right now so please keep reading the blog thingy for the latest updates.
Best wishes to you both
John
LadyJag Asked:
Hi, John! Please reply.
I’ve been sort of studying (my hubby says it’s more like “obsessing over”) the deck plans for the Carnival Dream ever since I booked our May 2010 Dream cruise over a month ago.I’ve noticed on deck 12, Spa deck, there is something labeled “Coed Sauna” in the Cloud 9 Spa that shares a wall with cabin 12201. I also noticed that the areas sharing the 2 walls that would allow for any possible entrance to the “coed” sauna are marked “Men’s Locker.”
So my rather smart-alec question is: how can this area possibly be a coed sauna, if the only way to access it is through the men’s locker room?
Thanks!
LauraJohn Says:
Hello Laura
Wow…what a great question and one that I am sure has given you many sleepless nights. Well….the answer is that women will have to enter through the men’s changing rooms ……….still…..no big thing. Honestly ….and seriously……I have no idea so let me check with Boris who you may have seen I interviewed recently and ask him to help. I will be back to you soon and until then can you check the deck plans in case we have made any errors …….oops. Best wishes to you both and I think you have a very healthy obsession
JohnOH – hold on…….we have late breaking news from Boris in the ship yard. Here is what he says. It seems that the deck plans on the web are wrong. There is a corridor in front of the coed sauna allowing the entrance from the communal area…
Thanks.
Best regards,
Boris Ruskovsky
Thanks Boris…………..and happy birthdaySpencer Asked:
Please Reply,
John,
On your An Odyssey, A Peter and ….. A Dream blog you replied to a reader about a dining question. You said there will be even more dining choices on our next generation of ships. Were you talking about the Dream and the Magic or future ships after them? Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.
Spencer
John Says:
Hello Spencer
Thanks for writing. I was talking about the Carnival Magic where plans are underway to offer even more variety when it comes to entertainment and food. I will promise to give you more details soon. Please let me know if I can help in any other way
Best wishes
John
Bob and Lynda Asked:
Dear John (please reply);
We booked the last cruise on the Holiday because you said you would be on it. I just looked at the CD schedule and you were not the CD on the Holiday for its last cruise. Please tell me that the schedule is wrong. Kye is beautiful.Thanks, Lynda
John Says:
Hello Bob and Lynda
Thanks so much for the kind words for Kye. I still intend to sail for the final cruise of the Holiday. I may not be the CD but I have full intentions of being onboard as she is the last in her class and I think someone should be onboard to provide a fitting farewell. I will keep you updated and I am so very honored that you booked to be with me. I will confirm what is happening very soon. It would be so wonderful to meet you onboard.
Best wishes
JohnCruzin2some Asked:
Dear John,
Please Reply especially if you like the idea!The video from YouTube really shows off the new ship and her size. Seeing her in the water…. just amazing.
The shots of the Seabourn Odyssey… also just brilliant. What a beautiful ship.
As for you idea about a Bloggers cruise on Cunard. I would go a step further, but then I usually do.
How about a Blogger’s Cruise on each of the Carnival owned flagships of each Cruise Line? The Carnival Dream is covered. The Ruby Princess…. The Cunard Queen Elizabeth … The Seabourn Odyssey… The Amsterdam of Holland America … The Costa Luminosa.
I think the blogger’s would love to see what the family has to offer.
If I got any of the flagships incorrect please excuse the oops! But
you get my idea. What do you all think?James & Nancy
John Says:
Cruzin2some
WOW……..what a brilliant idea. I am not sure just how many readers would want to do this but it certainly would be a great way to introduce the amazing diversity that our brands have. I certainly think that we could do one on the Ruby Princess, The Niew Amsterdam and the Queen Victoria……anyone else interested say “aye.“I have yet to sail with Cunard or Holland America and these are two musts for 2010. Maybe we will see you there. If there are any other bloggers interested in a Carnival Corp tour ………….let me know.
Thanks for the great idea and best to you both
JohnDonna Asked:
If I Amy be so bold to ask…but could you do some detective work for me…I will be on Freedom 7/26/09…I have never been on Freedom and all I want is a simple answer and I am getting a mixed bag….I go onto Cruise Critic whenever I am going on a cruise…I just booked this cruise and took an inside cabin —…I asked if anyone had ever stayed
above the casino…as it looks like where I am if I can ever figure those diagrams out properly.I was told I will hear people cheering to one arm bandits going all night long to run away from the cabin as quick as possible…Then there are those that say they heard nothing in cabins nearby but that was on Triumph… So I called Carnival and asked…they told me the location was superb and not to switch to a higher deck as I could have done, since I am a previous cruiser…Plus I was told this was a connecting cabin and we will hear noises from next door…I really need this trip to get some r & r it has been a very stressful year…I love Carnival and I truly need to rest and relax…plus it is our belated anniversary cruise and I want to have a great time…It is not I go to bed at 10 …we do late seating and go to the shows …Can you in anyway please help me with a more accurate answer. Are there a lot of
complaints…is noise a big factorJohn Says:
Hello Donna
I thank you for coming to the source. As I said there are many different opinions on the cruise boards. Some are based on fact and some………well…………not. I have just spoken to Annie our guest services manager who told me the following. The cabin is indeed above the disco however since the ship entered service in 2007 we have received not one complaint……..not one complaint. It is a cat 4 (inside) cabin with a connecting door as you said but once again unless you have very noisy neighbors you will not have a concern there either.I will be here to do my best to give you the relaxing and fun vacation you so richly deserve
Best wishes
Johnmusingsofjustjon Asked:
John – PLEASE REPLY
In the past, some commentators have pointed out that certain CDs are out, about and available to the passengers and other CDs can’t be seen except at the shows.You have commented repeatedly that, having had Heidi before and now Jaime as your ACD to handle the “operations of the department,” leaving yourself time to be out, about and available.
These two points lead me to wonder about the importance of the ACD in the passenger’s experience. On our transatlantic cruise, we saw quite a lot of both Todd and Noortje – I have to wonder if some of the difference in the visibility of the CD is related to the quality of ACD.
JustJon
PS – I am still awaiting my contract for AACD on the two day cruise to nowhere. I am even willing to test all the alcoholic beverages before the cruise agents and guests imbibe, just to be sure that the drinks are not being watered down.
John Says:
Hello Jon
What a great question and the simple answer is yes. If a CD has a really good ACD who is not just good on the microphone but excellent behind the scenes as well, this will mean that the cruise director can spend more time where he or she should be………with the guests. Obviously with the trans-Atlantic cruise there are 16 days for the cruise director to spend with the guests which is a luxury of course.To be honest, I could not write this blog unless I had an ACD or assistant who ran the department. There is no way I could blog everyday and be on stage, etc and run the department without help and that’s why Heidi was invaluable and that’s why Stephanie and now Jaime have proven to be so important.
I hope Carnival knows that I will always need a strong ACD to run things if they want me to be both CD and blogger……….right now with Jaime here………….all is well.
Your contract is in the post mate. Best wishes to you and Mrs. MTSFP
JohnStephanie R Asked:
John (please reply)-I saw this posted on the CC Royal Caribbean board. http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1302066&highlight=
24 dining venues??? Most of them are an extra charge! Not only are they making people pay up the wazoo for their cruises, but now they also have to worry about all the add-on’s in the price of their “all inclusive” vacation. NO THANK YOU! Please tell me that the Dream is not following suit of the behemoth Oasis who is turning ‘all inclusive cruises’ into ‘nickel and diming amusement parks’!!! I think Carnival is great the way it is, a cruise line for people who want a REAL CRUISE EXPERIENCE. We have had 7 glorious cruises with Carnival and are so excited for our future vacations on both the Dream and Magic. We are hoping to see some great new things on them… just not 24 additional-charge restaurants
Thanks for your time… I really enjoy your blog!
~Stephanie R
John Says:
Hello Stephanie R
I read the press release and I guess any passenger who has booked a cruise on that ship should just go to the nearest shopping mall, sit in the food court and that will give them a true experience of what the ship will feel like. Unlike Johnny Bollocks …… sorry …….Johnny Rockets and the other dining outlets your Carnival Dream will have brilliant complimentary dining including the Grill, The Deli, The Tandoori, The Taste of the Nations, Grand Buffet, 24 hour pizzeria, and the fantastic Mongolian Wok.Of course the food in our dining rooms is of the highest quality and unlike the food court of the seas there are no charges for steak at dinner. Yes, we have our alternative supper club (steak house) where for a $30 charge you will experience a dining experience that is worth every penny…….and then some. Room service is complimentary as well and unlike the Hidden Charges of the Seas we will not need flow signs informing guests how many spaces are available at each of the restaurants……….I mean…….can you imagine …….. is this a cruise ship……….or a parking lot?
Please therefore don’t worry………..all the things you know and love about the Carnival experience remain plus we have added some new ones and have done so without charge.
So, pop on down to the mall….and let me know what a cruise on the new RCI ship is like.
Best wishes
John
That’s all for today……I remain at your service should you need any questions answered.
Now, I realize that many of you have just tuned into the blog thingy after a weekend away so just in case we have some Monday morning bloggers I want to remind you one last time to check out a video. I know this is the third time I have posted it but for those who have not seen your Carnival Dream at sea……well…….you must….here she is.
I wonder if my Italian friends realize what a sensation they have caused by filming the ship…………………..grazie.
Oh yes……one more thing for the Monday morning bloggers……..don’t forget to go to Twitter/Seabourn for a brilliant look at the naming ceremony of the Seabourn Odyssey ………….luxury personified.
You will be very proud that Heidi and I’s friend Stephanie has done a wonderful job during her first ever spell as cruise director on the Carnival Destiny. This is her last cruise and then she goes to the Carnival Sensation as ACD for a while before taking over again as CD. Anyway……..the Carnival Destiny returned to Cozumel for the first ever time this week and Steph sent me this photo of the ship and a beautiful Mexican sunset.
Every now and then I will share comments made by guests here on the ship. It’s been a few months since I have been on board so just in case there are some newcomers I wanted to say a couple of things before I continue. When I post these comments I always hide the guest name, booking and cabin number. The reason I post them is to share with you some of the more …….ummmmm…..interesting stories of what happens on board.
Like this one.
Guest: _________ Ref: __________
Cabin: ———–Booking#: ________ Added-Changed: 06/28/09 – 06/28/09UPSET WITH MUSLIM CLOTHING
Mr. _______ came to the desk asking to speak to a Supervisor in private. I spoke with guest in the lobby who stated that his young children were scared of the people in the cabin next door because the ladies were wearing Muslim dresses with their faces covered. Mr.________ said they found it very disturbing. GSS apologized but said that the ship was full and there were no open cabins. Mr.________ said he wanted to speak to the captain about this and walked away very angry.
Letter sent to guest and follow up call today
I wanted to talk about this comment which I must admit has rather shocked me. Before I do though I wanted to tell you about the time I was Fun Ship Freddy. I am sorry …….. I should have put a parental guidance notice on this bit and I apologize to anyone reading this who thought that Fun ship Freddy, The Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and that RCI had better food than Carnival were actually real…………….oops.
Anyway, when Freddy first joined us I agreed to be the funnel headed one but only if no one knew that it was me inside……..and yes…..I can fit into the costume …. Just barely.
I’m obviously quite well known when I am a CD onboard so I thought that it would be novel to stroll around in front of 3,000 people and not be recognized.
The outfit was quite heavy and hot, with just a small slit at eye level to stop me walking into things. Before the show started, I wandered around the promenade deck and showroom, waving to the guests and having my photo taken with small children and some adults. Such is the role of the mascot.
For these photos, I adopted my regulation warm-hearted grin but after I’d posed for about 20 such shots, it occurred to me that this was completely unnecessary because I couldn’t be seen. I was getting a bit bored and hot by now and it was a real treat to not have to look happy and enthusiastic. Come photograph number 100 I was actually scowling ………………. But no one could tell. This was a truly liberating experience and I was thinking of my time under the veil of Fun Ship Freddy after reading the comment made about the guest wearing the Burka.
I know there are other connotations about women’s rights in the Muslim world etc but it must be quite the experience to pass unseen through the outside world with no obligation to smile or look interested ………. hidden in your own secret place.
Now, saying that also think it must be pretty awful walking around under a black tent just in case a strange man should catch sight of your ear and be overcome with passion. Anyway, even though he has not asked to speak to me I will call the guest and reassure him as much as possible.
I can understand that if you are not used to it these black-clad figures can look disconcerting, even sinister but they have nothing to fear and that’s what I shall be explaining ………..and thinking about it………… maybe it’s time for me to get inside Freddy again…….what a great blog that would make.
Oh by the way………….it’s great to be a cruise director again.
Goodnight
Your friend
Fun ship Johnny
Filed under: Caribbean, Destinations, Tales from the Ship, Travel | Tagged: Caribbean, Carnival Destiny, Carnival Dream, Carnival Freedom, John's Replies
John,
Looks like someone else filmed the Dream’s sea trials too! Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfXPSxXPgCE&feature=related
Melissa
JOHN, PLEASE RESPOND: OMG-you as Funship Freddie! Now, THAT I would have loved to see! Did you waddle when you walked? HA!HA! About the past guest pins, how about having them available at the customer service desk like the deck of cards are, and if a Past Guest wanted one they could ask for one. It could be notated on their room tab record so they wouldn’t ask for more than one per past guest. Those that didn’t want them, wouldn’t ask for them. Mike has all the pins! I was able to write to Carnival (I know you tried to get him some) and they sent them to him. The one we couldn’t get was the Sensation BUT I found one for sale on ebay, so now he has all of them for his funnel hat. Thanks! You are back in your element being the Best CD ever! Hope we get to see you in January (the 23rd would be nice) because Bee & Charlie and Paul & Marylou will be onboard, and I know Frank & Bridie, and hopefully my son & wife, and my daughter and husband can come too, since you said you might be able to get us onboard to meet up with you. AND, if Heidi and Kye are onboard, we would LOVE to meet them too! Pls. respond ASAP! Thanks! Linda & Mike
Ah John, you are back in your glory. Being a CD is truly where you do shine. You are a fabulous Dad, but being a CD is where you belong.
This is the day I have been waiting for, a “report” on your first day as CD, perfect. Your guests do not know how much fun they are going to have this week. They are very lucky.
Since you want to go on an Alaskan cruise, you really should pop over on August 5th. Mike and I would love to have you on the Spirit. We are in the process of purchasing binoculars for our trip. I have never seen Mike so excited as he is about going to Alaska.
So happy to have you back where you belong John, can’t wait to also hear from Jaimie. Please let her post once in a while.
BTW, I am reading this book that I honestly think of you when I read it. I swear you wrote it. I do not know if you have time to read with all your duty’s now, but if you get a chance read this book:
The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille
It is an “old” book – 1990. The “long awaited” sequel just came out:
The Gate House
I had never read anything by Nelson DeMille but I love books that continue on with the same characters. Anyway, if you ever have time, read the Gold Coast, you would swear you were reading something you wrote.
Keep smiling John, you truly are one of the good guys.
My best to Heidi and Kye.
I love the idea of having Blogger’s cruises on the different cruise lines, such as Princess, HAL, Cunard, etc. What a wonderful way for bloggers to try the other brands.
JOHN
We would love to have a blogger’s cruise on each of
Carnival Corp. Flagships. It would be GREAT
THE BEARS
Hi Fun Ship John/Freddy!
What a great classic blog today.
I am glad your first show back went well.
I hope the weather turned out ok for the rest of the day.
Great pictures.
Thanls for postng and welcome back to the fun world of CD.
Take care!
David
Please reply…
Most important… Thank you Heidi and John for posting pictures of Kye and keeping us all up-to-date on how the girls are doing. I will tell you that you guys did a great job.. she truly is a beautiful baby and I actually see a little bit of both of you in her.. Yes John even you!!
I also want to make sure that you saw my comment about my Liberty cruise. We had a great time, Butch is great, Elvis is wonderful, POPPY had the best SURPRISE 80th BIRTHDAY CRUISE. Your gift to him was definitely one of the highlights of the week.. He couldn’t believe that noone else got a gift from John… so thank you very much.
So, now my questions for you…
Do you really read every single post whether or not we ask for a reply? I know you mentioned that it can take up to 3 hours a day with this blog. Will you still be able to do it once you are again a full time CD?
Also, since your question a couple of weeks ago “Do you book your cruise because of the CD?” I answered no because of kids school/timing/vacation etc but I might change my answer!! Will you still be on the Dream March 27th sailing? And do you know which ship Butch will be on that week also? Although we only live 1/2 hour from Pt Everglades and 1 hour from Miami, I would definitely consider driving a bit further to cruise with you guys..
Since you posted that question, I began to realize that a CD does really make a difference. Obviously after so many cruises (17 and counting) I love Carnival but I now also see that depending on who the CD is, I find myself doing things that I would not normally do or have never done on a past cruise, i.e, because of Butch, I attended for the very 1st time a dance class that he was leading. I also participated in some of the red/white/blue team activities.
Although I have in the past walked the Walk for the Cure, this one was extra special. I was truly impressed because not only did Butch lead us but so did Capt Cutugno!! It’s a good thing we have cruised with him twice before because otherwise (unless you read his name tag!!) who would think that the Capt would lead the walk wearing not only a cap but a t-shirt and shorts too!!! I love it!!!
This also might be important to know.. when I cruised the Valor March 29th with $@!x (the one that changed his name) I was the only person who showed up for the Walk for the Cure. I believe the reason was because it was never ever mentioned, not verbally nor was it in the Capers. Butch had it in the Capers, announced it verbally in some of his announcements and had a separate letter sent to each cabin telling us about it. We had 150 people walking that day!!
So, YES, a CD can definitely make a difference. So can the Captain and the Maitre’d as well… It seems to me that the entire staff on the Liberty love their jobs, work together beautifully, were really very happy employees, thus making the passengers have a better time…
Ok, another question.. Who actually interviews/hires the Cruise Directors? Do you have any say in who gets the job and who gets to keep it? Overall, the majority we have sailed with have done a good job, obviously some better than others, but everytime I mention your name to a CD, they ALL have something wonderful to say about you…
One more thing, I remember telling you when we got off our March 29th cruise how much we hated the new cards that were being used at that time and that not one single crew member even welcomed us back because you couldn’t really tell the newbies from the repeaters to the Platinum cruisers. Well, this sailing we once again received the old Platinum color card and it was so nice to be welcomed back over and over again…. Also, thanks so much for the picture frames, the newest Platinum Gift to be given out…
So, in closing (sorry so long) Carnival has once again given us a great vacation and we are looking forward to our next one…
So happy for you that you are back doing what you do best (except for making Kye!!) and just seeing the picture of you holding your hand up to your face and laughing made me laugh…
Here’s to a great comeback week…
John….I see that you are bringing the smiles and laughter just as always…can’t wait till February!
About that hemoroid cream, (I know I spelled that wrong) I would think you could probably find some in the gift shop on the ship!
Tell Stephanie thanks for the ship pic! That has to be the most beautiful sunset and ship picture that I have ever seen!
Edy
John, Thanks so much for answering our pin question. Heres one thought we thought of since I wrote that question. Perhaps just hand them out at guest services? That way carnival isnt waisting them? And they only give them to guests that ask for them like myself. At least I will still be able to buy them when I come on the dream. Oh and in regards to the burka thing. Bridie and I intend fully to complain to guests services if you are not wearing your dolly parton outfit. Better yet if not we too will go to the captain! HA HA HA HA Just kidding
Big Fans as allways,
Frank and Bridie
John,
please reply:
So glad to have you back, so refreshing and fun to read your posts after work and my Wii workout..yes I am one of those.
My husband is type 1 diabetic and I am type 2 and take metformin. However as DocF has stated a small shot of insulin will do wonders if your levels get too high, or you just want to indulge once in awhile. Perhaps when we are on the Carnival Dream with you, he can share a few tips on this. We haven’t booked yet, but we will. We are looking at either Feb 13 or Feb 27. I simply can’t wait My please reply is in regards to whether or not any of your Carnvial Dream sailings during that period will be bloggers cruises.
Much thanks to Stephanie for that wonderful picture of the Carnival Destiny. I might need to save that as a screen saver. Do you think she would might. It is gorgeous and we both love Mexico.
Thanks again for being a bright spot in my day, John. As always our best to Heidi and Kye. Looking forward to meeting all of you.
Bobbi
Thank you, John and Boris, for answering my question about accessing the coed sauna on the Dream. Now I can sleep easy, knowing that I won’t have to propel myself down from the Sun deck ninja-style, and break in through the window.
I also wanted to comment on the wonderful counselors at Camp Carnival. We took our 3-year-old daughter on the Carnival Glory last month, and I was a little apprehensive about leaving her in Camp Carnival. You see, she has a speech impairment called “apraxia,” which simply means that while she KNOWS the words she wants to say, her brain has a difficult time instructing her mouth and tongue how to FORM the words.
Anyway, I was concerned that she might not be able to “fit in” with the program, and that the counselors might not understand her and therefore start to ignore her or call me to remove her from camp.
John, the staff at Camp Carnival were absolutely brilliant! Not only did my daughter have a wonderful time, but by the end of the week, both my husband and I noticed a marked improvement in her speech! You are correct that it takes a very special person to do the job of a camp counselor, and the Camp Carnival staff on the Carnival Glory were superb. They far exceeded my expectations and I just can’t sing their praises enough.
Laura
Hi John,
I just wanted to comment on the attire some wear into the dining room at night. On our cruise in March on the Carnival Fantasy, I did observe some young ladies wearing shorts that I would not consider dress shorts. I would consider them short shorts. On the Carnival Freedom, on the May 31 sailing, I observed young men (late teens, early twenties) with hats on in the dining room at night. Did this take away from my dining experience? No. It just shows a lack of manners on the part of the people wearing hats or short shorts. These young men had their hats on throughout dinner.
My son and daughter-in-law are on the cruise this week with you. I spoke to them today while they were in Key West and they said you are the best CD they have ever had. Enjoy being back on a ship and working as a CD.
Looking forward to cruising again this Saturday on the Holiday.
Have a good day and evening.
Cindy
Dear John….PLEASE REPLY
Is there likely to be any changes in the itinerary for cruises going to Honduras? I ask because I heard them saying on the news this evening that they are advising people not to travel to that country unless it’s necessary because of the political unrest right now. I know you have said before that Carnival keeps the safety of their passengers their number one concern, so even though the Isle of Roatan is not part of the main land, it is still part of Honduras. So what is likely to happen do you think?
Thanks…Irene Garner (hooked on cruising)
Hi John,
Glad you’re back on board! Please tell Jamie “Hi”.
I vote “YES” for the waffle bar!!
Lynn
John, since the pin thingy got brought up again, I thought that maybe there could be a check box on the pre-cruise fun pass that everyone fills out ahead of time, where you could check if you would like a past guest pin. Just a thought.
look forward to seeing you on the Magic, we have our pvp looking out for the start of booking so we can get a suite this time. See you in Bermuda, as we too, are on the transatlantic for the Dream with a rather large group from Cruise Critic.
Shane
I trust and believe most everything you write but today I am in total disbelief! You were Fun Ship Freddy? Even Jaime wouldn’t tell me if she knew who Fun Ship Freddy was. And…please don’t fire her for not rubbing in the cream! Tell her Happy Birthday instead.
Beautiful picture of the Destiny. I love the dusk photos with the beautiful blue lights on the bow. I have a gorgeous one of the Liberty in Cannes. It was so beautiful looking at the ship from the beach there before we got the tender back to the ship.
John,
Just to be different…maybe the young children lost relatives in 911, and anybody dressed different or “hiding” could be scary to them. Maybe the children had never seen anybody like that before and young children don’t handle different very well. Then again…maybe the parents are just bigots for parents.
As for Camp Carnival employee’s…God Bless Them! They have more patience than a nun and they are sooooo good with the children!!
The Carnvial Destiny looks great! She is one if not my favoirte ship!! We were on her on her inaugural year.
And about the girl named Perfect, I feel so sorry for her!
Glad to have you back where you belong Senior CD!!
Hello John,
I know you’re very glad to be back as CD since you’re so good at it.
The pool story was interesting – kind of a followup to Caddyshack.
We too would like to have the pins reinstated because we enjoy collecting them.
We just booked the Carnival Liberty today for 9/5/09. According to the schedule Butch should be back on board as CD and we are looking forward to that. Do you know who the Maitre d’ will be?
Hope Heidi and Kye will join you on the Carnival Dream for our February cruise. It would be great to see Heidi again and meet Kye. We got our thank you card in the mail and we hope Kye likes the gift.
George and Linda
Hi John,
I really get a good laugh whenever someone says they don’t tip the maitre d’ if the maitre d’ doesn’t enforce the suggested dress – we all know it isn’t really law.
Does anyone think these people would really tip the maitre d’ for enforcing suggested dress?
I always tip the maitre d’ and have never had one refuse a tip from this jeans wearing passenger. I think it is safe to say that I tip more than most, whatever their clothes.
What I wear is no concern of others, and it has nothing to do with class, manners, inbreeding, knuckle-scraping or any of the other insults the fashion fascists love to toss out.
In my experiences, ship staff much prefer happy, easy going passengers and not the whining, chronically unhappy, grumps always looking for compensation. Those are the people who should be banned.
Oh yeah, wife-beaters are tshirts with the sleeves cut off.
Peace!
John:
Welcome home (to your home away from home)…
Camp Carnival….what an outstanding group of men and women who have the patience of Saints.
Just think….for every idiot adult that you have to deal with….there are the children that they also bring aboard. LOL
I post about Camp Carnival on the Cruise Forums.
In fact, Cruise-Chat had me do the Camp Carnival FAQ for their forum.
We have sailed on all but 5 of the Carnival ships and between Josh and DJ …. we have experience with every age group. 31 cruises later….all I can say is that Camp Carnival ROCKS!!!
10+ years ago when we started cruising with DJ, there wasn’t a lot known about Autism. If someone said Autism….the only response was Rainmain.
In our early years of cruising, it was by trial and error. We would see what did and didn’t work and go from there. And each step of the way, Camp Carnival counselors were there to assist us in any way they could. Cruise after cruise, they exceeded our expectations.
I will never forget Camp Carnival Director Charlie.
DJ had a bad panic attack one night, while David and I were at dinner. DJ was probably 10 or 11 at the time. Charlie could have just told DJ to check himself out until he felt better. But she didn’t.
She brought DJ to our table in the formal dining room and made sure that we understood what caused the panic attack AND made sure he was ok before she left.
Today, we are beginning to understand the wide spectrum that Autism encompasses.
With the realization that 1 in 150 children in America (1 in 90 for boys) can be affected by Autism….early detection is the key. I hope that families with children with Autism will not shy away from cruising.
What I tell parents who ask about Camp Carnival Services and Special Needs Children is that while CC can not provide one on one care and they can not have a child that would be aggressive to other children…. everything else is possible.
I urge parents to really “know their children” and to remain realistic in their expectations. With these two key components, cruising can be a wonderful experience for Special Needs kids.
Now my “little one” is growing up. DJ will be 18 in a couple of weeks. It is hard to believe. And we are interested to see how cruising changes for him, now that Club O2 isn’t an option.
BTW, Nights in Rodanthe is a wonderful love story that I guarantee with bring out some tears!!!
Linda (Mom of your friend ~ and new friend of Steve McGranahan, World’s Strongest Redneck ~ DJ)
the photo of the destiny in mexico is amazing, don’t be too surprised if it turns up one day on my blog! see you in a few weeks…
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
Hi John,
Please respond,
I need some information from you and I know that you are the only one that will tell me the truth. I have a friend who booked a cruise for in October for 6 family members (he is paying for all of it) well something unexpectedly came up and he might have to cancel, so my question is, since he booked under Early Saver, what are his options. I have talked to 2 different Representatives and one said he could get a cruise credit that he would have to use in a year or he would have to lose his deposit. Now I know he took out the insurance, so I was wondering if he would get his deposit back from that. The second representative was no help at all, he just said that he would lose all the money he has paid on the cruise and that they do not give out credits unless he was on the ship and something happened. That is why I am asking the one person I know that will have the answer for me.
Please send my love to Heidi and tell her to give Kye a kiss from one of her American aunties. I have to tell you John, every time I hear her name, I just love it more and more. It is just beautiful.
Kathy
PS, I am glad to hear that you are enjoying being back on board the Freedom. I do have to ask though, they don’t give you a small cabin like they do the crew members. I think you should have one as big as the Captain’s or even bigger.
Please reply…
Hi John!
)
This is my third attempt to post this…I might have to start taking it personally.
The schedule for Elation only goes through April of next year. Paradise is up through 2011. Will Elation’s schedule be coming or does Carnival have other (secret?) plans for her? As a West Coast cruiser, I much prefer the port of San Diego and Cabo holds much more appeal than a sailing to Ensenada and Catalina.
I’ve done some searching but haven’t been able to find anything….hopefully I didn’t miss something.
Thanks!
Colleen
Love the idea of doing the blogger’s tour of the corp flag ships. But, I think we’d only be able to afford one per year.
Welcome back to the CD chair.
The Kilmartins
Hi John,
You comments please
I was most interested in your remarks about the Burka clad lady on board. I have lived and worked in various parts of the Middle East and have the utmost respect for the religion. However a Caribbean cruise strikes me as a bizzare choice for a devout Muslim. Will the ladies’ husband be avoiding Lido deck, the main bars, the casino and the shows in order to avoid scantily dressed women, the consumption of alcohol, gambling and “leggy showgirls”? Oh and of course the non-halal food in the restaurants.
John: (Reply Please) We are on the Legend in 2 weeks. With the trouble in Hondurus are you hearing of any changes to the plan to stop in Roatan?
John please reply
I’ve been wanting to be social host for as long as I can remember. Now that I’m almost done with school, my dream may finally come true! What are some essentials you think are necessary to be an entertainment staffer? And what is the interview/training process like?
Also…why did Carnival change the name from social host to entertainment staff?
Thanks!
-Felicia L.
John, thanks for all the information and the reply regarding the new Sign and Sail cards. Ms Laura (LadyJag) wrote to you and asked about the access to the coed sauna on the Dream and of course you came through with the answer. Well, is just happens that my wife and I are scheduled for the same room in question for a January sailing and we noticed (thanks to the schematic portion gratefully provided by Boris) that room 1201 has a bath tub or something else included. Can you shed any light as to what it is? We are also scheduled on the Dream for its second sailing in October (room 7455) but doubt the room steward will let us in to room 1201 for an early peek. By the way, you mentioned your desire for an Alaskan cruise, well we are booked for the Spirit in July and it will be our Milestone Cruise. Just thought I’d rub that in….
Hi John and welcome back to the world of CDs. Gary and I just returned from the Inspiration’s first voyage back to Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. Wonderful trip. Joseph, the Super-charged Maitre’D in the Carnivale dining room, was fantastic. The servers had learned a song from Slumdog Millionaire and danced it out with great glee. We had a great time.
We wore casual-but-nice to formal night, since we chose this cruise as a much-needed break. You never know why people dress as they do; turn your attention to your excellent servers (thank you Sudipta and Herald), mind your own warm chocolate melting cake (times 5 nights), and enjoy.
Skip is a very good CD. Overall the experience was terrific. Now for the Triumph in September!
Could I make a stand against the term “wife-beater,” please? When we describe clothing in a term that is becoming commonly understood, we stereotype the person wearing it and we de-sensitize ourselves. Wife-beaters are criminals and need to be voted off the island, not incorporated into daily language. Let’s not assign that term to a sleeveless shirt.
John,
Welcome back to the place you belong, onboard with the wind in your face, and providing the wind in our faces.
This is the third time you posted the Dream video, and I might add the third time I watched it. Each time I end up with the same question–what nitwit cuts a sailing vessel across the bow of a behemouth ship headed full steam into them? Oh yeah – the Italians. Brilliant! Hey, I’ve seen how they drive in Napoli; I should not be surprised–but I am. I guess when the Italian lady in the film began humming the theme to Jaws (daaaa-dump) was the point at which she realized that the nut job at the helm was actually her husband, and she had made a terrible mistake all those years ago.
Great to hear that your first time on stage in months went well. As for the comment above about finding hemmorroid cream in the gift store, it is probably right–but why? I mean, did someone think, “I believe that a perfect souvenir for my friends back home would be some Preparation H – perfect for the Butthead in your life!”
Smooth sailing, my friend, and may the lovely Kye and Heidi grace your presence soon.
Rus Franklin
By the way, John, check out the following URL for a brilliant review on Carnival Spirit and a wake-up call to those who are thinking of cheating on us on NCL.
http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/CarnivalSpiritCruise.html
It’s me again Margaret (pardon the Ray Stevens reference).
My praise for Camp Carnival staff would never be enough to compensate them for the job they do. I remember our first experience with these wonderful folk. Our son, Mark, was 4 (yes, the one, who when he was 11, you tried to hook up with an 11 year old girl who apparently had kooties) and we had left him with them for a kid’s meal while we went to formal dinner. All of a sudden, while we were waiting to enter the dining room, the kids came marching by on their way to dinner. We were so afraid that he would bolt from the line and grab on to our legs when he saw us–so we tried to hide. As the group passed, suddenly we heard his plaintive cry – “Hi, Mom–Hi, Dad! We’re going for mac and cheese!” As you would say, “Bullocks!” Our child no longer needed us–and to this day he has not needed us once aboard a Carnival vessel. This past May he celebrated his Platinum Cruise with Camp Carnival and Circle C–and is looking forward to his 11th cruise aboard Carnival Spirit in October.
So, in a word, THANK YOU Camp Carnival, for helping to raise a very well-rounded young man.
Rus
Please Reply.
How about doing a Bloggers Cruise from Galveston. Maybe on the refurbished Ecstasy?
WOW!! What a great video of the Carnival Dream at sea! She is HUGE! I hope one day we can sail on her!
I wonder what those people were saying in that boat… All I understood at one point was Dream. they went right in front of her… too bad her Captain didn’t “honk” at them! That woulda been neat!
Ohhh here comes the fun with the stories onboard. I can’t wait to hear more!
Welcome “Home” behind the mic, John!
THANKS JOHN…for your quick reply…don’t you ever sleep???I guess it is practice for you with a new baby…I can’t wait to board the Freedom … looks like you had a great start.
I have decided to stay in my cabin based on your expert advise unless they accidently put me in the suite…lol …and I am thrilled to have you as the CD…Carnival has spoiled me…I have been on ships with many of those heading to the Dream from Todd to the maitre’d and now we will sail with you…we always get the best. Thanks again!
Love your blog by the way…it is so much fun reading it…look for more on the Freedom.
I agree with Princess Susan about the Muslim dress incident. One great thing about cruise ship and international travel is that you get to experience other cultures, and parents should explain that to their children and have them be more open-minded about different languages, food, cultural dress, etc. rather than teach them to be fearful of them. If they want to stay in their little microcosm of America, why are they on a cruise, traveling to foreign ports?
John – “Nights in Rodanthe” is a chick flick. You won’t like it, but Heidi might.
I have sailed many times with Princess already, and worked on a Cunard ship, but never sailed with HAL or Costa before. If I were rich, I would like to experience ALL the ships, but at this point we are busy applying for financial aid to put daughter #1 through college.
Do they have financial aid for cruising? Didn’t think so. Oh, yeah! That’s why I used to work onboard! It was better than spending all my paychecks on cruises. They paid me instead!
Laurie F.
Dear John,
Glad to have you back where you truly belong. The little girl you interviewed will probably turn out later in life to be CATWOMAN. Purrrrrrrrrrrfect! I made a joke before my Grandson was born. I told my daughter and her sperm donor that I had a dream that I was sitting in the stands at a High School Football game and heard over the loudspeakers, “Tackle made by number 22 Tuffy Taylor”. Yep they named him Tuff. How many fights do you think he will get in because his Papa made a joke?
I guess Jaime has drawn a line in the sand. Good for her. There must be limits.
The Cruzin2some
James & Nancy
John (Please reply),
Some talk over on Cruise Critic regarding each ship’s “90 Day Customs Inspection”. I know I for one got caught in the midst of that after our Valor cruise and it was a NIGHTMARE…people jam-packed from each floor of the stairways, outside the elevators, through the lobby and the entire length of the terminal. We ended up missing our 2:30 flight, thankfully I had my cell phone and got on with the airline and switched us to a later flight.
Anyway, my question is this…is it possible to inform passengers which sailings of which ships will be due for their 90 Day inspection? As then the people getting OFF the ship could plan accordingly and book later flights, and the people getting ON the ship could plan on getting to the terminal later. It would alleviate MUCH frustration for passengers, and I’m assuming it would for staff and crew as well.
I’m wondering if you could check with Ryan on the Glory and see when their next inspection would be and if we’d be effected by that, or any other future inspections, on our 11/29/09 sailing.
Thanks,
Stacey
Hello!
Please tell the Moaners that I’ll trade problems with them any day.
Have a Great One!
John, I’ll say yes to BC on other cruiselines, IF you promise my Platinum status will be honoured ,spelt your way We worked to hard to become Platinum status to have it ignored by other cruiselines.We did 2 cruises 3 weeks apart in order to become Platinum on the BC2 in Feb.
BTW thanks for looking up our PVP on the ship last week she was so pleased.
Countess Carolyn CYA this weekend………….wish Heidi and KYE were with you………….. sigh
John,
Thanks for the pictures of the guests onboard with you. I laughed till I cried! How funny they are! Congratulations on being CD again. Wish we were there with you!
John, please respond,
One of our fellow cruisers was speaking to Carnival today (Customer Service) and they said that Carnival will no longer be mailing the traditional blue envelope packet for cruises after August 31st of this year.
Is this true? If so please have them mail our tickets, for our October cruise on the Dream, before 31 Aug .
Most of the packet contents were of limited use to us since we get our documents on-line but the almost indestructible luggage tags will be greatly missed. One wonders, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, if they might be available for a fee .
Playing devils advocate, one wonders how folks who book directly with Carnival and who do not have a home computer print out their luggage tags.
The loss of the tags will not mean the end of the world but for us it will be a bit of a pain in the you-know-what since we will have to drive over 100km to find a print shop that can laminate the tags that I will now have to print. That or I will have to purchase a laminator (also a 100+km drive). Some times it really does “suck” to live in the country but happily not very often.
So, what is the skinny? Are the mailed tickets really being killed? What does the August 31 cut-off date really mean: is the the last day they will be sent out, period, even for those who have booked and paid for their cruise before that date, or is this cut-off date for new cruise bookings or for cruise bookings not yet paid in full?
Or is all of this simply a bad dream that will go away just as soon as you receive this missive? That’s French because I know you love French words .
TTFN, Jim
Please Respond-
I saw that from the comments above that you are going to be the CD of the Dream come next January and that there is a possibility that Heidi and Kye might be joining you. I was wondering if Ken Byrne the Maitre d will still be on the Dream at that time? We have a surprise for you in case you didn’t see our email we sent you and Heidi separate from the blog– we finally got to adopt Lyla but wait there is more– Lyla now has a baby sister too! We were blessed last November to get to foster another little girl Laynie and we have recently adopted both girls on June 3rd!
We took a celebration cruise immediately after (6/7/09) on the Carnival Victory but it just wasn’t the same celebrating this exciting event without you, Heidi, Stephanie, and Ken there. So we are anxiously waiting to know when Heidi and Kye will be joining so that we can book a real family cruise and visit with our extended family!
As soon as you know if you could let us know we will book just to see all of you again. We also have some gifts for Kye that I will be sending on to Heidi in the next week or so.
We were considering going on the Carnival Dream in October but then noticed you weren’t going to be there but instead will be on the Legend. We are still considering it but may wait to join you in January instead since the trip to Europe with a 10 month old and a 3 year old would be a lot of work.
Or we also considering doing a back to back with you on the Freedom this summer. How do back to back cruises work? Do we have to totally pack and get off the ship and then come back on? Just wondering.
Congratulations again on Miss Kye she is truly beautiful and you and Heidi are blessed. (as is Kye to have the two of you for parents)
I will await your answers.
Thank you,
Kim, Ken, Lyla and Laynie
p.s. We saved the bottle of champagne you gave us last year on the Splendor and toasted the Heald family at the Adoption Celebration. Thank you!
John
Great to have you back where you belong. I have read the blog since week 1 and when you’re on the ship is the BEST. Love all the news about Heide & Kye. You sure must miss them. Keep up the good work !! Can’t wait for more- you have an unique way of writing and your view of people is right on.My sister and I must be 2 of the few people who liked the new sail & sign cards. It will be fun to see the new one’s, I’m platinum in Sept on the Elation with my sister. No questions for now, just enjoy the readind
Karen
Hey John,
Thanks for the reply and we hope that Heidi and Kye can join you as well on the DREAM in Jan.
I could almost see you smiling as I was reading this blog ……………you are truly the happiest with the mike in your hand and interacting with the passengers. Can’t wait to see you work in person next January on the DREAM. Just think about how great it would be to have Heidi and Kye in the audience and have them watch you at your BEST!
RE: judging the gelato …….looking forward to that as well. The new deck 5 that stretches around the ship is one thing I’m am most interested in seeing. It will make for some nice after dinner walks with my lovely wife.
Please include more passenger comments in your future blogs…….I get the biggest kick out of hearing just how crazy some of their issues are with cruising. Keep em coming!
All the best from Stratford,
B&D from Canada
Hello John:
John, RSVP
We have had more days at sea, confirmed some things that you know about another line in Carnival PLC. There truly are offerings for different demographics. We had a pleasant 12 days on Rotterdam VI and found the dam ship to be first class. Really quiet after 8 PM.
We are still profoundly Carnival customers even though we had a great time in the Baltic with the other line. I thought of you during the bier and sausage mit zowerkraut Lido deck party in Warnemunde. The oompa band is still lively.
We tend to appreciate the larger ships (Conquest class, Splendor, etc.) because it appears the higher revenue supports more variety in entertainment and food service. Your ability to create a sense of community and your heartfelt “Welcome Home” when we re-board was sorely missed. We also missed the morning show and the bedtime story. There were no Littles or Woodens on board either. Well, maybe one.
But why I write is a thought I had about diabetes. There are quite a few with this metabolic disorder, and quite a few like to cruise. Since you are learning to live the diabetic lifestyle, what a contribution you could make to increase Carnival’s compliance with diabetic needs. Like sharps containers for the cabin provided from the booking.
Low carbohydrate, excercise opportunities, sugar free menu alternatives, basic diabetic supplies, why not a menu for diabetic folks? You are much more creative than I and I am sure you can think of many important things that Carnival could do to make cruises safer for folks with diabetes and at little or no cost.
My wife and I raised a child with diabetes and can’t say that the diet requirements are any more expensive than fast, fried, high carb recipes. There are many health benefits to everyone to get a healthier diet, and it can be very appealing if done well.
Anyway, Kye is beautiful, must be Heidi’s genes. You are a lucky man, and you make your own way.
All the best to you and yours, though you are apart.
Your Friend
Bill Heck
We had a trip through hell flying back from Amsterdam, to London, to the States. I can see why you may be reluctant to expose your baby to this poor treatment. My wife was actually frisked in public in a very private manner three times before we got on the 767 to jump the p0nd. She said the Dutch were the best. They were almost strip searching the little kids. After all of the carry on was scanned three or more times at various security check points, it was still required to empty everything on the table, pockets, purse, wallet, carry on luggage, shoes, jewelry, etc. And then you can’t get a drink of water or go to the restroom because the security is right at the gate at Heathrow and you would have to go through that garbage again. Mama Mia. Maybe next time we fly to Canada on Icelandic.
It is hot here in Arkansas.
John–I didn’t realize how much I missed your “onboard” blogs until I read today’s.
That video gave me motion sickness–not just the waves, but the camera jiggling! And wasn’t it convenient that the woman was dressed in–Carnival Colors???
John, I’ve just became one of the happiest person to sail. We booked our Dream cruise for the 15th of Nov.Ok,fine another great Carnival cruise right!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh no, It will be another super GREAT one. We were on the first bloggers cruise, after sailing with you on the Liberty. To find out, you are going to be the CD, AND it is a Bloggers , cruise, well what can I say. Hip, HIP hooray. Looking forward to seeing you again.
Two happy bloggers Penny & Joe
Dear John (please reply),
I really enjoy your blog! I hope all is well with you, Heidi, and Kye. She’s adorable!
My fiance and I will be getting married on 9/19/09 and very shortly thereafter will be spending our honeymoon in Europe on the Dream Inaugural Cruise. I have a couple of questions…
1) Are there any plans to do any special events for this cruise since it is the Dream’s Inaugural?
2) I would really like to surprise my fiance (then husband) with something special on the cruise… are there any special tours or events or anything I could set up for him before we sail? Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks so much. I look forward to all the stories you put up in this blog, especially the ones from your experiences as CD!
Hope you have a wonderful summer.
Kate
Great blog – glad that you are back as a CD (although I know that it comes at the cost of being apart from Heidi & Kye).
I think that it is a great idea to have some of the Bloggers cruises on other lines that are part of the Carnival Corp. family.
turds!! lol
I just wanted to inform you that our cruise didn’t go well at all. First of all we went on the Highlights and Shopping tour in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and we almost got robbed by street people. We asked if it was safe to walk over to the water to take pictures about 110 yards from the Flee Market which was the last stop on the tour. The lady tells us sure Mon, No Problem. As soon as we got down to the corner to cross Scott who traveled with us almost got run over by a bus while we crossed the road which the bus speeded up and to do this. We had 3 teenagers with us at the time as 3 men approached us and started tying these bracelets around our wrists and begging for money. While this was going on they were trying to get the teenagers to buy marijuana from them. Scott handed one of the guys 5 bucks and I handed one of the others 5 bucks and they started saying that they wanted more money than that. By then my daughter was in tears and my wife and Annelise started a verbal screaming match with the one that wanted more money and as they saw the scene turn south we started to all run on my que and they saw that they had attracted alot of attention down our way as their local police watched us running and told us we should have never gone over there. We made it back to the bus and we said something to our tour guide with the answer No problem Mon, You no hurt? The next two days went alot better in the Grand Caymans and Cozumel. Then hear it starts again. In between 2 and 3 Friday morning I feel water dripping on me from the the ceiling. I got a bucket and trash bin to collect water. Got on the phone and got housekeeping up to assess the situation. They come up and I will say were very apologetic and helped as much as they could. I had to wake up my kids and pack up our room at 3:00AM and move my family to 2 separate rooms on 2 completely different floors. Since our kids are 15 and 13 they were not permitted to stay in a room without adult supervision my wife stayed in the room with my daughter on the 1st floor and my son and I went to the 6th floor where we were put as it got my wife and myself into a heated argument because of all the disarray and drama over the whole situation. They called my wife at 9:00AM and told her that the room would be ready to move back into by 11:00AM. I went down at6 11:00AM and they knew nothing about who called or anything. I asked to speak to whoever was in charge or a manager. She came back and told me that they would call me as soon as it was ready. I went down and had another verbal lashing with my wife and turned around and went back down to the front desk to see what they were going to do for us for all the inconvenience. The lady I talked to was from Romania or Croatia and I told her again that I wanted to speak to a manager. On the way down to the desk I went back to the room with the water leak and nobody had done anything to the room at all. Half the ceiling was torn out the carpet was still wet and there were no blowers in the room trying to dry the floors or anything? So she comes out and tells me that for all the inconvenience that they had put me through that they would give me a $117.00 credit on-board and a letter that would give us 15% off our next cruise, when at that point to date I had spent right at $5000.00 dollars total to date for this trip. She went on to tell me that basically Shit happens and that’s all they can do for me. After another argument with my wife I went back to the front desk after waiting in my room for them to call to let me know the room was ready till almost 5:00PM. On the way I checked the room again and the ceiling was put in and rothing else had been done to the room. I saw a guy in housekeeping and asked if he knew where our cabin stewart was and he said he came back on at 6:00PM. At the front desk I finally was able to speak to a manager after the 3rd attempt. I told him that I had spent quite a bit of money for all this and he basically copped an attitude with me and told me he would give me some free drink coupons and that was all he could do for me in his foreign I’m better than you attitude. Before I got to talk to that manager I saw a guy in Dress White Uniform and asked what he did on the ship and he said he was with Housekeeping so I proceeded to tell him what was going on with our room and he said he knew nothing about it and walked off and left me and my son sitting at the main elevators in the lobby talking to ourselves. We went back and found the Stewart (Ivan) and he had just come on and he would have our room ready by 7:00PM. Went back to the cabin we were camped out in and showered and got ready for dinner. We called and said that we needed a luggage valet at 7:00PM to move back to the room. At 7:10 I called to see where they were and they hadn’t sent anyone yet. at 7:30PM Ivan showed up at the door and with another housekeeper and proceeded to move everything by hand because no one bothered to tell them what they were ever doing. I asked Ivan about the guy with housekeeping and he told me he was with Guest Services. I have to say that Ivan did nothing wrong and did everything in his power to do us right and should be commended for the service he provided for us. We were at table 229 in the Renoir Dining Room and our wait staff Aldoberto and Stevie also went above and beyond the call of duty to make our dining experience a memorable on and even bringing us a recipe on how to make one of the deserts that was to die for. We had the letter in our box for 15% off the next cruise but has to be redeemed within 18 months. as you might not know we saved for 2 years to go on this trip and will probably won’t be able to afford another trip before 18 months. We have already sent another e-mail through the carnival website but could not put down the whole story due to the e-mail could only be 1000 characters. I am not happy with what happened on this trip and the service and all the I DON’T CARE ATTITUDE from the management that I encountered. When we disembarked off the ship and picked up the luggage they had completely ripped the wheels off one of the rolling suitcases that we borrowed from my mother in law that we will also be replacing so we don’t have to here about that for the rest of our lives. I think something should be done to compensate us or I will start to forward this to news agencies national and local to get our story out there to warn other people about the hospitality we were shown by Carnival Cruise Lines and the risks that Carnival Cruise Lines are taking by dealing with these 3rd world countries putting passengers in danger on their shore excursions because of no quality control and lack of security. I’ll be waiting to here back from you. Can you see that this gets in the right hands. I can be reached @ Cellxxxxxxxxxx or Hmxxxxxxxxxx .
Thank you
Greg Carpenter
This is a copy of my letter back to Carnival. Someone told me about this site and said I should share my letter with the blogging community.
John,
Randall and I would love to do a bloggers cruise on the other brands. I agree though with Countess Carolyn, once I reach platinum next year, I want the other family lines to recognize it too.
The picture of the Carnival Destiny in Cozumel at Sunset is Stunning!!
Julie
Hi John, was referred to your site by a friend. My family and I are taking our first cruise on the Dream’s 2nd voyage (Oct 3). We will be celebrating my husband’s recent promotion, and our son’s 30th birthday. Could you tell me if there is something special we can have done for them on the ship during our cruise? And, if there is someone specific I should speak to regarding this? I wasn’t sure if I could get a small cake made, or have “Happy Birthday” sung to our son, etc. Since it’s our 1st cruise, we aren’t sure what type of special request to even ask for that would be considered feasible. Hope you can give me some tips.
Diane
John,
I Had a horrible spa expierence, won 50% off massage on Sunday at the Spa drawing. I booked the Aromatherapy, seaweed wrap at 195.00, with 50% off, I booked this for 2:00pm Monday 06/29/09. (Winning the 50% off would have allowed me to book a hair cut and manicure, in addition to two other spa treatments. – I was thrilled with the win!!) I had a nice massage on Monday but they overcharged me, which I did not realize untill I looked at the bill. (When I arrived, I was told on you’re here, apparently I was booked for a massage at 1:30pm- 3:00pm, while the appointment card said 2:00pm. I had to give the card to the front desk for the discount, and of course the card mysteriously disappeared and was lost.) I went back upstairs to speak to the spa manager, with my husband, after making us wait 30 minutes, someone told us the spa manager was busy and could not resolve this isssue. After the show, when we get back to our there is a message saying I had a $295.00 Seaweed wrap and massage (with 25 extra massage minutes) & 50% off was the price I was charged, what kind of scam am I trying to pull. Now really if this was true I would have happily paid the price I was charged, since I love Aromatherapy Massages. And after the massage I purchased a 61.00 bottle of Elemis massage oil. Really if this was a “scam” would I have purchased a 61.00 bottle of massage oil? I did not get the longer treatment, and the fact that the spa possibly made a booking error is not my fault. I went down to guest services, asked to speak to someone in charge and told them of the situation, and that the Spa mamager she refused to refund difference, and that this is not a scam. The fact we had to get guest services invloved, which required and made me wait two days for the difference of the massage – credited to my charge card, is unbelievable to me. On the phone when she called me two days later, the spa manager said and I am quoting “I do not belive you that you did not have the $295.00 treatment, and that is what you was charged with 50% off! However since you complaining about this to Guest services, and since Guest service said you want a credit I give you a credit, but I think you are scamming the spa” I reminded the spa Manager, I purchased a 61.00 bottle of Elemis, would you think someone running a scam would have purchased that? She said you get your credit, okay goodbye.
What in the heck is that?
I was so angry I did not book the hair cut, and manicure, I wanted to get for formal night, and did not book any other spa treatments!
I am a past guest this was our 5th and possibly our last cruise with Carnival. I can not belive Carnival spa manager called me a liar, this from a cruise line who prides itself on customer service. Obviously she has no customer service skills.
06/28/2009 Carnival Valor
06/29/2008 Carnival Triumph
10/6/2002 Carnival Victory
10/6/2001 Carnival Triumph
06/02/1996 Carnival Sensation
John,
By the way I love the blog. On the Triumph we met you, and we see why my sister said you are the best cruise director.
Dear John,
I am a fourteen year old boy and i attended the Carnival Freedom from June 28-July 4. i must say i had a blast. Ive been on another Carnival Cruise and really enjoyed the fact that there was a special ceremony for us. You were extremely funny and i went to most of your shows with the new friends i made on the cruise. but now im back in New York and wishing i was on the ship. but i definitely have to say thank you for everything and you cracked me up with all the jokes. i will always have Dick little, and the Talent Show in my mind thanks to you. Anyways thank you once again and well enjoy your life ! BEST CRUISE DIRECTOR EVER!
- Daniel
Hi John, We are Platinum guests and cruise every month. Carnival isn’t the only way to cruise but it should be. We love Carnival you guys are awesome! We are on the Carnival Freedom August 29th will you be our Cruise Director? It would be such an honor to meet you. Thank you for all of hard work you guys are the best.