I met a guest called Barbara Manners last cruise and she has an addiction. We chatted about it………in confidence……..and even though she would not reveal how much she has spent on this thing that has taken over her life since her first foray three years ago, in case her husband reads this blog thingy. Though, with a bit of pushing, she does admit to having blown around $600 on it during a recent Holland America 14 day cruise. “During the first year I got into it, I spent more than $2,000 buying stash.”
I wanted to help her but it seemed her addiction had taken over her life……………….it was too late……………..and I felt as helpless as a deodorant salesman in Paris.
But don’t worry because the “stash” in question is not drugs, it’s what Barbara and many others like her call the paraphernalia they each collect for making scrapbooks ……………. yep………………………..scrapbooks.
I remember one of the first blogs I wrote back in 2007 mentioned that I was so surprised how popular this had become and now it seems to have risen to a whole new level. And if you’re wondering how a bit of flour and water and some pictures torn out of magazines could possibly clock up a $2,000 price tag, you are out of touch……….as was I. scrapbooking or “scrapping” as I have decided to call it has come a long way from being the pastime of teenage boys wanting to stick photos of Pamela Andersen’s breasts on the front of their school books. I had a look at Mr. Google and he told me that consumers around the world spent around $3 billion in 2007………………….three …………$3 billion on scrapping………………..bugger me.
There are countless clubs, magazines and websites devoted to it. Type “Scrapbooking” into Google and you get 5,410,000 search results……..type John Heald and Mr. Google only gives you 744,000……………..and type in hemorrhoids and unbelievably you only get 31,700 hits……………that means that I am more popular than piles but not as popular as scrapbooking.
As you know we have started scrapping classes on the ships and I admit that I have never been to one until last week. However, as one of the attendees was a blogger I had promised to go …………so I did. My first surprise is that it’s not quite the pensioners’ and housewives’ Tupperware type of morning I might have imagined. The majority of women gathered in the library were juggling families and a career. Barbara is an ER nurse; there was a health club manager, a shop owner, a resources manager and a researcher for ABC TV………….. But no men? ………..I wonder why?
Most of the 20 plus guests enjoyed the class however it seems that we need more supplies and variety of scrapping stash and so I will work on that for the fleet. However ………… there is one main reason that I have started today’s blog with this subject. One of the ladies I met was sticking photos of herself in her brilliantly arranged scrap book thingy.
She saw me looking and told me that she was doing this for her children…………she has a boy aged 7 and a girl of 11………………and I suddenly understood why. When you hear about all those children losing their parents so suddenly it really makes you think. They are left with nothing apart from memories, and that’s if they’re old enough. But this lady’s kids will always have more………”They’ll know how much I love them she told me, and how I remember their childhoods because they’ll have my scrapbooks.”
And that’s why I am going to start one for Kye.
Here are today’s questions……………..away we go.
retirementman Asked:
PLEASE REPLY JOHN
Good evening John. I still can’t understand how people react to such a small problem such as the pool being closed. How silly people react and expect compensation for nothing.
The question I want answered is in the photos of the Carnival Dream in dry-dock what the heck is the reason for that long front of the ship. I see many ships have that and I could never understood why. Also I would like to see a video how a ship is put into dry-dock and after when they put the ship back into water. It amazes me how they do it. You might think I’m kind of silly looking at this but I often wondered what it would look like.
How about a video of Kye and Heidi. She’s such a cute little child and that smile that you showed recently in a photo was amazing. You must be a very proud daddy. One last question, is the Ile Roatan available as a port? If not what will the change be ? That island is one of the ports on the itinerary in my January cruise. Continued success and enjoyment with your Cruise Directoring. See you soon.
Paul F. PietrangeloJohn Says:
Hello Paul
A belated Happy Canada Day to you. It is amazing isn’t it that 3,024 people except that there is little we can do when a kid poops in the pool but one guest finds it to be the end of the world. Anyway, regarding the bubble bow you referred to in your posting let me see if I can help. It is a common design on ships these days and not just cruise ships because it adds buoyancy to the bow, reducing drag for better handling at sea. Here is the official line “The purpose of bulbous bow is to change the nature of the bow wave to reduce the drag it induces on the hull The bulbous bow creates it’s own wave that is farther forward and “out of phase” with the natural bow wave created by the hull, effectively subtracting from the normal bow wave and reducing it’s drag-inducing effect.”
There you go Paul…………I hope that helps and if you have a follow up I can always ask the captain for some technical help. Putting a ship like this into dry dock is something everyone should see and I am a bit disappointed that we didn’t film this being done to your Carnival Dream………….and that’s my fault for not thinking of that beforehand. Its something we must do for the Carnival Magic.
You mentioned Isla Roatan which so far has not been affected by the political situation in Honduras and let’s hope that remains so. We continue to monitor that situation but so far so good.
I will indeed post a video of Kye soon and you are so right………….I am a very proud Daddy.
Best wishes to you and the family
Johncruisingeagle Asked:
Please reply
Hi John,
Thanks for posting the letter from Adam and Amy. Sounds like everyone is having a wonderful time. I knew they would. Yes, I am a little jealous yet glad also that they have you as their CD. Adam did tell me you are the best CD he has ever had. Your blogs do provide me with my cruise fix between cruises. Only 3 more days now until Chuck and I cruise on the Holiday (July 4 sailing). We are looking forward to the cruise. Continue to enjoy this cruise and being on stage. Maybe one day we will get to sail with you.
CindyJohn Says:
Hello Cindy
I hope Adam and Amy have had a lot of fun and by the time you read this you will be on the Holiday enjoy another fun ship cruise. I hope you will send us a review of your time on board and when you get home the blogs will be here ready and waiting for you. Have fun and best wishes to you and all the family
JohnAdam W Asked:
Dear John,
Please Reply,
As I said in an earlier comment (I forgot to mark it ‘please reply’) our cruise was FANTASTIC on the Glory. I see why she proudly displays the Crystal Eagle in the Lobby.
With information being proprietary with certain things I don’t know if this is possible or not but I have a request. I have always been a geek and love technology (I am in IT by profession). Would it be possible for Captain Carlo Queirolo to get a shot of him on the bridge docking with the awesome new plasma screens? I think it would be fascinating!
Warmest Wishes,
Adam
P.S. As always GO HORNETS – BOO HEAT! And thanks for not sending Heat decorations to my stateroom! HA HA!John Says:
Hello Adam
I shall ignore you questionable taste in basketball teams and move on to your question. I will be glad to do as you requested and I will take that photo myself when I arrive in Italy in September. I will also be posting more interviews with the Captain before then. I am so glad you had a great time on the Carnival Glory and she is a ship that deserves that Crystal Eagle.
Best wishes
JohnBob and Lynda Asked:
Dear John(please reply)
Kye is just beautiful and Heidi is glowing as I’m sure you are. Can’t wait to give you something for Kye on the last Holiday cruise. It will be a little larger because I’m sure you have lots of things for her now. Now my comment. More people would have lunch in the dinning room if you had more tables for two. I, for one, do not want to make conversation with other people at my table for one hour, who I will never see again. I have not yet been able to use any time dinning on your ships, but have on RCCL. They have lots of tables for two. If you have lunch in your any time dinning room and have a number of tables for two I would go there a number of times during my cruise. I have cruised 15 times on Carnival since 05 and 14 times on RCCL. I love both lines and will continue to cruise 7-9 times a year. I hate people who slam either line. It’s just not good for anyone. I once walked out of a show where the comic was slamming Carnival. We have two more Carnival and two more RCCL booked for this year. Can’t wait to see you in Nov.
Thanks for a great blog, Lynda
John Says:
Hello Bob and Lynda
Thank you in advance for your kindness. Kye is growing bigger every day and I miss her very much. You bring up a very good point and I can understand that while many like meeting new friends at the lunch table some do not and that’s why tables for two are necessary. I need to check if indeed we have added more of these to your Carnival Dream ……..I will find out.
I have never and will never stand on stage and mention any other cruise line. While I have fun at their expense here on the blog thingy I would never do it on stage. I know however that some comics do at RCCL and that’s a shame. Our comics are forbidden from doing that……….I mean……….why advertise another line? I did once ask a guest to remove his RCCL T-shirt. He was sitting in the front row of a show and he removed it, sat bare chested for a few minutes while a staff member ran to the gift shops and got him a Carnival one.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing you soon and thank you again for your kindness
Best wishes
JohnLaura Asked:
(Please reply)
Dear John,
I am not sure if this question has been asked before so please forgive me ahead of time if it has. Now that the H1N1 flu scare has subsided and allowed the cruise ships to sail back to Mexico, I was wondering if Carnival has given any thought to adding a Northwest cruise itinerary (Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria BC) as a permanent option? I for one would enjoy cruising to those ports since being from the West Coast, one can only sail MR and the Baja so many times. Just wondering….
P.S. The passenger complaining about the poo in the pool should be lucky she doesn’t live where I do. If there are any accidents like what happened, not only do the pools close and get cleaned, but they are closed for a mandatory 24hrs. That would just about eliminate an entire sea day!John Says:
Hello Laura
It’s strange but I can’t remember having to close a pool because of a poo problem before …….certainly not in the last few years anyway. OK, let’s get away from number two and talk about our current number one ship The Carnival Splendor. When we had to make the changes because of the H1NPIG1 Flu thingy the ship that was affected the most was the Carnival Splendor as she called at three Mexican ports. However, while some guests were upset at the change of itinerary many discovered that the new one was simply brilliant and I think if we are honest……………the people at Carnival were surprised by its popularity as well. therefore I know that we are keeping this one up our sleeve and don’t be surprised if we announce some more voyages to Vancouver, Astoria etc one day.
Best wishes
JohnBruno Asked:
Dear John,
Thanks for your blog news…
My wife and I met when we both were crew members on the cruise ship. After some years now, we would like to embark again together. Can you give me some insider tips about couple policies and actual situation?
Kind regards!John Says:
Hello Bruno
I am sure you have many happy memories of your time on board and like many crew members you met your partner there as well. Carnival has no specific rules regarding married couples except that if hired and working on the same ship we will obviously make sure you are in the same cabin. If you are indeed interested in employment why not send me a few details and I will point you in the right direction
Best wishes
JohnDocF Asked:
Hi John, (Please Reply)
I am becoming a regular pest, I fear. Anyway, I do have two questions regarding our upcoming cruise on the Carnival Pride on August 21.
First, I would like to know who to talk to about doing a simple devotional service on Sunday. If there is someone more qualified than us, we would be happy to just attend but we do feel we can do this if we know how to get to the right person to find out about it.
Second, we have a small group on the Cruise Critic Roll Call for our cruise who want to do a get together about 1PM on Saturday, our first sea day. Since I suspect it will be about a dozen folks, my current thinking is we just put on name tags and gather near the Poseidon Bar. If it looks like this might evolve into something more major, I guess I would need to get up with Guest Services ASAP after boarding?
Oh yes, I need to send you a photo of Jo and me in our official go cruise on Carnival tee shirts. How can I do that?
Thank you for your help. You make life so much easier for those of us who are clueless and confused.
Doc (Jim) and DW (Jo)John Says:
Hello Doc
You are never a pest Doc and I am happy to help as much as I can especially after the wonderful diabetic advice you have given me. OK, let’s start with the religious service. It is very gracious of you to offer and I will certainly ask the CD Kirk to arrange this if you want. I should point out that if advertised you can expect up to 100 guests to attend a service. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable with this, please let me know.
As far as your CC roll call is concerned please allow me to arrange a meeting room for you. This will easier than hovering around a bar. Why not wait until a week before you sail and then post me the number of guests and your cabin number and I will arrange for both the service and the roll call meeting.
Stephanie will provide the email address for you to post the photos which I look forward to seeing.
Best wishes to you and the family
John
Larry Meador Asked:
John,
We are taking our 7th cruise on the August 5th Northbound Carnival Spirit. It will be my 9 year old son’s 5th cruise. All on Carnival! About 2 years ago, some friends of ours were going on a cruise with another cruise line. When they were showing us the itinerary, my then 7 year old asked very seriously “are you going on a Carnival cruise or just a regular one?” You can tell what he thinks of Carnival cruises.
He is very excited about the upcoming cruise in August, because his birthday is on the 8th. Is there anything the ship can do to make his birthday a little more memorable? Any kind of surprise would really send him over the top!
In any case, keep up the blogs because I love reading them. It’s my cruise fix in between cruises. I’m not sure when we will get to cruise with you, but I’m sure we will eventually, since my wife is determined to cruise on every Carnival ship made…..John Says:
Hello Larry
“Are you going on a Carnival cruise or just a regular one?”………………..that is brilliant.
Please send me his name and cabin number a week or so before you sail and I will send him a gift that will hopefully make his birthday that extra bit special. I hope we get to sail with each other soon and my best to you and the family
JohnMary Asked:
Dear John, (please reply)
You certainly gave me a challenge asking me to post the links to you of those 3 young ladies I referred to you. It never occurred to me to do so as I am not that computer savvy. At your request I hope I have learned how to post those for you.
One of the ladies has her own travel blog so I thought that would be an easier read for you than reading the whole thread with other posters’ comments etc.http://sunglassesandumbrelladrinks.blogspot.com/
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1002113
Carnival Liberty 5/2/2009 Review
Enjoy them and let me know what you think of them.
Sincerely,
MaryJohn Says:
Hello Mary
Mary, you are much more computer savvy than you thought because you sent me the link thingy to this amazing review. It is about the most comprehensive review I have ever seen and I have sent it to the ship and to the Miami office as well. Thank you so much for sharing this with us all and I am sure the girls have a future as travel writers don’t you?MSQPON – Jo Myerly Asked:
John-Pleasereply
Hi John, I saw in a recent blog that you are trying to find out the rules for using the “Where next certificates”. We were just on the 6/14/09 sailing of the Carnival Splendor. I bought five of these certificates for a total of $500. When we got home I sent in the first one to use it on our 11/15/09 sailing of the Carnival Dream booking —-. I found out today that the certificates can’t be used when you are booked using a military rate. Carnival is going to credit the $100 on the cruise but I won’t get the extra on board credit for the certificate. I am going to keep the extra four certificates for awhile in case I ever book with another rate. Please try to get the rules published.
Thanks again for all your help.
JoJohn Says:
Hello Jo
I must admit that I find this quite complicated myself and I have asked for clarification on what these certificates can and cannot be used for. I will indeed get the rates published this week for sure as I know it would help lots of you. I will also ask the cruise loyalty expert we have onboard the Carnival Freedom to help with this as well.
I won’t forget.
Best wishes to you and Dave
John
That’s all for today. I wanted to follow up quickly with a note from a blogger about Alaska and which side of the ship gave the best views. I asked Chris “Bubba” Roberts and here is his response
Hey John
As this is for next year, the itinerary will be different and we will be in ports on different days then what we are now. Here’s how we dock now….
Juneau – usually always port side….but the starboard side has great views of the channel and Douglas Island….port side has views of the mountains
Skagway – we dock on both sides. One on one week and one on the other.
Ketchikan – we dock on both sides. Same as Skagway…but both sides have nice views.
Sitka – we are not going there next year
Victoria – we haven’t been there yet, but will be on the itinerary next year.
When we sail to places like where the glaciers are, the captain will always spin the ship around so that both sides will get a view of the scenery.
Hope this helps.
C
Thanks mate for your continuing help and support for the blog thingy. Have I mentioned how much we will miss you? Carnival’s loss is the Waffle House’s gain.
And one last follow up:
fuzzypeach Asked:
John, please tell me which ship my fave maitre’d is on. His name is Aleksandr Kazakov. He was on the Triumph a while back, but I want to know if he’ll be making my week by being on the Splendor on the Sept 13th sailing!!!!
Yes, he is very memorable! Damn good looking, and could make an 80 year old turn her head!!!
Fuzzypeach – Alex is on the Carnival Liberty and i sent him your comment – he was very proud………………and still is very ugly
Then there was the question about mailing tickets to guests stopping and this time the jungle drums were correct. Here is the latest news from our friend in PR….. Vance.
The vast majority of consumers are accustomed to utilizing electronic documents for travel. In addition to offering a fast and convenient means for distributing our cruise documents, electronic documents provide cost efficiencies for our company which is more important than ever in today’s business environment. Our research indicates that the majority of our travel agent partners and guests prefer e-docs or no documents at all and quite a few travel agencies migrated entirely to e-docs when we first introduced the program. Currently, approximately 70% select e-documents for all of their clients.
And finally I read that some of you have had concerns in the past boarding and disembarking vessels in Port Everglades and I have to admit……..so have I. However, I want to show you this breakdown of what happened this last Saturday.
-Alongside: 6:00am
-Gangway: 6:30 – delay due to a fuel hose lying in the path of the wheels.
-Crew off: 6:30
-Self Assist Program: 6:45 – 8:35 with 1758 guests participating.
-Luggage lay down: 78 cages 7:00-7:45
-General Debark: 8:45 – 10:05
-Boarding: 11:15 – 11:30 the connection is stable so we brought Apass into the terminal.-Embark we equally as well. There were no long lines and lots of happy guests!
That was from our Embarkation Manager. They have worked so hard over the last few months to improve the experience and they have been successful. We have also switched piers to Pier 21 from Pier 19 which allows for more room. As you can see, we started debarkation at 6:45am with over 1,700 guests using the self assist program which I promoted heavily. I feel comfortable doing this with a younger crowd who on a 6 day cruise tend to have less luggage. And as you can see by 10:05am 3600 people were on their way home. Can we do better………..yes we can and we must.
Does Port Everglades have the facilities of our new Miami terminal …nope…it doesn’t. But I think we are making the very best out of a difficult situation. I cannot imagine what disembarking 6,000 passengers will be like in Port Everglades……..thank goodness there isn’t a ship of that size that will be docking there..oh hold on….there is …… the Ladiesandgentlemenweapologizeforthedelayinthedebarkationsystemthismorning of the Seas.
And so a new cruise has begun and let’s share with you the demographics of where we are going and with whom.
Here is the itinerary for voyage FD8070409
Date Day Ship Port – City(Port), Nation Arrive Depart
7/4/09 Sat Freedom Ft. Lauderdale, FL 8:00 AM 4:00 PM
7/5/09 Sun Freedom “Fun Day” At Sea At Sea At Sea
7/6/09 Mon Freedom Cozumel 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
7/7/09 Tue Freedom “Fun Day” At Sea At Sea At Sea
7/8/09 Wed Freedom Limon, Costa Rica 10:00 AM 6:00 PM
7/9/09 Thu Freedom Colon, Panama 7:00 AM 4:00 PM
7/10/09 Fri Freedom “Fun Day” At Sea At Sea At Sea
7/11/09 Sat Freedom “Fun Day” At Sea At Sea At Sea
7/12/09 Sun Freedom Ft. Lauderdale, FL 8:00 AM 4:00 PM
We are sailing with 3617 guests…………………..as follows.
Barbados 2
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda 6
Bolivia
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada 53
Cayman 6
Chile
China
Colombia 18
Costa Rica
Croazia
Cuba 14
Czech Republic 3
Denmark 5
Dominica 3
Dominican Republic 5
Ecuador 1
Egypt
El Salvador
Estonia
Finland
France
French Guyana
Georgia
Germany 7
Ghana
Greece
Grenada 2
Guyana
Guatemala 2
Haiti
Honduras 2
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq 1
Ireland 1
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan 3
Jordan
Korea
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malaysia
Malta
Mexico 11
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Myanmar
Nepal
Netherlands 12
Netherlands Ant
New Zealand 1
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Norway
Pakistan
Panama
Peru 2
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico 20
Romania
Russia 2
Samoa
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Salvador
Spain 3
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland 1
Syrian Arab Rep
Taiwan
Thailand
Trinidad & Tobago 3
Turkey 2
Ukraine
United Kingdom 6
Uruguay 6
Venezuela 50
Virgin Islands 16
TOTAL PASSENGERS 383
From: FREEDOM GUEST SERVICES SUPERVISOR
Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 5:58 PM
To: FREEDOM HOTEL DIRECTOR; FREEDOM CRUISE DIRECTOR
Cc: FREEDOM GUEST SERVICES; FREEDOM GUEST SERVICES MANAGER; FREEDOM GUEST SERVICES SUPERVISOR
Subject: Past Guest Count FD20090704008
Good evening,
Past guest count for this cruise is: 2278
Please confirm we will have two parties in the Victoriana Lounge on: Friday, July 10th @ 4:00 and 5:15pm.
Thanks and regards,
So with 3,600 guests of which 2278 are past guests……………..off we go.
This will be the first time the Carnival Freedom has been back to Cozumel since the H1PIG1 flu thingy and I am sure that everyone in Cozumel will be as glad to see us. I will report more about that tomorrow.
However, its time for life boat drill and then the Welcome Aboard show and I will write more later……………….back soon.
Good Morning
It’s 6:45am and here I sit in my underpants writing to you. I know you won’t see this until Monday but I have a very busy day ahead of me so I thought I would do some writing. It looks like a beautiful day as we head to Cozumel and certainly last night was very interesting. Let’s start by talking about the July 4th celebrations. We certainly do all we can here on board to make it special but honestly speaking I am sure it must be an anti climatic experience for many. First of all this year it fell on a Saturday ………….. embarkation day ……………..and I am sure the thrill of Independence was quickly forgotten as people endured searches, security, X-ray machines, grumpy flight attendants and the other joys of traveling . Then, there is the whole check in procedure and then once on board……….well………….maybe the guest starts thinking “oh yes. I had forgotten………….it’s July 4th.”
And then the expectations start to rise again ………………..bugger. Thinking about it we could do more. In the old days we decorated the ship…………..we haven’t done so for many years. I notice that our Taste of the Nations selection on Lido Deck today is …………ummmmm………….Italian………………while the American Tate of the Nations is ummmm…….on Friday…………why didn’t I think to change that. I mean the guests are probably thinking “Why the heck are we eating Spaghetti Bollocknase on the 4th of July…………….where da hot dogs at?”
And then of course there are the fireworks…………or lack of them. Hopefully though everyone now understands that rockets and explosions and cruise ships go together like the words Epic and beautiful………….if you know what I mean.
So what do we do. Well apart from a welcome banner in the Carnival Capers, a 4th of July trivia quiz and announcements from me the only thing I could really do was to send the orchestra into each dining room at each sitting. I had written a speech out for the Maitre D’s that basically wished everyone a Happy 4th of July etc etc and then the guests were invited to stand and join in the American National anthem played by the musicians. Behind them stood the dining room staff, hand on heart although not one was American ……………and actually it was very well received. However, I did expect one or two comments like “not enough was done to celebrate July 4th. On Celebrity they had a five hour firework display ….indoors…….”
I was wrong.
The only complaint I got was this one.
Guest: Mr. —————-Ref: 840009286A
Cabin: ————Booking#: _________ Added-Changed: 07/03/09 – 07/03/09C – 6410 – UNHAPPY WITH MUSIC IN DINING ROOM
Guest approached the GS Desk and stated that he had been humiliated in the dining room by being forced to stand up during the United States anthem. Guest said that not everyone is American and that he should not be forced to have to listen to this music. GSA apologized and said that he would pass his comments on to the Cruise Director and Hotel Director and Maitre D…
Note: Guest is from Venezuela
Letter of apology sent and tasked to Cruise Director
Las Buggers. So, as the lovely purser or guest services thingy tasked this to me I had to call Senior Jose Canyousee ………….and he was el mado for sureo. I won’t put in writing what he said as I refuse to give him air time. I will tell you that after spending ten minutes on the phone with Senjour Jose Canyousee I wanted to kick him right in Las Nutoes.
So overall it was an interesting July 4th and I think we need to think about doing more next year to make it special. Then again………..why should I care…………..you are celebrating Independence from us ……….the Brits………………and if I had my way you would all be drinking Tea, driving on the other side of the road, eating with the fork in the right hand, spelling colour and humour correctly ………………………….and eating Spotted Dick .
One of the wonders of this job is that you never know what’s going to happen when you choose people from the audience. First of all let’s meet Josh who is two years old.
Josh and I had some fun on stage and after I presented him with his magic treasure coin I asked for a high five which he gave me with such venom it actually made me wince. This kid is going to be a boxer for sure………………….and look at that hair.
And finally………………………….There I was picking people out of the audience last night for the welcome aboard show and when I turned to go back on stage I found that there were two too many people there. Amongst the people I had chosen were two ladies who to cut a long story short…………..were absolutely bladdered……..drunk as a skunk ……….loaded, wasted, sloshed, Brahms and List (rhyming slang)…….oh deep joy.
Well, I tried to have a bit of fun with them. This is how the conversation went with the blonde one live on stage in front of 1,800 people
JOHN – WHATS YOUR NAME
BLONDE – I cannot find ma shoeeeees
JOHN – They are probably still at Payless
BLONDE – I fink ma shoeees are gone swimmmming
JOHN – This portion of the show is sponsored by Budweiser
The blonde then stumbled and nearly fell over but luckily I caught her.
JOHN – OK, TIME TO GO TO BED NOW
I then tried to lead her off the stage but she refused to go.
I then told her that she should sit down and enjoy the rest of the show……….to which she replied IN THE NEGATIVE AS YOU WILL SEE FROM THIS PHOTO
And that was that. I apologized to the audience and told the lady that there were children in the room and to grow up. During all of this Jaime and the staff had called security and they arrived and we took both ladies out of the room………..they received a standing ovation as they left as the audience showed how glad they were to see them go.
Their Sail and Sign cards have been deactivated and they won’t be allowed to purchase anything from the bars plus security is watching them very carefully. I have not seen them since but I hope they watch the show on TV. Especially my 25 year old blonde friend from Atlanta, Georgia who is here with her Mum. I hope she realizes what a fool she made of herself and I hope she finds it in her to apologize ……..if she does …………….I will send her a bottle of champagne.
Goodnight
Your friend
John
Look, friends — there are a few things you should remember before you comment. The space below is for you to post your comments about the post I've just written above. If it is something that's unrelated, please use the Ask John tab above. Now, while I may not be able to reply to your comment below, I do sit in my underpants almost every morning and read everything that is here. So feel free to comment on the comments and then if someone wants to comment on the comment to the comment then go ahead as well. Please be courteous unless the poster is French...........then you can say whatever you want.
John,
I was wondering if there would be any volunteer project prior to the Bloggers Dream sailing out of Pt. Canaveral. I know this was done with the Bloggers Cruise out of New Orleans in February. I just returned from a mission trip to Biloxi and was thinking that it would be awesome to arrive in Pt. Canaveral a day early and do something for the community before setting sail.
John, (Please read this and comment)
I don’t know if anyone has pointed this out yet, as I don’t read the comments everyday, but, something posted on Cruise Critic (6/21/09) disturbed me greatly when I read it today: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1009650
It is a thread by a mother who is upset that her daughters (10 y.o.) were being bothered by another 10 y.o. boy in Camp Carnival, and complained to the Camp Carnival Staff with the promise by the staff to monitor the situation. Well, they weren’t monitoring very well because later, the boy exposed himself to the girls in camp. She feels, as do I, that the situation wasn’t handled properly.
I would like to see what you think should have happened and reassure me that this type of situation will be handled differently in the future!
Thank you for your help today.
Still love your blog and the thought that if anyone asks you a question or has a concern, you will follow up.
Lisa
Hi John, (Please Reply)
Yes, Jo and I are both aware that we might actually have a few folks show up for a service. I am an experienced public speaker and Jo is a retired teacher, so she also is not prone to stage fright.
Thank you for your help with our little projects.
I will send you a count and cabin number a week before we cruise.
We need to tell you that the last picture of Kye we saw looked an awful lot like Heidi. She is a beautiful baby and I know y’all are so proud of her (and deservedly so). Kye will grow up with 850,000 Godparents who love her.
Thank you much,
Doc (Jim) and DW (Jo)
Hi John!
My what an interesting cast of characters.
It will be interesting to see how this follows up.
I’m not into the whole scrapbooking thing but I know my wife has started getting involved. Thanks for the warning on the costs.
Hope you had a nice weekend.
Take care and thanks for posting!
Hi to Heidi/Kye!
David
Hi John, (Please reply)
I spent yesterday reading blogs from Jan. 2009 throught April 2009. I had read some previously but got hooked yesterday. 1. Your daughter is precious. And her name…adorable. 2. I sent two blog questions yesterday, but did not put please reply, so…I was wondering if we have ever sailed with you as our CD before. I am sure we have but don’t know on what ship. Is there any way we could find out? 3. We completed our 9th CC cruise in March, on the Freedom which was the BEST CC ever. We celebrated my husband’s 61st b’day on the cruise. It was the best cruise we have ever been on–and we have been on 15. Of course CC is our favorite, but we had to try others–to make sure and to get to other ports. We made sure to tell Todd, James and Captain Queirolo that they MADE the cruise. Now, we have booked The Dream for January 23rd. Will Todd and James be the CD and ACD on that cruise? They are the reason we booked that cruise. We have bragged about them so much that we have enticed several other people/couples to go with us b/c of them. ANd also Capt. Q. 4. If not them, then who? You? I’m sure you would be a great substitute. OUCH. I hope that didn’t destroy you. LOL. 5. On the Freedom we paid a deposit for another cruise and now are told we can’t use it with a group. BOO. At least let us use it for a deposit and then we’ll save the onboard credit for another time. Or, vice versa. The rules truly need to be expanded upon and expressed clearly.
Anyway, enough. Just wanted to get the answers to my questions and tell you how much I am enjoying reading your blog.
Paula
Dear John,
PLEASE REPLY
I hate to bring this up after the drunk blonde made a fool of herself, but there is a post on Cruise Critic that the drinks at the Captains Party are no longer free but are $1.00 off the regular price. Is that information true?
It sounds like this cruise is going to be a problem. I wonder if there has ever been a cruise you have been on that has been smooth sailing? I doubt it.
Keep smiling John, you are truly one of the good guys.
My best to Heidi and Kye.
John..please reply with your thoughts
Love the stories on the Freedaom…counting down the days until 7/26…Do you have any suggestions as to the best excursion or something special onboard (not overly priced)…it is our 30th anniversary and I wanted to do something special and surprise my husband…we have never been to any of the ports…so any suggestion is welcome…Is there a way that I can book an excursion/onoard activity and pay cash…so it does not show on our room card? I don’t want him to see it if at all possible…I’d like it to be a surprise with no bill!!!
Hi John.
Please respond if you get the time.
Good to see you back on stage and doing what you do best. You seem to be enjoying yourself, despite missing Heidi and Kye.
You may remeber a few weeks back you were discussing your itinerary regarding the Dream’s inaugural. You mentioned it wouldnt be fair to Todd to be on board as he was the CD.
Later you seemed to be having second thoughts because of the dissapointment expressed by a number of bloggers who will be on board.
Have you had any more thoughts on that or are we going to miss you in September.
Another cruise critic thread that seems to be getting a lot of attention (for obvious reasons) is the fact that there were no free drinks at the welcome aboard party on the Valor recently and the thoughts that this was going to be introduced fleet wide. Any official news on this one.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1018042.
All the best
Wes and Liz
ONLY 150 DAYS TILL BC4
Time to start making plans and telling us what is going to happen and when.
BIG ED
John please reply.
I am sailing on the Dream on October 3 and I have a question. Will my Passport be retained at any of the ports? I have never had to do that at any European ports I have gone to and honestly, this makes me VERY nervous. What if there is an emergency in port or on board the ship and I don’t have my Passport? What if the authorities/cruise line loses it?
Thanks.
Judy
Hi, John!
That little boy, Josh, is adorable. You should get his address, stay in touch with his parents, and in a couple years introduce him to Kye!
Best to you, Heidi and Kye,
Your pal, Myra
John:
What an adorable little boy that Josh is!!!
Unfortunately, those adorable little ones can sometimes grow up to be like the blond cow who ended up on stage.
I can assure you, if I had ever been that stupid…my Mother would have made sure that the world as I knew it would come to an end…quickly.
I hope that Countess Carolyn and Don are having a great time. She is DJ’s Nascar Granny. Please tell her that “the shurb” was “clipped” once again… DJ did his job to make sure Busch did not win the race on Sunday.
Speaking of past cruisers….the number of “units” ( one, a couple or a family) of Cruise Critic Platinum members is up to 212. There are still 15 or so States that are not represented. And as expected…Florida has the most.
David is in Boston until Thursday….so DJ and I are having a quiet week. DJ turns 18 tomorrow.
It just does not seem possible. The time flies by so quickly.
I just got back from physical therapy to “unfreeze” my shoulder. I could have really used whatever the blonde cow was drinking. Princess Laura has my undying admiration for what she is enduring. If one stinking shoulder hurts this much…I can’t imagine what she is going through.
I think we all need A CRUISE!!!
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
Coincidence… “But don’t worry because the “stash” in question is not drugs, it’s what Barbara and many others like her call the paraphernalia they each collect for making scrapbooks ……………. yep………………………..scrapbooks.
I remember one of the first blogs I wrote back in 2007 mentioned that I was so surprised how popular this had become and now it seems to have risen to a whole new level. And if you’re wondering how a bit of flour and water and some pictures torn out of magazines could possibly clock up a $2,000 price tag, you are out of touch……….as was I.”
This coming weekend a group of girls from our ‘Cruisin’ With The Crazies’ cruise will be gathering at Chez Stitch for a… you guessed it – SCRAPPIN’ PARTY!!!
Eight or ten of our wonderful Crazies will be spending Friday night and Saturday pasting memories of past cruises and Crazie gatherings into VERY expensive scrapbook thingies. Wonderfully enough, Stitch has found several of these scrappy pages that feature Carnival ships!!! HUZZAH!!
As this is a girl’s only event I’ll be solo this weekend but I’ll ask Stitch to take a few picture that I’ll be happy to send to you for the Blog!!!
That ‘gentleman’ from Venezuela wouldn’t happen to be named ‘Chavez’, would it??
Please tell Stepha… uhhh… Cocoa thanks for all she and Stephanie do for the blog!!!
Ciao!!
Host Mach
John, my friend… please respond.
There… now, the reason I started it that way is because I want to make sure that the folks on the Imagination get the recognition they deserve.
This was posted on Cruise Critic this morning. I asked for, and received, permission to forward the review:
Just got off our first Carnival cruise in over 10 years and here is what I think
——————————————————————————–
After cruising RCL for over 5 years we decided to take our daughter and grandkids on a mini cruise vacation and felt that Carnival would be a good choice as their first cruise and for us to take a look at Carnival once again.
First off I need to say that the overall experience was fantastic and whatever I felt about Carnival in the past is now in the past I really liked our experience.
We were at the port at 11:30 and were on board by 11:50 went up to the Lido deck which was not crowded at all and enjoyed our lunch actually the buffet was where we went for all meals since having a 9 and a 3 years old we did not want to go to the dining room with two kids in tow. It was much easier for them to pick what they wanted which was Pizza or a grilled cheese sandwich. I thought the buffet food was good for all meals and they offered a nice selection for all meals.
The ship itself it what I remembered about our last experience on a Fantasy ship. Our first Carnival ship was the Sensation this cruise we were on the Imagination. Vibrant colors everywhere and over the top decor it is a sensory overload for the first day but did get use to it. What set this cruise apart from our last cruise is Service which was incredible though out the ship except for the bar staff which we felt was a bit slow.
Our Cabin steward was incredible we never walked into our room without him being there and touching things up though out the day and our room was spotless. We were on the Rivera deck OV 199 and our daughter and kids were in 205. I also like the amenities in the bathroom, have not seen that on Royal in quite awhile. Toothpaste, razor etc thought that was a nice touch. The room itself was nice and spacious and also like the flat screen TV.
We registered the kids in Camp Carnival and they both loved it and felt they had good programs for both age groups and they kept both kids entertained though out the cruise…
The Imagination itself was spotless and saw the staff cleaning all the time all over the ship. For a ship that is 20 years old it sure did not look like it all though some of the areas of the ship looked dated I found that I was quite comfortable on it. I also found some nice quiet areas to just relax.
I did not see any difference in demographics from RCL to Carnival so those comments you sometimes read about Carnival being the walmart of cruise lines for us is out the window. I also found the other passengers I encountered on our cruise to be very friendly. I did not get the feeling once that I was on a party ship with drunks all around me it was quite the opposite.
I thought the production shows were great and liked that they had entertainment everywhere on the ship. It seemed to us that there was more entertainment then RCL.
Even though this cruise was for our daughter and her kids it gave us a great opportunity to sail on Carnival again to see how we felt about Carnival after a 10 year absence and I have to say it was a great experience and would take another Carnival cruise on one of their newer ships in the future. We walked away from this cruise saying we had a great time and would do it again.
__________________
Dale
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1018009
Carnival continues to win converts, my friend, for all the reasons that WE know so well!!!
Ciao
Host Mach
No no, not champagne John.. She’s obviously had too much to drink already.
Send her a soda card, the one for kids!!!
Hi John!
How exciting that you are going to make a scrapbook for Kye (who is so cute!). I am a scrapper and have a ton of fun with it! In fact, I have 8 Committed Conquest Crazies who will be at my home this weekend for about 24 hours of a scrapping good time….well depending on how early we bring out the adult beverages!!
Mach, however, will not be attending. Go figure…
My best to you, Heidi and Kye,
Stitch
“Are you going on a Carnival cruise or just a regular one?”………………..that is brilliant.
This needs to be sent to advertising, it is brilliant!!
Dear John,
Nancy & I were in Long Beach, California USA, attending a wedding on July 4th and awoke the next day and drove to Shoreline Village only to see the unmistakable Carnival smokestake in the distance. Nancy exclaimed with excitement that a ship had come into port this morning and we should investigate further. I complied immediately as any well trained husband, especially as I wanted a closer look for my self. We walked up as close as we could to see that it was indeed the BEAUTIFUL! Carnival Splendor that was in port. We are planning a family Mexican Riveria cruise for 2011 aboard this fabulous ship and Nancy told me she can’t wait. What a truly breathtaking ship she is. To all of you who will be traveling on her soon. You are in for a treat, and I am truly jealous.
Clear Skies and calm seas to you all!
James & Nancy
The Cruzin2some
John:
I think you were to harsh with the drunk ladies after all they didn’t volunteer to go up the stage. You wanted to have fun with a drunk guest and you got what you asked for. Next time get a sober clown rather than a drunk one.
John (please reply)
Did you see that Travel and Leisure just named the top 9 cruise ships of 2009? And guess what, Carnival Corp. had 6 of the 9. Not bad considering youhavetopayforsteaksoftheseas didn’t have any. (only Celebrity managed to make it).
Forgot…Please reply,
I was wondering if there would be any volunteer project prior to the Bloggers Dream sailing out of Pt. Canaveral. I know this was done with the Bloggers Cruise out of New Orleans in February. I just returned from a mission trip to Biloxi and was thinking that it would be awesome to arrive in Pt. Canaveral a day early and do something for the community before setting sail.
John — just wondering if you do something special for Bastille Day?
First of all, even though we dumped all that tea in the harbor and John Hancock signed his name big enough that it would be impossible for King George III to NOT see his name, we probably count the British as our best allies (what other mother/daughter, son/father relationship can you see that about?) Anyway, looking at the itinerary that the Freedom is now on it is the one that my mother and stepfather would like to take in the future so I will make sure to pass on any comments you make about the various ports to them.
Also, thank you for answering my inquiry into whether Carnival has thought about adding a Northwest cruise itinerary and based on your response, I will be waiting (hopefully!) for some good news
John!!
Please give Countess Carolyn and Don a hug from me. I guess they are having a wonderful time. Lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sending a big huggo See you soon!
Tell Heidi to give muchos besitos a Kye.
Nanni
My family and I were on the Carnival Freedom last week and we had no trouble at all embarking or disembarking. I think it was one of the easiest we’ve ever had. There was a Carnival employee in the waiting area asking trivia questions and trying to get people to sing and dance, it was really fun. We did the self assist to disembark and it was easy, no problems at all. I was sooo happy you were our cruise director, I think my husband was a little jealous….
Thanks for the great cruise,
Lisa P.
Wow! I’ll be curious to hear about the rest of the cruise if this is what it started out like!
If Jose Canyousee has a problem with all things American, why did he come on an American cruise line? Oh well.
Your blog made me laugh as usual!
My best to you, Heidi and Kye.
Melissa
Wow, I’m sure her mother was proud of that behavior…
Josh is a cutie–could be possible date material for Kye.
I love the statement “Are you going on a Carnival cruise or a regular one?” My grandchildren certainly would second that–they don’t want to sail on any other line!
Dear John,
I just sailed on the Carnival Freedom with you, during the 6/28 sailing. I have to admit, after three previous Carnival cruises, I had come to expect a twenty-something, overly-chipper (sometime fakely so) Cruise Director. My boyfriend and I were pleasantly surprised to find you in charge, and haven’t laughed so much on a cruise before, or felt that the CD was as genuinely enjoying themself. As former members of an improv comedy group, we couldn’t help but admire how quick on your feet you were (unless you were getting tackled) and how hilarious your comebacks were. I can’t count the number of times I said, “I wish this guy had a tv show so we could keep watching him!” and then we discovered your blog. I’m excited to keep up with your escapades and to keep enjoying your sense of humor.
During the past guest party, you spoke of the Carnival Dream, and how they were looking for names for future ships. I believe you said you wanted “-tion” names and came up with “Constipation – the ship that never moves.”
My boyfriend and I spent dinner brainstorming and there seem to be few good ones left. I came up with “Frustration – where no-one gets laid.” And then more seriously:
Reflection
Relaxation
Coronation
Illusion (I know it’s not quite right, sound-wise, but close!)
Impression
Elaboration
Celebration (but this seems cliche, I think)
Devotion
Generation (maybe in an anniversary year)
Temptation
Meditation
Passion
Exclamation
Well, that’s enough of that for now. I look forward to reading more of your blog in the future!
Thanks again for a great cruise,
April
Hi John,
I have a question for you regarding a post from Cruise Critic. Some people mentioned that there were no more free drinks at the Captain’s party but were available for $1 off per drink. There was also mention of a Farewell party with free drinks. Is any of this true? How about at the Past Guest Party?
In two months we’ll be on the Carnival Liberty and we can’t wait.
George and Linda
John,
Me again. This one has nothing to do with your blog, but about our trip. My boyfriend just called me in a panic (as he FINALLY unpacks) that he cannot find his iPod, which we have recalled made it at least to the plane ride down there. He is incredibly responsible and we cannot imagine him leaving it anywhere (ie the plane), and he did not use it during the cruise itself as we were too busy hitting up all the trivia and shows, so we can’t place exactly when/where it went missing. (Incidentally, a pair of flip flops also went missing during the week, most likely from our room, as he would not walk around barefoot ANYWHERE). I am not accusing anyone of anything, accidents happen, but I am hoping you can check the lost and found for a black iPod? His name might be engraved on the back (he can’t remember) – Martinez. We had already checked lost and found for the flip flops to no avail while on board. We were cabin 2398 during the 6/28 sailing. I really appreciate anything you can do in checking into this. We would contact customer service but we feel you are a much more personable person to contact, particularly since you are on board!!
Thanks again,
April
John, feel free to give Alex (that sexy Lithuanian) my email!!!! Feel free! I can flirt from afar!!!!
John Please Reply
Carnival recommends for non US passengers such as Canadian to have a passport that is valid beyond 6 months from the end of the cruise.
My passport expires 4 months after my cruise on the Freedom in 2010. I have already processed MY Documents using my current passport.
* Why the 6 month recommendation?
* If I get a new passport ( I will need to do it now to be in time for January ) will I be able to update MY Documents and will this cause a hiccup with Immigration?
John, Please Reply
Today’s post by MSQPON – Jo Myerly Asked: is another slight by Carnival on Military Rates. I wrote you back a way that I was denied blogger status becaus of the military rate on the Dream cruise on Dec 3. You said that you would fix that for me, I hope that was taken care of as I look forward to seeing you at the blogger functions.
Bill Russell
John, please reply:
Hi John, congratulations to you and Heidi on the birth of your beautiful daughter. My husband and I have sailed with you as our CD two times and have loved every minute! I’ve been reading the blog “thingy” since day one and look forward to a good laugh each day. My hubby and I are sailing on the Destiny, September 7, 2009. This will be our 7th Carnival cruise (wouldn’t cruise with anyone else). With the exception of our first cruise, we’ve always brought people with us (total of 12) and introduced them to cruising with Carnival. This will be our first cruise in 13 years to cruise alone. My question is, would it be possible to get a table for 2 in the dining room? We’re looking forward to this time alone and a romantic table for 2 at dinner would be wonderful. Our booking number is #14G8M1 and our cabin number is #9188. We’re confirmed for the early seating. Anything you can do to help us would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks so much! Chris C.
Hello John,
I live SO close to port everglades… “20 minuted” My grandma just got off te “Ruby Princess” last week…..”Loved it”. Enjoy Freedom, I remember you’r initial 07′ April blogs aswell.
Hi John!
Wow! You’re definately having a more interesting time on your job than I am at the bakery. Which is exactly the reason I now work at a bakery.
I think the guest from Georgia was trying to incorporate a whole week of drinking into one day.
How sad!
The two year old was a real cutie. My husband commented that if we had known which ship you were on, we would have gone on the Freedom. (If I had remained in the blogging loop last year, I would have known.) Oh well, we will catch up with you again soon.
It is certainly not easy having your job. As I have said before, people take out all their frustrations and seem to vent them toward you. You do a great job of defusing those situations. (In education, we referred to it as deescalation.) That is one area I will not miss covering with our staff next year.
Anyway, you do a great job of deescalating bad situations.
Ruth
Dear John,
Wow i have not wrote one of those letters in a while!. First of all , I want to say that I have enjoyed reading your blog as I get ready for my first cruise and wedding Nov 14, 2009. I wanted to know what your advice would be about handling 13 relatives (all cruise virgins) on the ship? Should i run?
We decided to forgo a large wedding, as it would be impossible for our families at this time to come . We are paying for all of them to come with us instead. I am nervous about everyone having a good time. Because dang it . I paid for it , You’d better like it. (sorry bridezilla is peeping out)
We are a huge cross section of people, so it will be interesting to see how we all react to cruising.
My grandparents are first generation americans, who are handicapped and diabetic. My mother has never gone anywhere near the water.Not as long as she can help it. And my father (they are divorced) is bringing his g/f. So that should be fun.
And the in-laws of course. And us. Heavily tattooed artists type.You know, the smoking and swearing and drinking of wine. And a whole host of small and not so small children. Our youngest who is autistic will be trying out the camp.
I wish for this to be the best trip ever. And to give everyone enough memories to last a lifetime.For this to be the start of something wonderful.
Which brings me to.. WHY all the bad food reviews? That scares me. Alot. I have visions of damp food and long lines.Every review that i have read about the matter, has said something to the fact of C.C cutting down on quality to save money. I’m sure you don’t think this is true. I just wondered if any one up there( in management land) has noticed? And if not, there is rumbling in the galley John Heald.
In any case.Sorry for the long run on thoughts.
I just wanted you to know how i felt.
Carry on.
Hi John,
I had a question about the Holiday’s final voyage in November. Will you be joining us for that cruise? We always hope you’ll be on one of our cruises, but we never get that lucky despite cruising six times this year and eight cruises in fourteen months as of January, 2010 on the Splendor already being booked.
My other comment was to praise some of your great activities hostesses. Amy Barton, Kaylin Padget, Melanie Therrien, and Kaylin’s friend Rosie from Australia, were all exceptionally great on the Fun Ships we’ve cruised on since November of 2008. Great folks like these are the reason why guests keep coming home to Carnival. You can visit the same beautiful ports on any cruise line, but only Carnival has the Fun Ship crews.
As for young children loving Carnival, my grandsons spent an hour or so last evening with me taking virtual tours of the Pride which we cruised on last month, the Destiny which we are all booked on for Thanksgiving Weekend, and the Spirit which we’ll all be taking to Alaska very soon.
By the way, should we consider investing in stock in Carnival? I heard it’s a good idea for frequent cruisers like us.
Randy Smith
John, (please reply)
wow….2278 past guests! That is amazing and truly shows how good the Carnival product is! If we past guests keep booking you won’t have room for any new cruisers! I wonder how many were Platinum ? I started a thread on cruise critic in June 2006,” Just for the fun of it how many Platinum carnival cruisers are there, was my question. ” http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=366497 I started of course with myself, then asked others to copy and paste and add their names to the list if they are Platinum. It has been a fun thread. There are officially 213 people on this list now. There are others that are posting that soon they will be able to add their names too.
That poor girl, the blonde, she must be totally embarrassed, as she should be. It is okay to have a good time but she must have embarrassed her family as well. You handled it well and I am sure the show ended up fantastic!
I think scrapbooking for Kye is a great idea!
I also think you should post a little video like a previous person said on here.
I was just wondering, I may have asked this before but not sure. Is Carnival considering returning to Aruba? I read on cruise critic that they are in negotiations to do so. Also, I was curious as to why not? I am sure you know that Holland has a 7 day cruise from FLL that goes to Half Moon Cay, Curacao, and Aruba. I want to do that but prefer to stick with the Carnival ships.
I would love to see Carnival do this from FLL or Miami or maybe an 8 day and add another deep southern port, like Barbados, or St. Lucia…..I think the Spirit class ships could do this…I would book in a heartbeat!
What do think?
Also, my cruise on the Liberty is coming up very quickly, Sept. 19! I mentioned this to you before about the San Juan visit being in the daytime, you had said that they were working on some new excursions. I don’t see anything new listed as of yet. How about a resort or catamaran type tour?
Do you know when we can start seeing more tours offered for this port?
Thanks so much for everything you do John!
Edy
Dear John, (please reply)
My husband and I sailed on the Carnival Glory last year we had such a great time we decided to book our 2nd Carnival Cruise on the Liberty to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We will be sailing September 5th, and I was wondering who the cruise director will be during our stay.
Oh no…that gal on stage is NOT a Georgia Peach, and is an embarassment to our Great State. Boo, hiss to her!
Great post on scrapbooking (yes, I am an admitted addict!)…and you have two pages of mine in the BC1 scrapbook!
Hugs to you, Heidi and Kye…
Duchess Sandy in GA (yes, I am a TRUE Georgia Peach!)
Hi John
I sure do wish I could be there with Carolyn and Don and you on this July 4th Cruise, but I am just recovering from a bout with none other than the H1N1PIGGYFLU thingy. I wasn’t even on a cruise to Mexico to get it….lol It is thought that I got it from a local theater. Please tell all those people that complained about having their cruise to Mexico relocated or cancelled to be thankful. I can’t speak for others that have had the virus, but I can honestly say that there were a few days that I wasn’t sure I was going to live. It has now been 6 days and I am still not feeling like doing much of anything. I am glad that CCL made the decision to pull out of Mexico during the peak of this nasty virus. It certainly makes for a miserable week…lol
Tell CC and Don hi for me and give my best to Heidi and Kye.
Gloria aka Sue
Hi John…
please reply if you have any info…
I don’t want to bug you… but do you have any info for your schedule for 2010 yet? We were thinking of doing the Carnival Inspiration out of Tampa but we want to hold off and see where you will be in the later months of 2010. (September & October)
We won’t be able to sail with you on the Carnival Dream. She only does 7 day voyages and hubby wants to be able to have a couple days off after our cruise to get his brain back into reality and heading back to work. (Poo on him)
LOVE the onboard stories! LOVE LOVE LOVE the Heidi and Kye updates!
If you do the bedtime story this trip or next, could you give us a video to see how it went?
As of today 74 more days until we set sail! We can’t wait!!
Have a fun week!
Stef aka Hockey Addict aka Stephanie #3???? ;o)
Hi John
You probably don’t remember me, but I the lady who brought you and Heidi “Timmies” from Canada in May 2007 on the Freedom. The reason for my writings is we are going on the Dream for the Transatlantic – (wishing you were our CD) and noticed Melissa Ford and that she is from a small town north of Toronto, we too are from Barrie, small city north of Toronto, and wanted to contact her to see if she was homesick for anything. How might I get her email address or contact info.
Just a mention that we have been on a couple of cruises since then and had a few CD’s – BUT NONE compare to the quality of your compassion and energy. Once you’ve had the best, it’s hard to have any CD worth mentioning! Thanks again John for the great memories.
JOHN,
URGENT! DO NOT REPLY! That’s right, not necessary to reply. I just wanted to be sure that you saw this.
Thank you so much — and to “Bubba” Roberts as well — for answering our question regarding which side of the ship offered the best views in Alaska. Not only did you take the time to ask Chris the question, but he took the time to answer.
You two are just a couple of the reasons that we, and others, keep coming back to Carnival. You truly are family…well, maybe better than family. I’m not sure family members would take the time to actually answer my question!
Thanks again!
Patty and Rich Byrd
John,
As another Georgia gal here, all I can say about dear drunk gal, Bless her heart, its not her fault her Mama didn’t raise her right, a proper southern lady wouldn’t be caught dead acting like a fool. Shame, Shame on her!
John: (Please reply if you feel it appropriate.)
While I enjoy all of your blogs, I especially love reading the ship-board anecdotes!
About the electronic documents: I was nervous about them at first (because I was worried about the durability of paper luggage tags), but we’ve yet to lose even one after three cruises using them. Having said that, I will make a point of using Linda (Mom of DJ)’s idea to reinforce them with packing tape.
Here’s a suggestion: Could you have the tech-types PLEASE make it so you can electronically add in the guest name, cabin number and contact (phone number (perhaps a cell phone #) so I don’t have to do this by hand for all of the tags we use for each cruise? It seems that it should be easy to set it up so that this information is transferred from the on-line check-in system (which has to be completed before electronic documents are provided). It would also have the added benefit of greater security and efficiency, as the information would be much more legible than many of the hand-written tags I’ve seen on others’ bags. Just a thought…
Also, please tell me that you were mistaken that Carnival is now primarily using Pier 21 @ Ft. Lauderdale. While the building is larger than pier 19, the traffic flow is MISERABLE there. On our return from our last cruise, the conflicting orders of various law enforcement personnel caused me to drive around for approximately 20 minutes before I could pick up my family, who were waiting curbside in the sweltering area designated by pierside and law enforcement personnel.
Finally, thanks for the recent updates from Bubba and Heidi.
Best to you, Heidi and Kye,
Rick H.
Dear John,
Names for new ships:
The “BEST” Carnival Vacation
The Carnival Addiction
(I know after our first cruise I was an addict!)LOL
The Carnival Royale
(As in Royal Treatment)
The Carnival DeStressor
The Carnival Chicken of the Seas (LOL!)
The Carnival DeValued Dollar Stretcher
(Naw sounds too French)
The Carnival Life Enhancor
The Carnival Joy Spreader
The Carnival Caribbean Skies
Sorry!
You get the idea
James & Nancy
The Cruzin2some
PLEASE REPLY JOHN:
My girlfriends and I will be on the Carnival Spirit-Sept 15-28, 2009,Vancouver, B.C.-Hawaii. We are reviewing the excursions and one we would very much like to do is the “Pearl Harbor/City and Shopping w/Airport Transfer” on debarkation day-September 28. When looking at the excursion on-line it states we have to buy on board and does not give a price. We are trying to budget and would very much like to know the price so we know how much to bring… Also I was wondering how soon to the cruise do they assign cabins. As of today we still have a “TBA” in the cabin section of our reservation. Do they wait close to the sailing date so if upgrades are possible that is the time they do them. thanks for your time.
~millie
Hi, John!
Please reply.
Thank you very much for your humorous and informative blog. It is always a pleasure to read.
Thanks to you and Boris again for the detailed answer to my question about the coed sauna on the Carnival Dream. Your past guest tally spawned a new pondering, now, which I hope you can answer.
On the Carnival Glory this past May, the past guest party (and captain’s party for that matter) was held in one of the aft lounges on the ship…or I should say, THREE of the aft lounges of the ship. The main lounge was so packed with past guests, you probably couldn’t squeeze one more body through the door with a plunger and a sledgehammer. (The woman who complained about the costumes in “Ticket To Ride” surely would have had a apoplectic fit over the large number of bums pressed tightly against the glass front wall of the lounge!)
Anyway, the crewmembers were very quick-thinking and directed the overflow of guests to the 2 adjacent lounges, but both of these lounges also filled to capacity in a relatively short time. The crew tried hard to keep up with the guests in the overflow lounges, but of course no one in those 2 lounges could see or hear anything going on in the main lounge.
So at the risk of sounding like a big whiner, I just have to ask – why is the past guest reception not held in the main showroom? It seems that venue can accommodate the increasingly growing number of past guests, and also avoid the fire safety issues that arise from overcrowded lounges.
NOT FOR PUBLICATION!
Hi Stephanie/John: A couple of weeks ago, I noted some CruiseCritic members will be on the 11/11 “Spirit”. If at all possible, I’d truly appreciate a “Meet/Greet”. Possibly the late morning of the first “Fun Day at Sea”.
Also, you noted Stuart Dunn will be our CD. If he could have him autograph a photo of the ship with something wishing us “good luck”. I’ll make copies.
My address:
Jim LeQuesne
9810 Reseda #319
Northridge, CA 91324
E-mail: jleq@yahoo.com
Thank you…
Dear John…please reply at your leisure.
I was wondering if Carnival could put webcams on all of their ships. I would think this would give many of us a chance to see some of the places we have yet to be taken to by the “Fun Ship Fleet”. We have sailed on the Fantasy out of New Orleans twice and each time has been in the winter. I doubt we will ever get to go down the Mississippi in the summertime. How cool would it be for everyone to watch as the ship approaches the Verrazano Narrows Bridge or the Tampa Bay Skyway? The cost could be ‘hidden’ in the advertising budget. The bow camera being mounted on a movable pedestal would be nice. Regards to Heidi, Kye and you.
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We were sitting back far enough on the July 4th. Carnival Freedom cruise to see that the Blond on stage was not your ( John’s) fault. We saw you pick the brown headed girl and walk away to pick someone else and the blond staggered down the isle and onto the stage on her own. At that point it wasn’t obvious that the brown headed girl was drunk.