Hello everyone
As I mentioned a few days ago the next couple of blogs are going to be a bit different as I am running around like Usain Bolt with a cattle prod shoved up his bottom. Today was a great day though as Captain Carlo Queirolo took the ship away from the side of the pier and finally, after much hard and passionate work by thousands of men and women…….your Carnival Dream set sail. Onboard are 1,300 crew along with some Fincantieri personnel, Carnival executives and a fat bloke called John.
Today I have been filming all day long for videos that will soon be playing on carnival.com. They will include tours of the ship, the food choices and of course interviews with key personnel ……….as well as some surprises. Right now I am writing this blog……..in my underpants ……. which after three days are due a wash I guess………..and I need to finish in 30 minutes as I have to film in the steakhouse and then some of the activities that we will be trying out on the crew.
You see, not since the crossing of the Carnival Glory have we been able to test all the public areas like this using the crew as passengers. So tonight we will open the dining rooms, the entertainment areas and much more as well as provide some entertainment and fun for the brilliant Carnival Dream crew who deserve such praise for getting the ship ready like this.
So, I wanted to answer some questions quickly and then post some photos and some video for you.
I will write again tomorrow but for now, here are the questions, followed by more amazing photos of your Carnival Dream and then a video from me.
Lets crack on with the questions…………………..here we go
Carolyn Bickel Asked:
Hi John, Please Reply
I hope you are enjoying your time at home with your girls and are getting some much needed relaxation. I have been reading your blog now for several months, and I believe I am addicted to it. I love your honesty and your humor (spelled correctly). You make me laugh. I feel bad for you when I read some of those nasty comments you get, but you sure handle them with class. I believe I have sailed on one or more of Carnivals ships with you as the CD, but I didn’t know who you were at the time. I hope to be able to sail with you again sometime in the future and meet you in person. You are a class act CD that goes above and beyond what is expected of you. I am so impressed by everything you are showing about the Carnival Dream. It will truly be a magnificent ship. The laser show sounds very neat. I look forward to the time when I can sail on her. I enjoyed the review on Steve Cassel. He’s been the CD on a couple of the cruises I’ve taken and he is just a hoot, one of the best. I have been on 10 cruises so far, 8 with Carnival, and I must agree a bit of humor (spelled correctly) in the life boat drill will make it more bearable. Is this something that would be implemented fleet wide or just on the ship that you are the CD? Last year I sailed on Carnival Glory with 5 girlfriends from high school, 4 of them never cruised before and are now addicted. We all turned 50 and decided to celebrate with a cruise. We had a blast. Butch was the CD and he was great. You made a comment today that the Gala Buffet is disbanded. Did this just happen recently, because they had it last year when we cruised on Carnival Glory? I’m sorry to hear this is no longer going on. I so enjoyed seeing the work of art made from food. Sorry this got so long. I must congratulate you and Heidi on your precious daughter. Kye is a beautiful baby and you both are so blessed. It must break your heart when you have to leave both your girls. Enjoy the rest of your time at home and Thank You for being a wonderful ambassador for Carnival. I hope they truly know what a superb employee they have with you. God Bless.John Says:
Hello Carolyn
It always makes me feel very humble when people say that they are addicted to the blog and I hope that when you read my musings that it gives you some great information as well as some smiles. I thank you also for taking the time to write and praise Steve Cassel who is indeed “a hoot” and I hope that one day we will get to sail together as well. Now, I am going to try and inject a touch of humor into the drill and if it works or should I say should it be accepted by the guests and the ships command then I will indeed be suggesting to my fellow cruise directors that they do the same. Let’s see how it goes.We did indeed cancel the Gala Buffett from our program across the fleet and replaced it with something called “late night bites” which are served on the Promenade Deck.
Thanks so very much for all the kind words and I send my best wishes to you and the family.
JohnJuan & Maria Santana Asked:
John, pls. reply…
Hi John, Heidi & Kye!
On Thurs. afternoon we were in the Carnival Office in the Doral area of Miami to personally deliver the last of 4 certificates purchased onboard (that reminds us that we need to purchase more during our Nov. 21 Freedom cruise), & as we walked in the reception area, we saw your image on the big screen on the wall behind the 2 security guard ladies….It was as if we were already coming onboard and you were welcoming us!Since we already know that Wee Jimmy will be our CD on that cruise, we were waiting to see him featured on your blog…. several wks. Ago you when you replied to one of our messages, you mentioned that “in a moment you were going to tell us more about him”… weeks have gone by and we haven’t seen it yet. We know that Carnival has lots of CD’s and that you will be featuring them all on your blog, but could you pls. don’t leave him for last…. Nov. 21 will be here soon….
Also, we would like to know if the Carnival Executives still studying the possibility of crediting the 12+days cruises as 2 instead of one….. That certainly will be great. Thank you for once again listening to our request.
About the recipe for the warm chocolate melting cake…. how many times have our cruise bloggers requested the recipe and you readily complied? Don’t take me wrong…. we truly believe that Carnival Lido buffets have the very best selection of desserts…. it is amazing! In fact, we personally favor their selection over the formal dining room selection… I believe we are not the only ones…. I bet you heard that before!
We wish a pleasant trip on the ferry to Holland and a wonderful time with Heidi’s relatives. As always, her picture with Kye this week is great.
The Santanas of Miami BeachJohn Says:
Hello Juan and Maria
I certainly have spoken to the Carnival Executives about the 12 plus and let’s see what happens. Once I have returned from your Carnival Dream I will promise to post Wee Jimmy’s bio which will be a wonderful appetizer to meeting the man himself. Thanks for all the kind words and once again it was wonderful sailing with you recently and I hope we do so again together soon.
Best wishes to you both
JohnCanuck Cruiser Asked:
Good day John,
(Please Reply- when you have time….no hurry)
Great blog. Thanks for showing the aft of the CARNIVAL DREAM. I saw our cabin and can’t wait to be sailing and enjoying the views.Question, …………….Now that you have your schedule for 2010 and you mentioned that Heidi and Kye might be travelling with you……..any chance they’ll be with you on your leg with the CARNIVAL DREAM? It’s great that we will be able to sail with you and it would be a real bonus to hit the jackpot and sail with ALL of you. I guarantee that both Heidi and Kye will be spoiled rotten!
Enjoy the ferry ride to see the in-laws.
PS……thanks for the information on the TIKI HUT.
We were looking for something to do in St. Martin and it sounds perfect!!! Snorkeling and chillin in the sun. My kind of day.
All the best from Canada.
B&DJohn Says:
Hello B and D
There are certainly plans in the works for the girls to sail with me on the Carnival Dream in March. By then I think both Heidi and I will be comfortable in Kye being able to fly by then provided our friend H1N1 doesn’t rear its ugly piggy head again. I am glad you found the information on the Tiki hut useful and it would be great if we could all sail together.Best wishes to you both and thanks for the kind words
JohnMaribeth Kring Asked:
Dear John, Please Reply
Hi. I was thrilled to see that part of your schedule included the Carnival Conquest! Then crushed to learn that you get on the week after my daughter’s spring break and get off before summer break.With the economy being what it is, it’s looking like I may not be able to go on the BC with you and my cousin Big Ed and would soooo love to cruise with you!
Please, please, please can you get them to shift the transfer from the Dream to the Conquest one week earlier? Pretty please?
Big Ed and Pat, if he can do it, come with us!!!! Haven’t seen you in over 8 years!
MaribethJohn Says:
Hello Maribeth
As I mentioned my 2010 schedule is certainly not set in stone and maybe the dates may change here and there. However, the problem is that if I stay one extra week somewhere it affects the schedule of the CD taking over that ship and the CD on the ship that I am scheduled to be on next. But let me see what we can do and I will let you know. I truly hope that you can see some light at the end of the economic tunnel and that I will see you with Big Ed and the gang on the Bloggers Cruise in December.
Best wishes
JohnLisa Asked:
John, Please Respond-
I am reminding you 2 weeks before our cruise. We will be sailing on 9/20 on the Carnival Sensation. This cruise will be our first cruise, a celebration of our 25th anniversary, but more importantly a reward for my husband who is battling colon cancer for over 2 years. I am so happy that you offered to send him an acknowledgement of his fight (both the cancer and being married 25 years! ha).You had previously offered to arrange a table for 2 for us in celebration of our anniversary. However, I will pass on that very kind offer (I’m sure Ruth and Al are shocked!). We will be traveling with my parents and look forward to eating with them and other people. Meeting dinner companions is something we have looked forward too! However, if possible, I would like to request a table in the dining room (not a booth) as that is much easier for my husband to maneuver.
There has been a lot of talk about people asking you for favors and I think you do very well at answering and knowing which favors to grant. The majority of the people who want/need something are asking in order to make something special for someone else. My husband and I realize that because of his illness this will probably be our first and last cruise together. I want to make it as special as possible! So thank you very much for anything you do. People do appreciate the work you do. I think you can tell that in many ways, especially every time you open the mail and beautiful Kye’s wardrobe is expanded by one of your faithful readers!
I read your blog every night and often read parts of it to my husband. We’re both very excited for our cruise and love your sense of humor. I keep a blog dealing with his illness and try to inject humor in it, but the subject isn’t nearly as funny as yours. I think I’ll try writing in my underpants and see if that helps!
Thank you again for helping to make our cruise as special as it can be!
John Says:
Lisa
I am so glad that I saw this request today and that gives me a chance to contact the ship and ask them for a table as you mentioned rather than a booth. I am pretty certain that all the booths were taken out of the dining room during her upgrade but just to make sure I will contact the vessel for you. I always try to help as many people as I can and I know that this recently upset some people on Cruise Critic but reading postings like yours I hope makes it easier for them to understand why I do it.I do hope that you have a wonderful time and I wish your husband many, many years of health and happiness and that this first cruise will be the first of many……….that you share together.
Best wishes to you both
JohnJim G Asked:
PLEASE REPLY
Hello John,
As always a great picture of your girls. Thank you for sharing your family with us every week.We are leaving on our 24th Carnival Cruise in just under 2 weeks. It will be on the Carnival Inspiration. We have met up with a head waiter that we first had on the Carnival Triumph back in March of 2004 on the Carnival Inspiration several times… Guess who our CD was on that one. Our second cruise in a row with you as our CD. What a wonderful trip with many great memories! We are wondering if Kman (as he says it) is still a head waiter on the Carnival Inspiration and if so would it be possible to be seated at one of his tables. We are a group of 8 leaving on September 17th.
Thank you for all you do.
Jim & PatJohn Says:
Hello Jim and Pat
Well, I was in time for the comment above but not for yours as you joined the ship today. I will send the information to the ship anyway in the hope that the headwaiter you mentioned is onboard. Please except my apologies for the late reply and I hope you had a great time and hopefully one day we will cruise together once again.
Best wishes
JohnMichelle Asked:
John (please reply)
I am really enjoying your blog. Keep up the great job! We will be boarding the Inspiration once again on 9/26/09 and can’t wait! We have convinced some friends who have never cruised to join us and can’t wait to introduce them to Carnival!I was reading a post on cruise critic about a cruise on the inspiration. It said that the sprinklers were not turned on every day. When they asked the slide attendant they were told that the engine room decides whether to turn them on or not. Is this common for them not to be turned on every day? I am also wondering who our CD will be. Thank you for taking time to answer my questions.
Michelle FouchJohn Says:
Hello Michelle
The cruise director will be Skippy who is little pocket of Australian fun. Make sure you say G’dday to him when you see him. The sprinklers are turned on the majority of the time unless there are reasons not to such as environmental ones. I checked with the ship and they are working just fine and will provide you with lots of fun. Thank you for persuading your friends to cruise with you and I know that together you will have a brilliant cruise vacation.
Best wishes
JohnKathy M. Asked:
Hi to my favorite blogger!!!
Please reply,
John, this is the cutest picture yet of Kye, I just love her smile, it really makes her eyes sparkle. You can see that she loves her daddy and I bet her daddy makes her laugh and smile a lot.I have to say something about smoking, although I have never smoked in my life, I do not feel that I should push my opinions on others that do smoke. We are all adults and we should act like them when it comes to this. If a person has made the decision to smoke, it is not my right to tell them that they cannot smoke. That passenger who was so rude to you is the type of person that thinks that they are better than anyone else. I am glad that I was not there, I would have told her off because those kinds of people just infuriate me.
I was so hoping that you could do a West Coast sailing this year, but I guess not. I just cannot understand why you have never been to the West Coast, but then to we are the kind of forgotten side of the United States. I know now I will not get my hopes us that the bloggers cruise will be on the West Coast either; it will probably be out of Galveston or as usual somewhere on the East Coast. I just don’t think it is fair to all of your fans on the West Coast that you cannot do a cruise out here. It seems like the East Coast or Europe has dibs on you first. I guess you can tell this was not good news for me, I was even going to change my booking on the Splendor so I could at least do one cruise with you, but I guess it will just meant to be.
I just looked at this year’s CD schedule and Goose has been on the Splendor over 6 months straight, why can’t they let you have at least 6 weeks so he can take a vacation, that way you can be on the Splendor and he will get a break. Just a thought.
Do you know when you will be posting the full 2010 CD schedule.
Please give my love to Heidi and your beautiful Rosebud (she is blooming into a beautiful perfect Rose) Kye.
Best Wishes from your Bloggy Thinggy #1 Fan
Kathy M.BTW, John this is the only blog that I read, I really had no clue until I read yours for the first time what a blog was.
John Says:
Hello Kathy
Thanks so much for all those kind words about Kye and her stunning smile which like my Range Rover could melt an iceberg. I am sure that you just read the news that the Carnival Elation and that you are a disappointed. I do feel guilty that I have never been a CD on the West Coast and I promise that there is no conspiracy theory about this……it’s just that I have never been scheduled there. However, I am going to look at the schedule for the end of 2010 again and see what I can do about this and try at least to come out for a few weeks. The 2010 cruise director schedule should be completed soon and as soon as it is I will post it here on the blog thingy. Let’s see what happens and hopefully I will be able to welcome you onboard a west coast ship one day next year.
Thanks for all those lovely kind words.
Best wishes to you and the family
JohnJspirit Asked:
Stefanie- John please reply:
Your ladies are beautiful, John! Love to see how Kye is blossoming!Question about the Carnival Dream cruise with you on Feb. 27: In St. Thomas, we have never yet gone to Trunk Bay. It is supposed to be so beautiful! If we book the excursion through Carnival, do we board the ferry right at our ship and go directly there? Hoping to avoid a taxi and traffic on the roads.
Also- just a sugar-free question… any chance they can make the chocolate melting cake with Splenda instead of sugar? Have you discovered any new treats with Splenda?
Hope you are well!
Thanks!John Says:
Hello Jspirit
Thanks again for the kind words about Heidi and I will post more photos of Kye very soon. Trunk Bay is a national park and a must see if you are a lover of stunning beaches and sensational snorkeling. All the excursions that call there include transportation where private boats will collect you from the pier and return you back to the ship. The Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkel Tour is our most popular and one I would highly recommend.
It’s so funny that you should mention making the Chocolate Melting Cake with Splenda as I was talking about this with our head chef yesterday. He is going to try this for me tonight and I will let you know if it is successful and how it tastes in a blog later this week. If it tastes great I will then ask the company if we can do this fleetwide. The new mango sugar free cake is delicious and that is now a fleetwide option for lunch and is on one of the dinner menus as well.Let me know if you have any further questions about the tours to Trunk Bay.
Best wishes
JohnLinda Hartwick Asked:
Dear John, Please reply, I just got off the holiday I cruised three times all in a row. I had to plead and beg just to try and get an upgrade on the ship. Yet I do not understand why do people get an upgrade that has only cruised a few times or have cruised less than me. It will be 25 cruises by the end of the year that I will have cruised with Carnival this year. Who decides who gets an upgrade before the ship sails and there a few cabins available? But I must tell you I had a blast on the Holiday, all the staff were great!!….thanks LindaJohn Says:
Hello Linda
I am so happy to read that you had such a fantastic time on your Holiday cruises. The “who gets the upgrade call” is a question that is often asked. The simple answer is that if we have upgrades available week of sailing after the Carnival team works the sailings to sell them to existing bookings, we start looking at the platinum (people who have cruised 10 times or more) and offer them upgrades. Now these calls are rare because we do sail for the most part at 100% occupancy which means we sail mostly having sold every cabin fleetwide. However, there are still those rare times when someone will call offering you the chance to upgrade. I am however sending this post to someone at vice president level as you have taken 25 cruises in one year and if anyone deserves an upgrade it’s you.Please would you let me know if someone gives you a call.
Thanks for your loyalty and of course thanks for mentioning the great crew of the Carnival Holiday.
Best wishes
John
That’s all for today and I will answer more tomorrow. Now, we once again look at your Carnival Dream through the lens of Radu.
Amazing……………and now here I am.
I know I am supposed to post a photo of Kye today but I will have to do that over the weekend. I know I don’t usually write on a Saturday but stop by tomorrow for another video, more questions, more photos and lots of fun. Wish you were here……..so you could see my underpants
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-PLEASE REPLY
Hi John hope you are liking the carnival dream! I just wanted to know my son loves laser tag and can you tell me what ships have the arena?
Hi John,
I think an excellent left coast cruise to you to do would be the April 11, 2010 Carnival Spirit to Hawaii one.
That’s the one we’ll be on!
Cheers!
bill
Wonderful blog, especially the video. I am so excited, I can’t wait for our DREAM to come true! John, you look great! You have lost quite a bit of weight, OMG, I almost didn’t recognize you! Can’t wait to see pictures of Heidi and KYE this weekend, and of cause MORE video’s – my grandson Jacob is excited to see the water park on video. You mentioned bringing Heidi and Kye on board in March, will they stay awhile? Would love it IF you were still on the ship the end of May, but I know you probably have your schedule elsewhere for that time slot, I sure wish it would change, so we could spend an entire week with you all! Ciao, Linda & Mike
John:
How exciting to see Captain Scala. Having sailed with him many times….he is a delight….(and the Captain that knocked Captain Volpi from Number One to Number Two) LOL Both are treasures!
So great to see everyone onboard this realization of a “Dream”.
Have a great time John…. (and don’t forget to film cabin 11223)……
AND A BIG THANKS TO PETER for doing all this filming !!!!
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
Hi John,
That looks a lot like Captain Pier Scala in the first two pictures. What is he up to these days?
bill
John, I can just see it now. I go to the smoking area of the casino and the poker table is full. But what about those 3 non-smokers sitting at the table with their friends. I say can I PLEASE have that smokers seat. NO! I’m playing here with my spouse. So I go a find a table in the non-smoking area and after a time I want a smoke so I ask the dealer to save the seat I will be back. On the way outside I grab a drink at the bar and step outside to have my smoke then say that SPA looks nice so I take of my shirt and tongs and jump in. Then I jump out go back inside to the casino all wet and return to my seat at the table dripping wet. Do I have that right?
Will non-smokers be asked to leave a table or a slot machine in the smoking area to make room for a smoker????? I bet not.
BIG ED
I love it… that’s it… I love it…
Sigh…
Ciao…
Host Mach
Dear John and the men with beards,
We here on the Left Coast still have three (3) truly wonderful ships and if you can have the Carnival Paradise do the five day Cabo runs too, that would take some of the sting away from loosing our Carnival Elation.
You probably read all of the comments about the NON_SMOKING CASINO WOOHOO! as you showed everyone what they can expect there. I and many others are very happy about this, but there seems to be a war drewing. I hope I get the chance to take the whole family on this beautiful ship as watching it come together has got me hooked and I haven’t even set foot on her YET!
I hope the back is doing better but after watching the video it looked like the groin is going to need a jacuzzi. OUCH!!!
I hope everthing goes smooth and the lucky few who are first to sail on her know how envious I am.
All the Best!
The Cruzin2some
James & Nancy
amazing ship, can’t wait to see it! one question, you mentioned the poker table in the smoking area, is there also one in the non-smoking area?
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
John I love the videos. Keep them coming. The more you show about the Carnival Dream the more I can’t wait until the day that MaryLou and I board this fantastic ship. The day that I went into see Nancy to arrange for another cruise I immediately asked fro the cruises on the Carnival Dream. I now know that it was the best decision I’ve ever done. I thought that the Carnival Freedom was the best ship and it is a great ship, but the Carnival Dream, ooh laa. Being with my friends Bee and Charlie ,Ken as my Maitre’d and having you John as the Cruise director it will make
my cruise just the best in the world. Can’t wait John.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
Something tells me all those folks mingling around did not use their S&S cards for those drinks in their hands…
Thanks for the updates John… MUCH appreciated!
Tom
John,
Love the video and am looking forward to seeing more videos!!!
Counting the days until I set sail in October and January on the Dream!!!
Melissa
John,
In your under pants.. No thank you please spare us that vision. We wish we could join you on the bloggers cruise out of Port C. But our table is full the rest of this year. Carnivals Dream looks like a Dream.
Thank you for sharing hwer with is.
Tim and Diane
John, please reply
I know you are heading to the Carnival Legend in a few weeks. I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I seem to have misplaced a few hundred dollars aboard. I last saw it at the craps table. Please let me know if you are able to track it down.
But on a more serious note, I really enjoyed my week aboard the Carnival Legend a few weeks ago (departed 8/30). This was my 6th Carnival cruise and 2nd aboard the Carnival Legend. I will have to say, out of my 6 cruises, our room steward Abdullah was the best we have had. I had never really noticed before, but he did all the “little” things that make a huge difference. In the past, I’ve never really noticed the stewards for better or worse, but Abdullah definitely fell under the “for better” column. I included him on my comment card, but I felt the need to recognize him again!
Now, a suggestion. This isn’t really Carnivals fault, but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the issue. Our group was a few young couples (25-30) who have cruised anywhere from 0 to 10 times previously. We always request late dining, which we received on this cruise. We absolutely love the dining experience that Carnival offers. For the first time on my 6 cruises, our table was situated next to a group with a few very young children. Now, this in itself isn’t a bad thing. However, the parents did not seem to know how to control their children. The ran around, yelled, cried, and generally disrupted the meal for all those around them. Our waiter team did a good job serving us, but the dinners were nowhere near the usual experience due to this disruption. What would you think of suggesting somewhere that the late seating be for children of a certain age? Or finding a way to recommend any families with late seating utilize Camp Carnival (which I’ve heard great things about) . Maybe I’m in the minority, but I feel like the late seating especially should be reserved for a more formal atmosphere.
P.S. Most of our group had the pleasure of cruising with you aboard the Carnival Legend in 2005. To this day, that cruise is still my favorite cruise. I really appreciate the time you dedicate to this blog. It helps me get through the year as I wait for our 1 annual cruise. My favorite part (I am semi-ashamed to admit) is when you display the absolutely crazy dumb things that a few passengers complain about. I really hope I don’t fall into that category!
John – Please reply
Great blog – I can now see the videos and you are great, as always.
We just got off the Liberty after a wonderful week. I now can speak with authority about how wonderful the medical staff are as they treated me for Atrial Fibrillation as well as could be done.
I wanted this cruise as you had recommended going to the Grand Turks. My wife was anxious to get around and took a discovery, shopping and beach tour for 2 1/2 hours. It cost $59 and was a joke – there is nothing to see there, shopping was a couple of tents, and the beach was walkable from the pier. The cost should have been $19-29 at the most, and we have taken Carnival shore excursions all over the world, and know what they should cost. This tour was not worth half the money it costs.
I have written a letter to Carnival expressing my views, but I also have an idea for you. Couln’t Carnival come up with a “consumer satisfaction rating form” — a little 3 question form that could give a score for peoople to evaluate a n excursion before they spend so much money on them? Just an idea, but I think – I know – I would appreciate it. What do you think?
Our best to beautiful Heidi and Kye. – Mark and Mary
John what an awesome ship. We can’t wait! We live 15 minutes from Port Canaveral if you need a helper for the week let me know!!!!! So are we going to get to ee you go down the water slide now?
Big fans as allways,
Frank and Bridie
Ok, let me see if I’ve got this straight…..we can smoke in that small area of the casino only if we PAY (by way of gaming) to do so?? Haven’t had that rule imposed on me since I worked in casinos. That is just wrong! What if I am waiting for a seat at the table or a machine? What is wrong with standing in a smoking area and smoking?
Also, a question about the “poker” table you mentioned. Is it REAL poker or something like Let it Ride or Caribbean Stud poker? I know Big Ed is hoping for Let it Ride….I’m a poker dealer by trade so I’m hoping for the REAL poker as once I start I stay for several hours. (Even though it’s not really real without live dealers) Will there be both Poker and Let it Ride????
All of Linda’s comments yesterday should be closely read by the the decision makers of Carnival….she really makes sense.
B.E.L.C.
Maribeth
My excitement builds with each new photo and video. We sail on the 2/27/10 and the days can’t go fast enough. “My” Dream looks wonderful and I won’t want to “wake up” when I step on her. I myself will have no problems with the non-smoking but my husband I’m sure will have issues with it.
If there is a brig for offenders on board, I think he will be the first one in it. I have to start preparing him now.
Keep the pictures and videos coming. We are so excited to have you as our cruise director again. We sailed with you on the Freedom when you were visited by Mr. Palsy. We didn’t get to see the bedtime story since you didn’t do it. I hope we get the opportunity to see it this trip.
John Please Respond,
John can you tell us if the Dreams cabin doors are metal like the rest of the fleet? We like to do Door decorations. When we went on the Miracle in April we did decorations with magnets and they worked great.
Thank,
Big fans as always,
Frank and Bridie
I was excited about the Dream but now I’m ecstatic…Thanks for all the updates, John!
I am so happy to hear about a non smoking casino.
I hope soon it is all of the ships.
I know my husband and I will spend a lot more time in the casino’s if they are non smoking.
Dear John,
You crack me up! I watched the video with hubby, and we both laughed over the slap-stick comedy when you first walked outside. (Sorry! I’m glad you weren’t hurt, but the comment you made after you tripped cracked me up!)
The Carnival Dream looks AMAZING! I can’t wait for more! I really, really, hope the casino is still mostly smoke-free when we sail in May.
Speaking of smoke-free, please, if you get a chance, can you show us the spa cabins too? I’d love to see my future “home.”
Thank you,
Laura
Wow for someone who hopes to work in the industry, I have no idea who the people are? (Kinda depressing!)
John,
I am so excited to go on the Dream in Jan wish you were going to be there! I booked her the day she went for sale! In April I got to see her being built in Malcafone Italy we flew into Milan so I could see her! My husband is from
Croatia and we stopped by for a few photos! I might have the capt sign it or does that sound silly! More updates on the waterslide please!
Lexi
Dear John..please reply
Do you have any idea when the 2010 CD schedule will be out? Looking to plan another family vacation and both my kids want to pick a ship based on the CD..namely you! You have won the hearts of the young ones too. Thanks….
Wow – can’t wait to see more of this beautiful ship! January can’t get here soon enough. Sounds like a couple of people need to “quit whining” about not being able to smoke in the casino and get over it………
John: Please Reply
My wife and I will be on the Carnival Dream for her Oct 3rd sailing from Rome (Room 7455). This will be cruise number 20 with carnival…Double Platinum! Could you do us a favor and see if you can secure a table for two on the lower level of the dining room, somewhere in the middle if possible? Normally we go through the process of seeing the Maître d’, but if you can do this for us ahead of time it will so appreciated. Now my question; I noticed on my last cruise that Carnival allowed free use of the internet on my own laptop to view Carnival’s web site, do you know if they can or will do the same to have access to your blog? I don’t know if I can go 12 days without reading it! Oh, one last thing, I posted a question concerning the newly designed Sign and Sail cards, I know you are a little busy right now but I was still wondering whether the new designed cards will be in use on the Dream?
The No Smoking news about the casino is FANTASTIC!
Thanks
Hi John (Please respond)
When can we expect the Carnival Elation to finish getting the Evolutions of Fun upgrade? She is missing the Waterworks, connecting cabins, Resort style pool and “hopefully” 98 balconies. I know the ship got some upgrades this past March, Serenity, Circle C, WiFi, Wok.
It seemed both the West Coast ships got skipped over for the Waterworks as the Carnival Paradise also did not get it though it went through refurb in Dec 2008. This was after the Carnival Fantasy, Imagination and the Inspiration received the full makeover.
My kids loved the Waterworks on the Carnival Fantasy as I am sure there are others out there. At least the shipyard is right across from the ship when it comes time to do the installation.
Dave
(Please respond)
Oh Boy! John
I would Love to work for Carnival like you do.
Dream looks FANTASTIC! Will you be on her when she comes to our home of New York?
I know how rewarding it is to make people smile after a job well done,after 25 years of satifying people for Xerox corp and the not so rich and famous of the Hamptons in the heating and air conditioning biz,The Dream is a Job well done and surely will put smiles on peoples faces when they sail on her.
Jeanne and I are Loyal Carnival fans,we look forward to sailing on Dream soon and thank you for the seek peak.
Regards
Ray and Jeanne
CARNIVAL DREAM WEBCAM
Just click on this link to go to the Carnival Dream webcam.
http://ekonefe.wordpress.com/
BIG ED
Hi John,
Thank you for all your great updates on the new Carnival Dream. Can’t wait to go on her first B2B American cruises from NYC in Nov. What a beautiful ship! We appreciate all your hard work. Hope you will be our CD on one of our future cruises as we missed you on all the many cruises we have had….but looking so forward to meeting you on the Nov. 13th cruise briefly.
Was more than disappointed when the Blogger’s cruise was cancelled as this was our one big chance to meet you. But understand this happens.
Take care and see you soon. Enjoy the Dream!
Cheers!
Hi John,
Love, love the video blog.
The ship is simply dreamy!
MaryC
Please reply
This was the blog written on Friday. There are no pictures of Kye.
Please post them as soon as you get back to England!!!
elizabeth
Woohoo, the casino will be smoke free! I love the video and the ship and can’t wait to sail.
Hi John,
I just watched your video from the Carnival Dream casino about the smoking area. Seems like we smokers are to be herded into a very small area and put on display to the enjoyment of non smokers. We enjoy the time we spend in the casino, as does the Oceans Players Club staff, adding to their bottom line.
This seems to be just the tip of the iceberg, concerning smoking privilages, and appears only to become more restrictive in the future. I have been smoking longer than I have been cruising and when push comes to shove, I, as a Platinum guest, know which one I will forego.
Thanks for your time and effort with the blog.
Chris
John,
Wow! Carnival sure did stir up a controversy about the mostly non-smoking casino on the Dream. Guess it’s time for me to weigh in. I am a non-smoker, but have always exercised tolerance toward smokers. It sounds to me like Carnival has thought this out, and is making reasonable accommodations for smoking gamblers. When the furor dies down, I’m sure they will come around. I certainly wouldn’t let that ruin my cruise.
More importantly though, I’m loving the Carnival Dream videos. The anticipation and wait til Oct.27 is getting very difficult to handle. Can hardly wait til today’s installment. Oh, & my Kye update too!
Joyce
Hi John,
Great ship! Will there be a desk selling the Future Vacation Certificates on the Carnival Dream? I hope so! When you’re filming the cabins don’t forget the deck 7 aft wraps especially 7454.
Thanks!
George and Linda
Dear John,
We were just on a cruise with you on board the Freedom. Thank you for signing my daughter’s cast, it made her feel special. The last cruise you did before you headed home. We really had a wonderful time.
We just saw the video of some parts of the Dream. The ship looks fabulous.
Hope to be sailing with Carnival soon.
Yours in Crusing,
David Brumberg and Family
We are so thrilled about the nonsmoking policy in many more areas of the Carnival Dream. Thank you for taking us nonsmokers into account.
Hi John,
Thanks so much for the updates and videos of the Dream. We are really excited to step on board in a short 75 days. It’s so nice to finally in double digits!
She is truly a beautiful ship and Diane and I so honored to be celebrating our honeymoon on her when she makes her first sailing out of Port Canaveral in December!!
Who christened her?
Thanks and looking forward to more videos and blogs.
David
My next cruise is on the Carnival Spirit and it is right around the corner now. We board when Bubba leaves
10/10 .. Thanks again for the great tour around the beautiful Dream
john,
ABOUT SMOKING.I do smoke and try to make
sure that my smoke does’t bother others.BUT i am
tired of being treated like a second class citizen. i
was sorry to hear about the casinos new policy. i
BET that people who smoke gamble more and longer than people who don’t smoke !!!! maybe
that should be surveyed.the casino is one of our
favorite passtimes.i smoke, my husband doesn’t.so i know both sides. looking forward to our cruise on oct. 31, 2009.
penny,
Hi John!
Congrats on setting sail. Loved the pictures/videos.
Its so exciting.
I really enjoyed the Ace of Cakes episode with the Carnival Pride.
Hope you had a great weekend.
Good luck and keep in touch!
David
John- So excited about the Dream can hardly stand the wait! Jan 9! Also excited about the Elation just 3 hours away from Panama City! Wish it would get the waterworks though. How is the mini golf on the Dream and what about the Cove balcony’s? Just paid off the Dream today!
John- I too am now a blog fanatic! I also have become a webcam addict! The pictures and video are fantastic. I feel like I am there! We sail Jan 9! Hubby want’s to know where he can smoke besides our balcony. What about the pool and hot tub area?
John -
We sailed on the Liberty Sept 3-17 2006 with you as our CD. We have such terrific memories of that trip, especially the entry into Venice – it was truly an awesome experience and you were instrumental in making it so. Carnival is very, very, very lucky to have you- you are the best!!!!!
We are now looking forward (and counting the days) to our Dec 3 cruise on the Dream.
John you are by far the funniest cruise director I have ever seen, and Carnival has the best pizza crust. My question is this, How does Carnival make their pizza crust? We were on the Imagination last month and the pizza guy told us the ingredients, but it was very late and I’m not sure if it’s correct. Could you please get the receipt for me?
Also we are bring a small group to sail on the Valor October 31 and we are hoping you will be our cruise director. The last time we saw you was on the first voyage of the Liberty which as you know left out of Rome, Italy.
I have a question for you? I have never seen your blog but after seeing you on youtube, I went to your blog and had a great laugh from viewing your videos. I was wondering how you were able to go aboard the Carnival Dream before it was open to the public. I like the work you do and want to know how you got into this profession. I like everything about your job and the Carnival Fleet… Thanks and hope for a response