I once dreamt of turning this blog thingy into a TV show. I even met with an “agent” from California who promised much and delivered bugger all. I know they were wild dreams, wilder in fact than the ones I have about me, a bucket full of baby oil, and Megan Fox’s bottom but I truly felt that a sitcom based on a modern day cruise ship would have made for great TV. Maybe it could have been up there with the great TV shows of our time. Brideshead Revisited, The Sopranos, The West Wing, Friends, Seinfeld and Baywatch………..yes Baywatch.
And now we can watch the extraordinary and fascinating story of running down some beaches in swimwear over the full 90 minutes of widescreen Dolby thingy……….as they are now making Baywatch……..the bloody movie. I am sure the scriptwriters have hundreds of ideas for lifeguard-based plot-twists literally coming out of their arses.
But, should they, for inexplicable reasons, occasionally run short of reasons to get the entire cast repeatedly to jump into the sea, come out, and then jump back in again, might I suggest that they establish, very early on in the story, that all the female lifeguards had rumpy pumpy with David Letterman.
I wonder if Bill Clinton (who he once called the Commander in Briefs) and countless other victims of Letterman’s rumpy pumpy watched with some sort of satisfaction in Dave admittedly “creepy” behavior.
While they may have been gloating and while others may have been shocked, I watched when he told his audience that he had “sex with women who work for me “………….and his audience applauded…………they applauded and laughed and…………. then applauded again.
I have often as I said dreamt of having my own TV show and maybe what I have to do to get one is to be like Dave. So at the end of the cruise I will stand before the guests at the debarkation talk and admit that I had rumpy pumpy with all the dancers, the entire Spa department and that I was having rumpy pumpy on the bridge last Cozumel…….. And it was while it was happening my arse accidentally hit the thrusters causing the Carnival Legend to touch (inappropriately) the Enchantment of the Seas…..maybe if I admit to this and more………….I will get my TV show.
Uncle Doug Asked:
John, please reply.Our group cruise on the 10/15/2009 sailing on the Holiday will be here very soon. (About 3 weeks by the time you see this) This is the booking that grew out of our Fun for All Sunday. Judy Osgood a rookie cruiser and our now official group leader came to our cruise party and before long was calling with questions and putting together this group cruise. Of course being a rookie she used an online TA instead of going through the Carnival group department. Rookie mistake but not bad for the first time. She sent this early seating dinner seating request to the TA who “promised” her it would be taken care of. Of course the TA added that if not it could be taken care of after boarding. I know that works for seating’s of 2, 4 and maybe 8 but would be a nightmare for 32. So I told her I knew a guy that had all the right connections on Carnival ships that could make it happen. If it is not too much of a problem could you pass this on to the Maitre di on the Holiday. I will copy and paste Judy’s seating request so I hope it display’s ok. All are for early seating in the same dining room. The booking numbers are noted.
Judy has kept this group pumped and ready to go. Even with a 7 hour drive to Mobile from east Texas she kept them all together setting up roommates and car pools. If you have anything left in your bag of treats could you maybe do something for Judy Osgood cabin M122.
Thanks,
Uncle DougJohn Says:
Hello Uncle Doug
I am glad that I saw this posting in time and I will now forward your request to the Maitre D on the Holiday. I will kindly ask that he seat the people together as requested and try and keep the group in the same area of the dining room. We will certainly do our best for you. I wish you all a brilliant cruise.
Best wishes
JohnBrady Steele Asked:
John,
My wife and I are sailing on our sixth cruise on the Elation out of Mobile 10/2010. I was wondering if you knew when the 2010 CD schedule was going to be out. We took a trip on the holiday and had a great CD that always said “Hee Ha Ha” and for the life of me I cannot remember his name.John Says:
Hello Brady
It fills me with sadness to have to tell you that the Cruise Director you are referring to is the late and very great Dave Armor who passed away a few years ago. He was a character, someone who truly had a joke for every occasion. We miss him very much.The 2010 schedule will be published very soon here on the blog thingy and I hope whoever your CD is he or she will give you as many wonderful memories as Dave did for you…………and so many others.
Best wishes
JohnLizabeth Brasells Asked:
Dear John (please reply),
My daughter, her best friend and I will be sailing Oct. 3 on the new Carnival Dream. At this point there are no words to express our anticipation! Ali, my daughter, just graduated this past May with high honors from high school. She has been home schooled her entire life and her dream has been to go to Italy for several years. She has worked hard in school and a side job and has saved and purchased cruise tickets for herself, her best friend, Lily, and her mom – mein order to live out her dream on the Dream. I wondered if you could ask the Captain if he would leave her a small note of congratulations on her school accomplishments one day during our voyage on the Dream. I know she would be thrilled!
Thanks, John!
LizabethJohn Says:
Hello Lizabeth
So yesterday you bordered your Carnival Dream and by now am sure you are in awe of this incomparable vessel. I have asked the ship to do as you requested.
Have a fantastic time
Best wishes to you all
JohnRick and Maureen D. Asked:
Hi John Please reply,We are going to sail with you on the Dream Nov. 15th and can’t wait! We want to get some information about the Glory. My daughter is engaged and wants to get married on the ship in N.Y. Deidre and her future husband Ken would like to look at the ship before she gives me the final ok. How can we do that? I am a TA and I did get to do a ship inspection of the Miracle two years ago. Does each ship have a wedding planner? Any information would be a great help. Thank you in advance
John Says:
Hello Rick and Maureen
I am sure you are very excited about your Carnival Dream cruise which will be here very soon. While under the current security regulations it is very hard to get visitors onboard a ship I know that our wedding coordinator in Miami will be able to provide you with all the information you need and help make this a very special day for your daughter and future son in law. I am going to have someone e mail you as soon as possible and start helping with the planning etc. Please also let me know if I can be of any help.
My best wishes to you and all the family
JohnBrian Asked:
PLEASE REPLY!!Love the video blogs of the new Carnival Dream!! What a magnificent ship it is. Keep them coming. I’ll keep this short since we all know you are a very busy man these days.
Would fist like to thank you for the information on the Elegant Night you gave to me and I was able (on my own but thank you for the offer to help) to change the night in the Sun King Steakhouse to a different night so we could enjoy both.
Now for my question; we are flying in on the day of the cruise with the flight landing at 1:38 pm at Fort Lauderdale with the Carnival Freedom leaving at 4:00 pm. Understanding this is cutting it a little close, which is more reliable to help “guarantee” us to get to the boat on time, especially if our plane would be running a little late: taking a taxi or the Carnival shuttle?
Thanks in advance for your reply and best wishes to you and your family.
John Says:
Hello Brian
I am glad you have been enjoying the videos and there will be more from the Carnival Legend soon and then lots of your Carnival Dream video footage from the events in New York.With regard to the transportation from Fort Lauderdale airport to the vessel, I would just take the shuttle providing your flight is on time. Embarkation continues right up until 4:00pm so I do not think you will have any concerns.
Have a brilliant cruise and I hope to read all about it here on the blog thingy
Thanks for the kind wishes for my family which I return to you and yours.
JohnJustin Asked:
Dear Julio, PLEASE REPLYHola John. How are you doing? I kinda lost reading your blog, as school started and I no long had all the time I wanted to come on your blog. I see that you have boarded the Dream, is it nicer than all of the other ships?
Anyways, I’m going to get myself back to reading your blog if I have the time. But you replied to me once on here about the subject of your Bedtime Stories. I replied again asking if you had any new information, but I didn’t find you replying me, although I could have missed it. So yeah, is there anyway I can still get a copy of your Bedtime Stories?
Also do you have the Warm Chocolate Melting cake in a small portion? Because I don’t really think my parents will bake it for 25 servings.
Thanks in advance for the help!
Your friend,
JustinJohn Says:
Hello Justin
I hope all is well at school and remember………studying is not as important as reading my blog ……….so flush the school books down the toilet and read the blog everyday. I am pretty certain I did reply to your original post and in it I think I said that I would be working on making DVDs of the Bedtime Story available on the blog. I haven’t forgotten about this and during my next four weeks here on the Carnival Legend I will see what we can do about this. Seriously ……….study hard because if you don’t…………you could find yourself being a Cruise Director!Cheers Mate
JulioMichael Asked:
John, Please Reply!
In a previous blog you had mentioned that you were planning on posting pictures of the category 9A Aft Wrap-around balconies on the one and only Carnival Dream….I was wondering if I had missed the blog with those pictures…? I haven’t seen them yet. You see, my wife and I are booked in one of these rooms for our honeymoon (part II) next May, and I can’t wait until then to see what these rooms look like!
If they were posted previously and I missed them, I’m sorry.
I wish I had your job; the Carnival Dream is absolutely fabulous!
Thanks so much –
Michael in Seattle WAJohn Says:
Hello Michael
I did post some photos of these gorgeous cabins from the outside looking up from the stern but I didn’t get chance to photograph them from the inside. I will though copy this to the Hotel Director on your Carnival Dream and ask him to have a photographer do so.These cabins are some of our most popular on the Destiny, Conquest and Splendor class ships although they have new competition in the cove balconies and deluxe family cabins. Look out for these photos very soon
Best wishes to all
JohnPennyB Asked:
Hi John,
It’s me, PennyB from New Orleans, and now Lafayette.Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written but my life has been topsy-turvy since the Bloggers cruise. The main thing is that I moved from the Big Easy to Lafayette, LA, to be closer to my daughter’s family. Lafayette is actually in the heart of Acadiana, home of French speaking Cajuns. I know your feeling for the French but you know these people settled here after leaving France & Canada. They really are wonderful and I’m busy settling in. Not too busy to keep up with the blog, beautiful Kye, and of course cruising!
My latest adventure was a 5 day on the Fantasy (back to New Orleans) with my friend Ruth (another Blogger). We had a wonderful time and had Kevin Noonan as our CD and Hennie as ACD. Both did a fabulous job. We really enjoyed the new “walk-about” that was held on Promenade for the Captain’s meet. The staff walked up and down, conversing with everyone in a casual manner. Drinks were $1 off – not free- but I don’t drink much anyway so that was no problem. We spoke about the new Dream and also our next cruise on the Holiday in November, saying good-bye to one, and hello to the other as we’ll also make the Dream in Dec. Our Maitre’d was a new one – Jogi. He told us he has done new ships with you but since he just got this promotion he really has to work on doing his best. He also was really nice, personable, and quite the looker too. Lots of “eye candy” on this trip for us old ladies!!!
We spoke with Noonan about not being able to access the Blog without paying and he offered to print it for us. So…. 48 pages later, we had a copy of Thursday’s blog, pictures and all. Such a nice gesture on his part and really appreciated although we didn’t really expect all 48 pages.
My question – please reply John/Stephanie – if we are attending the Antigua and Tortola Blogger’s tours, should we sign up as usual on the Carnival site, or is there a special code/sign up we need to use?
Thanks for all you do. See you soon on the high seas.
John Says:
Hello Penny B
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for this wonderful report on your recent Carnival Fantasy cruise. It was especially nice to read about my mate Noonan and his staff. I also wish someone ………….just once……….would refer to me as “eye candy” ………….. anyone …………. someone ……………even a man.Anyway, it will be great to see you on your Carnival Dream and with regard to the tours that we have arranged for the bloggers, here is one of the 343 Stephanies to remind everyone about them
Hello bloggers. Below are links to the shore excursions. Enjoy. Steph
Best of Antigua
Antigua: Sunday Dec 06
• Departure time 12:30pmBest of Tortola
Tortola: Monday Dec 07
• Departure time 8:30amThanks Stephanie. So, as you can see you can book online or on board, regardless, I hope you will be joining me and your friends as we explore Antigua and Tortola.
I hope all is well in your new home.
Best wishes to all and see you soonJohn
Frank & Bridie Asked:
John Please reply,We will be cruising the Dream in June. This will be the first cruise on Carnival for our 6 year old. We recently took him on a short 4 day Disney cruise which he liked; however, their kids club bombed with him and after the 1st night he refused to go back. Part of the problem was that things tended to be Princess focused. The other problem was that it was almost too structured. They HAD to participate in a whole group activity, instead of just playing while I understand that most kids enjoy or take an interest to this style, our son does much better with Free Play and not following a specific thing at one time, making school interesting. But especially since this is his vacation too, we want him to have fun and not feel like he is being made to participate in activities he doesn’t want to do. So I’m sure as you can tell our question is will this be an issue at Camp Carnival? Will they let him just go play and do his own thing when he wants? I’m sure this has come up before where kids would rather play than do an activity.
The other question is our 5 y.o. is a very picky eater and only will eat certain things. We are working with him to try to get him to eat better but its tuff at times. Will we be able to set up with them that he will only eat these certain things if he goes to eat with camp carnival?
I’m sure here in another 5 years you and Heidi might be getting phone calls from teachers or dealing with a picky eater also.
Thanks,
Big Fans as Always,
Frank And BridieJohn Says:
Hello Frank and Bridie
Thanks for taking the time to write and the good news is that while we do have structured activities your son, if he prefers “free play” then that is absolutely fine too. We also include lots of free play time within the schedule as well so I am very sure he will have a brilliant time at Camp Carnival.The Camp Carnival dinners include pizza, chicken nuggets, French fries and vegetable thingies. If this menu is not something that he will enjoy please let me know and I will see what alternative items are available.
Please don’t worry as we will make sure you both have a great time safe and content in the knowledge that your son is as well.Best wishes to all
JohnGeri & Jack Asked:
Hi John – please replyLoved the pictures of Captain Carlo Queirolo and his Officers. Thank you. He has so much personality and a real down to earth friendly man. He posed with everyone at the recent Captain’s Welcome on our recent cruise and had everyone in stitches. I have several pics of him and his passengers and ourselves.
He is one of the reasons we picked the Carnival Dream to sail on because of his expertise, friendliness and sense of humor (correctly spelled) and the beautiful ship also, of course.
Please say hello to Captain Carlo for us. Congratulate him and welcome to him on the new Carnival Dream – we cannot wait to meet and greet him once again on our B2B NYC Nov. Dream cruises.
From a previous sailing family also (White Star Line in Scotland),
Geri & Jack Scott
(9 CCL cruises and counting big time)John Says:
Hello Gerri and Jack
I am glad you enjoyed the photos of Captain Queirolo and everything you wrote about him is absolutely true and are some of the reasons he was chosen to be the Captain of our flag ship.I have passed on your greetings and I am sure he will be ready to give you a personal greeting when you sail. By the way…………….I always was better at soccer than him.
Best wishes
JohnBeauxdammit Asked:
Mr Heald. For your comment and replyAs the proud parents of a career U.S. Navy man currently serving his sixth tour in Iraq, we are offended by Carnival’s use of “Anchors Away” as a marketing tool in their most recent series of commercials. The use of the long identified anthem of the U.S. Navy as part of a sort of cheesy commercial should be discontinued and some more appropriate music applied. This is one of many reasons we do not sail with your cruise line and why we do not read your blog.
John Says:
Hello Beauxdammit
First of all please allow me to thank your son for his service to his country and I hope he remains safe and well. I was somewhat surprised to receive this comment which I was not sure whether to post on the blog or not. You see, I made a promise to myself and the bloggers that I would respect those who thought my blog was not for them but refrain from posting comments that said so. However, I decided to post this one out of respect for your son and to also let you know that certainly no offense was meant by the use of this music. I have been playing this on departure from home ports of call on and off for 20 years. It became a signature piece for the sail away and I must tell you that I never received a comment from anyone serving or retired from the Navy stating they found this offensive. However, while I will be honest and tell you that I am not aware of any intention of changing the music I do want to apologize and say that certainly no offense was meant. Also, may I kindly remind you that Carnival Cruise Lines offers wonderful discounts to all military personnel?Thank you for expressing your opinion and although you state you are not fans of my blog, I hope you take the time to read my reply for no more important reason than to wish your son a safe deployment.
Best wishes
John
That’s all for today. More questions will be answered tomorrow and thanks to everyone for writing and posting their comments. I have to say I was surprised about the comment regarding the Anchors Aweigh music. I think I mentioned a few months ago that I wanted to bring the playing of this music back as it used to stir the should as we left our home port………….guess I won’t be doing that now as I had no idea that it was upsetting the folks from the Navy to whom I apologize.
Lets do the news and we start with saying “good morning” to one very luck lady. As you may know there is a slot machine called Megacash which is linked between most of the Carnival Corporation ships. This of course allows the jackpot to be the highest on the seven seas and I myself have been on the Carnival Triumph when it has hit and twice since we started this brilliant slot game the jackpot has exceeded 1 million dollars. Last night it was a smaller ship, the gorgeous Island Princess that made a lady very happy indeed. In fact reports are that she was so exuberant that she took off all her clothes and started to do an Irish jig. OK, that bit might not be true but was is true is that she won $485,525……………lucky git.
We wish her many congratulations and someone still needs to win the Carnival Diamond Edition Stud Poker Royal Flush Jackpot…………which stands at $176,774……….which if anyone reading this should win…………I should point out…………is exactly the same amount as an Aston Martin DB9.
OK, this next bit is going to be very, very difficult for me to write but I need to talk to you about Kye.
As you will have seen there was no photo of her this last Friday. Now, don’t worry, she is fine…….but unfortunately for the time being I am going to stop posting photos of her. You see, last week her photo turned up on a website which had nothing to do with the blog, Carnival or indeed anything to do with Carnival or my blog.
Her photos were on a website. I won’t name it but it was a shared board space face thingy and someone sent me the page with every single photo of Kye that I posted on the blog there for …well…………………anyone to look at. I am sure this was done innocently but ………. Well ……….you can imagine it got the alarm bells ringing. I didn’t even think about this. I didn’t even know that people could go on my blog and copy the photos. I didn’t think about this because I know that everyone who reads it has nothing but kindness in their hearts for Kye and would never……….well………….you know.
However, after much soul searching and upon the advice of many, I have decided not to post photos of my daughter until one of the 343 Stephanies can find a way for them to be protected and therefore I can safely send them to her aunties and uncles in blog world. I hope that I can do this soon………….and I hope understand………and that you forgive me.
So, last week the ship had that incident where we gave a hug to the Enchantment of the Seas (notice I am still being nice to them) and the guests who were on last week were wonderful about the whole situation. Only one couple out of 2,400 felt that they should be compensated for this incident as it had “ruined their cruise.” While we are certainly sorry for this happening I fail to see that with no damage to any guest areas or closure of any guest facilities how this could have ruined their vacation and how out of 2,400 guests they were the only ones who felt that it was so. Although…………….from what the Chief Purser………bugger…………..still can’t get used to the new title…………….from what the Guest Services Manager tells me………..every time they approached the Guest Services Desk demanding compensation, it was done so late at night and that their complaints were usually sponsored by Budweiser.
The strange thing is that on this cruise we have no comments about the incident than last week with absolutely nobody concerned about the state of the vessel since we gave the RCI ship a little hug. Obviously if anyone had said anything we would have said that the ship has passed two rigorous inspections since. These inspections were given by United States Coast Guard, Lloyds and our own Carnival safety team.
Well, as ever, I left the cabin last night wondering if I would remember what to say and do in the Welcome Aboard Show after a few weeks of not entertaining. It went quite well and I will tell you about some of the characters I met.
First we have Ray Ray……..yep……….that’s his name. Ray Ray. We all thought he was joking but he showed us all his ID and of course explained that his parents had a fun sense of humor. Ray Ray has been married to his wife Tracy Tracy for 52 52 years and his parents sense of humor has been handed down to man everyone onboard is now calling Ray Ray.
Next up is Mr. Fu Yi Chang who flew all the way from Shanghai, China to see his sister who he has not actually seen for an amazing 37 years. That’s because he hasn’t been able to get a visa from China to visit in all that time. Yet, this man who is in his 70s and speaks no English was so willing to be in the show with me. His sister Chi who now lives in Virginia came on stage and translated everything for me. He was fabulous and in instant star and………..in case I got his name Wong……….I called him “Bob”………and now so are all the guests…………….brilliant.
It did though take me a few minutes to get used to the stage and the lounge itself, which on the Carnival Legend is called the Follies Lounge.
It’s got a different feel to the lounges I have been used to working on the Conquest and Splendor class these past 5 years or so. It’s smaller, obviously, but it’s also more intimate and I quite enjoyed being closer to the audience. Anyway, I think it went well and before I tell you about the people I met, let’s have a look and see who is sailing on the Carnival Legend on cruise LE7100409.
GUEST COUNT – 2,343
INTERNATIONAL GUESTS
CANADA – 61
UK – 39
NETHERLANDS – 24
PERU – 21
KID COUNT -
AGE GROUP TOTALS
Under 2 Years 10
2-5 Years 27
6-8 Years 41
9-11 Years 51
12-14 Years 55
15-17 Years 42
18-20 Years 27
Well, in a few moments I will be telling you about the first of our guest comments from the ship’s incident report and before I do let me tell any of our new readers something about these. First of all while we do many things right, we have some areas where we can always improve and occasionally I will be telling you about those here on the blog. Then, there are the comments that guests make which are……………….ummmmmm…………….different. Now, I want you to know that I never show the guests names but these comments are part of my life onboard and show what happens behind the scenes which has always been the basic ingredient of the blog. I say this because I know there are one or two folks who may think that this is inappropriate. Anyway, these comments are never made up and as you will see now………….some are very, very entertaining………..like this one.
Guest: ………Ref: 828820132A
Cabin: Booking#: _______ Added-Changed: 10/04/09 – 10/04/09
*** NOISY NEIGHBOURS
Ms _______-contacted the GSD to advise of the noise coming from cabin 7***. She said they were having sex and was very loud and that she couldn’t sleep. GSA apologized for this and informed security would be called and sent to the cabin. Ms Flaherty asked if she could have a new cabin as this was the second time they had done this since leaving Tampa. GSA apologized and advised we were sailing full. Guest thanked and hung up.
Well, the first words that come to mind are…………”lucky bastards”…………and I am not sure that we have the right to send a security guard to the cabin…..can you imagine.
Security: Knock Knock
Guest: Who pant pant gasp gasp is it?
Security: Patel the Security Guard
Guest: Yes?
Security: Please can you have love making quietly.
Guest: What?
Security: Please stop penetrating with so much vigor as your passion is disturbing your fellow guests.
Guest: Oh, ok………will do my best.
Security: Please tell your wife as well.
Guest: OK, I will call her when I have finished.
We also received one or two comments about flies. Unfortunately they are common place this time of year in the ports of call and thus we tend to have some who hitch a ride onboard cruise ships. We have the various fly traps out now and hopefully this will help.
Well, here I sit, in my underpants on this bright and cheerful Monday morning……….it’s 6:40am and my underpants are covered in sodding glitter. In fact, my toes are also glitterized and my face looks like I just put my head between a pole dancer’s breasts and gone “flubberwobbaflubbawuba.” That’s because my predecessor and wonderful Cruise Director Jen Baxter used glitter everyday to brighten up her already sunny personality. She puts glitter over her whole body before going on stage and now……….apparently…………so do I.
This is what the lovely Jen was using on herself – every day – every hour.
Honestly, the bloody stuff is everywhere and today I have a Hazmat team coming in to shampoo the carpets, the sofa, the walls………. and me.
My first inkling of my glitter problem was at 3:00am this morning when I woke up for a pee and tiptoed in the dark into the bathroom……………and screamed in terror as in my hand was a glowing, glittering in the dark…………. thingy.
In a state of bewilderment trying to figure out was happening, my mind immediately went back to 1994 on the Sensation……….I was dating a Russian casino dealer and……….as I stood there holding my small glow worm in my hand…………I suddenly panicked………….oh my God ………was she from Chernobyl?
Goodnight
Your friend
John
Filed under: Bloggers Cruise, Caribbean, Destinations, Links, Tales from the Ship, Travel | Tagged: Carnival Dream, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Legend, Camp Carnival, Holiday, Best of Tortola, Carnival Trium
Dear John
Please reply, I need to ask you a favor. A fellow nurse in my office told me about you and that maybe you might be able to help me make my daughters honeymoon a special one. This year has been a rough one on our family. This past Valentine’s Day I lost my husband, her father, to colon cancer. Just seven months before his death I lost my father to bone cancer. Their wedding has been canceled twice due to deaths in the family and on Ocotber 16, 2009 she will finally be able to have her day! If the deaths in the family weren’t enough on her she had a horrible slip and fall about a month ago and was hosptialized for over a week. She was paralized from the waist down and now they are saying she might need surgery. She is an amazing daughter and person. I don’t know what, if anything, you may be able to do to make this honeymoon (well deserved vacation for her) a little more special. She is sailing out on the Carnival Freedom on 10/18/09, this is her first time cruising with Carnival and her fourth cruise overall. She had a nightmare experience on the Princess cruisline and she is worried that something bad is going to happen (with her “luck” she says). I just want her to know how much she is loved and that although her father is not here to walk her down the aisle, she still has angels in her midst. I have their booking number and I can send you all the information. I know you probably get 101 requests for things but given the circumstances with our family I thought I would give this a shot. I don’t know how to email you so I hope somehow this reaches you. I have read a lot of this blog and I must say that I may just have to go on a cruise myself and experience the things you all have been talking about! Thank you in advance for anything you may be able to do for my amazing daughter and son-in-law.
Sincerely,
Carmen L.
(Mother of the Bride)
Dear John,
I’m sorry Beauxdammit was so unhappy with Carnival’s use of Anchors Aweigh (correct name of the song!) He or she also posted his or her displeasure on the Cruise Critic site. Many former military personnel commented back that they did not find the use of this song offensive at all, and appreciated Carnival’s generous military discount.
A big thanks to the son for serving his country. But, really, can’t Beaudammit find something else to occupy his time? Like writing to his/her congressperson to make the song the Official song for the Navy?
Loved you sensative and thoughtful answer!
Denise
Dear John,
I’m sorry Beauxdammit was so unhappy with Carnival’s use of Anchors Aweigh (correct name of the song!) He or she also posted his or her displeasure on the Cruise Critic site. Many former military personnel commented back that they did not find the use of this song offensive at all, and appreciated Carnival’s generous military discount.
A big thanks to the son for serving his country. But, really, can’t Beaudammit find something else to occupy his time? Like writing to his/her congressperson to make the song the Official song for the Navy?
Loved your thoughtful and sensative reply.
Denise
John,
I’m sure you look perfectly brilliant in glitter. I’m also sure that it’ll wash off, along with your britches, the next time you ride down the water slide on the Carnival Dream.
Regarding Beauxdammit’s comment about ‘Anchors Aweigh’… This same person started a thread on Cruise Critic condemning Carnival for using this music despite the fact that it’s in the Public Domain. Many people commented, none agreed, not even those retired Navy types or the parents of folks who are active duty Navy. I guess you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
RayRay and Bob sound like perfect characters. I’d be applauding them if I was on board the ship. Good for them!
I am so sorry to hear about Kye’s pictures but I agree that there’s a possibility there for inappropriate use. Please pass along our best to your girls.
Ciao!!
Host Mach
Dear John,
Thank you for another wonderful blog! Body Glitter – LOL (laughing out loud).
Thank you for explaining why we did not get our usual “Friday Kye Fix.” As a parent your duty is to protect your child. I can totally understand your reasons for not putting up her pictures now – although it saddens me greatly that there are cyber creeps out there.
Also, I just wanted to let you know that that “beauxdammit” person was on the Cruise Critic message boards posting the same dribble about “Anchors Aweigh.” He/she was soundly taken to task for not even knowing the correct name of the music. In addition, I do not think a single other person felt that the music was in any way disrespectful to Navy personnel. In fact, quite the opposite was felt. Please have Carnival continue to use that uplifting song!!!!
Thank you so much for your wonderful blog and fantastic sense of humor (spelt correctly). You brighten my day!
Fondly,
Charlotte
Dear Johnny Sparkles,
Alias “Eye Candy John”
I am glad to see you back on stage where you belong.
It’s bad enough that Carnival has to deal with the smokers smoking in an undesignated area. Now Carnival will has to have designated “Rumpy Pumpy” areas. Thicker Insulation and scratch resistant walls and such. Where will it end. I suggest that you have the ships store start stocking ear plugs for those who are offended by the sounds of “Oh God, Oh God”.
I was going to ask you about the postings of Kye’s pictures. I know that alot of celebrities try their best to keep their kids out of the spotlight, as there are so many wacko’s out there any more. We all here on the blog understand and as a Dad I can certainly understand how you felt seeing all of those pictures on some website. Creepy doesn’t even come close to how you and Heidi must have felt. Please know that we will wait patiently until the 343 Stephanies can perform their magic.
Until then calm seas and fair skies and to may the only thing that sparkles be the night sky!
The Cruzin2some
James & Nancy Enslow
John,
Keep playing Anchors Aweigh. It has already been pointed out to the Beauxdammit on Cruise Critic that the song is the “unofficial” song of the US Navy but one that is in the public domain. In actuality it is a Football Fight/March song for the US Naval Acadamy.
A lot of veterans replied to this person that we were not offended and felt it was used in a way that was not demeaning. It was also pointed out how Carnival goes out of its way to give all Veterans (not just active/retired veterans) discounts on cruise fare and for recognizing them onboard.
While we understand and wish their son well while serving on multiple deployments, there was no reason to be offended by its use. It is used in every welcome aboard show on Carnival ships.
Please respond,
We should be in Cozumel on the same day Nov 4th. You on the Legend and me & Michelle on the Holiday. You think we can drag you off the ship and treat you lunch? We have a two-tank scuba dive in the morning but should be freed up around 1:30pm.
Dave
John,
Please do whatever you have to in order to protect our little princess. Could you possibly give us a written update on her accomplishments? We already know she’s beautiful. You could also carry around a picture album to show us when we are fortunate to cruise with you. Why do some people have to be so selfish & ruin things for you & us?
Joyce
Hi John;
Regarding the post from “Beauxdammit”, I am offended by that sign on name which borders on the profane. These boards are read by childeren (you get my drift…).
How ridiculous! Don’t change a thing. This “offended” person posted this over on a Cruise Critic thread as well.
You would think this “offended person” would have bigger & better things to worry about, such as the son serving over in Iraq coming back safely.
By the way, Carnival’s commercials are “chessy” in the best way! They’re also great and don’t change a thing there also. Speaking of, whoever that guy in the white jump suit is, could you do an interview with him on your blog? He’s a funny man & the comercials are very funny. Love that one where he blows the horn standing next to a real Carnival Captain! The Captain was a natural also…
Marty Paul
Booked on Carnival Dream
Oct 15th 12 day Grand Med (aka “Sogno, Sogno, Sogno”)
A comment on the post from “Beauxdammit”.
John,
As I’m sure our excellent friend Mach has already reported to you, this person posted the exact same thing on the CC Carnival board under the thread “We are offended”.
I’m a US Navy vet (Chief Electronics Technician) and I have many friends that served and are still serving. I posted a reply explaining that no, I was definately not offended, particularly in light of the excellent way that CCL treats all veterans regardless of length of service.
That song is public domain, and I enjoy hearing it in almost any context as long as it’s tasteful. Hell, my doorbell plays Anchors Aweigh!!!
The overwhelming majority of responses were supportive of CCL’s use of that song.
I think some people just spend their lives looking for something to be offended about. I applaud your diplomatic responce to “Beauxdammit” but if it’s been me……..”bugger off” would have been mine. That’s probably one of the reasons that you are “Mr. Carnival” and I’m not!!!
Best wishes John, love the blog thingy, and Kye is adorable…..almost as cute as my daughter was at that age.
Enjoy her while she’s little…….they grow up amazingly fast.
Counting the days until we sail on the Dream…..(197 to be exact).
Your friend,
Mike.
You actually saw it in your hand?
I guess the diet is working, congrats.
John, why is it one persin can ruin it for everyone. Because of that one person all of us that look forward to seeing Kye’s picture every Friday will no longer be able to watch her grow up, albeit in pictures on the blog.
I thought you knew the pictures could be copied and printed even. That’s how I got the pictures that I put in the baby picture frame that we gave you for your room while we were on the Freedom.
So instead of what I’m thinking and saying it out loud I’ll just say BUGGER IT ALL
Countess Carolyn
Sorry we won’t be able to see any pics of Kye. I don’t understand why people take advantage and mess up things like her pics. My 2 cents worht
John The glitter incident is priceless. Thank you for the info on the kids club our son feels much better now and so will we. As for Kye I completely understand and there better not be some nut cake out there as what you said she has many aunties and uncles around. We expect to see a bunch of photos when we see you in january.
Big Fans as Allways,
Frank and Bridie
Hello John,
Let me say I fully support you about Kye’s pictures even though we will miss them.
Best to your 2 ladies.
The body glitter had me in stitches
Papanh
Please Reply
Hi John, Last year, after reading your blog for so long my girlfriend and I decided to go on a Carnival cruise. We had both cruised on other lines. We had a wonderful time! It was so great we decided to take another one this year. This time it is a mother daughter get away. We are all so excited. When talking to my pvp he said there was no guarantee that we could all sit at the same table for dinner as there will be nine of us.We have late seating confirmed.I hate to ask but do you think you can help us out?
Our daughters are all adults but still we would appreciate any help you can give us.We sail on the Valor on October 25.Our room numbers are 6479, 6467, 6454 and 6487. Thanks so much John. Love your blog.
Carol Donoghue
glowing body glitter, now thats too funny.
i wonder what will be written into future editions
of the carnival cruise lines personnel policy manual
regarding the use, or excessive use of body glitter
during working hours.
as i am sure right at this minute somebody is working on this policy, or will it be a prohibition?
the future is in your hands (bad pun intended)
mitch
Hi John. There are too many times today that one person complains about something that no one else is offended by and that one person causes a change of policy. It is political correctness gone wild!!!
Both the complainer of the Anchors Aweigh and the ones who wanted compensation for a small accident on the ship fall into that category and need to be ignored.
Duane Smith
Please reply
Hello John I understand your worries about your little angel and respect your decision, sure are going to miss her. We are sailing on Carnival Legend Dec 6 to 13 and are wondering when would be the best night to visit the Steakhouse. We are not wanting to miss any parties, shows or anything. I waited until you where on the ship so you would know first hand. We really love the shows so much we have watched twice in the same evening and have watched again on back to back cruises. This is our Platium cruise, still 9 WEEKS AWAY. Can’t hardly wait
Hi John
Please reply!
I received no reply for a previous email from August 31. My husband and I are booked on the Glory for the 10/31/09 sailing out of Port Canaveral. . I have been on past Carnival cruises, but has a problem with the fun pass while I was filling it out. When it asked me if I was a past member, of course I said yes. It came back stating they could not find me as a past guest. After many hours and phone calls with many different people, the funpass department and my vacation planner. I was told that they could locate my son, daughter and husband. He only took cruises with me. Someone said they found me with a different date of birth. I was hoping that you could check into this for me, so I don’t loose out on any of the past guest privileges. I have the card from the my last cruise. should I take this with me?
We are looking so forward to this cruise, it has been a very sad year. My mother in law and father in law was going to be going with us, but my father in law pasted away and my mother in law has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, plus other family members have been ill. My husband and I hope to relax and recharge are batteries. We will also be celebrating our 24th anniversary.
So as you can see I want to make sure I don’t have any problems with my past guest #.
You do such a wonderful job on this blog. I enjoy reading each one you post. You always make me laugh.
Thanks
Hope to hear from you soon.
Jane M. Smith
John:
First, I completely understand about your decision where the photos of Kye are concerned.
Sadly, it simply reflects the world we live. And as responsible parents, we must address the issues of today’s world.
Secondly….
MY VALOR REVIEW….
Embarkation was excellent.
Room was excellent.
Food was excellent.
Debarkation (while not perfect)…was still fine. There is still a small bit of disconnect with the Platinum Early Debarkation process.
These are the usual things that make us loyal Carnival fans.
However, it is the “exceeded our expectations” that made this our BEST CRUISE EVER!!!! And oddly enough…the things that made it the most special…did not cost Carnival one dime.
1. DJ got to stand up at the Repeater’s Party and was recognized for his 32 Carnival cruises.
2. Since this was DJ’s first cruise without his beloved Club O2, we were concerned that he would not find a spot to “connect” at night. We should not have worried. The Security staff and Disco bar staff were so WONDERFUL with him. Even though he could not “buy a drink”…the bar staff spoiled him. I made sure they received the same amount of “tip” that they would have gotten if DJ had bought drinks in there every night. DJ went in the Disco every night. Rohit (Security at the disco door most nights) was the most precious young man. You could tell he could take care of business if he wanted to. He was so professional, but friendly and charming. He took the time to make DJ feel special.
And while I am sure that there are aspects of Club O2 that he will miss (since that is usually where he met someone to chat with)….the Security guards did their best to make him feel included and comfortable.
3. Kim A. (karaoke host) was OFF THE CHART!!!! You and I know some great karaoke hosts like Melvin and Rozwin (who are great in their own way) …. but Kim is by far the best “total package” I have ever sailed with.
We sang, we danced, we did the Legends Show. HE ROCKED!!! We have sailed together before and while we had a good time on the Fantasy….we did not get the chance to really know each other since it was just a 4 day cruise. This time we bonded!!! He will be coming to visit us when he gets off his contract. He is so talented and so charming and SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!
4. Vivianne (one of the What’s Next representatives) gave THE BEST “What’s Next” presentation I have ever heard. She was knowledgeable, thorough and had great delivery. She was entertaining without being over the top. She was sincere. You can tell she truly enjoys representing Carnival. If we had not already bought 10 Certificates on the Freedom…we would have bought them from her. She made the “What’s Next” Party a fun event.
5. Rise Up (the band from the Phillipines in the Winston Cigar Bar) made me an honorary member of their band!!! (that makes 3 Carnival Cover bands that I am now a member of)
6. Play That (Lorna and Joel) were THE BEST duo I have ever heard on Carnival. Every night they had EVERY level of that Atrium full and dancing. So talented and sooo much fun.
7. Our waiter was fully briefed on DJ’s medical needs and bent over backwards to make sure DJ was as comfortable as possible.
8. As usual, DJ was able to attend the Muster Drill in a quiet area by our Muster Station….instead of in the noisy crowd. But this time, they came up with an idea that not even I had thought of before….they put a Muster Station wristband on him (like they do the 11 year old and younger). Since DJ is no longer in Club O2, he kinda floats all over the ship..…should an emergency arise….this wristband would let the staff know that he may need some additional assistance. That was an EXCELLENT idea that we will use from now on!!!!!
9. But I am saving the BEST for last….and that is Gary Brierly. You know that I have several people that I consider friends, that are currently “acting CD”. Gary exceeded even our wildest expectations!!!!!!!!!!
While we have cruised with Gary about 4 times before the cruise, we have never sailed with him as a CD. I knew he did a great job as an ACD….but (as you know) that leapt to CD is a HUGE ONE. And you never can predict how that transition will go.
John, there are no words to express how proud I was the job that Gary did.
The passengers I talked with were SHOCKED that he had been doing this job less than a month. When he walked on stage….he was as good as any seasoned CD we have sailed with. His stage presence was remarkable. You could tell he was totally comfortable.
As the cruise went on….I got the opportunity to witness him handle a few issues that some other passengers had and he was SPOT ON!!! He was understanding, yet professional.
He was so visible. I do not know WHEN he ever got time to sleep. And his Entertainment Staff gelled so well with him. They looked like a well oiled “fun machine”.
Samantha (ACD) was excellent as well. She is going to be another fast rising star. She was so careful to make sure DJ and Freddie did not “meet”. At the Repeater’s Party, Sam made sure that Freddie stayed at the door on the opposite side of the Theater and DJ was fine. She was so kind to DJ. And I really appreciate that. The best thing about she and Gary both was that their concern and attention were SINCERE. They both truly LOVE Carnival and LOVE their Carnival guests….and it SHOWED IN SPADES!!!
Gary really made DJ feel like he was home! He got me Freddie’s schedule, so that we could avoid where Freddie was going to be. Gary told DJ if there was anything that he needed….Gary was there for him. That instantly put DJ at ease. Gary even gave DJ a “Ship on a Stick”. I told DJ it was for being the youngest Milestone Rewards Member.
As I said earlier…..these are the points that MADE OUR CRUISE… and they did not cost Carnival one dime. And these things meant more to us that we can express.
Then there were little things that were just cool….like our cabin steward.
It was the SAME cabin steward we had on the Legend in May 2008 AND HE REMEMBERED US. He did not remember our name…but he remembered that there were 4 of us (since Josh was with us that time) and asked where the 4th member of our family was. How cool is that!!!
John, I would greatly appreciate it if you would forward these remarks to the Corporate Office. These are the things that (to us) make Carnival the only answer to our question …”What’s Next”!!!
If there is such a thing as “cruise stars” all coming together for a “perfect cruise”…..this was it!!!!!!!!
The Dream is going to have to fill some BIG CRUISE SHOES to top this one!!!
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
John -
As one who proudly served eight and one-half years in the United States Navy, I have absolutely no problem with Carnival’s use of “Anchors Aweigh” in their marketing.
The song, while associated with the US Navy, is the fight song for the US Naval Academy. The tune is also used by Australian rules football teams, although with different lyrics.
So, why shouldn’t Carnival use the tune in their “cheesy” ads?
Jon
Hi John
I just wanted to comment on what ‘beauxdammit’ said about Anchors Aweigh. My son is an active in the Navy and awaiting his next deployment. I am very proud of him and all Navy personnal. I admit when I hear Anchors Aweigh, I get teary eyes. But I am a proud Navy Mom and it doesn’t bother me to hear it in commercials or on sail aways. Hear are some of the words, the make sense when leaving port.
Anchors Aweigh my boys
Anchors Aweigh
It is farewell to foreign shores
We sail at break of day day day day
Through our last night on shore
Drink to the foam
Until we meet once more
Here’s wishing you a happy voyage home!
Jane M. Smith
Well John, a sparkle thingy, now how many guys can say that, not too many I would think. You are a lucky guy, to bad Heidi is not with you
Do not worry about that poster that complained about the Anchors Aweigh song on the Carnival add. As Mach said, she was on CC, and after many many pages nobody agreed with her. So, if you want to have the music on sail away, please do. Do not give this poster any more thought, she was very alone on the board and I would think here too. She has had her 2 minutes of fame, I would not give her anymore.
She said that she does not cruise Carnival for a variety of reasons, this is not one of them.
I can’t tell you how sad I am about your precious Kye’s picture s being on the web. We live in a very frightening place now with so many things that are electronic. You have nothing to apologize for, you are doing the right thing. I can’t imagine what you and Heidi have been thinking.
Keep smiling John, you truly are one of the good guys.
My best to Heidi and your precious Kye.
John,
I don’t blame you on the photo situation with Kye. A lot of freaks on the internet. We hope that we can still hear updates from Kye and Heidi. Perhaps that can still apply for Fridays? Just without the pics…
All the best to you and your girls!
Cheers,
Alex G.
Hey John,
So sorry to hear that there will be no more pictures of beautiful Kye, but I also understand why. You are a good daddy.
Jan in Michigan
John,
I have been reading your blog since we booked our Carnival Dream cruise back in the early summer. My fiance and I are getting married on Nov. 14 and taking the 11/23 cruise out of NY on the Dream. We are first time cruisers and very excited. Since this will be our honeymoon, is there something special that can be done? Maybe like a sign hung in our room. I want to surprise the love of my life, Joe with something.
Thanks!
Leigh Ann W.
So, let me see if I have this correct…
One overly-sensitive grump writes to you to complain about Carnival’s use of “Anchor’s Aweigh” and you decide to never use it again? What if one person wrote and complained about your frequent references to Megan Fox’s bottom? Would you never mention her again? Of course not.
You can’t let one crabby person’s comment get under your skin. Sure, if you started getting a whole bunch of people all complaining about the same thing, you’d have to start thinking that maybe you had made a miscalculation. But one grumpy comment? Ignore it!
I happen to get a huge thrill from Carnival’s use of “Anchor’s Aweigh”. It makes me feel good when I hear it on a Carnival commercial. In fact, I honestly have hit the rewind button on my DVR after a Carnival commercial aired… so I could play it again. (My personal favorite was the “new ship smell” commercial regarding the Carnival Splendor’s debut.)
I really like the arrangement of “Anchors Aweigh” in the Carnival commercials, too. I would love to have an MP3 file of an extended-length version of the Carnival arrangement of the song. It would be cool if you could check with your advertising department and see if such a thing exists and could be posted here to your blog thingie.
Hi John,
The last two paragraphs of the blog made me laugh out loud! I am sure that “BWild” is the perfect look for you.
Looking forward to more stories from the Carnival Leg End.
Clair
Hi John! As others have pointed out, the comments from beauxdammit sure made the rounds on Cruise Critic and they were promptly put in their place. Not a single person as I recall agreed with their comments, especially those former and current Navy personnel. Many also pointed out what a fantastic military discount Carnival offers. So please, don’t give their comments another thought, and please don’t let them change your mind about sailaway music. The last few times we’ve sailed, the atmosphere was somewhat subdued, so anything to jazz things up a bit would be terrific!
And I certainly understand the need to protect Kye. It makes me cringe to think someone would actually lift your personal photos off this site and post them elsewhere. In Letterman’s words, “that’s creepy”!
As always, our best to you, Heidi and Kye.
Hi John,
We just returned from a wonderful cruise on the Victory. We know what caused the Legend to hug the Enchantment of the Seas, it was all those jelly beans that you have been eating! (Ha!)
We do have a suggestion that the “Behind the Scene” tour be offered to Plantimum members in place of the galley tour. After awhile all the galley’s look the same.
We are so sad to hear that we will not be able to watch Kye grow each week but we do understand. Her safety comes first. See you in Decemember. Lynn and Mike Sagara
Hi John,
First want to say that Jogi is indeed a great guy and we hope we see him again soon.
I want to add my two cents in to the comment about Anchors Aweigh. Here is an excerpt from Widipedia about the song.
Anchors Aweigh” is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy, and strongly associated with the United States Navy, composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmerman with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. Zimmerman was at the time a Lieutenant, and had been bandmaster of the United States Naval Academy Band since 1887. Miles was Midshipman First Class at the Academy, in the class of 1907, and asked Zimmerman to assist him in composing a song for that class, to be used as a football march. Another Academy Midshipman, Royal Lovell (class of 1926) later wrote what would be adopted into the song as its third verse.
“Anchors Aweigh” is unusual for a college fight song in that it refers specifically (and repeatedly) to a particular opponent (Army) which may not even be present at the event at which the song is sung.
Hope that Carnival doesn’t stop using it in their commercials.
George and Linda
“Holding my small glow worm in my hand”, that may be the funniest and most disturbing statement you have ever made on your blog!!! Gems like that are what keep me coming back for more day after day.
Keep up the great blog, and I thank the management team at Carnival Corporation for allowing your incredible sense of humour to be displayed daily.
Hi John,
Please reply,
John I really do need to apologize to you. I have seen Kye’s pictures on (you know where) but since they were connected to your blog, so I thought you knew about it, but now I know you did not. I should have written to you the very first time I saw them to let you know that they were out there and it would have saved you some headaches. I think the only way that you are going to be able to let us see her pictures is to have a private website in which we agree when we sign up that we cannot use or copy any picture you post. I do know that there is a software program that puts something into the middle of the picture that would make it useless to anyone that downloaded it. So please accept my apology for not notifying you about the pictures, but I will promise you this, in the future if I see any of our little Kye, I will let you know immediately so you can do something about it.
As for Beauxdammit, forget about her, I just told my brother about her post and he told me to tell you not to stop playing Anchors Aweigh because of one person. My brother spent 35 years in the Navy and looks at it as an honor when someone plays that song. So like he told me to tell you, start playing it and keep playing it, Be***damm it if you stop playing it.
Your #1 bloggy thinggy fan,
Kathy
BTW, I did not know until today that you called Kye, The Thinggy, that is what my dad called me before I was born and The Thing after I was born. There is a story as to why he called me The Thing, but I will send that to you privately, you will find it kind of funny.
Kathy
Hello John !
Just thought I’d stop by and say hi it’s been so very long. What…no TV show yet??
So we “jumped ship” briefly and sailed the “Jewel of the Seas” to the Baltic in June. “The Legend “may have given the “Enchantment ” a little bump, but RCCL gave us a good “listing” over port side in 73 mph gusts. We turned hard to avoid a cargo ship having trouble and then snagged a buoy. Paul (Lee) fell into the sliding door, the closets opened up the fruit went flying, the pool started to empty, the booze went-a-spiling all over the ship and a woman broke her hip. And, we couldn’t dock in Copenhagen ! Other than that ,we had a nice time.
The Jewel is a lovely ship though.
We kept saying …”but Carnival does it ” this ” way !! Oh, we found Vicki Freed !! What a nice gal !
Kathy and Paul
Hi John, URGENT
I have a favour (spelt correctly) to ask you. We have been on 14 cruises (platinum on Carnival after the next two B2B cruises on the Carnival Dream in Nov 2009).
On board the Carnival Valor 3 yrs ago, I won a game of Golf Putting and all 2 people playing with me (who were losing) quit the game and buggered off. So I won, and never got my prize our ‘Carnival Coach’ said he would bring to me. He must have forgotten my cabin number.
So in my wildest dreams, can I pretty please, with sugar on it, possibly have a Golden Ship on a Stick for my Prize and my birthday Oct. 14th onboard Carnival Splendor sailing Oct. 11 this Sunday.
I am as old as dirt, LOL and this is our 51st year of marriage this year.
I’m soooo excited as it will be our Canadian Thanksgiving, my SIL’s birthday, and our DD and SIL’s 18th Anniv. aboard also.
With all this and the social events onboard this will be a very special and fun cruise.
Thank you for listening and for all you do.
Your blogger friend,
Geraldine (Geri) Scott
p.s. see you on the ex-bloggers cruise briefly in Nov.
I will miss you on that cruise.
Splendor Oct. 11
Bravo John!
DamnBreaux or whatever… Anchors Aweigh (spelt correctly) is a friggin’ college fight song/march and the original lyrics were anti-Army. No doubt some were offended that the lyrics were changed.
I thank your son for his service, and all the other sons and daughters, but you really need to find a hobby, a life.
I tend to doubt BreauxDamn has ever been on a Carnival ship.
I am curious if the son condones the behavior of the father.
regards,
bill
John and Heidi,
We will all miss the precious pictures of Kye! We have all come to believe that we ARE her aunties and uncles. As you know, every Friday I would scroll right past your musings and find Kye and then go back and read the blog. Do all of us a favor, and post the low life’s email address that had the nerve to post all of her pictures, and you can bet that we would all bombard his or her site with a few words straight from our hearts. Please tell the many Stephanies that we are counting on them to be able to correct this and make this a safe place for you to post her pictures. She will be missed by all of us.
Sheryl
Hi John,
Please Reply,
I do not know if you have seen any pictures of the damage to The Enchantment of the Seas, so I am sending you a picture that I found today on Cruise Critic. I am also sending you another picture of the damage to the Carnival Legend.
[IMG]http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc101/Chacooe/RCCLdamage.jpg[/IMG]
I honestly think Carnival Legend suffered more then the Enchantment did, but that is just my opinion.
Here is the picture of the Carnival Legend.
[IMG]http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc101/Chacooe/Cruiseshipscollide2.jpg[/IMG]
I would say that both ships were really lucky that they only suffered what I would call scrapes and bruises. I feel the Captain did a wonderful job considering the circumstances and the wind that he had to deal with. It could have been so much worse for both ships. I have been keeping you and the crew in my prayers.
Your #1 bloggy thinggy fan
Kathy
KATHY:
I just wanted to add my “two cents” about Vicki Freed. She is indeed one of the most genuine individuals I have ever dealt with.
While I have not had the privilege of meeting her in person…..she assisted me many times with DJ’s needs and other things over the years and I can not tell you how impressed I was with her.
She will always be one of my favorite “Carnival” representatives. I know she is with the “snoboftheseas” now….but in my mind…she will always be “Carnival”.
Linda (Mom of DJ)
John,
I think many people would miss the “Anchors Aweigh” music if you quit playing it on that ONE person’s account. If you pop over to Cruise Critic, you’ll see the same person posted a thread over there on the same topic, and many, many people (who were current or retired Navy/military) didn’t share her opinion, and told her so.
I have always been curious about something, and being a Cruise Director, I think you’re in a unique position to confirm or deny this theory for me. In your opinion, do you think there is a certain category of people who don’t know what to do with themsevles if they’re not complaining about SOMETHING?
And I also do not blame you for taking some time to ensure that lovely Miss Kye (and her images) are safe and protected. As a parent myself, I can’t imagine finding a website with my children’s pictures on it. How scary. And I’m sure, as much as all of us enjoy seeing pictures of Kye, her safety comes first for all of us as well (although we’ll be happy to see her little face as soon as you can get everything straightened out).
Almost to 7 weeks til our sailing. It cannot come fast enough. Keep up the good work!
Stacey
Thanks John for your help with the dinner seating four our group.
As far as coping photo’s from your blog I must admit that I am guilty of this also. But not were of Kye or Heidi. The photos you post of the ships and of Europe are beautyfull. All have been for my personal collection and have not been posted or reproduced. Scout’s Honor (spelled correctly)
I do know that some photo sites have a way to block the right click/save options for photos. I am sure one of the hundreds of Stephanie’s will figure out how to do that, In the mean time you could do like some of the other rich and famous and have their face covered in public. But that would only hide their beauty.
John, all of us that cruise Carnival know how good the cabin stewards clean the cabins. So you trying to put the blame on Jen just wont float with us. Now please tell us the truth how did your thingy get glitterized?
The questions will get harder when you get back home.
BIG ED
I’m enjoying your blog & looking forward to my adult family cruise coming up the end of this month – carnival dream out of ROME! We have 2 big birthdays to celebrate while on board so wondering if you have a sugesstion on dinner resv. The only menu I coud find was the steakhouse.
Thx!
Hi John: We are a group of about 70 (+/-) cruise critic sailors cruising on the Carnival Valor Nov. 1-8. We would love to have a room reserved for our official meet and greet. Would you be so kind as to contact the CD aboard the Valor to arrange a location for us please? We will check the capers daily as I KNOW you’ll be able to make this a reality. Many thanks.
I am sure you are tired of hearing the support for Carnival and the use of Anchors Aweigh, but as a military family I too had to leave our two cents. We are TOTALY not offended and are the opposite, flattered! We appreciate Carnival and in fact have been able to take advantage of the military discount to sail with you!
I unfortunately have only signed onto your blog this week(reading off the carnival site instead), so I never got to see pictures of your Kye. We will be with you On the Dec 3 – 1st curise out of her new home port on the Dream (CANNOT wait-58 more days!) so maybe we’ll get to see her in person. I will have my 23 month old with me as well. We are actually excited that we happened to choose the cruise that will be your bloggers cruise.
All the best to you and your family and keeping their image where YOU wish it to be!
Kerry
John:
What a creep, whoever it was, to take Kye’s pictures and plaster them where they do not belong! I’m sorry we won’t get to see her anymore but she’s happy and safe and has wonderful loving parents and that is all that counts! You guys are doing the right thing.
Just to add to the ongoing list from another Cruise Critic fan who read the entire thread over there, keep the song going and going strong! Speaking on a personal level, I have no one in my family currently serving but I never forget about our brave fighting forces and I worry for them each night as I watch the news. IMHO hearing any of the military songs reminds people of the ongoing struggles our military personal and their families face every day. It’s the way we treat our returning heros (and Carnival does great on this) that shows what we’re made of, not how we use a song. Geez.
Going on a Carnival cruise – $2000
Mental picture of John in body glitter – priceless
Never apoligize for keeping your child safe. There is a way to convert the file so it’s protected and can’t be copied, of course I have no idea how to do it!
John,
I am sorry you had to waste your time reading and replying to Beaudammit. He/she is ridiculous and was told so by many, many people on Cruise Critic.
I also feel badly that, once again, one person ruined something for the rest of us. That person posting Kye’s photos had absolutely no right to do so and if it were my child, I would be all over him/her. You are doing the right thing by protecting Kye. I believe some people don’t have a brain in their heads, it’s some other place on their body and use it accordingly.
The glitter info was too funny. I do wish you were going to be the CD on our Dream cruise, but we will miss you by a couple of weeks. Oh well, someday—-
Frank & Gerri
Everyone thought David Lettermans audiance laughing was bad-its a laugh track-taped of people laughing so they get the response they want when they want it!
Sitting here in my PJ’S at 11am-34 degrees outside-50’s by mid day-its time to start thinking of another cruise where its WARM! BRRRRRRRRR
Quick question….
Do you happen to know what night the surf and turf is scheduled on the Dec 3 sailing of the Dream. I want to make reservations for the steakhouse one night (any suggestions?) and would hate to miss out on the lobster night of the cruise. Thanks so much!
Kerry
John
I have been invited on the Pierside overnight for the Dream here in NY next week. I also heard that the official inauguration ceremonies will be going on that day. I have not seen anything anywhere about what might be going no other than the invite I received. Any insider info?
Mike
John
I have been invited on the pier side overnight for the Dream here in NY next month. I also heard that the official inauguration ceremonies will be going on that day. I have not seen anything anywhere about what might be going no other than the invite I received. Any insider info?
Mike
John – Please reply!
Hi John,
I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while now, and I’m a big fan, but this is my first post. As such this will be long because I have a buildup of questions in queue, so hopefully you can get to all of them in one swoop!
First–I should mention that my husband and I will be on the Carnival Dream with you on the January 23rd sailing, though you won’t be the CD, which makes me sad. Hope you can arrange to do the bedtime story at one of the shows! That said, you WILL be the CD for my parents when they cruise with a group of 7 family members on February 6th just 2 weeks later. I should warn you, we’ve prepared a little surprise gift for you and Ken and I’m going to keep you in suspense beyond that!
My Questions:
1) Would you be able to get me an email address for Matt and Christian, the 2 art gallery rockstars on the Carnival Legend? We collected for the first time on our Legend cruise in July and wanted to send them some pictures of our new pieces hanging in the house as we really enjoyed working with them. Their contact info would be much appreciated.
2) Do you know which dining rooms will host anytime dining on the Carnival Dream, and then which dining room will Ken be maitre’d-ing? Anytime Dining is a lifesaver for us because we’re total introverts who cruise to unwind and the anxiety of finding out who will be your tablemates and/or requesting a table for 2 has always been a stressful part of cruising which isn’t meant to be stressful! I know we’re in the minority amongst your blog followers, and more power to the people who love to mix and mingle–it’s just not for us. I just hope we’re able to get anytime dining and still get to see Ken!
3) Our last time in Cozumel, we took the best excursion ever — Isla Pasion by Twister boat! Second to our wedding, it was the best day of our lives. However, for medical reasons I won’t be able to ride the twister boat during our trip in January, and I was wondering if someone in your tours and excursion group can recommend another way to get to passion island through the same tour operator–i.e. can they arrange for a tamer boat ride over? That would make the trip for us again I’m sure. Please help me out because it’s probably a 12 hour swim over there, and I’m incredibly stubborn!
Thanks so much–I look forward to your responses and to saying hello in January! Happy blogging.
John,
It’s a real shame that one idiot has to ruin our chances of watching Kye grow up. Some people are just sick. I hope you find out who did this. Still, you have to be a dad and protect your child. We would do the same thing. We fully understand your decision.
Mike & Lori
Big Ed has it right…. Now there is a wonderful Marketing Idea…. Carnival Cruise Lines Body Glitter…Approved and Tested by John Heald. “Give your thingy a sparkle”
Laughing,
Frank and Bridie
John:
Btw, as Platinum members, we went to the Guest Services Desk to get our Valor pin and they looked at us like we had 3 eyes.
They had no clue what we were talking about when we quoted you about pins still being given to Platinum members.
Has this not been implemented yet, or what???
And will the Platinum people get the old fashioned RED pins or the gold ones that they sell in the gift shop?
Thanks!!!
Dear Sparkles,
I forgot to give you my thoughts on the “Anchors Away” theme. I think you should keep the song but get rid of the ship’s horn at the end as it sounds too much like you after eating curry!
The Cruzin2some
James & Nancy Enslow
Hi John!
I would tune into your show if it was anything like Letterman’s show is like now.
I really enjoyed your pictures today and it surprises me that “liquid courage” is what it took to have one couple complain about the incident from last week.
I can’t believe someone stole pictures of Kye. I have a friend who Copyrights his photos and has a huge name across the picture (i.e. you could put Johnhealdsblog.com there).
Hope everything else is going well.
Take care!
David
Hi John!
Yours is the best blog on the internet – and I have read them all of course! lol!
Now that you have Kye (beeeeaaaauuuutiful daughter) you are obviously being very protective of her, as you should!
So here is an article on the flu shots (so controversial), that you might like to take a look at – written by a well known Doctor, and several other doctors and people with beards, after a recent conference:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/06/Why-You-Should-NOT-Vaccinate-Your-Children-Against-the-Flu-This-Season.aspx#
Have a fabulous day!
And thank you for the million laughs a day I get from your blog!
Hello to Heidi and Kye!
Anne
Hi John!
Here I am getting all excited for my Freedom cruise, and I learn too late that the ‘infamous’ John Heald has left the Freedom for a new ride! No matter, but it still would have been great to finally see the person who’s been making us laugh for all these months!
Hubby and I will be sailing the Freedom on the 24th of October, riding the tail feathers of a group of bird lovers who want to see Parrots in the wild where they belong. I hear Carnival is making a donation to the World Parrot Trust as a result of the Parrot Lovers Group on this sailing…KUDOS!
Thanks to a drunk driver hitting our garden wall and a very generous insurance company, we will be enjoying a wonderful balcony room on the Verandah deck. Don’t feel too badly for the guy who took out the wall, my hope is that the ‘12th time’s a charm’ and he’s finally decided that maybe drinking and driving at 8 o’clock in the morning probably isn’t such a good idea after all.
Seeing as Halloween falls during this cruise, what are YOUR plans aboard the Dream for the evening? I am certainly hoping that you will show us your favorite costume, and I’m sure it will be something totally unique..perhaps a little body paint with that body glitter?
Hi John, please reply:
I am a new reader to your blog thingy, though not new to Carnival since we sailed on our honeymoon on the Tropicale 5/29/1993, and I am enjoying it immensely! I have a couple of questions for you about our upcoming cruise on the Dream on 10/16/2010. My husband would like to do the “Behind the Fun Tour” how do I book this and on which days is it offered? My other question is on which nights are our formal evenings on the Dream, my husband and I would like to try the steakhouse as everyone seems to agree that it is worth the extra expense, but I don’t want to miss the formal nights with the rest of my family!
Linda (Mom of DJ)
Vicki is now with RCCL. We had a question for her and she called us at home on X’mas Day to answer it !! We were stunned. She is a big exec. and for her to do that was just “above and beyond “!! We just said WOW !!!
Kathy and Paul
PS I missed the baby pictures of Kye ! Nuts !!
Hi John! (PLEASE RESPOND)
I didn’t realize you had to ask to respond, so this may be redundant to you…
We will be sailing with you on Dec 3 on the Carnival Dream. I was just wondering if you knew which night the surf and turf would be, being as it is a 9 day cruise. We want to make reservations at the steakhouse one night (any recomendations?) and don’t want to miss out on the regular lobster night in the dining rooms.
BTW- I got to go back and see an old picture of your BEAUTIFUL Kye. My husband and I had such a time ourselves getting pregnant so I know how just looking at them everyday seems like that much more of a miracle to you. Enjoy her. Like everyone says…it really does go by sooooo fast. Soon she’ll be waddling around and you won’t even be able to remember how she fit all curled up on your chest!
Thanks!
Kerry
Dear John,
I think BeauxDammit deserves a ship on a stick for such a hot thread!!
Hi John–
Just found this blog (linked from the USA Today story about the “bump” in Cozumel) and I LOVE it!!
My wife and I are two-time CCL cruisers, coming back in March ‘10 onboard the LEGEND, your current home!
Just wanted to make a comment about the concern about photos of your daughter. If you are concerned about people stealing photos, you simply can’t put any pictures on the Internet. There is absolutely no 100% fool-proof way to stop someone from copying a picture from a website.
There are ways to make it harder, for sure. Disabling the right-click save option (as someone mentioned above) is one. But data displayed on a screen can always be captured, no matter what. I speak as an IT geek with many, many years of web experience (so many, in fact, that in the beginning, when I described my job, people asked, “what the heck is a website?)
I personally try not to think about the jerks out there, and I do post lots of photos of my own family on the web. But I do so with the knowledge, unfortunately, that there isn’t any way to stop those photos from getting copied, if someone really wants to.
Sorry to be the “Debbie downer” voice of reason. If the multitude of Stephanies come up with some newfangled way to protect photos, I would love to know about it!!
John and Heidi,
My husband and I went on a cruise with you 2 years ago. You were awesome. We are going in January on the DREAM. Can’t wait. Is there any way you could be on this ship. We have been on 5 cruises so far and I can only remember the cruise director 2 years ago. You kept us laughing, our spirits up, even when it rained. You are amazing. If you are not going to be there, who will? Please reply.
Thanks
Dear John (please reply)
How come almost everytime I write something on the comment wall it keeps saying ‘Your comment is awaiting moderation’. I don’t get it?
Thanks
Jane M Smith