When I was a wee lad and anyone asked me “John, what do you want to be when you grow up?”……I would always say a policeman. My father found the ambition to be not of a high enough standing and kept on at me to upgrade to brain surgeon……or chairman of a leading cruise line.
As I got older I wanted to be a vet, a spy, a pilot, a novelist and a porn star. As I reached the age of 18 it was obvious to everyone that I had neither the brains nor the equipment to be any of those. And so I flirted with Customs and Excise. Had a brief affair with Lloyds of London until I buggered off and HOORAH………unless you’re my father, whose still dreams of me holding a scalpel — a Cruise Director. My sister wanted to be a horse riding thingy and a fashion designer. She could have done either but ended up being a banker ……..a highly sort after head hunted banker with a beautiful family.
My mates were the same. Ask Danny, Alan and all my friends what they wanted to be when they grew up and they would have probably said “a businessman,” a pilot, an astronaut and in my best mate Alan’s case…………….a ballerina.
Now. I admit that I did go through a faze when I had rock star dreams but they involved singing into my sister’s hairbrush in the privacy of my 80’s rock bedroom……….I was Mick Jagger, I was David Coverdale (White snake) and I was Ian Gillian (Deep Purple) ………………little did I know I would end up looking like sodding Meatloaf.
Let’s leave the time when I would be singing “Smoke on the Water” into my sister’s hairbrush in my underpants and arrive at the present day.
Last night I hosted the Guest Talent Show and before that I had been under immense pressure to allow a 14 year old boy to take part………..here is the build up to all of this.
Guest: Mr. ——Ref: 828020270A
Cabin: ____ Booking#: _______ Added-Changed: 10/08/09 – 10/08/09
WANTS HER SON TO TAKE PART IN THE TALENT SHOW
Guest came to the desk to ask to speak to Cruise Director. Guest was very angry and shouting that her son was 14 and she had seen in the Capers that the minimum age was 16. Mrs. ___ said that her son was a professional singer and that he was going to be famous and that Carnival must have him in the show. Guest refused to leave the desk until CD spoke to her.
Guest was requested to lower her voice as she was disturbing other guests. CD was called and spoke to the guest. Tasked to CD
Well, as you can see I went down to the desk and was met by 300 pounds of very upset Mum. I tried to explain that we had a Circle C/Club O2 talent show later in the cruise but then she launched into another barrage telling me her son was too good and that ……….. and she truly meant this………..that her son would be a future American Idol winner for sure and the next …….and I quote “Kelly R.” Now…………apart from having no bloody clue who Kelly R is my experience told me that in this case it was probably best to bend the rules………calm her down……….and let Kelly R Jr have his day. And of course, if he was a future Simon Cowell cash machine……..then that would only make for a better Talent Show. So, I said……………… “Yes we can.”
And so I let him perform and the kid was good……….he wasn’t brilliant and he certainly has a nice voice but………..well………….to me there was no X factor at all. The audience applauded graciously but they erupted to a huge standing ovation when a young lady sang “I will always love you “later in the show………she was extraordinary.
Back to Kelly R Jr. I felt sorry for him. When I interviewed him after his performance I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up………..he said one word …………. “famous.”
And that it seems is the way of the world. It’s not just that people want to be TV stars or pop stars instead of doctors or teachers ………it’s that they want to be these things even though they don’t have even a dollop of what’s required to reach their goals. I mean, look at the thousands and thousands of people who line up to audition for American and British Idol programs. Every one of them believes that they will win…………become famous…………..and become rich.
In Kelly R Jr’s case I think Mum was living her dreams through him. I am sure she thinks she is being kind, loving and supportive when she tells him he can be famous and win American idol………….but it’s not exactly telling him the truth, is it? I felt very sorry for the young man.
I still have dreams of having my own TV show but I know that there is more chance of President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize during his first year in office than that happening…………oh hold on………………bugger.
One thing is for certain…………writing this blog has transported me back to my youth so before I answer today’s questions………….where’s the hairbrush?………..got it………..right ………….time for a break………..while I jump around in my underpants , banging my head and singing “Smoke on the Water”………..come on everyone………join in.
OK, now that’s over lets crack on with today’s questions……….here we go.
Kathleen Asked:
Dear Mr. Heald,
Please Reply,I know that the Cunard Line still in a way does the First Class, Second Class and Third Class categories, so my question is, Will the Britannia Club be for First Class passengers who can afford the staterooms that go with it, or will any passenger be allowed into that Club. Just wondering.
Best Wishes,
KathleenThis is the first time I have posted, but I have been lurking for over a year. Love your blog.
John Says
Hello KathleenThanks for saying how much you enjoy the blog thingy and I am glad that you have decided to post a comment. Britannia Club is one of three levels that Cunard offer along with Princess Grill and Queens Grill Suites. The Britannia cabins offer the following amenities.
• A full bottle of sparkling wine upon embarkation
• Single-seating dining in the Britannia Club
• 24-hour room service
• Interactive TV with multi-language film and music channels
• Direct-Dial telephone & data port outlet
• Daily shipboard newspaper
• Fine linens
• Pillow Concierge Menu
• Terry cloth bathrobe & slippers
• Nightly turndown service with pillow chocolates
• Refrigerator, safe, hair dryer
• 220V British 3-pin and 110V 2-pin socketsGuests dine on special a la carte specialties with a select few fellow guests in the intimate single-seating Britannia Club and it is very special. Regardless of where you dine on Cunard ships the experience is truly second to none. First class passengers are seated in the Queens Grill. I hope this answers your question and I am very jealous that you are taking a Cunard voyage. It is something that I hope one day; I will be doing as well.
Please let me know if I can help further
Best wishes
JohnDebra Asked:
Hi John….PLEASE REPLY.I really enjoy your blog and have had a brilliant time catching up on of the past posts and have shared the fun with my cruising compadres. Can you please direct me on who to contact to set up a meet and great for our CC group that will be sailing on the Spirit on 11/3? We are a lively group and have been discussing on meeting once on board.
Thank you so much…and keep doing what you’re doing!!!!!!
John Says:
Hello Debra
I took the liberty of sending your request to the ship. They will arrange a lounge on the first sea day in the afternoon for you. Please look for a note in the Capers that says “Cruise Critic Meet.”Thanks for the kind word and best wishes to all
JohnBarb Asked:
I need some help! We were on Carnival Destiny sailing from Miami on 9/12/09 and we had our itinerary switched from Ocho Rios & Grand Cayman to Key West and the Bahamas. This would have been no big deal however we were going to a memorial for my late father in law in Grand Cayman and we were taking my mother in law who was upset the whole trip. We contacted Carnival customer care who actually could care less about the situation. We were offered a 20% discount off of our next cruise before May of 2011 which we won’t use. Carnival refused to offer any other compensation as they felt this was good enough. Do you know if we have any recourse to settle this dispute with Carnival? It’s bad enough that we didn’t make the memorial but we feel the cruise to the Bahamas cost much less then what we paid for our original itinerary. And to boot we were VIP’s! Not that anyone at Carnival cared. Can you offer any advice? I won’t step foot on another Carnival cruise after the way we were treated.John Says:
Hello Barb
I was so sorry to read and let me start with an apology for the distress of not being able to attend your father in law’s memorial must have caused. We do reserve the right to change the itinerary, it’s an industry standard that we all hope never has to be applied. I have sent your comments onto the CARE team and someone will indeed be in touch with you soon to see what we can do to assist with your concerns. Please let me know what happens and my apologies again to you and all the family.
Best wishes
JohnMelanieG Asked:
John please replyNot sure if you will get this in time. We leave for Italy next week and for the October 3rd sailing of the Carnival Dream. I was thinking about tipping room service and normally have always used dollars. Do you think the crew would prefer the Euros or shall I just use dollars? I am hoping to use room service ALOT as we sit out on our aft balcony # 8466.
ThanksJohn Says:
Hello Melanie G
While the Euro is the currency used in the ports (except Dubrovnik, Croatia) the dollar is fine to use as tips as is indeed the Euro. The crew will be happy to receive either or and it is so gracious of you to ask.
I hope you are having a wonderful time
Enjoy the champagne
Best wishes
JohnDave (reply please) Asked:
Hi John,Quick question for you. The deck plans for the dream show the two 9A aft wraps on deck 8 as having full wraps (cabins 8466 and 8473) looking at some hi def pictures I found, it is clear that these cabins are not wraps at all, in fact the cabins “behind” them 8462 and 8469 have wrap balconies.
Now are my eyes deceiving me or is the Carnival deck plan wrong?
John Says:
Hello Dave
WOW – you may be right. I just read this and know I am not sure. Let me contact the ship and see if the balcony divider can be moved or not and what the correct information is. Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention and I hope to post the correct information in the next 24 hours. In fact……….I just received an immediate reply from the ship and this is the story.According to the Guest Services Manager this was brought up to the ship yard yesterday in a meeting they had as you are correct. They are not wrap around balconies and therefore they are discussing with the shipyard ways to change this. Meanwhile guests who have booked these cabins based are being compensated accordingly. Hopefully this situation is taken care of quickly and I will let you know accordingly.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention
Best wishes
JohnJulie Mendenhall Asked:
John (please reply)I have to say Kye is adorable…simply stunning! My question is do you know the dates you will be on the Carnival Fantasy? Since she is coming to Charleston (my homeport!!!!) I really really really want to sail with you as my CD. Thanks for all you do for us. I have to try my best and book for when you will be on the Carnival Fantasy!
JulieJohn Says:
Hello Julie
Thanks so much for the kind words about Kye and there will be an update on her very soon. I will be on the Carnival Fantasy from May 3rd to early June. We are all very excited about cruising from Charleston and maybe I will be lucky enough to welcome you personally onboard.
Best wishes
JohnCharlene Asked:
John,Why did Carnival do away with the topless deck? My husband and I have been on 8 Carnival cruises and we totally enjoyed sunbathing up there. The last cruise we were on, the Miracle, last year we were very disappointed because we could no longer sunbathe on the topless deck because it no longer existed.
We have reservations for a back to back starting on June 12th, 2010, for our 40th anniversary. Does the Serenity deck have any topless bathing allowed?
John Says:
Hello Charlene
Well, you know what. I think you are the first person to mention the old topless decks here on the blog thingy since I started writing. Yes, we did have topless decks and while in the carefree 80’s and 90’s they were maybe used somewhat by the guests (mostly our European guests) their popularity got less and less. In fact, it was mainly the dancers who used them and that meant we took away lots of deck space for only a few guests. We also had the concerns of people going up there to see……..well………..once you have seen one you have seen them both……….if you know what I mean and for these reasons and to move with the times we stopped them. The Serenity decks are for adults only and are wonderful places to relax and soak up the sun. Topless sunbathing is allowed………for the men………but not the ladies.I hope you are not too disappointed and I hope you have a brilliant anniversary vacation on your back to back cruises. If you have any other comments or questions, please let me know.
Best wishes and a very happy anniversary to you both.
JohnD. Bowen Asked:
Dear John,
Thanks for keeping the blog up to date with all the information. You have no idea how much that helps us plan our future cruises. I just have a quick question, I have read where some people were able to purchase a certificate for $100 of their next cruise (for $100) and get some OBC during their present cruise. Why don’t they sell these on all cruises? We were on the Glory last year and would have bought a couple if we had the opportunity. Again thanks for all your information. Have a great week!John Says:
Hello D. Bowen
Thanks for taking the time to write. The certificates you are referring to are part of a program we placed on some of our ships. Guests purchase the certificate for $100 onboard as a deposit on a future cruise. Then you get a bonus of “up to” $200 Onboard Credit depending on the cruise duration. The program has certain restrictions, such as not being combined with other promotions etc. It has proven to be very popular and we are looking at putting this on other ships soon. It is currently on the Carnival Valor, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Liberty and Carnival Freedom.I hope this helps and I remain at your service
Best wishes
JohnBilly G Asked:
JOHN – PLEASE RESPOND
I’m so sorry that Tampa is not being good to you so far (between the evil Sheraton check-in clerk and the snatcher of your box of cigars)…I hope that things have turned around for you by the time this comes up for reply, and that you are having a great time on the Carnival Leg End!I had a quick question about the Behind the Fun tours…I recall a few months back that you mentioned that all of the ships in Carnival’s fleet would have a version of the Behind the Fun tour in place by the end of the year.
And as I will be enjoying my first ever Carnival cruise on the Carnival Inspiration at the end of November, I wondered if you could confirm if the Behind the Fun tour will be available on that ship by then?
Thanks in advance for taking the time to check into this, and for all of the time you put into your vastly entertaining blog thingy!!!John Says:
Hello Billie G
I never did find my cigars and I am sure there is a baggage handler or dare I say a Boarder patrol official enjoying a fine cigar on me somewhere either in London or Tampa……….bastards.I will get to see my first Behind the Fun tour myself on Saturday. It has sold out here on the Carnival Legend and it will be interesting to see the tour and how it works. I will report back of course here on the blog thingy.
The Behind the Fun tour will indeed be implemented on the Carnival Inspiration before you cruise so please enjoy it and let me know what your thoughts are. Was it worth the money? What was the highlight?
Thanks for the kind words
Best wishes
JohnSheshasmomma Asked:
John (please oh please reply)
I am a newer reader of you blog and you just crack me up, with your stories!Good thing all the people who follow to airports like you, hope that ex Rumpy Pumpy partner (now nun) doesn’t go nutty as fruitcake and find you one day.
I have a question or two; we are part of a group going on the Inspiration on Jan 2, 2010. Why oh why did they change to one dinning room to open sitting and the other to a fixed time? We are 39 in all, some have early dinning but most of us are on a waiting list. What are the odds of all of us getting it? This cruise is a family reunion of sorts (not all can make the cruise), my husband comes from a big Italian family, most of us are from the states but a few are traveling from Italy for this cruise.
Do they still have a Captain’s dinner or meet and greet type thing? I always thought is was nice that some of the officers would take the time, but they must be bored of it….lol
John you have a great time on your travels but please stay safe and stay clear of nuns ;-p
John Says:
Hello Sheshasmomma
Welcome to the blog thingy and how good it is for me to read that it brings a smile to your face. The Anytime Dining option has proven to be immensely popular although I don’t think that an entire dining room on the Carnival Inspiration has been devoted to this. Please don’t worry about your group. Did you book as a group or as individual bookings. If it is the later then please let me know a month before you sail and I will ask the Maitre D to try and assist you in being seated in the same section of the dining room. We still have the elegant night dinner preceded by a chance to meet the Captain and senior officers and don’t forget the Farewell celebration at the end of the cruise featuring complimentary cocktails.
I will be here should you need further help
Best wishes
JohnMichelle Mann Asked:
Hi John – Please ReplyGlad 2 have u back, missed your blog these last few days.
My youngest son David is now in his final year at school (yippee) and has to make some important choices about what he wants to do. We have had scuba diver, underwater welder, underwater filming/photo, underwater welder, anyway you get the picture, well last week he has decided it’s a teen host on a carnival ship (water in there somewhere!!). Please could you let me know who to contact for details on joining the youth/teen staff. Royal Navy or Carnival, I know which one I prefer.
Take care, love from a sunny Thorpe BayJohn Says:
Hello Michelle
Oh how I miss Thorpe Bay, I could do with an Oriana fix right now and a frapacrapacino from Ciao. David sounds like whatever he decides to do he wants to do it near water. Start him off by reading all about the position of Club O2 Director by looking at www.carnivalentertainment.com.Then, if he is truly interested I will pop over and chat with him when I am home in December. Let me know if this is OK or tell Heidi the next time she pops in for a decaf something.
Best wishes to all and please can you show this to the lady at Oriana – ITS THE BEST CHINESE FOOD IN THE WORLD – and that thousands of people just read that. Maybe I will get free spring rolls now.
JohnChuck Freeman Asked:
Hello John…My wife Tiffany and I are booked on the blog cruise on 12/03/09. We have always followed your blog. It’s great! I have two questions?
How do we get signed up for the events for the bloggers? If any? and… This is our 5th Carnival cruise and we always see people taking bridge tours. How do we get signed up for that?
Thanks again for always taking time out of your day to make us laugh! I know how much time you must spend to do the blog thingy! LOL You are a very busy man!
ThanksJohn Says:
Hello Chuck
The bloggers cruise will soon be here and it will be terrific to show you all around your Carnival Dream. Did you tell Stephanie that you were part of the group? Did you book with the fare code? If not, please send her a comment marked for 1 of the 343 Stephanie’s attention including your booking number and state room and one of them will add you to the ever growing list.The bridge tours are unfortunately no more. The days of us taking hundreds of guests to the command center of the ship have since gone. Now we do have the new Behind The Fun tour which we charge for but……….it allows 16 people to see the bridge, meet the Captain, see the engine control room, meet the Chief Engineer and a chance to visit other areas usually marked “crew only.” This will be available on your Carnival Dream. I hope you get a chance to go.
See you soon
Best wishes
JohnMona Asked:
John, please reply,I have heard that ‘On Deck for the Cure’ is not currently being supported on the Carnival Splendor. I have participated in 10 60 mile walks over the last 8 years to support breast cancer awareness and treatment, and would love to be able to add an ‘On Deck’ activity to my repertoire. My sister and I will be celebrating her 50th birthday on the Carnival Splendor for the 18 October sailing. Is there any way to get an “On Deck for the Cure” event scheduled for that cruise?
I’ve been a frequent reader of your blog since before Kye was born, but never written in before. Thanks for keeping us all entertained with your musings and responses to so many questions. Congratulations on your beautiful little girl!
MonaJohn Says:
Hello Mona
Thanks for taking the time to write. The On the Deck for the Cure is offered on most ships on most voyages. I just checked with the Cruise Director ………whose name is very unusual…………Stephanie…………and she told me that they will indeed be doing the walk during your voyage. I am so glad that you and your sister will be celebrating her special landmark on the Carnival Splendor and I wish her a happy birthday and you both a wonderful cruise.Best wishes and thanks also for the kind words
JohnDavid Binder Asked:
Please Reply Back. Fist off welcome back to the states. I love your Blogs. I get a great laugh when I read them. I am going on the Pride in July of 2010. I would like to know who would be the CD then, or if you can’t tell me, when will the list be out for next year.
Thanks John, and I am glad you are back.
David BinderJohn Says:
Hello David
Thanks for the nice words, its always rejuvenating when I read that people like the blogs and it gives me encouragement to sit here in my underpants and keep writing… The Cruise Director schedule is not yet complete for 2010. It will be soon and once Mr. Chris Prideaux has done it he will send it to me and I will post it here on the blog thingy. I am sure you are looking forward a lot to your Carnival Pride cruise and I will let you know who the CD will be as soon as I can.
Best wishes
JohnJulie Anne Husbands Asked:
John (please reply),
Welcome to Tampa!
I have 4 questions:
1. I wrote you some months ago about an issue with past guest numbers for my mother and I. You said some one would contact me about it, but I haven’t heard anything yet and our cruise will start October 24th. We’re on the Carnival Freedom and it involves my mother (Evelyn) and I. Could you get your new team on this and make sure we’re both shown as Past Guests?2. You said to remind you a couple of weeks in advance, and we’re still 25 days out, but you seem to be a little behind, but we’d really appreciate being assigned a table fairly near an entrance. My mother will need to bring her scooter within 10 feet of the table, and based on past experience there aren’t a lot of “parking spaces” in the dining rooms. We love meeting and eating with new friends, just don’t want to create a traffic jam for all the other guests.
3. I’m trying to decide between two shore excursions in Panama. 1) Panama Canal Tour or 2) Two oceans by Railroad. Which do you think is better? Are there any shore excursions that are handicapped accessible for my Mom?
Finally,
#4. I live in Tampa is there anything you’d like me to bring you? Maybe some diet root beer or other treat? If so, how could I get it to you onboard?(I do have a local source for PG Tips or canned Spotted Dick if you’d like a taste of home).
Thanks for everything you do for us!John Says:
Hello Julie Ann Husbands
I am pretty sure I replied to you as I remember the question very well. Never mind, I am sure it’s lost out there in blog space. I have alerted the ships cruise director Wee Jimmy and he will make sure both you and Mum get an invitation to the past guest reception which I know you will both enjoy. I have also copied the Maitre D to make sure you have a table close to the entrance so Mum will be comfortable.With regards to the tours you mentioned I would definitely go with The Two Oceans by Railroad. I think Mum will be far more comfortable on the train than the boat and the views from this tour are spectacular and there is not too much walking. If you have any doubts, please speak to Wee Jimmy or one of the Shore Excursion staff………but for me, it’s the Two Oceans tour.
You are so kind to offer to bring me gifts. Luckily, Heidi packed all my favorite goodies but your kindness is so wonderful.
I hope you will both have a brilliant cruise
Best wishes
JohnCheryl K Asked:
JOHN PLEASE REPLY:
I am so happy that you finally had an uneventful flight so that in itself should have tipped you off that something would go wrong. What a nice thing for your fans to greet you and make you feel welcome even if immigration didn’t. I know it must have been awful having to leave your girls behind.My question is about Radu. I love the ship photos he takes and the Carnival Dream leaving Venice is beautiful. He has taken photos of the Carnival Splendor going under the Golden Gate Bridge so if he is taking photos of the ship sailing either into or out of each new port from vantage points high above the ship, is he traveling on land to get from one place to another? I thought he was also sailing with us in South America but maybe I was wrong. I love the webcams too and was so excited this weekend to see the Carnival Dream webcam working on a beautiful day in Venice. Why do only the newest ships have them?
It seems the entire fleet of Princess has them and it’s has to be a marketing draw to have people look at them and see them in places they would love to go. Holland America doesn’t have any. I’m sure there is expense involved but it is so much fun to look at them especially when you are booked and it isn’t your turn yet!
I cruised with Brad on the Carnival Splendor and he was lots of fun and I’m happy for him.
Kye just seems from her photos to be such a happy baby and her smile just makes you smile. Thank you for sharing your girls with us. I look forward to her photos each week to see how she has changed like I do seeing my own grandchildren.This past week Carnival has had a media blitz here in Atlanta but my favorite is still the horn on the Carnival Splendor with Capt. P. which has been on a couple of times.
CherylJohn Says:
Hello Cheryl
It was indeed amazing that some Tampa bloggers gave me the warmest of welcomes, I felt so honored. Radu is an amazing artist and his photos are actually for sale on many of the Carnival ships. I will be featuring more of his work when your Carnival Dream gets to New York. The web cams are very popular and the technology for this is still pretty new if you come to think about it. I think………I am not sure……….but the first ship we put it on was the Carnival Liberty but you make a good point, we should have it on as many of the carnival ships as possible. I will bring this to the table.Great to hear that you enjoyed Brad and I will pass on your congratulations. Thank you for your continuing support of Carnival and for those beautiful words about Kye.
Best wishes
JohnDebra Asked:
Submitted on 2009/09/28 at 8:38pm
Please reply….John, did I just read that you will be on the Spirit in November??????? I am so excited. Can you help my c.c. group set up a meet and great? We have been talking about it on our thread but no one has taken the reins yet. Can you suggest a good meeting spot or tell us who to contact to set something up.I love the blog and have so much fun reading your posts…..keep doing what you’re doing…you have us smiling from coast to coast.
Thank you.
DebraJohn Says:
Hello Debra
I hope you didn’t get too excited too quickly. I will be on the Carnival Spirit but in November …….2010. Regardless if I will be there or not I will be honored to set up your Cruise Critic meet and greet for you. Just let me know.Thanks so much and I hope you keep reading the blogs
Best wishes
John
That’s all for today. The comments have been coming in thick and fast. Thanks so much and I will continue to answer your questions as quickly as possible.
I just wanted to update you on some special activities surrounding the arrival of your Carnival Dream. Although much of the info is still hush-hush, I did want to let you know that we are planning some exciting activities in New York City that will be fun for the whole family and, I’ll be hosting a bloggers get together the morning of November 7. We’ll have additional details shortly but mark your calendars for what is sure to be a terrific event.
Time for today’s photos featuring the beautiful Carnival Legend. These photos were taken by the photo manager of the Holiday when the ships were together in Cozumel.
Well, I think the first week here on the Carnival Legend has gone well. It took a few days for me to get back into the groove and also it took some time for me to get used to the flow of guests on a Spirit class ship. The shows have gone well and last night I performed the bedtime story which, even though I personally think is a little dated now, still seemed to be as popular as ever. The staff here is excellent and having a personal assistant has proven a godsend. Craig is doing very well and has taken a lot of my plate. He liaises between all the departments, produces the Carnival Capers and makes sure the department is for the most part taken care of. I know that I would not be able to manage the blog and all the other projects I have without an assistant and Craig joins Stephanie, Jaime and of course Heidi whom I have to thank so much for their outstanding help.
Here is a short bio from Craig.
Heya John,
Just a few bits about me over time?..hmm ill try to keep this short.
I grew up in the Seaside holiday town of Margate England. I have been in Entertainment my whole life, starting from a young age, to the fine age of 23! With huge love of live stand up Comedy. Over years my talents and love for the stage have developed into strange habits to be able to play great practical jokes and quote random movies lines.
I graduated from College in Performing Arts and then graduated from De MontFort University Bedford England with a BA in Theatre & Contemporary Arts. I first Joined Carnival in Nov 2005 and have not looked back since. My first Carnival ship was the Celebration which opened the doors to the cruise life & industry. Over those nearly four years with the company I was given a nickname which stuck from ship to ship ,with both guests and crew, this was to be da da daaaa….. ‘SEXY CRAIG’. Long story behind this…
I have one younger Brother (Tom Tom) & older sister (Kelly) and Mum and Dad (Paul and Maureen)..Yes I have middle child syndrome!!!!….and a dog called Gracie
PS the photo was my CV piccy when I was job hunting before Carnival!! Ha ha ha and yes it’s taken inside a shed in the back garden…
He will be covering the ship as CD when I leave until after the CD conference when Jen Baxter will return to glitterworld.
While Craig is in some aspects the Cruise Director behind the scenes, I am still responsible for the staff and being a manager as many of you will know is never easy. It is specifically difficult when you are managing 60 entertainers who need constant care, love, attention and who are some of the most highly strung insecure people in the world. Entertainers are artists and have to be treated with kid gloves………..and that is never easy.
I have had two calls this week from other CD’s who needed the advice of their Senior Cruise Director which of course I am always happy to give. One CD is having a problem with one of his assistant managers and although I can’t go into details of course there is often one factor in these situations that is always relevant. You see, in most jobs there is a time, when at the end of the day and in some cases at the weekend, when you close the office door, say goodbye and you don’t see that staff member until the following day. On a ship there is no escape. You work with the same people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for up to 6 months at a time. You work, play, eat and socialize with the same group of people. On land, if you have a personality clash with someone you can choose not to go out for a drink or see them at all out of working hours………..that of course are not the case on ships. And therefore, these situations can escalate quickly because there is not that outlet. Anyway, I gave him the best advice I could and hopefully they will be able to work things out.
As for me. Well, I love my job, I truly do. But as I have mentioned a few times before, coming back to an empty cabin on the high of a show is deflating and quite honestly ………lonely. And I think if you talk to many of the CD’s they will tell you the same. You see, while some Cruise Directors will socialize every night with their staff in the crew lounge, many, like me find that this becomes detrimental. It’s hard to be the boss and lay down the rules when you have been dancing around the crew lounge with an ice bucket on your head singing “I’m a little teapot” with them the night before.
Luckily most Cruise Directors have their wives or girlfriends or both living with them onboard………………actually I must be politically correct here……….and say……..some have their boyfriends living with them……….I always forget we have lady Cruise Directors and George Solano.
Seriously though………….coming back to an empty nest is not easy and I still and probably never will get used to that.
Anyway……….let’s move on.
Overall the guests have been amazing and the incident report has been as small as I can remember it. Do you remember the poor lady who had Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit in the stateroom next to her? They were having very loud rumpy pumpy and having it often ………..well……….the lady has complained again and coincidentally we had some guests disembark yesterday in Belize for an unfortunate medical situation………..the guest is fine by the way but needed immediate surgery.
Anyway, we moved the guest away from the Rabbits and as I read the report that we had done so I thought I would check to see if the rumpy pumpy couple were honeymooners ………..and they are not………Mrs. Rabbit is 49 and Mr. Rabbit………is 53 …………………… lucky bastards.
So, that’s it for today. On Monday I will be posting an update from Heidi and even though there won’t be a photo of Kye she will let you all know how she is doing.
Next week we have the Goth group. I am prepared for that having painted a cross on my cabin door and have cloves of garlic standing by. I will leave you today with a comment from our incident report. Thanks for joining me this week and see you all on Monday.
Guest: Mr. ———Ref: 828010169A
Cabin: ____ Booking#: _______ Added-Changed: 10/07/09 – 10/08/09
GUEST TRIED TO BOARD THE SHIP WITH LIZARD
Chief Security informed Guest Services Supervisor that Mr.______ had tried to board the ship on return from Cozumel with a lizard. Security had seen the animal when it passed through in a bag the x ray machine. Guest was told he could not bring it onboard. Mr. ______ was very upset as he had paid $40 for it. The ships agent took the animal back to Cozumel. Guest is demanding $40 be paid to him by Carnival.
More to follow.
Rabbits and Lizards…………welcome to the M/S Carnival Ark.
Goodnight
Your friend
Noah
Filed under: Behind the Scenes, Bloggers Cruise, Caribbean, Destinations, Links, Q&A, Tales from the Ship, Travel | Tagged: Carnival Spirit, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Pride, Carnival Dream, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Valor, Carnival Legend, Behind the
Hi John,
Happy to see the Carnival Dream webcams are BACK!!
http://www.zydecocruiser.com/CarnivalDream/carnivalDreamWebcams.htm
Now I really will be able to post lots of pictures.
Regards,
bill
John, Brings a whole new meaning to word Lounge Lizard?? John we think yu should get up on stage and do the little Tea Pot song.
John dang it you just ruined our plans 
….. You mean I cant bring my Komodo Dragon on the ship? DARN 
Big Fans as Allways,
Frank and Bridie
John:
Your Blog hit on two of my pet peeves today.
1. Parents who think that if they act like a big enough arse….they will get the rules changed for their children.
In the past, exceptions have been made from time to time. I remember a 14 year old young man that was an excellent piano player. But his mother asked politely that IF we did not have enough adults sign up, could he be a fill in? As Karma would have it, we were short one act and he was allowed to perform. He was excellent.
I know you wanted to help this 14 year old man…but I fear that you made it harder on the Cruise Directors out there to say no when they are faced with this request (which during the summer they probably face every cruise).
Because some ignorant stage Mom, who has read your Blog, is now going to know that if she is obnoxious enough…she will get her way. And the other CDs will have to endure more grief from them.
And while this young man may have had a small degree of talent….you may have opened the door for every 10 year old that wants to sing some horrible rendition of Mary Had A Little Lamb…..because every one of these demented “grown ups” thinks their child is the next American Idol.
That is why they have the Camp Carnival Talent Night.
2. People (no matter how many cruises they have been on) who are bus riders.
I hate to sound callous…..but Barb and her family need to learn that a cruise ship is NOT a bus.
If this event was sooo important to them, that they needed to be at specific port, they should have flown there.
When hearing of similar complaints in the past , an interesting fact has come to light. Seems that more cases than not…. an airline ticket, hotel accommodations and meals for such a trip are MUCH more expensive (per person) than a cruise to that port. (especially when the 3rd and 4th person is sailing for $199 a person)
One has to wonder….if that was the case here????
Carnival owes them absolutely nothing and it is ridiculous that she thinks they do.
It always amazes me that people only complain that “Carnival doesn’t care”….simply because these folks did not get what they wanted.
It is not Carnival’s fault that these VIPs never learned that the ports are not guaranteed. Again…this is a cruise ship…not a bus.
On a more positive note….if your Goth friends next week are anything like CutieGoth who sailed with us on the Valor last week….you are in for a treat. She and her boyfriend were the most delightful couple and were indeed CUTE!!!!
Also, I failed to mention in my Valor review that DJ walked in the On Deck for A Cure last week. I purchased the tshirt and wristband….neither of which he would wear because it had pink on it…and he would not walk with the “crowd”…. but he was there none the less. Sam said he was so cute setting his own pace.
It was so nice to meet Craig. I do not see how any of the Cruise Directors get everything on their plate done. Seems you have Rabbits on all the ships….Energizer Bunnies…..
Linda (Mom of your friend ~ getting excited about the Dream Blogger’s Cruise~ DJ)
Hi John!
I would like to introduce myself to you, my name is Maureen Fahrenholz and I am the luckiest Port Agent in the USA! I will be the Agent in Port Canaveral for the glorious Carnival Dream! I am currently the Agent for the Sensation and the Glory and cannot wait to welcome our Carnival Dream! (I am so going to miss the Glory though, I have been her Agent for the past 3 years) Anyway, I will also be sailing with my sister on the bloggers cruise on 12/3/09. It is my sisters birthday and I hope that we get to meet you and say “Hello”.
Thank you for this wonderful sight, I look forward everyday to sit down and laugh a little with you. It also is a fun way to catch up on what some of my old friends are up too.
Well, I look very forward to meeting you and if you ever need anything when you are in Canaveral, please do not heisitate to call me.
Sincerely,
Maureen Fahrenholz
John, President Obama earned that Nobel Peace Prize. You must have forgot about the BEER PEACE SUMMIT he held in the White House back yard for the cop and the professor. That must be it because I can’t think of any thing else he’s done yet.
The deadline for nominations for the prizes was just 10 days after he was in office. So he must have been nominated on the if come.
BIG ED
My wife and I just returned from Rome after taken the maiden voyage on the newest ship Dream, for our 40th wedding anniversary. Everyone I talked to had a great time. Made some great new friends and memories. This was our 8th cruise with Carnival and each one has been great. We are already planning a family reunion cruise for next August 2010. John we have had you a few times as our CD and once was selected to participate in the fun on stage where I had to preform in order for my wife to get some jewerly. It was really great. Hope to see you on the high seas soon.
John,
I am positive that the “full-of-herself” mother will be seen on this years American Idol being escorted away by police while shouting obscenities at the judges who, like I am sure you wanted to, gave her a dose of reality!
-Greg
Good evening John. Just listening to that mother forcing you to allow her son to sing on the talent show just makes me sick. I just feel so bad for that boy. He is going to have many problems in his life because of his mother. My nephew who is a very talented singer, piano player and actor knows how hard it is to get into this life. He’s working very hard and enjoying himself in what he’s doing and he knows it will take many years if ever to reach the success he wants. Maybe should sit with that 14 year old and inform him of the dangers that will be around the corner for him.
My friends just came back form a 12 day cruise on the Queen Mary 2. He told me it was an unbelievable cruise and the ship was exquisite. He loved the Mediterranean( not sure of the spelling )
Will the new Queen Elisabeth be larger then the queen Mary 2?
I hope on reading the blog section from Heidi and how Kye is doing. It has been awhile. It must be very hard for you to be away from them for such a long time. Say hi from my wife and I. See you later.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
Dear John
Please respond
I sent this back on Sept 8th but it must have gotten lost in cyberspace.
I just got back from a great cruise on the Carnival FASCINATION. This was my wife and my self’s 6th cruise and was the best one ever. The crew was great and our cabin (Cabin E193) steward Gabby was the best one we ever had, ever time I opened the cabin door he was right there. Ready to be of service for what ever was needed. Our head waiter (table 287) was also excellent and provided close attention to our needs.
This ship had a great group of passengers most everyone was considerate of other people. The CD Felpe was good and funny. The crew would go out of their way to help all of the passengers.
I did have one problem and that was with the people in the cabin next to us. They had three kids the oldest was about 10 years old and the youngest looked to be about 5. They had 2 cabins and left the kids by their selves in one and the parents stayed in a cabin about 6 doors down the hall. The parents would go to the shows and other stuff and leave these kids by themselves unsupervised from after dinner until after 1 am. I am a retire police officer and on dry land this would have been child neglect. I know on a ship things are more relaxed but who should I report this to? The cabin must have been trashed by the kids I looked in on them to make sure everyone was ok , they were being kids jumping on the beds, banging on the walls screaming and yelling. I don’t blame the kids but I do blame bad parents.
I have only been reading your blog since August but I have found that it is addicting. Keep up the Good work.
Thanks
Bruce
Tasting something SOUR… we have cabin #8466 booked on the Dream for our 2/27/10 sailing.
We booked #8466 PRECISELY because it was an “AFT WRAP”…
It will be interesting to see how they are going to handle this… and NO, I don’t simply want our rate adjusted to a Cat 8 level. That is not what we booked – nor desire!!!
Tom
We are sailing on Carnival Dream next May, My husband and I were so thrilled to be going on this new ship. We have been on several cruises all with Carnival. We envied those who had wrap balconies and decided that this cruise we would splurge and get the wrap balcony 8466 because according to the deck plans this was a wrap around balcony. We saw pictures of the back of the ship on blogs and we about fell off the floor when we realized this was indeed not a wrap. We called Carnival immediately the other wrap cabins were already booked . They told us not to worry that this was a wrap balcony. Indeed it is not. We were so discouraged no one would listen to us. When we read your blog about this matter we were so happy finally someone else has noticed this is not a wrap.We do not want to be compensated we want the wrap balcony that we paid for. The other cabin that is paying $ 500.00 less is getting the wrap. I sort of feel ripped off. I am sure there are others who feel this same way. I am so hoping that the divider is moved before our cruise. We are anxiously waiting to see how it will all turn out. thanks for being such a great person your blogs always give us something to look forward to Susan
John, please reply:
I am taking my mother on her first ever cruise in less than 30 days! It is a thank you to her for all her help with my newest and third son (6 months old!). My question is this: Online my funpass says we have early dining confirmed (which is fine) and my mailed docs say we have anytime dining. How do I know which it is AND how can I ensure that we get a table for two each night — girl talk!! Thanks in advance for any help. Lynn
Personally, I have never seen anything in my contract that said ‘You shall not be permitted to purchase and bring on board a lizard native to the island of Cozumel.’ If it don’t say it… it must be legal, right?? Next time Mr. Lizard should stuff the critter in his trousers. Even if the the thing expires while down there it’ll look like he’s got a… uhh… well, never mind…
I feel sorry for young Kelly R Jr. He should be out enjoying the company of kids his own age, entertaining them, or even better, killing aliens on some video game or chasing 14 year old girls about rather than wasting his youth wanting to be ‘famous.’ Poor kid.
I’m sure that Craig is a great chap but Stephanie Meads is much easier on the eyes…
All the best to Heidi, Kye and the remaining 342 Stephanies!!!
Ciao!
Host Mach
John – (Please reply)
It is with a bit of alarm that I read one of your comment replies, from today, regarding Carnival Dream cabins 8466 and 8473, the “aft wrap balconies” – category 9A – that apparently are not aft wraps…
What were you meaning when you said “Meanwhile guests who have booked these cabins based are being compensated accordingly”? Don’t think I’m asking for a free cruise…I’m just curious as to what “new category” these rooms are listed as…as I booked this cruise on that deck specifically for the Wrap Around balcony…
Thanks!
Dear John,
Another great blog, as usual. I hope I don’t come across as cold and heartless…In fact, I am very sorry for Barb’s and her family’s loss. But I don’t understand why someone would choose a Fun Ship as their mode of transportation to a family member’s memorial service. ??? I mean, I would be like her mother-in-law and “distressed” the entire cruise, regardless of the cruise itinerary.
Anyway, I hope things work out for Barb and her family.
Laura
Hi John, Please Reply!
Well Dec, 3rd. will soon be here, my Mom and I are counting the days, to our Dream, and meeting you! I am very excited to say I have 3 Carnival Cruises booked!!! 2 on the Dream, which on Oct.2nd, I wrote you my husband and I will be renewing our wedding vows, well I’ve added a 3rd, April 24th, 2010, on the carnival Liberty, which I’ve been on before, for your fabulous Halloween Cruise, I was wondering who will be the CD, on this cruise?, will Mom and I get Lucky, and be cruising with you again? we have our fingers crossed!!!!!!!! Michele & Mom ( Eleanor)
Host Mach from Cruise Critic
You saying “I’m sure that Craig is a great chap but Stephanie Meads is much easier on the eyes…” wont get you anywhere with Stephanie because remember she was on BC2 that night when your teddy didn’t cover all your ….uuummmm… parts. Next time you will use the robes from the cabin like I did. Even though I had to use 2 of them. One put on from the back and one from the front because John has still not got us BIG people the “THESE FIT THE REST” size robes.
JOHN PLEASE REPLY
Will there be the “THESE FIT THE REST” size robes in time for BC3 on the Carnival Dream??? Remember you said I would get one if I came on BC1, never happened 1. You told me in Philly that you and I would do a photo shoot for CURRENTS modeling the new robes, never happened 2. So what are you going to say about this for BC3???? so we can have a NH3
BIG ED
John, please reply … some time!
Yesterday’s and today’s blogs took us back to our 49 days on the Carnival Splendor this year – and made us think of Przemak, the delightful Polish pianist who was everywhere around the ship, making our lives joyful. We know that he was continuing on the C-Splendor until September – will we be able to see him on other Carnival ships … maybe the Carnival Spirit, if we get to do the three b-2-b cruises we’re hoping to do next year? He was a definite bonus to Carnival!
Thanks for your reply John, needless to say I am less than amused by this whole thing, I am just thankful that I spotted it on the pictures before we got on the ship.
We went through a similar thing a couple of years ago on the Legend, we booked an extended balcony cat 11, after boarding we went out to look at our lovely large balcony only to discover that in fact it was smaller than a regular balcony.
When we contacted the pursers desk about our missing balcony and the staircase that had replaced it they denied a staircase being there ! We asked to be moved, offering to pay anything to get out of the cabin, of course the ship was sold out, we also had friends fly in to join us on the cruise so we were stuck.
Here is where I had the big problem, a 9A or an 11 is a big premium over a regular balcony, we make good money, we can afford to have a throw away cruise, but damn it there are people that save for years for these once in a lifetime cruises, couldn’t someone at Carnival spend 5 minutes going over the deck plans to make sure they are right before selling the cabins ?
As it is we are stuck in this 9A that isn’t a 9A because 30 of our friends decided to join us and they have bought cabins on all sides of us, we can’t just up and leave them there, why do we cruise with friends, it would be so much easier to go without them
This is also my Platinum cruise btw with another booked for the following January…with 60 of my friends….
Sorry to vent, having dealt with Carnival Corporate before, well I know it’s a waste of time frankly (hence my better not reply thingy) and this makes me feel a little better
Anyways, no fruit basket please, just see what you could do about getting the deck plans fixed as it’s still showing as a wrap and it’s still selling as a 9A.
Thanks for letting me rant
Dave
Hello John, (please reply)
I’m sure you’ll get many, many comments about the Carnival Dream deck 8 9A aft wraps. We have 7454, the aft wrap on deck 7. Is that a true wrap? We would all appreciate any info you can give us on those 6 cabins and even the two 8D on deck 9.
Thanks John and have a magical day!
George and Linda
Maureen Fahrenholz:
I just wanted to take this opportunity to
THANK YOU for the WONDERFUL job you and your staff do at Port Canaveral.
We sailed from there in May on the Glory and it was THE BEST EMBARKATION of the 32 cruises (in the past 10 years) that we have had.
WE LOVE the fact that VIP starts right at the door….before you get to Security. Some ports do not do this and that diminishes the perk. You folks have it exactly right!!!
We will be seeing you on the Dec 3rd sailing of the Dream and can’t wait!!!
Linda (Mom of DJ)
John, I’m afraid you have let the camel’s nose in the tent by allowing Kelly, Jr., to participate in the adult talent show. Now all your blog readers will tell mothers/fathers of future “superstars” to go to
Guest Relations and throw a hissy to get their little darling into the Big Boys Show and, before you know it, it will be back to the way it was in the “old days” before age limitations were put in place.
Good Luck.
Tucker in Texas
Dear John (Please reply)
We are back from 1st sailing of Carnival Dream
We Thank you for the fruit Basket & Champagne
Sorry we missed you. We got to the ship about 1145 and you were gone. Hopefully you can personally mail the Christmas ornaments to me. I left Kye’s present with Todd to give you, please let me know when you get it.
Now about our voyage
To start our vacatin off we arrived in Rome 3 days early (good thing we did) Alitalia lost All of our luggage. Spent 2 days getting 3 of the 4 bags. 4th bag meet us in Naples & They lost all of our luggage on the way home as well.
Embarktation- was great & smooth. The ship is beautiful (The lights by the main elevators are a bit too bright) feels like you are walking into a beauty shop.
Sail away was nice. Needs to be a bit earlier, it was dark out when we left.
Dining- Anytime dining is the way to go. 1st time of us trying this & it was great!!! We requested the same waiter each night. Aleksandrov (Alex) in the Crimson DR took excellent care of us. Greeted us by 1st name each & every night.
Chef’s Art Supper Club was great as well
Dancing in the Street (1st show) what can I say- It was out of this world (FANTASTIC!!!!)
Laser shows – 1st one on sail away was So So
Deck Party Laser show was FANTASTIC
Ports of Call- All were wonderful- Some of the excursions we did (All thru Carnival) need to be re worked to allow time to enjoy the sights. We felt like we were really rushed on some of the excursions.
Florence & Pisa with tower entrance- no time to enjoy Florance
Montserrat & Barcelona- Not enough time at Montserrat & no time in Barcelona
Crew on board- We were recognized by several crew members. Danny stated he got an email that we would be on board.
Eli & Simon & James were also great
Todd of course did a wonderful job on the 1st sailing
All & All we had a great time
We are hoping to book Carnival Dream on 1/23 which if I am not mistaken you will be the CD
Also plan on booking Carnival Fantasy on 5/18 out of Charleston, which again you will be on board.
Hope to here from you soon
Cheri & Michael
John,
We just finished a wonderful cruise on the Dream. It was awesome! The itinerary was unbelieable. We like others after us, were led to believe that cabin 8473 had a couch, wrap around balcony so we paid for the upgrade as we were to be in room 8470. Much to our dismay, we had a tiny room, no wrap around balcony and not even a chair in our room.
Carnival Dream customer service took pictures and agreed that this definately was not an upgrade.
They took pictures and created a case. When we got home we called our vacation planner, Charles, who was aware of our problem. Carnival sent us a letter stating that although it was not the room described, too bad. We were not going to get a refund on the upgrade. We were so disappointed as we and many friends and family, have cruised on carnival quite a bit. Anyway, I heard on cruise critic that a meeting was held and they would compensate us for this. Can you help? We would love to plan another cruise with Carnival.
Thanks,
John,
I know you do such a great job in dealing with people and pleasing them. I do have to say though, in the case of the “rules don’t apply to my son” mother, I think giving in was not the right thing to do. All it does is teach the mother that the more she b*****s, the more she gets her way. I also feel she has brainwashed the poor kid and he is going to have a hard time facing disappointment in his life. I can’t imagine what his life is going to be like. I have no doubt that this will appear somewhere on Cruise Critic (No offense Host Mach) and someone will tell people that a child got into the adult talent show so there is no reason for your child to not be in it
The family who wants compensation because they missed Grand Cayman should have read their contract or any number of sources for info about cruises. It never ceases to amaze me the sense of entitlement that is so prevalent today. The “ME” generation is out in full force and everything/anything deserves compensation and by gosh if it isn’t given, the cruise line, the airline, or even God is giving poor customer service and for sure I will tell everyone/anyone who will listen. I think some people need to grow up and take responsibility for their own actions or lack thereof.
Wow, off my soapbox for today. Keep up the good work.
John please reply-
Hi John,
Great blog, as always!
Will Carnival ever consider doing some repositioning cruises from Florida to New York and visa versa during the Spring and Fall? I think many people would be interested. I know I would! Can they at least give it a try and see if it’s worth their while?
Hello John,
We sailed on the first Blogger’s Cruise and are now looking forward to sailing again with you on the Dec 3rd Blogger’s Cruise.
Big Ed emailed to tell me that you had previously mentioned special Blogger shore excursions at Tortola and Antigua. Neither of them are on the Carnival shore excursion list.
We are in the process of booking all of our shore excursions for each of the ports, how do we sign up for the Blogger shore excursions?
Please have one of the many Stephanies email us to assist us in our planning.
Many thanks and see you soon.
Cheers!
Roy & Terry
Dear John,
I have just signed up to recieve your Blog each day. It is wonderful. Just want to let you know that I was on a three day “girl’s cruise” Oct. l on the Sensation. It was fantastic. I wrote a Cruise Critic review. I don’t know why anyone is upset about the purple – we liked it. Service gets A+++. We had one of the new aft balconey’s and loved it. Jerry and I will be sailing on the Glory on 10-31 and are very excited. Hope all is well with you and the fam.
Irma and Jerry
John,
It makes me sick to think about how rude that lady was regarding her 14-year old! Some think just think they are far superior than others and I can’t stand people like that as I know a good number of people like that…
As for the rabbits? Lucky bastards indeed…… I feel the same way you do and I’m not even married!! Best of luck with Craig when he takes over CD! I look forward to hearing more about November 7. So far, it seems feasible! Have a nice weekend!
Cheers,
Alex G.
John, I finally did get the email from Miguel…I just needed to be patient…..I am not known for my patience…
Lizard–Uhm, must have been a first time cruiser
Mr. & Mrs. Rabbit–oh my, 49/53….
Lonely job of a CD–yes, you do have to stay at a distance, which is the unfortuante part of the job. I can imagine that it is the same for other department heads as well. As for as knowing what loneliness goes, well, I know all about it……
Hope the sweet wee one is well and Heidi isn’t freezing her buns off in Jolly olde England..it is cold here in Alberta (Canada).
Hi John, (Please Reply)
You asked me to let you know how the cruise on Carnival Sensation went with my 2 grandsons. So here it goes. Wonderful!! Camp Carnival’s staff was outstanding, the new features on the ship were great. My wife and I took our chance with the water slide, and this is a big deal, as she is afraid of pools, and I, like you don’t do roller coasters. I did however leave my socks in the cabin. Now as for the shore excursion. We took the one to Atlantis with beach, lunch, water park, and aquarium. The boys had a blast. I however had the time of my life with the boys until the rapids tube ride (I thought might be a lazy river tube ride) flipped me over and the current dropped my trunks to my knees. The life guard kept yelling put the tube over your head, and all I could think about is getting my trunks up before I landed in the slammer, one hand on the tube the other pulling up the trunks. Good thing for me that I did before anyone could notice.
I have read that you are enjoying Carnival Legend, and having cruised on Carnival Pride this summer I know how you feel. But I want to take it a step further. We took our best cruises early, on Sensation, Imagination, Fascination & Carnivale. We fell in love with cruising. Now after sailing on the larger ships, and going back to the improved Carnival Sensation, I know why we fell in love. My 11 year old grandson and I ran into the Staff Captain on the Lido deck and after a short conversation about his job on board, he called the Captain of the ship over to meet us. Later, I got to meet our CD Paul on the same Lido deck, and he was just as friendly as you were on our 3 cruises with you. We got outstanding service from everyone, from the moment we got in to the line to check in, till the porter helped us take our bags to the car after the cruise. I have no complaints. The best endorsement is that our 7 year old when asked if he wanted to go to Disney World next year he said no, he wanted to come back on this ship. Both boys said they liked the Carnival Sensation better than Disney Wonder.
Now for the standouts. Hard to pick because the entire staff was great. Jorge from Peru, who works as a bar server in the Fantasy dinning room, portrays such a love for his job. He smiles from ear to ear, and never let my soft drink glass get empty. It is the little things that mean so much. This guy acts like serving beverages to the guests is the most important job in the world. With people like Jorge from Peru on the ships, how can you not have a fun time. Could you get word to his supervisors how valuable he is to the company. (Sail Date Oct 4 Table #148)
The next person you need to be aware of is Shirley Mccall, our PVP. I have now booked 3 cruises this year with her, and she has gone out of her way to resolve all my concerns. She even came in early one day to help us book our Carnival Sensation Cruise. I can only tell you that if all customer service sales people had her knowledge, and gave her service, there would never be a complaint. Please let her supervisors know how great she is.
Now, my question to you is this. The photo people on Carnival Sensation were also outstanding, they took more pictures of the boys that we didn’t know about, till we discovered them, or at least the boys did. Can the photo people put together a package of pictures that you can buy on line like they do at say, Disney World? After you get home, you may notice that you didn’t get enough copies, or wish you had taken some that you left in the refuse bin. Maybe they could get a scanner thingy that could route them by cabin#, Sail Date, and Ship, from the Sail and Sign card. I was lucky at the Atlantis Water Park that they gave one of the boys a number on his wrist band, we thought the ship took the picture, but on the way out, I saw the photo station, and she set it up for us to buy online. That led me to this question? Why can’t the Carnival Fun ships have a “Fun Ship Photo Club”?
Now that we have rediscovered the Carnival Sensation, I can’t wait to go on the Carnival Imagination this January.
Best wishes to you and your family, I love the “Blog Thingy”
Dave Vigue
PS: Thank you so much for standing up for our troops, you are right, we can’t thank them enough.
Hey John! You are a hoot-and-a-half and keep us informed and in stitches at the same time! We LOVE our Carnival Cruises and will be taking #4 on the Dream this Feb.13/10 with another couple who we talked into going. We know they will not be disappointed and they will see and experience such a difference from the “resorts” with their “friendly, helpful” staff! JK:-) We keep coming back to Carnival because we REALLY see and feel like royalty and LOVE the staff. The couple we are going with will be celebrating their anniversary while on board. We truly do see the HUGE difference between Carnival and even the “high-end” resorts (as hard as they try, they just can’t seem to reach the standards of Carnival!) ttyl hugs to all the staff! Angela Guptill
JOHN PLEASE REPLY!!!!
I few of us “agents” were talking with customers and can’t figure out WHY the cruise ships can’t supply pop free???
If its served like the dining places-its just a cylinder of syrup mixed with carbonated water. Has to be cheaper than milk or the Hot Chocolate???? WHY can’t it be included as a free item?????
Myself-I always bring some back on with me after going ashore-I’m not about to pay 2.15 per can of coke! I know its a sore spot with people that like to cruise.
Please check on it and let us know why.
John , hope you see this. you asked about feedback on the new ” Behind the Fun ” tour.
My wife and I just got off the Liberty today. We took the tour yesterday and it was worth every penny. Our tour guide , Helena , was outstanding and very informative. Without a doubt the highlight of the tour was visiting the bridge and being given a tour of the entire bridge by the captain himself , Captain Casula. He explained every area and was very patient in answering all of our questions. Again , would recommend this tour to anyone !!!!
JOHN PLEASE REPLY – NEED HELP FOR ROTTEN CABIN!!
I was on the inaugural cruise for the Carnival Dream which was wonderful except…there seemed to be a cooking exhaust venting into cabin 7390 somehow – very unpleasant cooking odor starting around 10:30AM and going all night – not very nice with the balcony door shut at night and who knows what we were breathing in!!
When I left at the end of the cruise, they had the people from the ship builders on board, shutting down one ventilation shaft section at a time, trying to figure out what was wrong. If it was a hotel on land & they couldn’t move me, I would have checked out after (or probably during) the first night, but since it was a 12 night Med cruise, just tried to make the best of it. Guest Services just kept offering to send housekeeping to “refresh” the cabin…hey guys, its an engineering problem, not housekeeping. Carnival (after much complaining) gave us a 20% credit – I thought that was not terribly adequate but didn’t let it spoil our wonderful vacation. They also gave us a letter for 15% off a future cruise of 3-8 days, not a comparable 12 night cruise. I know you pay for the food & entertainment as part of your cruise fare, but the comp they gave us works out to $79 per night for a balcony cabin which was basically uninhabitable. Is there a higher authority I can bring this up to?
John – Thanks for another great blog! I read it daily to keep me excited for our next cruise. We will miss the pics of Kye, but look forward to the update from Heidi.
Linda (Mom of DJ) – Thank you for voicing what many of us are thinking. If it’s that important, fly there.
Roxianne
Another great blog today. It truly amazes me the gall of some people. A Mom who thinks her son is going to be the next Idol. My advice to that kid, stay in school, get a great education and stay out of trouble. Sing at church and when you graduate from college get a great job.
As far as the fool that wanted Carnival to pay him the $40.00 for the animal he was trying to smuggle on the ship, what on earth was he thinking? Just what did he plan on doing with that thing on the ship? What was he going to feed it and how on earth was he going to get that thing through customs? There are just some people that you have to wonder how they get through their daily lives, perhaps they do not?
Looking forward to Heidi’s “Kye Report”.
Keep smiling John, you truly are one of the good guys.
My best to Heidi and your precious Kye.
Hi John,
I just wanted to thank you for looking into the deck 8 Cat 9A matter on the Dream.
Based on what you have said and the pictures we have seen of the interior of the cabin we will be canceling the 9A and moving to a cat 8.
Even with the balcony extended to make it a wrap, after looking at the pictures of the cabin we know that we really would not be happy with it, so rather than be unhappy, we will switch to a regular balcony cabin and have a blast
All is not lost though, we will be using the money saved to move to an aft wrap on our cruise on the Miracle a couple of months after our Dream cruise, which happens to be my 40th birthday as well.
Thanks again for looking into this and for all the hard work you do to try to make Carnival customers happy.
john
december 3, we will be aboard the new dream.
my computer does not tag along, due to orders from the ceo of the family.
how can we be included in the bloggers activities inasmuch as the machine will be home resting?
John & Co. (please reply)
I was just on the Carnival web site to book some shore excursions for My Carnival Splendor 12/27/09 sailing and wanted to book the Off Road Bicycle Adventure. Then I noticed there is a weight limit of 200 lbs. Why? Nobody but me is going to have to haul the weight around. I really want to do this as bikes are the best way to actually see the country for me, and would prefer to do it through the ship, but as I weigh 230, I guess I’ll have to do it through an outside vendor. At least there wasn’t a weight limit when I booked my night at the supper club!
Enjoy life,
Ron
Whoops! I forgot to say in my previous post the port for the Off Road Bicycle Adventure: Puerto Vallarta.
Thanks,
Ron
John,
Humorous (spelled correctly) and insightful blog, as usual. And I agree with you on the strange desire by young people to be famous, and their parents’ blind devotion that builds up that hope (often falsely)…truely quite a sad state of the world these days.
Loving the pictures in the blog these days…I can almost feel the wood of the deck under my feet and the vibration of the ship pulling into port beneath them. *big sigh*…less than 7 weeks on the countdown for us til Glory.
Stacey
John, Have you ever thought that Mr. & Mrs. Rabbit (49/53) are maybe hard of hearing and might have just been watching a XXX video in their cabin with it turned way up so they could hear it.
BIG ED
Hi John.
My name is Dave from Greenock, Scotland. The QM2 is making it’s first visit to the River Clyde on Monday, thought these two links may be of interest to you!
All the best
http://www.inverclydenow.com/news-detail2.asp?ID=3476
http://www.inverclydenow.com/news-detail2.asp?ID=1442
http://www.inverclydenow.com/news-detail2.asp?ID=3450
John thanks for your reply, some of us booked a group rate and some us did a past guest rate. I will get in contact with you a few weeks before our family reunion cruise. THANKS SO MUCH!!!! There are going to be some happy Italians on board the Inspiration.
John, Please Reply when you have time
Recently booked on the Carnival Glory for March. I thought I read somewhere where it would be in dry dock in January. What sort of upgrades will she be receiving?
Also, my husband walks with a cane so it’s always difficult to know what excursions work well for him. We don’t scuba or snorkel, don’t want dolphins or sting rays. Since you are currently doing the Western Caribbean itinerary I was curious to know if you had suggestions for Cozumel, Cayman, Roatan, and Belize – that may work well for my husband. I am really interested in the ruins/River Wallace boat ride in Belize (although I know he couldn’t walk to the top of the ruins). Suggestions?
Thanks John. Keep up the awesome blog and all the humour. Gives us something to look forward to daily.
Hellooooo John
I have some time to go before my Dream come true. I just can’t stop looking at the pictures of the ship. I get so happy you may think I’m in love. With Carnival Dream ship. Well I did fall in love with the other ships. It’s like a pair of shoes a girl just can’t just pick one….. LOVE YOU CARNIVAL…..
Stacey P
The Bronx NYC
Hi John,
We will be sailing with you on the Legend on 10/18…WOOOOOO HOOOO!!!
I am wondering if you know which night they will be celebrating Halloween with costumes? We are trying to plan some things with the Saints & Sinners group, and this will be helpful to know.
Thanks much! Look forward to meeting you!
Dear John (please reply)
Wanted to let you know that I love reading your blog. After a tough 6 months you really make me laugh! My in-laws were going to be with us on the this cruise, but my mother in law had to cancel because of illness and my father in law passed away just after the booked.
Please see the below comment I sent you back on 8/31/09 and have not heard from you. I will be sailing on the Glory on the 10/31/09 and I want to make sure that I am all set with my past guest number. (Can’t let my husband get all the benefits of a past guest.)
“August 31st, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Hi John (please respond)
My husband and I are booked on the Glory 10/31/09 to celebrate our 24th anniversary. It said that Carnival could not identify me. After hours on the phone with many different people, including my vacation planner at Carnival, someone finally found me. On my past cruises I never had a problem, but this time my date of birth was incorrect. No one I spoke to can tell me on how this could have happened. They could find my kids and my husband, and he has only been on cruises with me. Maybe it has to do with my name. Have you ever heard of this happening before? To be safe I am taking one of my old Carnival Sail & Sign Cards.
Hope your family is well.
Jane M. Smith”
Do I need to worry about my past guest number or was a new one issues to me?
Miss the pictures of Kye, but understand as a mother, the safety issues.
Thanks
Jane M. Smith
Hi John . . . My husband David & I just took the cruise on the Legend on 10-04-09 so we are home now and I had to write to you. I got the opportunity to speak to you on the phone on your afternoon show (seems I was the only person watching at the time!!) We are the counterfeiters from New Port Richey, FL! We had such a good time on our cruise – even though I ruined my ankle on the Ruins and had to use a wheelchair for the last 2 days of the cruise. The staff was very accommodating and the Nurse on board was kind enough to give me a shot for the pain (you know where), and the Dr. provided me with medication for the remainder of the trip. Believe me – purchasing the medical insurance is well worth it – you never know when you will need it! I’ll let you how it goes with the reimbursement from the insurance company. Anyway – just wanted to let you know that we really enjoyed the cruise, and to thank you for being the best Cruise Director ever!! Your unending enthusiasm and laughter kept us in stitches and we’ll probably never forget Dick & Anita Little or Maryland. We are looking forward to planning our next Cruise – probably to Alaska for our 25th Anniversary! This was our first Carnival Cruise. The only other one was a 3 Day to Bahamas on “another Cruise Line.” The 7 Days on Carnival was a much needed getaway – the perfect amount of time to vacation and really relax and regroup before having to go back to work – Bummer!! Well, keep us updated with some more pix of your baby girl – she is beautiful! Hope to hear from you soon – and thanks for making it a wonderful vacation!!
Take care . . . Lynn & David
Dear John,
I have been reading the cruise critic forum now for almost a year along with my mother who has always wanted to cruise but due to my father having a dislike to water has never been able to talk him into cruising until a year ago when she hit the 5 year mark of being in remission from cancer. (October 23 is the anniversary of that date)
My father decide to show her that nothing would stand in her way of doing anything.
So he booked for them a cruise on the Legend for October 18-25th of this year.Sorry such short notice.
Booking in January gave them the time to save for this trip.
Two months ago my mother had to have surgery again for active cancer cells and is making a good recovery. While posting a question on the cruise critic forums I had asked if anyone knew of any coupons, specials or things that would be within their budget that would make this more of a special cruise for them and it was suggested I come on here to ask you if you knew of any. As they stated you Know All( and that was said in a loving way).
Budget is tight for them now due to medical bills and being out of work with her being in hospital and recovery on sick leave without pay.
So if you do know of any suggestions to make this a very special time for my mother who is always doing and thinking of others , it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time,
Brett
Hello John,
I’ve been enjoying your Blog Thingy for a long time. This is my first “comment”. You are GREAT and ALWAYS make me smile or LOL. What a life you have putting up with the passengers along with all of your other duties. I was a group tour manager for close to 20 years and, on a very small scale, know some of what you put up with on a daily basis. Your comments are priceless!!
My Sis and I will be on the beautiful new DREAM with you on 12/3/09. We booked so long ago there was not a “Blogger’s Cruise”. I called CCL to attempt to be “listed” with the “PBL” code and they admitted they didn’t know what I was talking about. I believe I read a response from you that said to contact “1 of the 343 Stephanies” (with booking nbr. & cabin nbr.) but I’m not sure how to do that. Sorry to bother you with this, but we would like to be added to “the list” if that is still possible.
Thank you so much for your assistance. Keep up the great work with the Blog Thingy…..you are loved AND appreciated.
Steve
Attention: STEPHANIE
We have already booked on the Carnival Dream on 12/03 as you can see by the booking number below. We would like to be added to the bloggers cruise. The only question I have is we are already sitting with six of our family and friends at dinner (they are not bloggers) and we would like to continue to sit with them at dinner if possible.
Thank you for your help.
Theresa Tamash
**Please reply**
John,
Great blog today! Since getting off the beautiful (even with her dents) Carnival Legend two weeks ago no, I am absolutely LOVING all the blogs from the ship. It was truly an amazing vacation. I don’t know how my Carnival vacations keep getting better and better and better, but they do! Now that I’m starting to recover from my Post Cruise Depression some, I thought I would finally post a mini review of my vacation! And I have a few questions for you too!
The “Incident” in Cozumel was just part of my excisting week, but I want to start by thanking everyone in charge when that happened. I thought both the Captain and Jen (as well as the rest of the crew) did a great job handling things! I never felt worried and thought the crew handled themselves with amazing class. And I loved that Jen came out in the life jacket. Though I think it’d be appropriate if she personalized her life jacket with glitter! ( I got a great picture of it). I also want to say a special thank you to Nicoletta and Robin.
We had anytime dining and Nicoletta was wonderful. In 6 cruises, she has been the best waitress I’ve had. She is an amazing person and was so personable, funny, and a pleasure to be around. I would almost pick another cruise based on the ship she’s working on! If you get a chance, please pop into Truffles and tell her hello and thank you from our entire group!
Robin as our ACD was so much fun. I could tell that he really enjoyed his job and he always had time to talk to us. We enjoyed hanging out with him and seeing him around the ship. As you start sailing more often, you encounter lots of different hosts and ACDs, but Robin will always stand out for me and I just wanted to pass that along! The rest of the staff was GREAT too, but Robin went above and beyond.
And thank you to you! Words can’t say how apprecative I am of you helping me honor my dad. You helped me our cruise even more special and thank you for having Jen read my letter on her show. John-you’re really one of the good guys out there and I want to say it again- Thank you for all you do! It was great to see you again and though I didn’t get a chance to say good-bye, hopefully we’ll meet up again on the seas!
So, now for my questions!
Did you ever get the gift we left you at Guest Services? I wasn’t sure I’d run into you again on the ship, so we left it there later in the cruise. I’m hoping you received it since the Agent who helped me wasn’t really sure who you were. (Not sure how that happened!)
What days will there be events for the Carnival Dream in NYC? I saw today you mentioned the 7th. I really wanted to cruise on the 2 day, but its not looking like its in the budget. I will still be in NYC on the 13th of Nov and didn’t know if there would be anything going on. So if possible, could you list the NYC events and dates soon? I’d love if one of the events was a tour of the ship for bloggers and a chance to buy a Carnvial Deam T shirt from the Fun Shop! (Hint. Hint.
)
Well thanks for your time John! Keep up the Fun and Fantastic Work! You make getting over Post Cruise Depression a little easier!
Sarah
OMG another stage mom ! I feel sorry for the kid he’s going to have a rude awakening here in “tinsel town” ……bring him on, we’ll cure him fast !!
Kathy and Paul
Hi John
Thanks for your reply, David has had a good look through the carnival entertainment site and hopefully we can point him in the right direction. I agree about the Oriana, we had a lovely meal on sat night, i will pop a copy of your blog to them in the week, Helen on the desk/phone is a lovely lady.
All good here, the cafe is being sold (owners not getting on) so not sure when that will happen, hopefully still have a job as enjoy seeing all the customers. Enjoy your time onboard and look forward to hopefully catching up when you are home. Love to all
Michelle and gang
x
John:
I want to thank you for making my husband, Dick Little, infamous! We had a wonderful 49th anniversary cruise this past week! The other guests were so kind to us! We couldn’t go anywhere without a shout-out from the guests, people wanting to take our pictures or have their pictures taken with us. It was truly a memorable cruise! This was our fifth cruise (and I thought we were going to need at least a fifth a day) to get through this one
but the first one with you as our cruise director and I must say you were the most entertaining CD by far! Good luck with your goth guests this week I would love to be a little fly on the wall! Thank you again for our memorable 40th anniversay cruise!
Anita Little
John: Have just spent my morning catching up on your blog thingy. While I miss seeing the photos of Kye, I certainly understand your decision to refrain from posting them here!
Let me just say that I STILL think that life on a modern cruise ship would make a great basis for a television sit-com….don’t give up on the idea!
Having returned from our land-locked Disney vacation, we are now in full count-down mode to our cruise on the wonderful Carnival Spirit this coming December, to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
Glad to be back, reading your blog and laughing!
Terri
John, Please Reply!
John I have just started reading your blog a couple of weeks ago and I love it. It’s always has many useful items concerning cruising with CCL. My Husband and I and our daughter and our foreign exchange student from Germany will be cruising on the Dream in April 2010. This will be mine & my Husband’s 10th cruise, my daughters fourth, and our exchange daughters very first. We are all very exicited. We have been enjoying all the beautiful pictures you have posted! And I love your daughter’s beautiful name Kye, my daughters name is Skye like the Isle of Skye! They sound very much alike, they’re 2 beautiful girls. Now I have one question, who do we contact for help regarding something that I bought in the onboard store on my last cruise on the Miracle this past March. I have just a small problem with it and have not notified CCL prior to this as I did not know where to turn. In all the items I have bought over the span of 10 cruises this is the first time I have ever had a problem with anything. We love to cruse Carnival, it is our cruise line of choice. Thanks for your help.
Linda
P.S. We have had the pleasure to cruise with you on two of our cruises, the last being on the Liberty in April 2006
Dear John,
Hope all is well on the second cruise. No more stage Moms. Just tell them “What part of NO did you not understand?”
To cure the lonely cabin syndrome I suggest you do what you always do. Spend more time with the passengers. Especially the one’s from Geooooorgia that like your salt and pepppppppper haaaaaair. LOL!!!
It sure is nice to see that you get questions from not only us Carnival lovers but from the upper crusties that travel on Cunard.
The Cruzin2some
James & Nancy Enslow
John, please reply.
John, I was on the maiden voyage of the Carnival Dream. What a dream! Beautiful ship. Loved the layout. The Lanai was wonderful. Who knew you could layout outside the doors of the casino!!!
There was a band there called the “Elite Showband”. They were from Cocoa Beach. They were the best. Really enjoyed listening to them and also the comics.
I have a favor to ask. When my cruise mate and I boarded the ship, we went down to check out the casino (great layout). We were what they said, the first people to walk into the casino. They gave us T-Shirts and hats and took pictures of us. They stated that they would email them to us but I have yet to see this. Is this something you can possibly check for me? I have listed my email above. Our room number was 1457 and my folio # was 8305 I believe.
Again, thank you. The Carnival Dream was more than I expected and the Ports of Call were wonderful. What a way to see Europe for the first time. As we were cruising into Venice, they were playing Pavarotti and I believe that my heart skipped a beat and there was a tear in my eyes.
I have no complaints but many were complaining regarding some of the tours that we were on (Ruins of Pompeii, Tindari, Florence on your own). They would all complain regarding the amount of walking. Now, I read the excursion details and knew that there would be walking and if you are going to areas that are historical, you should know that they just don’t roll out the red carpet and that there would be plenty of uneven walking areas.
Also, I believe that I was spoiled. Our waiter Leo (Equador) was the best. They must have taken the best of the best and gave them to my table and the tables around me. His assistant Andras was wonderful as well. What personalities they had. It truly added to my dining experience.
Thank you for your time.
Hello John please reply know you are missing your little one had to write, we and our son and daughter-in-law are taking our one year old great grandaughter on a cruise for her first birthday, silly she won’t remember but we will! Any suggestions to make it easier for her and everyone else. We have seen small children on other cruise even part of the time on the 49 day South Ameriac cruise, so we are excited. We think we can handle her since its four of us, we are leaving her parents at home. Thank you in advance we leave on the Glory Oct 31 also we are Platinium can we take our family with us to VIP room? hugs Judy
Dear John,
Please reply…I hope all is well. I must say that the more I read your blog the more I want to go on a cruise! I am writing once again in hopes that you might be able to do something special for my daughter that will be on her honeymoon on the 10/18/09 sailing aboard the Carnival Freedom. Her name is Elizabeth Lopez and her husband to be is John Pottberg. Our family has been struck by a lot of bad luck this year including the death of her father to colon cancer. We also just found out that my sister has cervical cancer, so needless to say things are and have been pretty rough on our entire family. I just wanted her to know that I appreciate her keeping the entire family (she is the middle child of 5 girls) together doing these tough times and that I am so proud and happy for her. I know that she is looking very forward to this cruise and it is her first cruise with Carnival so she really doesn’t know what to expect. I am hoping this reaches you in time and I thank you in advance for any help you might be able to give me and our family to show our appreciation and love for her and the newest member of our family, who just happens to be named John too! God bless you and your family!
Carmen
Hello John
I just read on “Cruise Critic” board that you will be our cruise director on our B2B’s on the Glory beginning Nov 29th. I was so glad to hear this – we were on the Freedom in Europe with you in ‘07 and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Your blog helped us make reservations for the specialty restaurant prior to that trip and has entertained us for a long time.
Looking forward to seeing you again soon.
Jo
Hey John,
Thanks for all you are doing here. You were the CD on my first 2 cruises every – Carnival Ecstacy in 1994!! Was two awesome cruise weeks.
Question i have for you is this, We are sailing on the Carnival Dream on 12/19 – Christmas cruise- bringing our two girls for their first cruise (10, 11) along with 8 other members of my wife’s family. They are all (except me) from Quebec and most only speak French, Is there ANY way you can ensure there are some french speaking crew on board that week? a Cabin Steward who speaks french would be awesome (I can give you room numbers or booking number if you need).. Also, what recommendations can you give us for the influx of kids that will be on board that week for activities that they shouldnt miss.
Thanks,
Fred
Hi John,
I am writing you from lovely Mayfair district in London today and the weather is quite lovely.
I can’t believe someone tried to come aboard with a lizard. How silly. I can only imagine what kind of problems that would have caused.
I am looking forward to hearing about the Goth cruise. That will sure be eye-opening to you.
Thanks for the blog and its weird to be in your neck of the woods and you on my side of the pond.
Thinking of you!
David