Reports from the Miami office and Chris Prideaux, our Director of Entertainment, were that last week, one of our fly on comedians made a joke about Tiger Woods……..and upset a Tiger fan so much that he waited until after the show and threatened him with violence. In the end our intrepid comedian had to call security.
This news came a few days after I had made a joke about Cheetah……sorry……..Tiger …..during the Morning Show which I co-hosted with Todd during the bloggers cruise on your Carnival Dream. There was an audience of a dozen or so bloggers watching it live from where we were recording it (Club O2) and they all groaned……….and later that day a non-blogger stopped me to tell me that I should not be making fun of the great one. I apologized but asked him “Why not?” …………his answer was “uummm, ggrph, ummmm it’s just not right.”
As a Cruise Director I know what I can and can’t say. I can call myself fat and make fatty jokes and I can refer to almost anything if I think it may get a chuckle from the passengers. At the same time religion, President Obama and people’s sexual preferences are out. But Tiger Woods …………..I just don’t understand it.
Personally I am enjoying how the whole Tigergate affair is giving golf a kick in the bottom. I have never liked to play or watch the game and have always seen it as something that keeps retired business chappies out of the house until they pass on to the great boardroom in the sky.
I am sure that little Johnny and his mates all sit in their class rooms dreaming of getting into the NBA and the NFL, but golf would have been very low down on the glamour list. Football…… sorry……………..”saccer” as my American friends would say gets lots of press because girls like David Beckham have made it sexy.
Golf never got a look in really, apart from Tiger Woods, who was so dominant that it stopped getting very interesting. Tiger was so brilliant that it was obvious that he was going to win every time he got his sticks out. The only other interesting golfer was John Daly because he was pissed out of his head when he played.
Then Tiger allegedly had rumpy pumpy with millions of blond haired women with plastic breasts. Suddenly we’re getting stories about golf groupies and the rock’n'roll lifestyles that had previously been hidden from view behind the glare of Pringle sweaters.
I truly do feel sorry for his wife and family though………but I also have to comment on something I heard on the news. Apparently his wife………..who by the way is stunning…….was the au pair for another professional golfer…….. an au pair? What wife in her right mind would ever hire someone like that as an au pair? I think your marriage would have to be tremendously secure to survive someone that stunning wandering around your house. Heidi would only hire an au pair if she looked like Susan Boyle.
Now golf is the new rock’n'roll, things are going to change.
As you know we have mini golf courses on all of our ships but it’s obvious that Carnival needs to “sex up” these areas to keep in line with where the world of golf is heading…………….maybe we need to have late night golf games just for adults ……..you can make your own jokes up here.
I bet it’s not long before we get “Topless Golf” on the Playboy Channel, “Golfers’ Wives” on A&E and a bad look-alike in a porn film called something like “Tiger’s Favorite Holes.” I fear that golfing widows will also now be a little more suspicious of the “men only” rule at the local golf club.
Tiger will soon have to come out of his self-imposed hermitage and face the world. His PR people are most likely planning the thing now. I’m pretty sure that we’ll see him on Oprah, Barbara Walters or Dr. Phil crying his heart out and blaming his “rumpy pumpy addiction” on fame and that nobody understands him. And because he is a celebrity everyone will forgive him …………….and forget the wife and kids and the hurt and distress he has caused them
Oh……by the way……….the joke I made on the Morning Show on your Carnival Dream was ……..Tiger Woods has just released a brand of condoms ………..they are called “Woodies.” ………………..see……………and it wasn’t even that funny.
Time for today’s questions………………here we go.
Tom Asked:
Please ReplyHey John, We just returned from our 19th Carnival Cruise on the Glory and wanted to give you a report.
First of on the COMEDY CLUB.
The idea sounded great until we found out the same comedians do the SAME material both nights.
I suggested to the Comedy Club manager that he or Ryan the cruise director should tell the guests that the same material was being repeated. We wasted our time by going to the shows the second night. Diane Ford is good but not good enough to hear the material twice.
Now about the Glory. Food was terrific, Ryan and his staff were very good but there are a few things that Carnival has done lately that was the talk of the ship and not in a good way.
1. There is no more Captain’s Cocktail party. They renamed it and stopped the free drinks and food.They give a $1.00 off on $7.25 drinks NOT Good!
2. They added some party which we heard there would be drinks but it was held in late afternoon.
Who is going to leave the pool at 3:30 to go have a drink? We were told it was a cost cutting move by Carnival.
3. We also don’t like that they now have you going to the shows first at 7:00 then to dinner at 8:15. Why did they do this? People that choose late seating do so for a purpose and it isn’t to go to a show at 7.
4. The rooms on Lido deck were VERY HOT. We complained and they FINALLY brought us a fan. It didn’t help much. Once again we heard that Carnival is cutting back the a/c temps in the room to save money.
5. No more grand buffet. Only some Mexican thingy at night which consisted of refried beans and tacos. Quite a let down from Carnival in the past plus it made me fart all night.
6. Carnival had better be careful with all these changes or some us will go on the “BIG BOAT next time.
Happy Anniversary and enjoy your vacation.
John Says:
Hello TomThanks for the super review and let’s crack on with chatting about some of the content. First let me say that I apologize that your room was too hot and that’s something that we can and will look at when the ship goes to dry dock. I am so sorry that you found your room too hot that is not good enough. However, and with respect, whoever told you that “Carnival is cutting back the a/c temps in the room to save money” was talking total and utter nonsense and I urge you not to listen to silly bollocks like this? If the temperature in your cabin was too hot it is because work needs to be done on the system not because we want to turn the air conditioning down to save money.
The comedy club is brilliant and the idea was and still is that we repeat the shows so that every guest onboard can see the 4 different comedians who perform during the seven days. Each comedian will perform two family and two adult shows each of the two nights they are onboard and then two more comedians will fly into a port and perform. The intention was not for guests to see the shows on both nights. The room holds 400 guests so over a two night period all the passengers who want to see the comedy shows can. As for the comedians performing the same material…….well this also happens in comedy clubs on land if a comedian is performing over a period of nights. I am glad you enjoyed the shows though and the Carnival Comedy Club is a big hit.
It has been well publicized here on the blog thingy that we did stop the complimentary drinks during the Captain’s Elegant night and replace them with a Farewell Party on the last night where free drinks are served. I know this may not be to everyone’s taste but overall it has been met with approval. Let’s see what the future holds on this one.
You know, we have made some small changes that we needed to make when the credit crunch hit and I know that one or two may not have been popular with some. However, the bottom line was that were able to keep our prices down and allow you all to keep cruising. It was interesting to read a great article on Cruise Critic last week that listed the top ten most important cruise ship stories from 2009 . Amongst the stories was this:
Past-Passenger Perks, Slashed. In March, Royal Caribbean cut perks for its Diamond-level members (those who sailed 10 to 24 cruises), barring them from the concierge lounges on most ships.
Carnival did not cut any perks for it’s Platinum members and value for money……….I honestly do not think you can compare the “Big Boat” and a cruise on a fun for all Carnival ship.
Thank you so much for the kind words and I am sorry about the air conditioning……and the beans.
My best wishes to you and your family
JohnBearded Bill from Boulder Asked:
John,I hope you find time to read this. I wanted you to share the pride due your team for exemplary service. Please see the email below I sent to Carnival today:
Mr/Ms (Supervisor) -
I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you to hear of the excellent service Sharry has provided my family and I as our Personal Vacation Planner. Her patience, persistence, knowledge of Carnival’s products and her never-ending charm have made booking our cruise on the Carnival Dream an absolute pleasure. Unfortunately, my experience with another PVP was not nearly as positive. After some initial difficulties, I had begun to rethink my decision to try Carnival after having vacationed on RCC previously. I found the reservation representative at RCC to be much more professional and knowledgeable than the one I was working with at Carnival… but then along came Sharry. She really saved the day!I want to emphasize that working with me has been no small test for Sharry. I am – admittedly – a high-maintenance customer. I read all the fine print, ask all the questions – and tend to do my shopping AFTER I’ve made my initial reservation. I know this can be frustrating to the people it impacts, but Sharry has not shown the slightest hint of negativity; to the contrary, she has been nothing but supportive and encouraging as I have changed my reservation no less than three times, and called back repeatedly with questions.
We anxiously await our cruise (3/21/10 on Dream), but have no anxiety whatsoever about our reservation or the choices we’ve made thanks to the professionalism we’ve experienced in Sharry’s care. She is a fantastic ambassador for the Carnival brand.Sincerely,
Bearded Bill from Boulder & Family
(If anyone would like to contact Sharry, pls post a reply and I’ll send you her contact information)John Says:
Hello Bill Boulder (Great Name)I just had to say a huge thank you for taking the time to write this testimony of praise. I have sent this to the VP of our Care Team and my congratulations to Sharry. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.
Best wishes,
JohnSusanne Asked:
Please reply when you have time.I am glad to see that the Blogger’s Cruise is going good and everyone is having so much fun. I am sorry that I had to miss this one but hopefully next time.
I just had a few thoughts about the next Blogger’s Cruise that might be helpful. The dining was changed because of all of the confusion on the Fantasy with the open seating for the bloggers. However, would it not be possible to have the bloggers dine together but with assigned seating–just like large groups do? It was nice having all of the bloggers together but it just needed assigned seating.
Also, there are a lot of bloggers that qualify for special rates (past guest, military, teachers, over 55, etc). However, when booking with the bloggers fare code, they can not get these discounts. With the economy and money being tight for a lot of the bloggers, would it not be better to allow them to book using whatever discount they might be entitled to and then sending an e-mail to one of the Stephanie’s to add them to the list as long as it was done in sufficient time for planning?
John Says:
Hello SusanneThe bloggers cruise was a huge success and I think everyone was happy with their dining. I decided to let everyone chose which seating they wanted and if indeed they wanted anytime dining instead. I did not hear any complaints and this was far easier than trying to seat everyone together as we did on BC2. As for the fare code you are correct and we actually had many bloggers who did not blog with the fare code yet as along as they registered with one of the 343 Stephanies they received the gifts and were able to attend the private events. I am now giving my serious thoughts to BC4 and will announce the details in the New Year. Thanks for your thoughts and I hope to see you on the next bloggers cruise.
Best wishes
JohnJay (Cruise Addict) Asked:
Hi John, (Please Reply)First of all….Happy Anniversary to You and Heidi!!!
Also, I’m sorry it has taken me so long to do this, but my wife and I really do want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the kindness you’ve shown to us.
Your gift to us on our 10th anniversary cruise, Nov 20th, was a surprise. My wife was very touched that someone of your position, and with your schedule, would think to send us their regards.
Those of us bloggers who have been fortunate enough to meet you in person know that the “personality” you put forth on this blog is just the person you are in real life.
You are “Good People” John. Don’t ever forget that when “others” bemoan you for helping folks out.Hope you have a Great Day!
All our best to you Heidi, & Kye
Your Friend,
JayJohn Says:
Hello JayThanks so much for the anniversary wishes. I am glad you and your good lady had such a wonderful time and thank you for taking the time to say “thank you” to me for the gift etc.
I hope we get to sail together very soon.
Best wishes to you both.
JohnCanuck Cruiser Asked:
Dear John, Please reply (when you get back from your walk) LOL.Ok……………we’re now hooked as well.
We respectfully would like to ask if we can be in Ken’s dining room for our January 30th, 2010 CARNIVAL DREAM cruise.
We’re in the late sitting of 8:15pm.
Thanks John. Happy Holidays and all the best to Heidi and Kye.
B&D from CanadaJohn Says:
Hello B and D (Canuck Cruiser)Oh how I hate to bring you sad news but Ken will be leaving for a well deserved vacation on the 23rd of January. I am not sure who his replacement is as yet. Please leave me a note here on the blog if there is anything else I can do for you and please also leave me a note at the Guest Services Desk when you arrive so I can send you a welcome aboard gift.
Best wishes to you both.
JohnStacey Asked:
John (**please reply**),Just back from our Glory sailing. Everything worked like clockwork (and Tejka in the Groups Dept. is a credit to Carnival…so efficient and friendly and warm…she was great on each and every occasion I had to work with her). The other stand out person in the crew would be Komang in the Platinum Dining Room. He is by FAR the best server we’ve had on any of our 3 cruises, and the crew member that stands head and shoulders above the rest on the Glory. I’d really, really love it if you could make sure his superiors are aware of how impressed our entire table of 10 was with him (and yes, I did fill out my comment card stating that as well).
Ryan was great, witty and energetic and yet didn’t feel the need to talk just to hear himself 24/7. Everything ran smoothly on the ship.
The ship itself was in great condition and working order, no signs of wear or tear and the crew was friendly and efficient.
We lucked out and had great weather all week, with the small exception of our last sea day (which was a blessing in disguise, as it allowed us to get our packing done early and have some down time, as at this point we were exhausted from all the fun we’d been having).
Also we LOVED the new “Luggage Express” option. Well worth the $20 per bag, although I would prefer more notice than having it mentioned in the Capers at turndown and being expected to have it all filled out and turned in by 5:00 the next evening. We had to cut one of our port days short in order to be back and have it completed and turned in on time.
Steakhouse was FABULOUS, as promised. Both food and service.Camp Carnival was all it is hyped up to be…my kids, exhausted as they were, BEGGED to go every night after dinner. My nephew says it was his favourite part of the whole entire CRUISE!
I was also very impressed with the Vow Renewal ceremony we were invited to attend. Well worth the price…it was such a nice ceremony and the food was OUTSTANDING.Anyway, thanks for all the special attention you gave our group. Everything went off without a hitch.
So looking forward to getting our tax returns in a month or so we can book our next Carnival cruise!
Many thanks!
StaceyJohn Says:
Hello StaceyThat’s two great reviews of the Carnival Glory I have received in today’s blog and I can’t wait to send this onto the ship. I know Anuj the Hotel Director will make sure all those you praised will get to read your thoughts. I am glad that everything worked out for you and your group and as always I remain here at your service ready for the next time you cruise with us.
Best wishes,
JohnTorbelinoblanco Asked:
John, (Please Reply)The video of Ken singing “Nice and Easy” brings back memories as we enjoyed his performances both on the Freedom in Spring of 2007 and the Splendor on its 2008 TA. Got some good video of it. He should make a CD to sell on board.
Also as for a Boxing Day walk with Heidi and Kye, say what you want, you’ll be out there and will treasure the memories as these are priceless opportunities for your family to experience.
Now for my request. We’ll be sailing on the Spirit on Jan 14th for our 40th anniversary on what will be our 9th Carnival cruise. The last three were with other family but this one will be just the two of us. Would it be possible for us to have a table for two for this special cruise? We would be most appreciative!
Richard KoroseJohn Says:
Hello RichardMy only hope is that the snow and ice will mean that Heidi cancels our Boxing Day walk but you are right of course…………..every second I spend with Heidi and Kye is a second I cherish …………… although I could cherish them just as much in the car. Thanks for the kind words and I have sent your request to the Maitre D on the Carnival Spirit. I wish you both a wonderful cruise and hope you have fun and enjoy some cherished moments of your own
best wishes
JohnBrittany (Britney Spears Group) Asked:
Hi John!!! I sent you a message on facebook but you never responded so please respond here or through email!!“Hey John!!! So I know that you must be extremely busy right now but I have a quick question to ask you…Well first off, do you remember me?!! I have been on two of your cruises!! (Britney Spears group)…Anyway, my high school has an internship program at the end of the year for seniors and cruising has been a HUGE part of my life (have already been on 17 cruises!!!) and I was wondering if you could help me find anything to do as an intern either onboard or off board with Carnival cruises…This is a non-paid internship and it would truly be my dream to be able to do anything with Carnival cruises!! Please let me know if you have any ideas or if you think you could help in any way…If you are on a cruise right now, I hope you are having a great time and I am VERY jealous!!!! Thanks so much!!!!”
Hi John!!! I sent you a message on Facebook but you never responded so please respond here or through email!!
John Says:
Hello BrittanyOf course I remember you Brittney. You and your friends were so much fun and I would be honoured to try and help you. Although we do not have an intern program on board the ships I may be able to help you with a shore side something. If you decided to do work onboard then it would have to be a full time position. However, maybe we can help you. I will pass your information onto a chap called David who hires our Guest Service Officers and maybe he can have you attend one of the colleges we provide for trainees. Anyway, leave this with me and I will see what I can do. Sorry about not replying on my Facespace page thingy………..I have 3,000 friends and honestly I don’t understand the Facespace craze or do I have time to learn.
I will be in touch soon.
Best wishes
John
That’s all the questions for today and once again many thanks for all the great comments you have posted.
Here is the latest panorama video from Holland America’s new ship Niew Amsterdam and some brilliant photos to enjoy as well. Here is the link thingy.
http://www.hollandamericablog.com/nieuwamsterdam/
I wanted to share this note from our friend Host Mach from Cruise Critic.
Hello, John!
I hope all is wonderful at home and that the snow hasn’t prevented you from getting out in your Polar Bear killer to get all of your shopping done! I heard from one of our Cruise Critic members who sailed on the Carnival Dream on the voyage following the Blogger’s. He found a memory card for a camera just outside his cabin door and he would like to be able to return it to the owner. Having lost not only my memory card but my entire camera on the Crazies Cruise I really appreciate his efforts. He was in cabin 9473 and he can tell by the pictures that the owner of the card had that cabin on the Blogger’s. Is there someone at Carnival who can find out who occupied that cabin or perhaps intercede to forward the memory card to its owner?
Thanks so much for all the help!!
All the best for a blessed, wonderful Christmas for you and your wonderful family!!
MachMach, please thank your CC member for me and I have sent this information to the relevant department at CCL HQ. I thought though that I would post this here to see if anyone was missing a memory card. If so, please contact me here on the blog thingy and I will pass the information to Mach.
Thanks again mate
Lots of people have been sending me Christmas wishes from the various ships and I want to share this one from Captain Carlo Queirolo and the Navigating Officers of your Carnival Dream.
Having spent many Christmases onboard I know that for the crew it can be a difficult time. While guests are having fun with their families onboard the crew continue to provide that fun along with brilliant service……….away from their families and loved ones.
One such crew member who will not be with his family this year will be Butch Begovitich, the incomparable Cruise Director of the Carnival Liberty. I asked him to tell us how the Christmas and holiday preparations are going on board and here is his report.
Butch Begovich
Christmas Blog 1
Carnival LibertyI am honored that John has asked me to contribute to his blog for the second holiday season in a row. This year I am spending the holidays on the Carnival Liberty. A beautiful ship that I feel deeply connected to because in 2005 I was proud to be a part of the inaugural team as one of the great Mr. Heald’s Social Hosts. This is also the ship where John promoted me to his Assistant Cruise Director and where ultimately I spent my last contract as ACD before being bumped up to my current position.
We have been preparing for the Holiday Cruises for months, but before I tell you about this year’s Christmas and New Years celebrations here on the Liberty I want to take a moment to write about Chanukah. Last cruise I was honored to host the eight days of Chanukah. Now, even though I have spent almost every holiday season on board a Carnival Ship, I have never attended the Chanukah celebrations or paid much attention to them because we always had an Entertainment Staff member of the Jewish faith on board to facilitate the celebration. This year however, I had no staff members of the Jewish faith and thought it should be only fitting that I host them myself. The first night of Chanukah fell on the last day of a Western seven day voyage and was not very well attended. The second night of Chanukah also began a new cruise for us to the Eastern Caribbean and when I walked into the lobby on the first night of the cruise with a handful of the blessings type in Hebrew and English I was greeted by over 100 guests ready to celebrate. Almost immediately I was met by a guest who I now call Mr. Bill, who must have sensed my fear and saw how overwhelmed I was, he volunteered to do the blessing and say the prayers, while I lit the Menorah each night (Side note: when I say “Lit the Menorah” I mean screw the light bulb in on our oversized menorah that is anchored in the lobby for the entire holiday season……we cannot have real fire on a ship because of safety reasons.) Every night after the candle was lit and the blessings over the wine and challah bread were done we sang beautiful songs and ate latkes (I like mine with sour cream)……it was a blast. And a huge thanks you to Mr. Bill and his wife Ina who are my new Jewish parents!
We have really gone all out here on the Liberty for the holidays. The entire ships is dripping with garland, wreaths, decorations, and Christmas Tress……I counted 16 decorated trees in guests areas today including and eight foot tall beautiful lit tree in the lobby atrium. Our head chef Rekesh and his team even created an entire holiday village out of sugar and ginger bread on display on the promenade deck. All of our musical acts have prepared special holiday tunes for the cruise and we have even planned a Christmas Coral Sing-A-Long, a non-denominational Christmas Service, and of course our big Holiday Show which will feature our Singers, Dancers, Fun Force, and the Children sailing who are participating in our Camp Carnival Youth Programs. With the 3,600 guests that we have sailing, there will be something for everyone!
We also are having special events for the Team members including a holiday crew party the night before Christmas Eve, the Hotel Director is having a special thank you reception for all of the Hotel Management and the Captain is hosting a special Captain’s Christmas celebration for all of the Senior Officers and their assistants.
I personally am throwing a couple of holiday celebrations for my staff. I am having all of my managers (the Musical Director, Assistant Cruise Director, Dance Captain & Senior Entertainment Technician) over for a wine and cheese night this week and the whole entertainment department is participating in a secret Santa gift exchange. I will be throwing a pajama mimosa brunch for the team for the big secret Santa reveal on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Night we will have the Entertainment Department holiday party, complete with games, entertainment, elephant gift exchange, and I have a special present for all 58 members of the department to open on Christmas Day.
It is going to be a busy week, but I will also be fun. And as I will be missing my family again this year for the holidays, I am grateful for my Carnival Family and all that there is to look forward to in 2010. Stay tuned…..more to come.
Your Friend,
Butch
Thanks Butch and I know how lucky your guests are to have you as their CD this Christmas. My best wishes to you and all the crew and ………………happy holidays.
I want to thank you for the wonderful Christmas wishes you have been sending via the blog thingy and the 100 plus Christmas cards that have been pouring into my PO Box thingy. The fact that you took the time to write these wishes and post and mail them is truly amazing……. thank you all so very much.
Well, this is the last of the blogs for a few days. After much thought I have decided to take a break for a few days over the Christmas holidays. I have also done this not just so I can spend time with Heidi and Kye and eat loads of turkey but me taking a break also allows the 343 Stephanies, Vance and PA 007 to do the same. So….I will be off now until December 28….. that’s 5 days with bugger all blogs and of course you know that I am feeling guilty about this right now. But, it’s Kye’s first Christmas, Heidi’s Mum is flying in from Holland and there is lots to do.
I still have to find Heidi a gift and I hope that Santa has read my Christmas list and will be bringing me and an Aston Martin DBS, new underpants XXXXXXXXXL, and full size poster of Megan Fox’s Bottom.
And so until then I leave you with my families best wishes to you and your family for a wonderful holiday season, happy Chanukah and a very merry and fun Christmas.
See you on the 28th.
Goodnight
Your friends
John, Heidi and Kye
Filed under: Bloggers Cruise, Destinations, Links, Tales from the Ship, Travel, Video | Tagged: Comedy Club, dining, Dream, Eastern Caribbean, Glory, Liberty, Spirit
John, MERRY CHRISTMAS oh what fun you will have with thsoe beautiful ladies of yours! The Capt Queirolo photos are great it just keeps making us want to go even more.
Wishing you The Very Best and a Happy MERRY CHRISTMAS,
Frank and Bridie
MERRY CHRISTMAS
John:
Of course we understand. Everyone who has ever held a job understands “vacation time” and holiday time off!!!
On the Dream, the concept of the Comedy Club was explained very well. The two comedians would be doing their act …one for Early Dining and another comedian for Late Dining and then the next night…..they swap.
That way everyone who wants to see the two shows … has the opportunity.
The next set of comedians who come onboard later on in the cruise do the same thing.
Pretty simple I thought….
And you might want to tell Jeff (Fun guy), that I am coming after his job!!! (well, maybe not HIS job…but one of those slots that will be available when these Comedy Clubs go fleetwide)
Of course I am going to have to get Lewis Nixon to help me work on my total lack of stage presence!!
I would LOVE to attend one of those Comedy Workshops that he puts on from time to time.
I am a little concerned about how this new Comedy Club will affect karaoke on the Fantasy class ships….since they do not have the “extra” lounge like the larger ships do?
The Farewell Party (on all the ships we have sailed on) was at 5PM (which is not mid afternoon) and a very reasonable time to have it.
As far as Tiger Woods is concerned….sounds like some of his fans need to get a life.
I still think the video of you singing “I’m To Sexy” should be your intro video on any ship that you are the CD on.
Enjoy a wonderfully BLESSED MERRY CHRISTMAS with your family.
Relax….eat WAY to much….and remember that you are loved by lots of folks this Christmas season.
Until the 28th….
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND THANK YOU!!!!!
To the 343 Stephanies, Vance, Tony, Peter the Hair, and probably another dozen folks that I have failed to name….but you know who you are….
Thank you for all you do for us!!!
Linda (Mom of DJ)
Love the photos of you, Heidi and Kye! Merry Christmas!
Heidi, John and Kye,
Thank you so much for the family photos! Kye is sooooo cute and has grown so much! I also wish all of you the most wonderful of holiday seasons, and look forward to hearing all the great stories that I am sure you will come up with for us after your well deserved days off John.
Thanks again,
Sheryl
A very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you all. We love you Kye!
John, thanks so much for adding my email about the memory card to the blog. I wish more folks were concerned enough to do the same thing as our Cruise Critic member was. Many important memories are lost when cards like that go missing so I’m hoping that we’ll hear from the owner soon.
Enjoy your time away from the blog. You and your family deserve some time just to yourselves without the rest of us looking over your shoulder.
All the best, my friend and a very Merry Christmas to you, Heidi, Kye and all of our wonderful Blogging family!!!
Ciao!
Host Mach
Oh my goodness. Kye is so adorable in those Christmas pictures.
merry christmas! and that baby is a DOLL!!! gosh you are a lucky lucky man john!
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
John, Heidi, Kye, all of the 343 Stephanies and everyone here on the blog…
HAPPY CHANUKAH
MERRY CHRISTMAS
HAPPY NEW YEAR
and John, again, thnx so much for the pictures… You are truly blessed and enjoy the time that you have with your girls….You certainly deserve time away from here… ENJOY
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to yo John, Heidi and Kye from a warm and sunny Malta
Oh we get pictures of that precious baby. You and Heidi are truly blessed to be together for this first Christmas of Kye’s. You do not have to feel guilty, you do not have to apologize you just have a wonderful Christmas with your family. Everyone deserves time off during the holidays, especially you and your 343 Stephanie’s.
As far as Tiger goes, he can do just that, go. He has this beautiful wife, two beautiful children and it is not enough for him. He deserves what he gets which I hope is a very lonely Christmas w/o any blond bimbo(s). He is getting his just desserts. He truly gets the award for the biggest idiot in 2009.
Keep smiling John, you truly are one of the good guys.
My best to Heidi and Kye. Have a wonderful Christmas and please bring us pictures of this very special time with your baby.
Good !! Finally a blog vacation. Your family deserves it. Merry Christmas John!! Have a great time with your girls.
Muchos huggos
Nanni
Pat and I would like to wish John, Heidi, Kye, all the Stephanies, Peter the Hair, all the Carnival staff that make all our cruises better then the last one, all the bloggers and all our second family the Evil Crew a Very Merry Christmas.
Pat and BIG Ed Konefe
PS. John, we will survive 5 days without a blog but we may have to drink a little more to get rid of the shakes. Good thing it’s the Christmas partying season.
Dear John,
I was in the “live” audience for that morning show with Todd when you told the “Cheetah” Tiger joke…..I didn’t moan….I was laughing. Your jokes and timing are exceptional, in my opinion!
Loved the pictures of the Captain and Navigation Officers on the water slides. Also Butch’s blog on his Christmas and Chanukah plans. I’m sure it’s really hard on the crew to be far from home and their families. Glad you’re with yours this year.
The pics of Heidi, Kye and you are delightful. Enjoy each moment John.
Warm regards,
Steve O
Merry Christmas to you, John, to Heidi and Kye and to each and every person with CCL.
Melissa
Merry Xmas to you, Heidi and Kye.
All the best,
B&D from Canada
John,
Kye is too cute for words. I wish your family a very Merry Christmas!!
John,
Can I tell you that Kye is absolutely beautiful? She looks so cute with her mommy (spelled correctly) and her daddy. I love the pictures of Captain Queirolo and the Navigation team as well, especially since I just went down those slides not too long ago (I did not wear my socks though). Merry Christmas to you and your family and to all the bloggers out there.
Jen in the not so warm state of Florida.
John,
Have a very Merry Christmas for you and your family.
Oh my God….can Kye get any cuter!?!?!?! Merry Christmas (or in England, it’s Happy Christmas, isn’t it?) and Happy New Year to you all. Thanks again for the nightly laugh. Susan Boyle….you’re too much!
John, you and your family do have a quiet, restful and loving five days off from the blog and you my friend deserve it.
” MERRY CHRISTMAS TO JOHN, HEIDI & KYE”
Paul, MaryLou and AmyLynn Pietrangelo
Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada
Merry Christmas, John, to you and your beautiful family! We hope 2010 brings great happiness and blessings to you and your family (and Carnival, who has given us so much happiness!)
John:
You cannot know how happy I was to see the pictures of your beautiful Kye and both you and Heidi. I wish you a most joyful holiday and you certainly deserve a break.
Christmas blessing to you and your family.
Marie
John–diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, but mostly diamonds work well for a gift. Please, don’t say you got her a new breast pump, blender, or food processor–you’re asking to be in the doghouse with those gifts…..Electronics work too, a new digital camera or video camera works too…
John,
Thank you for giving us the gift of the pictures of Heidi and Kye and you and Kye.
They are beautiful. Merry Christmas to you, Heidi and Kye.
Merry Christmas, to all of the blogger’s and Big Ed’s Evil Krewe,
Merry Christmas to Mr and Mrs Heald, Heidi’s Mum and Suzanne and her family.
Thank you to the Stephanies and all the ones that make sure the blog is posted.
Carolyn and Don
Wonderful pictures of all three of you. Hope you have a Happy Christmas and an equally Happy New Year. It was unusual to see so much snow in England as per your pictures.
We could not wait for the Carnival Magic so have booked the new itinerary to Aruba on the Carnival Miracle our third trip on the ship. We still are waiting for the Carnival Magic’t itinerary though.
Val.
Ontario.,
Merry Christmas John, Heidi & Kye!!
Cindy
Dear John,
(that always sounds so funny!) You have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the time with Heidi and your beautiful girl. Don’t feel guilty at all-you deserve some time off as well as all your ‘helpers’.
And do take that Boxing Day walk-its good for you!!
Merry Christmas everyone!!
John, (Please reply) I am loving the blog. One quick question for you, i am on the pride on july 18th 2010. Could you tell me who the CD is. I saw that you posted the CD list up to june. And i like to thank you for that. Have a great holiday.
Thank You
David Binder
My Dear Heald Family…What a beautiful family and indeed a proud father and so happy to be back with his girls. Thanks so much for the pictures. Now I’d like wish you a wonderful holiday season, Merry Christmas and our best wishes for a New Year filled with much happiness and good health. Thanks again John, for all that you do. It is much appreciated. Our very best from Houston..A&W
merry xmas john heidi and kye and my xmas card will be late so sorry with taking a cruise and getting back on dec 11 i had a lot to do. hope u 3 have a good xmas.
tracy
First of all…what a cute, cute, cute picture of Kye!! Oh how I remember my son’s 1st Christmas!! The little Santa hat is the best
I also wanted to say thank you for taking a few days off to be with your family. I know that this might sound selfish but I was really wondering how I was going to keep up with your blog while I was away visiting my family and you answered my prayers!! Take the time to be with your family; we loyal blogger readers will be here when you get back.
Lastly…Merry Christmas (sorry but Happy Christmas doesn’t sound right!! HAHA) and have a great New Year as well
Happy holidays to you and your beautiful family, John, and everyone at Carnival. We enjoy you all so very much. You all make our cruises the very best they could be.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.
Jack & Geri Scott
(proud new Platinum status now)
John,
I hope you a wonderful time with your 2 girls and anyone else in your family too. Christmas used to be big when I was kid and my dad died at an early age when I was just 14 I am now 42. So have a soft spot for christmas but hubby used to work for “of the Seas” so to him it is just another day.I trt to do gifts and decorate the house but he just does not get it. Oh well Nice to have those nice memories. I am a nurse so I choose to let my friend with kids be off and I work but in 17 days we will be Dream bound. I saw her in Malcafone in April/May so I am so excited I can’t stand it. Hope you have a great Christmas
Lexi
John Heidi and Kye
Have a wonderful christmas enjoy this time together. Thank you so much for all the blogs/pictures/videos throughout the year they have made me laugh and cry.
Our best wishes love
Michelle, Dave, Alex & David
x
Have a Happy Christmas and enjoy your family, John!
To all at CCL, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. You deserve a wonderful time, all of you, for the pleasures that I have had cruising with you.
Peach in TX
Merry Christmas to you, Heidi and Kye. And I wish all of the readers of your blog a happy and safe holiday season. I would also like to ask all of your bloggers to think about all the service men and women who will not be with their families for Christmas. I look forward to seeing you John on January 23rd!!!
Merry Christmas John, see you on the 28th, enjoy your family and we’ll catch on you the other side.
Wishing Your Family and the Blog Family the Very best Holiday Season, and a wonderful NEW YEAR.
Merry Christmas John, Heidi and Kye
All the best for 2010.
John & Michele
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope the Heald Family and all of the Carnival Cruise Line staff have a wonderful time wherever they are! Many thanks for all you do to make the rest of our lives better when we vacation with you!
To the 343 Stephanies, Merry Christmas, God Bless, and “I don’t know how you do it?” :<)
Hi John,
Enjoy your time with your family. Have fun on the walk.
Happy Holidays to the Stephanies, Vance, and everyone else who helps with the blog.
Clair
Love the pic’s of the Captain and crew on the slide! Thanks John, and Merry Christmas to you and yours..
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Next year will be a great one!!!!!!
Awwwwwwwwww Kye! Merry Christmas to you John, Heidi and Kye. This will be such a special Christmas for you..enjoy every minute! Merry Christmas too to all the Carnival crews that work so hard to make us so happy on our cruises.
And….special wishes to all my fellow bloggers for a wonderful holiday and the happiest of new years!
Cheryl
What a beautiful picture of Heidi and Kye.
Merry Christmas to you and your family and everyone that helps out here on the blog.
Happy Holidays from our family to yours. See you in 52 days.
We wish you the Merriest Christmas and Happiest New Year yet. It will be extra special celebrating Kye’s first Christmas. I’m sure you and Heidi will have tons of great memories.
We are looking forward to your returning to your blog, but agree with everyone that you deserve the time off. You are a very special person and a lot of us are far better off knowing you.
Frank & Gerri
Merry Christmas to you John and your beautiful girls! Thank you for all you do for us. Please do not feel guilty for spending a few days “away” from us. Spending time together is a precious gift. Enjoy!
John, Heidi, Kye, & all the 343 Stephanies that put this wonderful blog together. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Only 17 more days until our Dream cruise. Sorry we will miss you by a couple of weeks John. We WILL meet you someday. Stay warm & have lots of fun with your girls.
Larry & Connie
John,
Colleen & I wish to thank you for all you have done for all of the Bloggers on the Caranival Dream. You have 2 beautiful ladies at home and I am happy for you that you are home with them. Hold those memories close to you as much as those men & women in the services who are keeping our Freedoms safe for all of us.
A very Happy Christmas and Happy New Year to your family and all of our family at Carnival, Bloggers, Evil Krewe and all the new people we met on the 12/03/2009 cruise.
Your friend,
ERNIE
John, Heidi & Kye:
We wish you a very happy holiday, and we will be thinking of you while we are on the Carnival Dream. We leave in 3 days, woo-hoo! Mike and I loved the pictures, and I printed them out to put in my KYE photo album. You 3 make such a wonderful family! Lots of Love, Hugs & Kisses KYE from your Uncle Mike & Auntie Linda
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you John, Heidi and Kye. Enjoy your time off from the ship and from the blog and treasure this time with Kye’s first Christmas. Any chance Heidi and Kye will come with you to the Carnival Dream?
Merry Christmas!
George and Linda
Happy Holidays and enjoy your break.
Take care!
David
Merry Christmas to all Blogger friends,
John, Hedi and Kye, The early Christmas’s of a childs life are very special. I am glad you are able to be there this year.
To all the Stephanies and many other behind the curtain folks at Carnival a big thank you. Enjoy the time with your families.
Uncle Doug and Aunt Donna from SE Texas.
Merry Christmas to all the Healds! And thanks for the lovely photos of Kye. She is growing up entirely too quickly.
Hugs,
Duchess Sandy and Duke Dick in Santiago, just off the HAL Veendam
Merry CHRISTmas
Whether is a Merry CHRISTmas or a Happy CHRISTmas lets keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas. I’m glad to see we only have a couple of “xmas” in the comments.
BIG Ed
John,
Merry Christmas to you, Heidi and Kye. Your girls are stunning; and the picture of you and Kye is priceless. Thank you so much for posting the pictures. (I feel like I got an early Christmas present.)
Merry Christmas Bloggers!
Lori
Hi John,
Just wanted to wish you and your lovely family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I still have some (slightly small) $100 bills if you need any to help with holiday expenses-lol. (not sure if you remember me and my bills from the Dream Bloggers Cruise). Anyway I have a great picture of you holding some with me holding a drink! Had a wonderful time and, as a first-time blogger, my husband and I loved it and want to do another one as soon as you get the information. Thanks again for everything-especially my most prized possession-A JOHN HEALD BOBBLEHEAD DOLL. I show it off to everyone who will listen.
Have a great time off.
Carole
Hope you and all of your assistants and all of the bloggers have a great Christmas. Thanks for everything that you do and all of the entertainment that you provide and all of the smiles you bring to so many people without even realizing it.
Also, do not spoil Kye too much—I know, I know you are going to but that is okay.
Merry Christmas!!!!
John,
What a lucky man you are to have two such beautiful girls in your life.
You bring so much joy to so many with this blog, myself included. Thank you so much. Sometimes your writings are the only laugh I get in a day.
Enjoy your time at home with them, spoil them both as much as possible, and revel in the experience.
Merry Christmas John. May the new year bring prosperity, health and joy to you and your family.
God bless you, Heidi and Kye.
John,
I want to wish not only you, Heidi, & Kye, but every single person who has ever worked on any Carnival ship I have cruised on, a very Merry Christmas! You are all so special!
My TA keeps trying to get me to book another cruise line. But I say, why bother! Carnival is family!
Joyce
Merry Christmas, and a very happy New Year to you John, as well as Heidi, Kye, the 343 Stephanies, Vance, P.A. 007, Butch, and everyone out there in blog land.
James
John, please reply…
Hi, John! It’s Dec. 23 & just 4 days ago we returned from our 1-week cruise on the Dream and it was absolutely marvelous! It was wonderful! The ship is a jewel! We enjoyed every minute of it! A week was not long enough to see and enjoy everything, so we know that as soon as the itinerary is changed, we’ll be sailing on the Dream again. Since we live in Miami Beach and we wanted to make sure we were in Port Canaveral at sailing’s time, we drove to Cocoa Beach the day before. It was a relaxed 4 hrs. 10 mins. drive. We stayed overnight at the Best Western Hotel in Cocoa Beach (7 min. drive to Port Canaveral). Upon arriving at the hotel we met several people that were there for the same reason… they were going to sail on the Dream with us…At that point we were told by the hotel clerk that the hotel provided parking for the whole week that we were sailing… plus shuttle service to/from the Port to their parking lot. All of that for $8…. That is a bargain, if you take into consideration that before we knew that, we were ready to pay $15 daily fee to the Port Canaveral Parking System! We heard that most of the Cocoa Beach hotels provide that service. The funny thing is that nobody told us that ahead of time because we believe nobody knew about it. Our AAA office in South Miami didn’t tell us about it when we reserved the Best Western Hotel thru them…. our Carnival sales rep wasn’t aware of that service either. We are stating that info here for the benefit of Carnival passengers like us that rather drive the day before the sailing from Miami or any other place and stay overnight at Cocoa Beach… Again, it only takes a few mins. from any hotel there to Port Canaveral.
Going back to the Dream, we wanted to share with everybody that it is a great idea to have the Comedy Club at the gorgeous Burgundy Lounge! That’s the one with the magnificent Venetian Carnival masks all around…. and bigger ones on the ceiling facing down! Beautiful! The attended the comedy shows and they were histerical, we laughed like crazy! The 4 comedians were excellent. The wonderful Sports Bar by the Casino is just like being in Vegas! Great! The 4 Spas on Deck 5 (2 on each side of the ship like hanging out) were very popular… our stateroom was on Deck 9 and from our balcony we could look down to the overhanging Spas. The production shows, etc., were as always, fantastic. We believe that it was a great idea that the piano/singers that are usually on the Lobby Deck, now they are up on a special space on the staircase above the lobby looking down to the guests. This provided more space for dancing guests on the lobby floor.
The Lido buffet (I believe it’s called “Gatherings”) is beautiful too. The food at the buffet has always been great, but this time was out of this world! As I told you many times, we find that the desserts at the Lido are always better than in the dining rooms. The selection is bigger and they are absolutely scrumptious! My favorite is cheesecake, and every day they have a different kind of cheesecake…. so I’m always in heaven! My husband loved the new Pasta Bar on the 11th Deck. Pasta is one of his favorite dishes and he ate lunch there a couple of times and was raving about it! He said that the service was very well organized.
We met Todd, the CD, for the 1st time on this cruise & we had the pleasure of once again talking to James, his Asst., who we met some time ago when he was assisting Steve Knisley on the Liberty.
Now we have to tell you about the great experience we had that turned to be “the icing on the cake” on this cruise. We accidentaly met Honduras’ President Roberto Micheletti, Dec. 15 on the pier of magnificent Mahogany Bay cruise terminal. We were walking on the pier returning to the Dream when we saw these “important looking individuals” coming from the ship. My husband right away recognized Pres. Micheletti and called his name aloud twice. The President turned his head and smiled surprised that he had been recognized and a lady who was part of his group nodded “yes” to my husband. Then I loudly said twice to the President in Spanish: “Felicidades!” (Congratulations!). He seemed very happy and satisfied with our expressions of recognition. I told the group that we were cuban-americans and that we – as well as many of our relatives, friends & neighbors – were very proud of the Hondurean people and the way they handled the very difficult situation they recently went thru. My husband ran with the camera towards the President and asked him if he could take his picture, because nobody at home would believe us if we didn’t have one! He said yes and my husband took a picture. Then the Pres. asked an officer (a General) that was with him to take a picture of my husband with him (so we could show it to our friends/relatives in Miami). Then I approached the group and the Pres. asked my husband if I was his wife. When he said yes, the President also asked me to join him and my husband for another picture. We found President Micheletti very nice, friendly and gracious. The reason for him being on the pier was the inauguration that day of the Mahogany Bay cruise terminal, Carnival’s joint project with Honduras’ businessman Jerry Hynds. Since it was the 1st time the Dream was visiting the Island of Roatan, that’s why they celebrated that day its inauguration. We believe that Pres. Micheletti and his group were given a tour of the magnificent Dream and they were coming back from the ship when we met them.
John, pls. excuse the length of these comments, but we couldn’t keep quiet after this interesting and unexpected experience.
Kye’s pictures with you and Heidi are beautiful. She is getting to big!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
The Santanas of Miami Beach
Merry Christmas to all! Thank’s John, Heidi, and Kye for the pictures, they are too cute.
Dear John:
Relax and enjoy the season. Merry Christmas to all!
Mary Lou and Lee
Warm wishes for a Very Merry Christmas to you, Heidi and Kye and all your families both land and sea. Thanks for all the Joy and Laughter you deliver 12 months a year.
Good health and happiness this New Year!
Ray & Deb
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s to you and all your family. Kye is a beautiful little girl. Hope to see you next year on a cruise.
Barb and Ken
JOHN PLEASE REPLY~
I truly understand that EVERYONE deserves a vacation a year if not more, however… We were (are) really looking forward to having Ken on the Dream as our maître d’. We will be on the February 6th sailing is there any chance he is just taking a little vacation ?? As i have been reading the blog for almost a year now having you on the Dream while Todd is vacationing is a great extra bonus. Looking forward to sailing and hoping you will still be doing your Bedtime show!?
Merry Christmas to the Heald family!
Thanks for all the information, laughs and fabulous cruises in 2009. I wish you a brilliant 2010.
Cathy K.
Hi John…don’t mean to intrude on your vacation time with the girls, but had to give you some info. You mentioned about 2012 and it’s connection with the Mayans. We recently cruised on the Ecstasy and took a tour of one of their ruins. I questioned the guide about this 2012 thing and he said the Mayan calendar is 52 years in length. In 2012 it is the end of the 52 years and then they start again. Does that make sense to you? It made me feel better that it is only the ending of their calendar and not the end of the world. Hope this helps you and anyone else who is interested..Again as always my best to you and your beautiful girls..A&W
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you , Heide and Kye!!! as well as to all the fellow bloggers and your staff.
I hope Kye likes her Tickle Monster!
Enjoy your “you” time! It seems to be agreeing with you!
Kerry
Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year
John, (please reply)
Well, I’m officially 1 month away from my birthday cruise. I’m excited to cruise but not about turning 30. I’m disappointed that you aren’t going to be the cd after all. You were suppose to be my icing on the cake. Oh well, maybe next time then. I hear good things about Todd and am sure I will be pleased. Although he will be hard pressed to beat my last cd Butch who is by far my favorite so far.
When I last wrote you told me to write you back closer to the cruise and that is what I’m doing. Hope you have a Happy Christmas and a great new year!!!
Thank you for the pictures of your two beautiful girls, and you were ok…lol.
I hope you have a wonderful 1st Christmas with Kye! Make great memories, and don’t worry about not blogging…we will survive!
God bless your wonderful family!
John – PLEASE REPLY
Just returned from our cruise on the Carnival Pride and I can not speak too highly of the professionalism shown by the staff during a difficult cruise.
As you are aware, the East Coast of the US was hit by quite a snow storm last week – nothing like docking in Baltimore in 20 inches of snow.
We cruised back on the southern end of the storm – even though the ship should have been attending the Friends of Bill W. meetings, it really was not bad, considering the winds hit 70 mph at times.
As for Kirk and the absolutely lovely Jaime – what great people. I felt I already knew Jaime from her letters and know she will be a great CD in the future. As for Kirk, as we said good-bye, I told him “I had made a new friend”.
There are elements of the Carnival Pride that make me scratch my head – the decor is not particularly my favorite – but the biggest problem remains the smoke from the casino. Every time we went through the atrium, we ran into a wall of second hand smoke.
I did love the way the Promenade weaved it’s way through the ship, rather than being a straight shot – it seemed like you were going from village to village.
All in all, it was another great cruise on Carnival – cruising out of Baltimore in December was totally different than cruising from Miami because of the temperature and snow.
Jon
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the bloggers.
The MTSFP Family
Happy Holidays John, Heidi & Kye,
(Please reply if you can.)
Hi John, here is wishing you and your family a wonderful Holiday Season.
I met my wife a little over 3 years ago and since then we have cruised with Carnival 5 times and have a Cruise booked aboard the Carnival Spirit for January 6, 2010. The first cruise we went together on, we were dating. The second cruise I took her and her 5 sons. I proposed to her on this cruise in front of her sons on the formal night dinner. It was wonderful. The 3rd and 4th cruises were back to back Mexican Riviera cruises aboard the Carnival Pride. When we got back to Long Beach after the first cruise, we disembarked, met family and friends and got back on the ship to be married. It was fantastic and an experience I will never forget. We had 10 cabins booked for the last week’s cruise. The 5th cruise was with a couple of friends.
We will be celebrating our 2nd Anniversary the day we board the Carnival Spirit on January 6th. It is a special day for us, and I ordered a few things to be in our room when we board. One time in the past I ordered flowers (on our B2B) and they were delivered on the first day of the wrong week. Is there any way you can help to make sure our order is delivered on time. I know this is trivial, but it means a lot to me.
On our cruise that leaves in 13 days (my 7th, her 6th), we have a 14 cabins booked as a group (all Family and Friends) and 2 cabins booked outside of our group (also Family and Friends) for a total of 34 people. We know we will have a wonderful time, as there is nothing better than being surrounded by Family and Friends, unless it is being on a Cruise with Family and Friends.
We have only Cruised with Carnival. The Group Planning Department should be commended for a job well done. I have contacted them more times than I can count in scheduling this upcoming Cruise and they have been super in providing support and answers. Thank You.
All of my other Cruises were set up by a PVP at Carnival by the name of Jacquie Vasquez. She should also be commended for her service. There were many times she went above and beyond what was required of her. This was evident by the many times she would return my calls after she was off work for the day due to time zone differences. She is a fantastic lady.
Please pass my gratitude on to the people mentioned above. By the way, I love your Blog. It is a daily ritual for me to read it.
Thanks for everything John.
Best Regards,
Charles Fox
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Enjoy your well-earned break.
John;;
Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to you and Your Beautiful Girls From Mike & Linda, You are indeed a lucky guy. My computer had a Hard Thingy failure so I have not been able to do a blog on our fantastic 9 day cruise on the Dream with the Bloogers. I did a short one on Cruise Critic because they really blasted the Dream and its great crew. I dont know what they expected but it was the best ever for us, I will do one soon for your blog. Many thanks for a great time. Mike & Linda
Just wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas!
the one
and only 1
Heidi-Beth
(and Kevin too)
Hey John- Happy Holidays. I have a question for you. By the way, you happen to be the Best cruise director in the world, but I am sure you have heard that before:o) Here I go.. Well this will be my 9th carnival cruise coming up in less than 2 weeks. I got a rate for an inside state room and later on found out that the price we paid through carnival, was almost a 100.00 more than on a separate website. Well I called Carnival and guest care services helped me out and I was upgraded to a balcony. I was actually still paying about 20.oo more but thought it was a good deal. Well Today, I noticed on carnival website the same cruise leaving Jan 7th Carnival Destiny now has the balcony rate at 299 for a past guest, so I called to see if I could get a onboard credit for the difference and they refused. I asked the lady, so if someone books today they can get the same category cabin as me and pay less and she said YES! and that there was nothing she could do to help me. Obviously I love carnival and have shown that by taking all of these cruises with the company and am looking forward to my Platinum sailing coming up this year, but I think this was awful!!! Why should I have to pay more when I booked earlier. I think if you have a cabin and the rate falls for that cabin category they should honor it for the person already booked! Can you please help me out with this
Dear John:
I’m Sharry the PVP who Bearded Bill from Boulder wrote about. I just had a thought. I am leaving tomorrow for New Orleans so I can join 40 of my guests who are traveling on the Triumph. They are big Louisianna State University football fans and that team is in a Bowl game which is going to be televised at 1:00pm on Friday. They have requested that the game be shown on the big screen. I thought you may be able to help me make this happen for them. Whatever you could do, would be greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance. Sincerely, Sharry
John,
I don’t know if you ever received my comment/request, but got a WONDERFUL dinner table assignment on our December 3rd cruise on the ‘Dream’. We rarely see our cruising companions, so it was much apperciated, as we enjoyed and looked forward to dinner together each and every evening!
If you did intercede for us, a heart felt ‘THANK YOU’ from us all!
Wishing you and yours a wonderful, healthy and prosperous 2010!
God Bless!
Sharon Seybert