Just before I start can I shout BUGGER? I can………..right then I will………”BUGGER” ………..someone told me that there was Super Bowl commercial showing Megan Fox naked in the bath…………and I missed it. BUGGER.
Sorry……..right then….on with today’s blog.
Sometimes I sit here in my underpants in the wee small hours of the morning, staring at a blank computer screen wondering what the heck to write about. Then there are days when you are spoiled for choice and today…………..is one of those days.
Let’s start with this incident from yesterday.
Guest: Mr. ———-Ref: _______Owner: (JIAW) Jirawan Wattanakong
Cabin: _____-Booking#: _____ Added-Changed: 02/07/10 – 02/07/10WANTED SHIP’S DOCTOR TO HELP CAT
Security called the GSA saying that there was a guest crying at the gangway because she wanted to get help for a cat that was on the pier. GSA called GSS who went to the gangway to speak to the guest. GSS then informed the guest that the Doctor could not help but she would inform the Ship’s Agent who would help. Mr _________ was very upset and crying. GSS called Ship’s Agent for assistance.
Unfortunately I do not know the outcome of this story……….did the cat live……..did it receive the medical attention it needed?…..or was it eaten by an iguana? I am sure that Alberto, our agent in Cozumel, took care of it though and it’s a good thing that the cat wasn’t found by a guest on a pier in Martinique as it would have met a different kind of ending……….one that involves rotating on a spit and served in a garlic sauce.
I did though feel bad for the guest and even though for once the Guest Services folks didn’t task this one to me I decided to call the guest and let her know that we appreciated her kindness and to explain that Doctor David and Doctor Caroline were ummm……. doctors ……….not vets……….even though Doctor David has seen my naked arse when he was looking at my hemorrhoids……….which is pretty close to looking at the arse of a cow.
So I called the guest and it was only when we spoke that I realized that I had not read the incident properly. You see, I had expected the guest to be a she and hadn’t bothered to read that in fact……….she………….was ………….a he.
I guess it was extremely sexist of me to expect that just because there was a cat and there was tears involved that it was a female guest………..nope……….it was a man……..a 51 year old man………. married for 23 years. Anyway, he told me that the cat had been sitting in the shade under the gangway and that its front paw was bleeding. I assured the guest that all would be well. Having done this I called Alberto our agent and he told me he couldn’t find the cat………..I haven’t had the heart to tell the guest.
I guess I was surprised to find a man being so emotional about a cat as I have always thought there was something girly about cats. The cat and the feminine of our species are quite similar. When women argue they go at each other like cats and like women, cats are well groomed, always cleaning and pampering themselves and like a woman a cat will lash out erratically at you with their claws when you least expect it.
However, as I sit here…….in my underpants………..the more I think about it I can see that a cat is actually quite masculine. They laze around all day doing bugger all and only move when they want something to eat……..or need urgent and immediate rumpy pumpy.
I still hate the little buggers though. My sister Suedrip had a cat. Its name was Bobby…… he was a bastard. He would let every other sod in the world stroke and pet him but I only had to look at him and he would hiss and scratch and attempt to stick his sharp little teeth in me. One day, he caught me unaware and scratched my face and made it bleed. I got bugger all sympathy from Mum and Dad because my sister told them I had been teasing him………OK………maybe I had ………a little……..but making my face bleed……..come on.
And so I needed revenge and I went to the sweet shop………..sorry………..candy store……. and bought something we in the UK call Moon Rocks. Now, I am not sure if you had this where you are from but they are little pieces of candy that when you put them in your mouth the saliva makes them explode in your mouth………they were all the trend.
Anyway, looking like Bruce Lee in the final scene of Enter the Dragon me and my scratches bought 20 bags of Moon Rocks. Now, some of you are already thinking that I must have fed them to Bobby. I didn’t…….that would have been cruel and unusual. What I did do was empty all 20 packets in Bobby’s litter tray and when it went to take a pee …… BANG…….explosions all around his arse…..and he flew out of house like Road Runner.
Unfortunately, he had eight more lives and the little bastard knew it was me that had caused his bottom pain…..and through the rest of his life he did anything he could to cause me pain.
Time for today’s questions…………off we go.
Sandy Asked:
John (Please Reply),Thank you so much for this blog thingy! I’ve become a huge fan since we booked our Dream cruise. I was so excited to hear that you were going to be our CD (2/20).
This is going to be our honeymoon cruise! My husband has cruised several times before but never with Carnival and this is my 2nd Carnival cruise (Holiday ‘98). I have married an absolutely wonderful man and I’m hoping you can give me some pointers for making this the most amazing getaway for us.
Our cabin # is 6347. I really hope we get a chance to meet you and say ‘Hi’. I can’t believe it’s just a month away.
John Says:
Hello SandyI am very happy to read that you will be sharing the start of your married life here on your Carnival Dream. I hope you take the time to write a letter for my morning show and that way I can send you a honeymoon gift. I also have the Honeymoon and Marriage Show on the Thursday which I hope you will come to …………….and possibly star in.
See you both soon and thanks for the kind words about the blog thingy.
Best wishes
JohnAlice Sloan Asked:
Dear John (Please reply)We sail on our 4th cruise Feb 21, 2010 on the Conquest, rooms 8233 and 8223. Last Dec was wonderful on the Valor except for disembarkation. We are trying to plan ahead this time because my hubby is blind and I have limited mobility. We contacted our TA already but I wonder how we can make sure we will not be “trampled” this time? Bad ending to a wonderful trip but not bad enough to keep us away from CCL!
Also, our daughter, her husband, and our 2 grands are going! The kids are so excited but do not want to go to Camp because our excursions look like too much fun. What do you suggest to WOW them on arrival to their room? Aaron (11) & Ashley (5) want me to ask you: Do we have a water slide on Conquest? Be glad I do not let them ask you questions!! LOL you can look forward to a zillion questions from Kye.
I have had a great cruise-bizness education just from your Blog! Thank you for answering so many of our other questions via blog. Chris Jefferson, CD on our upcoming cruise on Conquest, was CD last year on Valor. Super!! He’s in the best top CD’s on our list. Hugs to you & family from Missouri & Texas, especially that cutie Kye.
John Says:
Hello Alice SloanI am sure Chris will be very honoured (spelt correctly) to know that you rate him as one of our best Cruise Directors……….as does everyone at Carnival including me.
It sounds like you did not have a pleasant debarkation experience and so I am sure you will see much improvement in Galveston and be sure to ask Chris if you need extra help. I have asked Chris to place a trophy each for Aaron and Ashley for when they arrive and I am sure they will have the time of their lives.
Thanks for all your kind words and please send in your review when you get home.
Best wishes to all
JohnKatiel53 Asked:
John, (Please respond)I just wanted to post about our Dream cruise which was Jan 2-9. We were called a few days before the cruise and told to be at the port about 10:30 to avoid the lines and we arrived about then. My husband is going to have knee surgery next week, so we brought him onboard in a wheelchair. We had rented a scooter for him to use onboard. We were through the check-in line very quickly and had a short wait to board the ship.
Once onboard, we thought we would be able to get his scooter as the person pushing the wheelchair said he had to take it back to use for others, which we certainly understood. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the scooter until the cabins were ready for occupancy. This caused a minor problem, but nothing that would put a damper on the cruise. Off we went to the Lido for lunch. I went to the deli to get sandwiches for me and my husband while our friends got food from the buffet. I have to say Carnival makes the best turkey sandwiches I have ever eaten.
About 1 or 1:30 it was time to go to the cabin. When we arrived, our cabin was fine, but there was no scooter. I called to Guest Services and they said it was onboard and they would check to find out where it was. In the meantime, I found it down the hall. The scooter company sent a large scooter instead of the small one we requested, so it was almost impossible to get it into the cabin. I called the scooter company and they said there was nothing they could/would do as it was 2PM and the ship sailed at 4. I was really upset in that I didn’t know where my husband could put the scooter, nor could he travel the ship without it.
I went to Guest Services and talked to a very nice man. I am sorry I don’t know his name, but he is Korean. He said that we could bring the scooter down there every night and they would charge it for him and that during the day it could be in the hall near the elevator. I couldn’t believe how pleasant and helpful the people from Guest Services were. From then on, the scooter problem was not a problem.Every morning when we went to the Lido for breakfast, my husband went up in his scooter. He sat at a table the first morning and I went to get in line for our breakfasts. A young man named Frederico came by and asked my husband if he wanted juice etc. My husband asked for juice and coffee. Frederico also brought my husband breakfast of eggs, bacon and pastries. I came back from the line with breakfast for my husband only to find he had his already. Every morning for the rest of the week, Frederico brought him his breakfast. To me, that is way beyond the call of duty. He is such a nice man.
Our dinners were in the anytime dining restaurant. Most nights we had/requested Tatiana. When my husband drove in his scooter, Volka, the junior hostess would take us to a table and drive the scooter to be parked and then bring it back at the end of dinner. We had wonderful service from Tatiana and her team as well as from Volka. Our food was good and only one time was something not as hot as we would have liked. We loved the anytime dining and when we go on another cruise, that’s what we are requesting. We were a group of 4 and only had to wait one night, the last night and we usually went to dinner at 7PM. Had we wanted to sit with others, we wouldn’t have had to wait even then.
I am a foodie when I cruise and I have to say that the pasta bar is one of the best places to have lunch. We went there twice and both times it was perfect. Once my husband only wanted Bolognese sauce and he wanted to dunk the garlic bread into it. I put on the order form no pasta and he got almost half a bowl full of the sauce. I couldn’t believe how much was in the bowl. My Alfredo with chicken and mushrooms was wonderful. We didn’t try the Mongolian food as the lines were usually quite long and there was so much smoke from the woks that it was difficult to stay in the area for any length of time. We did go to brunch a couple of days and loved it. The choices for brunch were awesome.
The shows were really good too. Dancing in the Streets is a must see. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the comedy shows this time as we spent too much time in the casino. I loved that we could enjoy the time there without being surrounded by smoke.
We spent some time on our balcony and we had a great cabin steward named Jovany. He is from Honduras. He gave us an extra ice bucket and extra towels as we had asked for lots of ice and extra towels. Our cabin was always clean and he was very friendly and pleasant.
We did smell the sewer smell occasionally. It seemed to be at night and on the elevators. The elevators we used were the ones just outside the casino, mid ship. We didn’t notice the smell anywhere else.We had the best time on this cruise and I don’t see where all the complaints are about service and employees being unfriendly. Everyone we met was friendly and courteous.
I would like to make a couple of suggestions though. I used the omelet station almost every morning and I do wish there were some meats there as well as toast/pastries. I realize the area is small, but it is time consuming to stand in line for the omelet, then stand in line again to get ham or bacon and toast. I also believe that having toast/pastries only on one side of the buffet makes the lines take longer than necessary. I know the bacon server is in the middle, so that creates a backup as both sides go to him, but the right side is already past the toast when one gets to the bacon person while the left side has to cross in front of the oncoming line to get breads. That makes no sense to me. It seems as though breads should be on both sides of the buffet. I also noticed that the lines for breakfast really slowed down by about 10AM.
I also wish the area of the buffet where the Mongolian Grill is had better ventilation as it was hard to breathe when the woks were cooking full speed. At first I thought it was cleaning fluid I smelled and then realized it was the smoke coming from the Grill. After that, we never sat in the first area at lunch.
Finally, I am near the end, lol. In summary, the Dream is a wonderful ship with great employees. We had better service on this ship that almost any other cruise we have taken. I was concerned about the hot tubs and noise, but we didn’t hear anything in our cabin. When sitting on the balcony at night, we could hear people talking, but nothing that was intrusive. Also, we were lucky in that neither of our balcony neighbors smoked, so we were able to be out there often.
The last morning when my husband took the scooter to Guest Services, he was told to just sit in a chair and they would get someone to bring him a wheelchair to debark. We waited a short while as we had luggage tags numbered 1, and sure enough, a lady from guest services followed by a gentleman with a wheelchair came for my husband. The man wheeled him off and waited while we got our luggage and wheeled him to our friend’s truck for the ride home. Too soon the cruise was over, but we have already decided that next year we will do a back to back on Dream. It was that good!
John Says:
Hello Katiel 53That is a superb review full of positive comments and great ideas on how we can improve. I would like to comment on one or two areas. Let me start with the Mongolian Wok. This is as you saw one of the most popular places to eat lunch and the fact that each dish is cooked fresh, in a wok, does cause lots of steam and cooking odors. Now, when a new ship is built we expect everything to be perfect. But, occasionally, we make mistakes and sometimes things they build break or don’t work. That is why, just like when you buy a new car, the ships have a warranty. In this case it is a year. That gives us a year to claim for anything that Carnival has ordered and that the ship yard has supplied that may not work to the specifications we expected. If that is the case we issue what is called a Guarantee Failure Report or GFR as it’s known. In the case of the Mongolian Wok the extraction is not strong enough and we have therefore issued a GFR and are expecting technicians to join us in the coming weeks to improve the extraction in that area.
I was sorry to read about the Motor Scooter mix up but happy that you found the service from Kim our Guest Services Associate, who is from Korea, whom I have sent a copy of your kind words to.
So, overall it seems that you had a great time and your observations on the Omelets station are also well noted.
I hope that it’s not long before we see you on a fun for all cruise again soon.
Best wishes to you both
JohnSusan O. Asked:
John, Please Reply,Do you know if they offer a Chef’s Dinner on the Freedom? Husband is a real foodie, and we sail on the 13th of February…..7th Carnival cruise and our 27th anniversary. If offered, how does one arrange a seating?
Thanks bunches…..totally love to start my day with coffee, you and the blog thingy….although sometimes the coffee shoots out of my nose when you crack me up. (It’s worth it, though!)
Thanks!
Susan O.John Says:
Hello Susan OI love to hear how and when people look at my thingy and I am glad that coffee time gives you some laughter………..thanks for letting me know. There are plans to roll out the Chef’s Table to other ships that I’m aware of and at the moment it is only available here on your Carnival Dream and on the Carnival Ecstasy. It is though superb and I hope we do indeed introduce it across the fleet soon.
Have a wonderful time next week and give this message to Jaime Frasier the ACD “Lark and a Dove “then tell him I promised you a bottle of champagne and a trophy.
Best wishesMichelleinNH Asked:
Hello John,My husband, I and daughter will be sailing the Dream on April 24th. We were with you on the Freedom in February 2008 and our daughter sent you sugar free GS cookies….Anyways, we were thinking back to our first cruise with Carnival, the Destiny, March 1997 and we were asked to be in a commercial they were filming on board. This commercial was with Erin Grey and not Kathy Lee (do you remember her? She was in the show Silver Spoons?). Were you the cruise director then? My husband and I have been arguing about it…he said you were, I say you were not….please put this dispute to rest…PLEASE REPLY! Thanks John!
John Says:
Hello Michellein NHI remember those cookies very well because they were delicious. Thanks again for thinking of me. I was indeed the CD during that commercial shoot, I also remember that well and the fun we had shooting it. So, please tell your husband that you are right ……… as always………..and please remind me a few weeks before you sail on your Carnival Dream.
Best wishes to all
JohnKerensa Asked:
John (and Heidi) Reply if you likeNot sure if you remember my previous posts but I am from one of your dam sister companies….dam…
Those Cabana’s look amazing! We’ll have to think about booking one for our (hopefully) upcoming cruise. The plan is to SAVE SAVE SAVE until we know where you’ll be later on this year and then book as soon as we can so we can sail with you. Would have loved to have sailed with you, Heidi and the lovely Kye but no such luck.
Speaking of your beautiful family I say all the more power to you Heidi for BF. I also BF my son (w/ a nursing shawl as well) and for the most part no one really notices and if so, I just ignore the looks I get in public. I do understand though as the very popular wife of a very popular CD with a very popular daughter you are a bit more noticeable (spelt correctly?) so you could always take a pump (there are manual ones which are a bit less cumbersome and electric ones which are a bit more bulky but convenient if you want speed) to have a supply of mommy milk and some bottles that mimic BFing (BreastFlow bottles are great!) for when you are surrounded and then just BF when you feel comfortable or are in a private place. Personally I say do whatever makes you comfortable and let them talk if they will. Either way, someone will always have an opinion!
Much love to all of you and hope the flight isn’t too terrible (BF or paci on the plane will help Kye’s ears pop both during takeoff and landing) and that you have a great time being together! Toodles!
John Says:
Hello KerensaIt’s great to hear from you again and before I forget, please send my best to my friends at Holland America Line. I am sure Heidi (who reads every blog and comment) will be saying a thank you for your support on the subject of breast feeding. It took me a few times to get used to it when she would feed Kye in public so I sort of understand a little if it makes others uncomfortable. Although, there are many worse sights to be found on the Lido decks of cruise ships!
Thanks again for the kind words of support and hopefully we will meet one day very soon.
Best wishes to all your family
JohnSusan O. Asked:
John, please reply if possible.We’re on the Freedom on 2/13 (our 6th Carnival cruise…going for platinum….loyal to the end!).
I’ve read a couple of ships are offering a “Chef’s Dinner” and am wondering if it’s available on the Freedom. We’ll be sailing during our 27th anniversary and my husband is a real foodie and would LOVE this if available. I believe it’s available on the Ecstasy and Dream.
Thanks in advance….your sense of humor makes me smile every day!John Says:
Hello Susan OMy goodness, the Chef’s Table dinner is the talk of the blog isn’t it? Well, it is only being served on the Carnival Ecstasy and here on your Carnival Dream and hopefully it will very soon be on all our ships because it is brilliant.
I am glad the blog brings a smile to your face and hope it always will.
Best wishes
JohnDiane Perchinske Asked:
Hi John,Sailed on the Dream 11/23/09 for 8 days with my grandson (2nd time for him as we were on the Splendor last Nov.) Have also sailed on the Glory and I enjoy Carnival lines very much. The ship was absolutely beautiful and oh so big. Our room (balcony) was at the very end on 7 so did a lot of walking to get to the middle. Our room was great as were the crew members. Two friends from the Splendor were working in the casino so was great to be with them every night plus my friend’s son was running the comedy club. All in all it was a great time and we are looking forward to the Magic coming out in 2011. Loved your pictures on the slide. Take Care
John Says:
Hello DianeThanks for taking the time to write about your Carnival Dream cruise with your grandson. How lucky he is that his Grandmother takes him on cruises. It seems you knew quite a few people onboard and I am glad that you enjoy the Carnival product so much. I hope to see you on the Carnival Magic next year so we can discover Europe together. Thanks again for the kind words.
Best wishes
JohnPortland Joe Asked:
John respond if you wantThis may not win me the popular vote but I don’t need to win friends here. I agree with others here and on Cruise Critic that do not like the fact that you spend time arranging tables and free stuff. Have you not seen that every time someone says that they like you or your blog that they then ask for something. I don’t care but what happens if I want something like a table for two. I have to line up and ask the manager of the dining room.
Your blog is supposed to be an information portal not a wish list.
John Says:
Hello Portland JoeI am so sorry that you seem so upset about this and that makes me sad as it is certainly not my intention or wish that you feel this way. I do indeed try when asked to help as many people as I can. I think of this as good customer service and I hope you may look at it this way. The blog has changed over the past months and will no doubt change again. But for now, and respectfully, I tell you that I will continue to help those who need it …… and that includes you so please let me know if I may be of service.
Best wishes
JohnMiranda Asked:
It’s so funny that you are talking about CD announcements on the blog this day. I have been on a wonderful cruise on the Carnival Valor last week and catching up on my missed blogs. My main complaint for the whole cruise was that Big Tex started making announcements at 9:45 in the morning on sea days. We are night owls and always closing down the casino @3 am Because of his announcements, we never got to sleep late one time on this entire cruise. These were not played in our cabin, but were so loud in the hall that sleeping through them was impossible. I did talk to Big Tex about it onboard and he said that he was “contractually obligated” to announce the sale in the jewelry store. Ok, but at 9:45 am? Couldn’t there be a rule that no announcements except emergencies be made before 11? I would appreciate that very much!
John Says:
Hello MirandaWelcome back from your Carnival Valor cruise and sorry that it has taken so long to reply. I realize that the onboard announcements is a subject that divides opinion. Some want to know what’s happening all the time and want to hear the announcements in the cabin. Others don’t want to hear any use of the PA system after the boat drill.
Before I continue I should point out that announcements are never made inside the staterooms unless it is something that everyone needs to hear…….safety and emergency announcements etc. Therefore, the announcement you heard Big Tex make was probably heard from a speaker outside or nearby your stateroom but not inside. It was though obviously loud enough to disturb your sleep and I apologize for this. I should also say that very recently we have started a new fleetwide policy that means that we will not make any non-emergency PA announcements until 10 am. We have also discussed making them shorter which should also be happening.
Now there are some obligations that the CD has to follow and of course it would be silly not to admit that one of our jobs is to promote the different areas on the ship as well as the activities and entertainment. Having guests spend money onboard allows us to keep our cruise prices so affordable. So yes, the CD will use the PA system but never in the cabin and as of the last few weeks, never inside the staterooms unless required by unforeseen circumstances. Hopefully this will be OK with everyone. As always, I encourage your comments on this everyone.
Thanks again Miranda and I hope you had a wonderful cruise.
Best wishes
JohnMike M Asked:
John (respond if you have time)I definitely love the Diaper changing stories, brings back old memories. Folks now days have it easy compared to what we had to do to change a diaper. There weren’t any zip thingies, we had to use diaper pins. I can’t remember how many times I had to fold the cloth diaper in the right direction and make sure it was on right, most time it wasn’t. Boy did my wife tell me about that because the outer clothes were stained. I still screw it up with my grand babies, getting it on backwards. Thank God my Granddaughter tells me when I got it on Bass backwards.
As far as using Grey Goose as a sanitizer, no offense meant Sir, That is pure unadulerated Alcohol abuse, I’m sure you were kidding about the Vodka, at least I hope you were.
And YES, it don’t take about 2 seconds after you put the new diaper on, if you are so fortunate to have them wait that long, to have to change them again. Yes, baby did a nature call before the diaper was pinned and finished changing, especially the boys…Gotta Love it
MikeJohn Says:
Hello Mike MBrilliant. Thanks for that and I know Heidi will have a chuckle when she reads it. Ever since Kye was born I have been unable to look at or eat mustard.
Thanks again for the smiles
Best wishes to you and the family
John
That’s all for today. There are a few requests that have been made by people who sailed before I saw them. This is something that I apologize for and I am so sorry that I did not respond until after the sailing date. Please, if you need anything from me, can you write one month before the departure date and I will be honoured to assist you as best I can.
Have a look at these photos captured from the bridge camera of the Crown Princess leading us into Mahogany Bay, Roatan.
Tomorrow I will be proud to give you all a first look at a brand new ship that has joined the ever growing fleet of Carnival Corporation ships………and I can tell you now that she is wunderbar.
And it is congratulations to the Captain and crew on the Carnival Splendor who this past Sunday had a surprise visit from United States Public Health. After a thorough inspection of the food preparation areas and many other areas of the ship they were told what score they had achieved out of 100………..answer……..100. Brilliant.
Let me tell you that these inspectors are extremely thorough as they of course need to be so to achieve 100 is absolutely superb. Well done everyone.
Talking of scores, we received the ratings back from my first cruise on your Carnival Dream. Now, I am going to share a few with you.
FRIENDLINESS OF THE CREW……….91.07
DINING ROOM STAFF……..91.52
LIDO RESTARAUNT SERVICE………89.8
HOUSEKEEPING STAFF……… 94.41
OVERALL SHIP………..87.18
HAVE YOU ENJOYED YOUR CRUISE…………NO – 1.48%…………….YES – 98.52%
I will let you bread into that what you will……..but I will say this again……….this is an awesome ship.
Time to see what’s happening over on the Carnival Pride so put on your North Face jackets, gloves and hats because it’s time to go over to Baltimore and a cold Dear John letter from Jaime.
Dear John,I know this letter is long overdue. So much has happened since the last time I wrote. All good stories start with “Once Upon a Time” so I will do my best to give you a brief recap of the past few months.
Once Upon a Time the “first couple of Carnival” had made a home out of the Carnival Pride. After being on board this ship off and on for over a year, it feels like I belong here. We had an amazing holiday season and New Years. The Captain – Vito Giacalone is one of the most caring and compassionate in the business. This attitude and behavior is ingrained into the crew on board and makes for a wonderful home. He also has known Kirk for nearly 15 years. He was also my very first Captain when I started with Carnival 2 and a half years ago. After celebrating the holidays with my Carnival Pride family, Kirk suddenly came down with a chest infection that resulted in me taking over as Cruise Director three weeks prior to my actual scheduled date. I promise I did not poison him! He is now on vacation and feeling much better. It was actually quite helpful having Kirk on board guiding from behind (that is not meant to sound dirty…). Also sailing with us right now is retired cruise director Shawn Bussey. One of the most amazing and beautiful women I have met in this industry. She is one of the first female cruise directors to work for Carnival. She lives across the hall with the safety officer and she is sailing with us for 5 cruises. SO if I need some assistance, I have the option of knocking on the neighbor’s door and asking for some eggs, hugs or what to heck I am supposed to say for if we have a medical emergency.
We have certainly encountered our fair share of challenges sailing through the North Atlantic in the winter but overall our guests keep smiling, laughing and having fun, which is indeed our ultimate goal. Today when we arrive in Baltimore we are expecting 2-3 feet of snow. Surprisingly enough, our guests remain positive and friendly as ever even though we are occasionally facing rough seas and high winds. They still are gracious and lovely. I believe they are just happy to be taken into temperatures exceeding freezing when we make our way south toward the Bahamas. This past cruise, we missed the port of Freeport, Bahamas because of the high winds. It would not have been safe to for our guests, crew or the ship to dock in the port of Freeport with the given weather conditions. We ended up with a bonus day at sea and 2,500 guests that chose to make the best out of a disappointing situation. Today, I found out that neither of the fly on entertainers that were scheduled to join the ship are going to make it to Baltimore due to the airlines being closed. Nevertheless, we will keep smiling and make it work. Is trial by snow a fair term to use?
This is the first time I am having the opportunity to take over as cruise director, on purpose, for months at a time. This is really giving me the chance to grow on stage and as a person. Develop my own shows and make wise decisions about how to lead a successful team even when encountering a challenging itinerary.
I could not ask for have a better group of peers to support me while experiencing the CD position for this extended period of time. As Musical Director I have the amazing Chris Martell, used to be a part of a jazz trio and now is experiencing his first contract as Musical Director. He was part of my team on the Carnival Splendor last year during the South America itinerary. He is doing an incredible job during his first contract as Musical Director. As Dance Captain we have the lovely and talented, seasoned veteran Hayley Allen, she has been with Carnival for several years and she has the grace and expertise to admirably balance the needs of the dancers, department and guests. My highly respected Acting Assistant Cruise Director is William Strydom, all the way from South Africa. He has been with Carnival for more than five years and knows the ins and out of the department, the company and what a team needs to succeed.
In conclusion, I truly miss having Kirk on board and working with him. But I am taking this opportunity to grow up and do what I have set out to do working for this company – help a lot of people by contributing to their fun and memorable vacations.
And they all lived happily ever after…..
Looking forward to sailing with you soon.
All the best,
Jaime Deitsch
(Acting Cruise Director)
Carnival Pride
Thanks Jaime for another great letter. It was wonderful to see Shawn Bussey and her beautiful son. We miss her very much amongst the CD ranks however thanks to Jaime, Risa, Jen and Tori……….the ladies are well represented.
I am very proud of you Jaime and I am sure Kirk is as well. You are looking after his ship superbly and I am sure he is very happy that you are on top of things. Please write another Dear John letter soon and our best to you, the Captain and crew.
The show last night featured Edge who is a juggler and ummmm……..well……….it’s hard to describe what it is he does. What I can tell you is that his act involves lots of balance and last night his skills were put to the test. There was a lot of wind again last night and the ship was bouncing around like a ……….yet while me and the guests had trouble walking in a straight line…….he was doing remarkable things on stage. He really is incredible and if you see his name in the Carnival Capers (soon to be Fun Times) please go and see him.
I am not sure why but it still seems that I am upsetting some of you by my continuing to help those who ask for it. However, when I read comments like this I know that I am doing the right thing.
Sandi Asked:
Dear John,My husband and I love cruising carnival so much that we got my parents hooked also. We should have been hitting the BIG #10 on the Dream 4/3, but sadly it will only be #9. The reason being was the last cruise, instead of getting on the boat we had to get back on a flight home because my mom took a turn for the worst with her 5 year battle with cancer. In those 5 years we got her on 6 carnival cruises. She had a blast, loved sitting on her balcony watching the sea, sitting on deck rocking to the music, watching the children play in the pool, going to every show, and making new friends with our room stewards and dining room wait staff. My mom (Mary) hated being cold and looked forward to going to every warm sunny port we could get her to. She was cremated and had asked us to bring her on one last cruise and leave her ashes someplace hot, in the beautiful blue waters free to travel the world. This is I would greatly appreciate your help. We will have 11 people in our party and would like to let mom go from the ship. She made sure to pick out a biodegradable urn so she wouldn’t be blowing back at us!! Thanks so very much. Love reading the blog!
John Says:
Hello SandiI am so sorry to hear about Mum. I am sure you have such wonderful memories of her and especially those you spent as a family on the ships of Carnival. I will make sure I do all I can to make her final voyage special. Please leave me a note at the Guest Services Desk when you arrive onboard and I will arrange everything. I think a simple sunset scattering will be very simple and if you need anything else please let me know.
You are in our thoughts
See you soon
John
So yesterday we had our elegant night. Remember we switched it from the previous night because of the Super Bowl Series thingy. Well, between me and you I was a little worried that the first party would be quiet because of the 6 pm departure from Cozumel…. and I was right. It was as quiet as a dead cat. Maybe this had something to do with the beautiful sunshine we had all day long and that many came back to the ship as close to possible at the 5:30 pm back onboard time. However, the second Captain’s Celebration was busy and I met many people who told me how they enjoyed the Welcome Aboard Show and the Morning Shows, etc. There were many that read the blog and many who have sailed with me before. These are always great to see……..unless the conversation goes like it did last night.
I was standing next to the Captain and Chief Engineer in the Ocean Plaza and up comes a chap who says:
“John, cruised with ya in 1996 on the Destiny”
He then takes his right hand and starts rubbing my stomach.
“You put on some hefty weight there ……………….dude!”
Now, at this point I want to attach his nipples to electrodes and turn it on to full power. I mean, how bloody rude. Not only was he quick to tell me that in the past 14 years I have become a blob………but he had to rub my stomach while doing so……….and if that wasn’t bad enough………..he called me “dude”…………..dude my arse!
It is at times like this that I wish those bastards at AIG hadn’t screwed me and many others out of my savings when they spent all my money on Latvian lap dancers. Because if I had enough money in the bank I would have told him to bugger off and shove the hand he was using to pat and rub my stomach up his own arse and told him to bugger off.
But, I don’t have the money in the bank………and so I smiled………let him rub……… and admitted that I was indeed ……….fat.
He seemed pleased by this and turned his attention to the Captain shaking his hand telling him that he had a 22 foot sailing boat ……..which is like telling Dwyane Wade that you once beat your 14 year old nephew on a game of one on one in your back yard.
Maybe he thought he was being cute or funny and maybe on a better day I may have seen the funny side of it……and I certainly would have been more understanding if he hadn’t had rubbed my stomach…….I just don’t like that…………at all.
Then there was the older she was really upset. It genuinely baffles me why though because if you reach a point in your existence where you start to worry about whether men should be allowed to wear a pair of jeans while having fun on his Carnival cruise vacation, then you must have considered and done everything else that life has to offer. Up to and including what it would feel like to pat and rub the CD’s stomach.
I see less and less of our guests dressing up these days and I wonder if it’s time we looked at this. Many guests still like to dress up, for many the chance does not come along that often. This is just my opinion of course and not that of Carnival Cruise Lines …….. but I do have to say that we often talk about the typical Carnival guest being spirited and being comfortable in their own skin…………so why not in a pair of jeans? I am not suggesting we should get rid of elegant night…..but I am sure you will have thoughts on this subject and as always…….I look forward to reading them.
One last thing……the stomach rubber chap really got to me and yet sitting here this morning I realize that I should never have let him. I think that Cruise Directors, more than anyone else in the cruise industry have to keep their humour and keep their feet on the ground. If we start taking ourselves too seriously……we are heading for a fall.
I have no idea what the stomach rubber’s name was …….but I have decided to call him “Angus”………and the G is silent.
Goodnight
Your friend
John
Filed under: Destinations, Links, Tales from the Ship, Travel | Tagged: Dream, Magic, Pride, Splendor, Valor
Hi Jaime,
I was so pleased to see the Dear John letter from you. I’m sure you are doing an excellent job as CD. I remember how much fun it was watching you interacting with the crew on stage before the Bingo games.
I had the pictures developed yesterday that we took on the Freedom in July. The first picture I saw was one of you. It brought back great memories.
Hopefully we will cruise again with you one of these days.
Take care . One day you will have a ship of your on, I’m sure of that.
Carolyn and Don
we also “John, cruised with ya in 1996 on the Destiny” and look forward to seeing you Saturday.
John,
What if megan fox was to come up to you and wanted to rub……… um……….well your belly of course?
On the elegant night you need to keep it of course. We love the elegant night and it is one of our only chances to dress up all proper and get very wonderful photos done on board. bridie gets here hair done onboard, I allways rent a tux on board and this time we will be renting one for my 6yoa also. Where else can you get photos done all dressed up, and a wonderful meal without worring about the bill at the end of night…kinda like you do on board, “Nickel and dime of the seas” there.
Big fans as allways
Frank and Bridie
Dear John,
How rude of “Angus” (hold the “g”)! Friendly or not, there’s no excuse for invading anyone’s personal space and fondling them! One of my biggest pet peeves when I was pregnant was the group of weirdo strangers who thought it was their right to touch me and rub my belly. I came very close one night to pointing out to one such weirdo that my butt expanded along with my belly, and perhaps said weirdo would like a closer inspection and even a kiss?
Anyway, about elegant evenings – I enjoy them! I work from home, so it’s very rare that I get an opportunity to wear shoes, let alone formalwear! And our family pictures on elegant evenings are the best!
Part of the fun of elegant evenings for me happens before the cruise. It’s called “the Hunt.” In “the Hunt,” I hit the consignment stores and all the post-Christmas, post-Easter, or post-prom sales and try to find something elegant and beautiful for $20 or less. I won almost two such “Hunts” this year – one gown (regularly priced $80) I bought at a department store after Christmas for $17 plus change.
A second gown (a sleek and sparkling backless red one) I bought from someone in one of my social groups for $5. But then it needed to be dry cleaned for $27, so my total was $32. Bugger.
Take care,
Laura
Hi John,
In case you have not been given a youtube link thingy to watch Megan Fox’s commercial follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNcdu3w9m1g
Enjoy.
-Laura
Hi John:
You asked about our opinions about elegant night…I say don’t get rid of it. When I am on vacations it is my chance to get really dressed up (and sometimes show off the dresses I make by sewing machine). I like all the fuss that goes into finding the right dress, making sure I look right, and then taking pictures. It’s fun. Besides, depending on which itinerary a person is on, it’s only one or two nights.
Rachel
Dear John,
Please don’t change the Elegant Night! Even though I no longer wear a full tux, I really enjoy the time to “dress-up” and see everyone looking their best.
As always, it’s a joy to read your blog thingy and hear about life onboard the Fun Ships. Remember – this is YOUR blog and if you want to help people, then go ahead… help them! If someone doesn’t like it, they can start their own blog about “NOT” helping anyone. I’m sure it would not have over 5 million read thingys.
Keep up the good work! My best to Heidi, Kye and to you.
Cheers!
Derek
I would love to put my 2 cents in about dressing up or not dressing up on our Carnival Cruises. I wish that we could wear jeans to the dining room every night. I know that will irate many people, but why does any one care what others are wearing. If someone wants to dress in Tux and long dress that is great, but we don’t. As long as my table mate is clean and not smelly, I really could care less what they are wearing.
Please Carnival, lets relax the dress code.
Hi John,
I just finished reading todays blog. This included the belly rubber man. I am so completely sorry about his actions and that he insulted you like that. Some people in this world were never taught simple manners and kindness. He obviously was one of them. I have often been in situations where someone has treated me badly or was rude to me. I never react to them the way I want to because my Mom and Dad taught me better, and wouldn’t be proud of the reaction. But man…what I would give to just once tell these people what I think. You reacted well, and your folks have the right to be proud of you as well.
Now, as to the dress on carnival ships. I don’t dress up, ever! I love being cozy and comfy. I think everyone should be. That’s my favorite part of cruising. Events are offered for everyones taste and preferences. Dress up, or don’t. You will fit in just fine.
I have seen CD’s in jeans on stage, and around the ship and not once did I stop breathing!! To each his own, and his own comfort level!
Have a great day John! And keep on doing what ya do!!
Janet
John,
I love Elegant night. There is nothing better after a hot day to put on a tux or a suit for dinner. As you mentioned I do not get this opportunity often so when I book a cruise (6 with Carnival 1 with Princess) I look forward to what night(s) are dress up nights. During the other nights I wear a dress shirt and slacks. And a side note it does bother me when the guy near me is wearing a wife beater t-shirt, jeans and flip flops. So once again I beg Carnival not to change a thing
Brent
Hello John,
loving the blog now you are back doing what you do best & when Heidi & Kye join you onboard the blog will be a perfect balance of onboard life & the Heald Family saga….cant wait!
I wanted to comment about your dilemma regarding Elegant night. It may feel that passengers dont wish to dress up accordingly for Elegant Night while your in the Carribean but when you join the carnival Magic in Europe you will see a huge difference, passengers love to dress up in Europe.
The difference in the climate between Europe & the Carribean is a big factor in passengers dress code. Can I suggest bringing back theme night dress codes… i.e – tropical island night, Mexican night or mardi gras nights etc.
When your in warmer climates passengers love to dress up and get into the spirit of things but they dont want to be confined to penguin suits or formal gowns, just think of the revenue you could gleam from the rum punch, corona beer & bead sales in the shop specials.
As you know I worked as a Bar Manager for Princess cruises in the 80/90’s & the theme nights were always the hightlight of the cruise for the passengers.
I recently took a Fred Olsen cruise around northern Europe & was amazed by the passenger participation on the 3 (old school)theme nights held onboard. 85% of the passengers dress up & the crew loved the chance to wear their jeans to work on the Country & Western night. All the food, drinks & activities were scheduled around the themes & a great time was had by all.
Instead of insisting that the passengers dress up like penguins or Danny Le Rue why not let their pre-cruise imagination run wild and allow them to dress up for “FUN”……everyone loves a fancy dress party….especially onboard a “fun” ship.
I know I do.
Hope to see you in Europe on the Magic
Bestest wishes
Lorraine & Mom Susan xxxxxxx
Dear John,
Maybe you should send the “belly rubber” some chocolate strawberrys laced with “Exlax”(a laxative)!
Having dealt with weight issues myself, you are probably feeling hurt and frustrated because you have been making a great effort to lose weight. One thing I have noticed in pictures of you recently is that you are looking “THINNER!” Do not be discouraged by rude, ignorant morons! People like him can only hurt you if YOU let them! Don’t let them!
Keep up the good work and keep smiling!
Cheers!
Linda
Hello John,
I’m sure you know what’s coming when you bring up formal “elegant” night. We really like to get dressed up but in our everyday life that just isn’t practical especially now that we’re retired and live in a motorhome. The mode of dress sets the atmosphere of a place, event and dining venue. A couple of blogs ago you mentioned the person who wanted to be out of the dining room in an hour or less. To us, to dress ultra casually in the dining room turns it from an elegant dining experience to a fast food one. Although we like Denny’s, Burger King, Golden Corral, etc. we don’t consider those to be fine dining establishments and we don’t dress up to go there. When we do go to an upscale restaurant we dress accordingly but even so there really are no opportunities for us to dress in a tux or formal gown. The cruise dining experience is one where we feel it is appropriate to dress in our best and especially on formal nights. It seems to be a slap in the face to the Maitre d’ and the wait staff, who are all dressed formally, to come to dinner dressed like you should be going to the Lido. There are those that say that formal clothes don’t feel comfortable but if they fit properly than there really isn’t any difference. When we really dress up, we can feel the difference in attitude when we put the clothes on. It is similar to working at Disney (or many other places). When we put our costumes on we do feel a transformation into whatever role we’re playing. (No we’re not a character.) We would never want to get rid of at least elegant night but would desire a return to a true formal night. One suggestion is to divide the dining rooms as has been done with the anytime dining. Have one dining room that is more casual and the other more formal. This can be requested before the cruise in the same manner that we pick early, late, or anytime dining.
Time for me to get off my soap box but we really do like cruising and can’t wait for Saturday to get here.
See you in a few days.
Linda & Goerge
Hi John, Well I will be taking my first cruise ever on the Dream May 8, 2010 – will we have the pleasure of your cruise direction on that sailing? I am so stoked for this trip – the main thing I intend on bringing with me is a positive attitude and I plan on having nothing but fun! Do you have any words of wisdom for a “cruise virgin” any tips will help!
The ship looks amazing!
Wendy
PLEASE REPLY JOHN
( Sorry to write so soon after the first one )
ELEGANT NIGHT is a must and even though people might not like dressing up even for only one night we must stress to everyone that Elegant Night is what elegant really means
E ducate the world of its beauty
L ead the way to enjoyment
E levate ones priority in life
G et together for being with special people
A dhere to the past, present and plan for the future
N ote – worthy that the night is for all of us
T each everyone that life is very precious.
I hope that this little poem though weak in power, shows how important Elegant Night is to me.
I asked my friend how many Elegant nights he had on his 12 day cruise on the Queen Mary and his answer was every night was and Elegant Night. It didn’t mean that they had to wear tuxedos each night but just to show respect to those others during the cruise. Carnival is a little different because they are the Fun ship but even having Fun allows us to show respect to one another. Elegant Night must show elegance and demand elegance with all aboard. That is just the way I feel John.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
John, it was plain rude and nasty for that guest to do that. I would have kocked him out, but you couldn’t do that. So what if you aren’t as thin as you were in in 1996, as long as your healthy (or trying to live a healthy life) that is what matters.
I wish the Dream would have had a little better pricing for September. I want to go on the Dream, but my bank account is for the most part drained and I now have to save each month. The dream prices were $600 more than the Liberty….s’okay, I have a better chance of running into my hot Lithuanian on the Liberty as he seems to like that ship *BG*…
BTW John here’s a fun fact for you. Did you know that Doctors are NOT allowed to treat animals, but Vets can (at a push) provide treatment to people. (I’ll see if I can dig around and pick up the reason why this is) BTW Your sister’s name Suedrip. You’re not of foreign extraction are you as I’ve not heard of the name Suedrip before (sounds Norwegian or Scandinavian to me)
Hi, Jamie!!! Wonderful to see you! I know you’re doing a brilliant job!!!
John, I had a cat that would have won your respect. It was a Siamese and a very big Siamese at that. I left the silly beast with a friend when I went on vacation one year. Upon my return the cat had killed and partially eaten one of his goats. THAT, my friend, is a cat.
PLEASE… don’t even think about getting rid of the Elegant nights. Passengers have enough options and the dress code is lax enough that no one should need worry about dressing or not dressing.
That is all… carry on… dude…
Ciao!!!
Host Mach
John, You always have me chuckling after reading your “blog thingy”.
Please reply, Colleen & I took the “Behind the Fun Tour” on BC3. One thing when we were in the laundry (her Favourite stop, by the way), we saw one of the laundry staff loading one of the washing machines and she was wondering how many pounds it held? Seeing that you now are on the Carnival Dream, it should be easy to find out for her.
Jeans vs. Dress up, I normally wear a Tux to formal night, but I do not have to fly to cruise. I can see men in dress slacks if the prefer, but if you slack off to jeans, how will you be able to ask the guest who walks in with holes in the knee, arse or other places. They “Do have jeans on”. Casual will work!!
Thanks John,
ERNIE
Hi John,
You can see the Megan Fox ad here:
http://superbowlads.fanhouse.com/2010/motorola-megan-fox/
Moon Rocks are called Pop Rocks in the US. Love you John.
John,
You can watch Megan’s commercial on the web. Google it and I am sure it will put a smile on your face and erase all thoughts of the belly rubber. Some people have no common sense. Take care of yourself and see you soon.
Bobbi
Hi John,
That’s so rude what Mr. Belly Patter did! Please do not let him get to you.
Congratulations to the crew of the Carnival Splendor!
Jaime – Thanks for the Dear John letter.
Clair
John,
PLEASE DO NOT LET CARNIVAL GET RID OF THE FORMAL NIGHT! We love getting dressed up and having tons of pictures taken. I also wish Carnival would continue with the business casual dress in the formal dining room, I don’t mind people wearing nice jeans, but the shorts and ratty jeans need to go!
On a side note, Pop Rocks were the rave in the 80’s and they soulkd just like the UK’s Moon Rocks. They are a pure sugar mixture that is mixed with carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas creates high pressure bubbles in the sugar, when the candy melts in your mouth the bubbles pop and create the popping feeling in your mouth. Try putting a big handful of the Moon Rock in your mouth and then drink a soda. If feels really kool.
Roxi
Hello John (Please reply)
We have just returned from the C Liberty and what a wonderful cruise we had. It was our first cruise as Platinum and Carnival treated us so well with all the perks that Platinum guests get. We were thrilled beyond belief. Well worth getting that 9th trip in.
C Liberty was our choice for our Platinum. We have been on the Splendor 3x, Dream 2x, Freedom 3x and Valor 1x. The C Liberty is a grand ship and has a fine crew.
Question: Will the C Magic becoming to NYC or the USA at all after the Med trips next year? We sure hope so. When will you know?
Thank you and enjoy your cruise with your family. You all deserve it. Love your blog.
Cheers!
Hello John:
Quite a masterpiece.
A roller coaster of a blog.
The highs, the folks that needed some special service and received it. The touching story of the need to put Mom to rest.
The lows, the reminder that some can be rude, perhaps no intent to belittle or embarrass, but no manners. Some say turn the other cheek, which you did, and others would say gently request that the guest take his hand off. Have you ever noticed some women have the ability to deflect unwanted touching in a quiet way and others have to scream?
One of the reasons I enjoy your blog, entertaining, thought provoking, and many good laughs. Who would think of trying to blow up the cat by mining his litter box? Our John.
Soon the Healds will be on the sea. What a great time it will be!
All the best.
Your friend
Bill Heck
John -
Love the letter from Jaime (and the pictures) – it brings back great memories of our December cruise where we landed after a 22 inch snow fall.
As for now, I can just (Carnival) Dream of my next cruise.
JustJon
Dear John (Please Reply),
I live about 30-45 minutes away from Baltimore and of course that means I’m in the area that experienced the “Snowmageddon” with 25 inches of snow this past weekend. As I type it’s actually snowing again (just what we need more snow on top of snow) and all this snow has resulted in one thing. My friends and I have decided that we will be booking my Carnival Dream for the 12/11/10 sailing as a celebration for my 27th Birthday which falls on the first sea day. We will be visiting Isla Roatan this time around and I have a question regarding reservations of the cabanas in Mahogany Bay. Is there any way to reserve a cabana prior to your sail date or must it be done once on board? Thank you in advance and I love the blog thingy. Best wishes to you, Heidi and Kye
Shenika
John, you have too much patience as it is. LOL I am a lowly public servant and I have to grin and be understanding while people vent about their entire existence and the fact that everyone pays taxes….but even that would be too much for me. I allow people to vent and keep my good humor (spelled correctly), but people should never be rude or try to demean another person. You are a good person for being so forgiving the day after. I dont know if I would be ‘over it’ that quickly. Nope…I know I wouldn’t….I dont think I would be re-elected, if you get my drift. Cheeky bastard.
Under no circumstances should anyone think they have the right to make comments like your “Dude” man or physically touch someone without permission. How crass!!! So many people have commented and noticed your weight loss, so I don’t know why this guy thought he had a right to do that! Regardless of that, I never look at the the outside of someone – only their inside. I’d take a kind heart and gentle soul over a male model type any day. How many times do we see in the media where some hot looking super model or actress has been cheated on by her husband, only to hear people comment “I can’t believe he did that with such a beautiful wife.” Well, that should prove that looks aren’t what make a great person – it’s their character and their heart. As far as your comments regarding jeans – it seems that with each cruise we take, I’ve noticed people becoming more and more lax in what they wear in the dining room. I saw people wear jeans in the dining room (including elegant night) every night on our recent cruise. I just don’t see why it is such a problem for people to take a little pride in themselves and dress up a little in the dining room. You are being served a multi-course dinner, with table cloths and china, and being served by a wait staff in formal attire, yet you think it’s appropriate to walk in wearing jeans or shorts, sandals and t-shirts? I don’t get it. I guess I grew up in an era where certain events and settings required you dress a certain way. I have never looked at it as being “told what to do”, or “It’s my vacation and I should be able to dress casual if I want” – I’ve always seen it as a sign of respect.
In regards to formal nights and dressing up. My husband and myself both work, and over the years, our work attire has gone from dress/panty hose (for me) and jacket/tie, to business casual – slacks, to comfortable, jeans. And I enjoy the fact that I don’t have to get up in the morning and dress up for work. So, when it comes to formal nights on the cruises we go on, I usually struggle with what to wear, having to shop for something to wear, and on formal nights, we dress for dinner, and then go right back to the room and change into something comfortable. I don’t particularly enjoy dressing up. BUT – on the same hand, my children really do enjoy dressing up. My teenage daughter enjoys the fancy dress and hair, and my pre-teen son, actually enjoys wearing a suit and tie (surprising to me!).
I guess the bottom line is, the formal nights are great – and I don’t mind dressing for dinner, it does make that particular night seem more “special”.
John,
Being a true southern girl, when it comes to glamming up for an evening, I am all over it…I LOVE elegant nights. I am 36 and rarely get the chance to dress up for an evening. My hubby doesn’t even complain about dressing up, as most would. He doesn’t mind at all. When my DH and I sailed the Liberty in 2007 my table of 8 was quite put off by a couple that mocked the elegant evening by wearing cut-off jean shorts, tie-dye shirts and humongus afro wigs (on top of that they were drunk and obnoxious). I was very disappointed that they were allowed in the dining room. Especially when a standard dress night doesn’t allow for shorts in the dining room. We all felt really bad for the other couple that was assigned with them at their table…you could see the horror on their faces as the couple sat down. This was only the second night, so what great impressions they must have given to their dining partners! I must say they stuck it out though…I would have probably asked to be moved, and I am usually very non-confrontational with stuff like this. I want everyone to be happy and enjoy themselves!
So, with that said, on the flip side, if a gentleman wants to wear a nice pair of jeans with a shirt and jacket/sport coat (think of CD Todd W.’s look) that looks nice then I absolutely have no problem with that. Not everyone enjoys glamming up. However, I think if there are rules in place regarding dress for the dining rooms (not the Lido buffets) then they should be enforced. The Lido is always available to those that don’t feel like dressing. Carnival has always given options for everyone in my opinion! Please keep elegant nights as they are!!!
On another note. I have been a fan of Carnival for years, but honestly must say when I first learned about your blog I was like “what?…NO, I ain’t readin’ about this John guy’s adventures….puuuhlease!!” (can’t you hear my southern drawl?). However, I must admit when I am wrong…I WAS SO WRONG! My family booked a holiday cruise on the Dream for 2010 and in doing research about the ship I ran across your post for the Dream and I was hooked from that moment on. I absolutely adore your blog thingy
. You make me laugh out loud and I don’t like to miss any of your posts. Keep up the comedy and I one day hope to meet you on a C-cruise! We have had Todd W for the past two cruises and it looks as though we will have him this Christmas on the Dream?! He does a great job!!
Hello John,
Since the onset of this blog, I have read so many stories of people/guests doing “stupid” things. And it NEVER ceases to amaze me how you can manage to keep your composure….. yes, I am referring to the “Stomach Rubber”. John, all I can say is you sir, are a True Gentleman! To be able to laugh off or just set aside your feelings to some of the things that have been done or said to you takes a lot of inner strength. That is probably why you are the number one CD for Carnival and loved by so many of your fans. You have a true talent for handling people. You know what to say and when to say it and though at times I know you find you are hard pressed for words and stare at a blank computer screen in your underpants, you never dissappoint the masses.
Keep up the great work…..
Hugs to Heidi and Kye!
Dear John,
Yes we have Moon Rocks here in the States but we call them Pop Rocks. Gotta love ‘em! It was always fun to pour an entire pouch in your mouth and just feel the explosion!
Regarding the dress code for Elegant night, I think that if the dining staff were to enforce it just a little bit more, I think that people would get the idea and not wear jeans. I like dressing up a little nicer than on other nights and enjoy seeing the cruise guests in their “nicest” as well. Of course, you are going to get a bunch of different opinions but, that’s life!
John,
I can’t believe you missed the Megan Fox ad!
I have to admit though, I’m a little worried about the fact that I saw a commercial with Megan Fox in a bathtub and the first thing that came to my mind was John Heald. Not sure what that says about me.
In regards to the cat incident, is it wrong to have compassion for wanting to help something that obviously needed help? At the risk of sounding like a crazy cat lady, I have volunteered at an open admission animal shelter for 9 years…in cats. Almost 100,000 animals are taken in by the 2 largest facilities in our county. Not all of the animals get adopted and the largest majority of those who don’t make it out are cats – in any shelter for that matter. Try witnessing underage kittens or an injured cat being carted off to the euthanasia room. Sorry if I’m not enjoying a good chuckle over it.
You may think Megan Fox has a nice bottom but she also has a clubbed thumb. Perhaps we can all have a good laugh over that in the next blog?
Considering how self absorbed 99% of the population is, at least there are still people capable of caring about something other than themselves. You know how much I enjoy you and the blog but thumbs down on this one.
Colleen
I can’t beleive how rude some people are! Maybe you could start having elegant night, cruise casual night (with dress pants and button down shirt) and than cruise relaxed night (jeans, or dress shorts). With the airlines charging more and more for luggage, that might be the smart thing to do (you could take less luggage that way).
John and Jaime,
Thank-you for the blog today.
And what a pleasure to hear that Jaime will be the CD on the Carnival Pride! The family (including my Mum and Mother-in-Law) are on the Carnival Pride March 14th. Really appreciated the weather update – it has been one of the questions on my mind. You are right Jaime – we don’t mind the snow if we’re sailing to the Bahamas.
Please put me down as a vote for the Elegant Nights. Michele and I thoroughly enjoy the fixed dinner times and the chance to dress for dinner.
Best Regards
John
Jaime,
What a great letter – we remember you so well from our Baltic Cruise on the Splendor. You had such great energy and a never ending smile. You will be a wonderful cruise director.
John –
Keep your chin up – don’t let the rude, insensitive people of the world get you down. What you do for the cruise industry and Carnival Cruise Lines is unsurpassed.
Mike and I will be going on our 11th cruise on the Carnival Inspiration in 8 days along with 40 of our best “Harley Davidson” friends. It’s a Biker cruise without the “bikes” – just fun in the sun for us. We just booked a cruise on the new Carnival Magic on May 1, 2011. With that cruise we will have cruised on all 3 new Carnival ships in their Inaugural Season. We were on the Splendor in the Baltic and on the Bloggers Cruise on the Dream and now the maiden voyage on the Magic. We LOVE Carnival and our PVP – Howard Blumenfeld – you both are the best in the business.
Have a wonderful time with Heidi and Kye – we wish we could be sailing with you all on the Dream.
Our opinion – keep the “cruise elegant” nights we love to dress up and have a delicious dinner. It’s even better when Ken Byrne is singing while we eat !!
Keep up the great work.
Mike and Jet (aka Blondie)
John,
I think that An(g)us was just down right rude!
I was amazed to see how different Shawn Bussey looks in “regular clothes”. She was our first CD on the Carnival Spirit, Back in 2006. She is responsible for hooking Randall and I to cruising! Alaska would not have been the same without her as CD.
Thanks Jaime for the pic of Shawn and her baby boy!
Oh and keep the formal night we like dressing up and in fact every night on the ship I wear a dress to dinner. We like to dress up on the ship. Others can wear what they want to…I have even seen sweatpants in the formal dining room on formal night ( before it started being Elegant night). I have a feeling that this particular person lost their luggage and only had a few items with them. Point being, this lady did not bother me or the other guests that were decked out in their formal wear. I realize that dressing up is not for everyone.
Julie
John,
I think a formal night is the highlight of any cruise. There are very few opportunities left to wear a evening dress and tux(or kilt if your scottish) like us.
John,
I had the pleasure of cruising the Dream on 1/23. She is surley a fantastic ship and am sorry we missed you by one sailing!
In regards to elegant nights, please don’t get rid of them! Like you mentioned, I don’t get the opportunity to get dressed up to the nines all that often, so when I can it’s great. It also calms my husband a bit that can actually use the designer dresses that I just HAD to have… but in reality have no where to wear!
But at the same time I also do appreciate my jeans. I live in them. I have grubby jeans to wear around the house and do work in, I have nicer jeans I wear to work with a nice top, and dressy jeans that I go out to dinner or dancing with. The flexibility in the dining room is fantastic that I am able to wear what I do on a usual basis and can get dressed up 2 times a week if I choose to. A few years back when jeans were a no-no in the dining room, I opted for the Lido more often. However, I will say that I care to not see hats and tank tops on men in the dining room!!!
How can people be so rude? That man should try that touching with someone who didn’t need to be concerned about good manners and could “punch him out.” Of course any comment about a persons’ appearance is completely out of line. I try to tell myself not to dwell on the obnoxious behaviors of ignorant oafs, but that is really difficult!
Elegant night? Don’t change it. Please don’t relax the dress code on that night. Those who want to wear jeans, etc. can eat on the Lido Deck and get a very good meal. Those of us who enjoy dressing for a formal dinner will be with others who also enjoy it. No, I don’t care what others wear but I do think rules should be respected. It seems that expecting people to “dress up” one or two nights of a cruise is not too much to ask.
Hi John,
Most people would think you have a glamorous job and it is all fun but after trying to meet with you for five minutes to present you with a gift for all the hard work you do for us, that process became progressively more difficult. I hope you received the solid surface wine topper and hors d’oeuvres tray I left for you at guest services on the Dream 2/6. We all know you deserve to be rewarded just as you do for so many people everyday. Thanks for a great cruise…again.
- Fritz
John,
Elegant night is one of the more special evenings on the ship. I may not enjoy dressing up as much, but the pictures taken do last a life time. They also look good to show family too. For the most part the only thing that might be considered is one formal night on a cruise instead of two. Usually the second formal night most people do not dress up as nice as they do for the first. That would be the only thing to change, but for the most part Carnival has laid back on dressing for dinner on non-elegant nights which allows the cruiser to be more comfortable through the evening.
Jarrett
My entire family loves Elegant Night, Dress Up Night, Whatever Night you want to call it.. What we don’t like is when Carnival Maitre’d allows passengers that are in t-shirts and shorts into the dining room and doesn’t stop them…. That does ruin the Elegant part of the night for us…
Quote:
“Portland Joe Asked:
John respond if you want
This may not win me the popular vote but I don’t need to win friends here. I agree with others here and on Cruise Critic that do not like the fact that you spend time arranging tables and free stuff. Have you not seen that every time someone says that they like you or your blog that they then ask for something. I don’t care but what happens if I want something like a table for two. I have to line up and ask the manager of the dining room.
Your blog is supposed to be an information portal not a wish list.”
Couldn’t disagree more!
Hi John (PLEASE REPLY)
I have been a blog “lurker” since it first started (huge CCL fan) but I haven’t felt compelled to comment until today. I just got off the Imagination for my Bachelorette cruise (2/5/10 sailing). It was my 11th CCL cruise and I will be sailing on 3/7/10 on the Victory out of San Juan for my HONEYMOON!! Now, while I had a BLAST this past weekend… I must say things were SO different onboard.
“Elegant” Night is definitely NOT the same as Formal Night. While some people hate dressing up, I for one love it because it gives us the chance to get all dolled up when we normally do not have a chance to do so. It is a special night and it’s a shame that it went from being “formal” with men in tuxes and women in beautiful gala gowns to just “elegant” which really means short dresses you can wear to the pool. To me formal night is one of the most special things about cruising. Please tell the “beards” to give us back our *FORMAL* NIGHTS!
Like I said, I have been sailing with CCL since 1999 and back then cruises were VERY different. As long as I’m writing, I would like to share with you some other observations that I’m just saddened by. Captain’s Night. It’s no longer a cocktail reception, in fact there was no mention of it at all. No free drinks, no hors d’ouvres, no captain. This is terrible. Another great “cruise” thing to look forward to that is now just a memory.
Yet another thing missing– past guest receptions. Not what they used to be. It went from an awesome cocktail party in the evening with drinks and food to just some reception awkwardly placed in the middle of the afternoon when most people were too busy at the pool to attend. (Guessing this was done on purpose). Dinner is not what it used to be either, I remember having filet mignon and beef tenderloin as options even on the shorter cruises, nowadays not so much. But there is “mac n’ cheese” available on the menu as a side dish– which really belongs at a fast food restaurant– no matter how delicious it is, it takes away from the elegance of dining in the nice restaurant. Also, the drinks were just all re-priced and the daily specials for example which used to be available for $6.95 are now $7.50. I understand it is all about cutting costs but please realize that the only thing you are doing by cutting all the fancy extras and jacking up drink prices is alienating the guests who have sailed for so long and look forward to the same amazing CCL experience every time. I understand that cruise prices are less expensive than other lines, and only by reducing “extras” and charging more for drinks can CCL offer such low cruise prices… but think of the crowds you are attracting with “low, low pricing.” Even the crowd of guests has shifted… the overall feeling of elegant and refined cruising is gone. It feels as if everything has been “dumbed” down. Even the commercials shown today are not up to par with what CCL used to be.
Please John, share these points of view with the men and women “upstairs”…while many may not be on my same page and may suggest that “if I want elegance I should look to another line” I have sailed one other line before. One cruise. Never again. CCL is my favorite and I don’t see why I should give up my favorite cruise line which USED to be everything I looked for.
I don’t want to end this on a negative note, I must say the CREW is as FABULOUS as ALWAYS! We were treated like queens the entire trip. Our waiter and cabin steward were two of the most wonderful people we have ever sailed with. A huge kudos to the staff of the Imagination which was absolutely AMAZING!
I love the blog John… keep up the hard work and don’t worry too much about having the girls with you on board, I’m sure it will go over wonderfully! Thank you for taking the time out to listen to me (and all of us who come to you with our daily rants!)
Monica
Hello John,
You must tell that cat story (the one of your youth) onboard! I have cats and love my cats but they are a real pain in the—-. That was loose-my-breath-funny.
About elegant night, whats wrong with the casual folks going to the buffet? You can pretty well wear what you want there. Or order room service & be naked when you eat, we don’t care. Just let some of us feel pretty a couple of nights. Rent a Tux if you dont want to pack one. Hey, Carnival thinks of everything! Please don’t change.
Hi John!
Seems like something crazy happens every single day onboard and this once again shows why I love reading these stories all the time.
Nice letter from Jaime and it seems like she is destined to become one of the next full time CDs for the company.
I hope you are able to stay warm and have fun as this nasty storm works its way across the country.
Take care!
David
John, I thought you might like to read this review on Cruise Critic. They were praising you and the work you do. Julie
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=62921
Hi John,
Please Reply =)
I have been a long time reader of the blog thingy and I enjoy every single one! Especially when I go on vacation and have lots of reading to do when I get home! =)
I don’t normally leave comments on blog – I just like to see what everyone else has to say – but I thought I would give you my two cents. This is in regards to people asking for stuff. When bloggers like Sandi send something like she was requesting, or when an active reader asks for a favor, that does not bother me at all. What does get under my skin are the people whose request say something along the lines of “John, I read somewhere that you take requests. I want XYZ my booking info is 123. Thanks” and then they never continue reading.
I personally hate asking for stuff – even when its being offered to me – thats just the way I was raised.. Thanks for all that you do for everyone John! I know that we all appreciate it! =)
Hugs to your girls!
Vanessa C.
John, we were on the Carnival Dream January 30th. This is our third cruise with Carnival. We had a wonderful time. Everyone was extremely friendly. Jose kept our cabin immaculate, Alex and Volotomyr waited on us hand and foot in the dining room and Alec (bar staff) always had our diet cokes waiting at our table in the dining room every night. We couldn’t have asked for a better vacation. Even the cruise director wasn’t too bad. Ha Ha. Anyone who has complained about the Dream must have real problems.
Please don’t take my elegant night away. I know that it is mainly the women who like to dress-up and who make their other half do the same so that they complement whatever outfit the wife has chosen. For us that don’t live in the big city, when we go on a cruise we love to have dress-up time, to spend that extra time doing a bit more with the makeup and hair and all. I think the men like to see their women looking fine too even if they do fuss a little. I live 2 hours away from Atlanta and we do go into the city for dinner and a play once in awhile but then we have to spend the night because it would be too late to drive home after at our age. On the ship we get to have fun all day by the pool or in a port of call, dress up for cocktails and dinner and have more fun at the shows or the casino afterwards looking fine in our elegant clothes. Please don’t take my elegant night away!!!
Hi John,
My family really enjoys the elegant night, although I do recall with amusement my 12 year old son making a slightly late appearance running into the dining room while tucking in his shirt, laces undone…. I was just happy he made it to dinner.
It’s fun to dress up, but I do appreciate the fact that the guidlelines have relaxed over the past couple of years.
If there were to be any changes made, I would agree with having only one elegant night on a 7 day cruise.
In any case, I love cruising with Carnival!
Hello John,
First of all I have to say you made our 1/30-2/6 Carnival Dream cruise an amazing experience. Your honest and hilarious humor was a lot of what we told our family and friends about. On a separate note (and the reason for my message) I need to ask you assistance with something because I have no idea how else to go about getting an answer. I was Gloria Estefan in the Carnival Legends show on Friday, February 5. I got home and went to watch my complimentary DVD (thanks by the way) and was very disappointed. I couldn’t hear any of the performances because the sound was distorted and horrible. I don’t know if it was just the DVD dubbing or an actual recording issue but was hoping I could attempt to get a new DVD sent to me. It was a wonderful memory and I was hoping to be able to watch it down the road. I appreciate any response or direction that you may have for me. We can’t wait for our next cruise!
Thanks,
Shalaine
Hi John
As far as the dress code is concerned, I think Carnival currently has it just about perfect. When I am on vacation I am on VACATION!. That means relaxing, fun and a great time. The regular dining room dress code is pretty relaxed and the elegant night is only slightly more restrictive. Both dress codes provide all Carnival guest the opportunity to enjoy a great meal dressed as comfortably as they desire within reason. I for one would be more comfortable with a noose around my neck standing on the gallows than wearing a tie. For the record I own one tie and it is in pristine condition. As far as the “my elegant dining experience was ruined by the slobs dress” group, get over it, what someone else is wearing should not ruin your meal unless one of your table mates is wearing your exact formal gown!
Love the Blog
Jeff Norris
My husband and I would prefer not to dress up for elegant night. We wouldn’t think of wearing jeans but we don’t wear formal evening dress either. We are on vacation and prefer to relax. We notice that most of our table mates do not dress in formal wear either. Every night as soon as dinner is over, we go straight to our cabin and change into jeans before we go to the evening show. Mainly to be comfortable and because the main show lounge is cold and I for one need jeans and a sweater to be comfortable during the show. As for people wearing jeans to dinner, the dress code for the dining roomnow includes jeans as being allowed in the dining rooms. If you check it, it clearly shows jeans and dress shorts as being allowed.
Interesting blog today.
Was the “gentleman” who rubbed your tummy, a little sloshed at the time? I just can’t imagine anyone acting this way if they were sober. Not that his behavior should be excused in ANY way. Just curious.
Please don’t do away with Elegant Nights. It seems that is the only time I can get my husband to wear something other than blue jeans or shorts. We always rent a tux on board…makes life easier and gives me more room in the suitcase.
Take care,
Lori
Jaime:
HI!! So good to hear from you. And a HUGE shout out to Shawn (and her precious son)…..
we have the privilege of sailing with Shawn on the Sensation out of New Orleans in 2004 and then on the Spirit out of Alaska in 2005. She was a kind friend to a mutual pal we have (Terrence) and was a delight to sail with.
I know that you will do an amazing job on the Pride and Kirk (and the crew) will all be very proud.
Hi to our friend Melvin!!!
Linda
John:
Jeans (as long as they are clean and fit properly~ no one wants to see plumber’s butt or hairy bellys at dinner) on Casual nights are fine.
Any kind of clothing is fine as long as hairy armpits and other non=appetizing parts of the body are properly covered.
Personally, I don’t care if they have an Elegant Night or not….however, IF Carnival offers an Elegant Night…then it should be enforced.
If Carnival isn’t going to enforce it, then do away with it.
The only danger in “relaxing” the dress code is that Carnival will start the slippery slope to this:
http://community.webshots.com/album/576719529DapDYx
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
John, my wife and I are long time cruisers and while in the beginning we participated in the formalities of “Formal Night”, we no longer have any desire to do the “dress up thing.” Its always a hot topic on Cruise Critic, but at least in my opinion, its something that should be phased out. Thanks as always for your work.
Michael