Look, friends — there are a few things you should remember before you comment. The space below is for you to post your comments about the post I've just written above. If it is something that's unrelated, please use the Ask John tab above. Now, while I may not be able to reply to your comment below, I do sit in my underpants almost every morning and read everything that is here. So feel free to comment on the comments and then if someone wants to comment on the comment to the comment then go ahead as well. Please be courteous unless the poster is French...........then you can say whatever you want.
The Trigueros from New Paltz, NY
- A "Fun Ship" Reborn 412 comment(s)
- Happy Birthday, John 382 comment(s)
- Your Carnival Dream 341 comment(s)
- Miles of Imagination 234 comment(s)
- Smoke On the Water – Part 3 231 comment(s)
- Smoke On the Water – Part 1 221 comment(s)
- COSTA CONCORDIA……MY THOUGHTS 210 comment(s)
- A Very Sad Day 207 comment(s)
- The Splendor of San Francisco 187 comment(s)
- HARRY POTTER AND THE TOTALLY BONKERS BAG LADY 177 comment(s)
Talmadge & Diane Strickland: John, Diane and I had the pleasure of sail on the first trip out of dry dock on the...
Eileene: John, thank you, as always for the laughter and the info. I just wanted to say that I totally agree with you...
mjgruskin: John, good interview. You were quite the professional. Nice choice of shirt with suspenders. Not a small...
CharlynVillemez: Just got off of the Triump Carnival cruise to Carribean. Enjoyed the cruise except for the...
Greg Chitwood: Nice interview, Mr Cahill seams to enjoy his position and is very aware of what is going on on his...
I started this blog when a lady called Stephanie said "Oh John, please write a blog, it will only be for a week and won't take up much of your time."
That was back in 1492 and here I am still writing in the same pair of underpants.
John, nice video and loved the ending. While you got Peter the Hair there ask him where the video is from BC3. The Evil Crew is so waiting for it.
BIG Ed
Good day John
My family thoroughly enjoyed the Conquest Mar 28-Apr 4 “Dick Little” cruise. We lost our cell phone on board that foggy Sunday when the Port of Galveston was closed. We filed a report on board and again with Miami.
Could you provide a supervisor’s number that I can call directly? I’ve talked to folks in Miami but am afraid the phone is in a drawer somewhere on board.
Thanks,
Bill Farrar
Thanks, John.
Good to see another video from you on the blog.
Loved it!!
Ciao!
Host Mach
John, you’re looking so great! The diet and exercise are working their magic.
Your song for Kye brought tears to my eyes….don’t know how you do it. You’ve got two lucky girls in your life.
Great job aboard the Fantasy today, John! Charleston will never be the same after you blew through. Hope the picture frame of the Fantasy was tasty. Best regards from your “southern English” settlement in Carolopolis…
John, you look great and I love the bouncy song but Kye loves it more I’ll bet!
John:
Very soon you will be singing the “bouncy” song to Kye in person!!
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
John you should sing that everynight to the kids on board for night nights!
Frank and Bridie
PLEASE REPLY
Your video was awesome! Your daughter is a very lucky little girl to have such a talented dad. Is there any way you will be the cruise director on the Liberty for the 5th annual br**st cancer survivor’s cruise on the Carnival Liberty next May 14-21?
Hi John ( please reply)
I so enjoyed seeing the Carnival Fantasy in my home port of Charleston today. Since we now have a ship homeported here, I was wondering if the state of South Carolina might get resident cruise rates as I know Florida does get them. I know this is a “beard people question” but I thank you for the answer.
I must say I have never been so disappointed to know that I was so close to the Carnival Fantasy today and yet could not meet the most fantastic cruise director on that ship. I was on the port site dropping off my friends, “Mr. Carnival” and his bride Cheri. Hubby and I were to be on this cruise with you and had to cancel due to family situation. I will sail one day with you , John. Until then I will look forward to my 9/18/10 cruise on the Carnival Dream.
I enjoyed the video very much and Love the Bouncy song! Julie
You look great John! Kye’s Bouncy Bouncy song brought a tear to my eye!
You have a wonderful singing voice, and you can sing Bouncy, Bouncy, Bounce to me anytime! HA! HA! See you 2/27/11! Love, your friends Mike and Linda
Hi John,
Thanks for the video blog!
Clair
JOHN – PLEASE REPLY
First of all, I love the bouncy song – you need to record an album of songs for Kye and call it John Heald Sings Like a Big Baby
Now, onto a serious matter. After reading your God ….. I am Bored blog, I took your lesson to heart and practiced Toiletiquette the next time the opportunity presented itself. Unfortunately, there is a clear segment of the population that does not comprehend the concept of Toiletiquette.
When will your CD’s on Toiletiquette be available for mass distribution?
(As of today, 19 days until 6 June and the Glory!!!!)
Still MTSFP, but looking forward to our Platinum cruise.
John, I wanted to let you know that your song to Kye made Stitch cry. In this case thats a good thing.
God bless you all…
Ciao
Host Mach
Good to see you, John! (PLEASE REPLY)
Had a quick question regarding who decides when to switch up the fleetwide dinner menus a bit.
Seems to me, by frequenting the Carnival board on Cruise Critic and looking at your past guest/Platinum stats on your blog, Carnival enjoy a great amount of passengers who have sailed Carnival before (of which I am happy to be one). Has anyone (beards) done any research into how satisfied the passengers are with the same menus recycled onboard year after year?
I get that the food prices for Carnival can be kept low by ordering in mass amounts. But can’t they order the same/standard million pounds of chicken, 4000 pounds of celery and onions, 25 different spices, 560 gallons of cream and a bazillion pounds of butter per week, and come up with a few different uses for them from ship to ship to fill the menu spot for a chicken dish? I mean, bring in some of the mediocre contestants off of “Top Chef Masters” and let them at it, I’m sure they could come up with something different…let alone the magic that the chefs Carnival has employed could work if asked to do so.
I do love Carnival and the value, and I’m not a picky eater. I just think it’d take some effort and creativity every few years…even rotate the different dishes through the fleet, ship by ship, every now and then. That is really the ONLY thing I’m not a huge fan of Carnival’s– is the same, standard menu. Granted, I’ve only cruised 3 times, but that menu has been the same for going in 5 years now and I can’t imagine the vast majority of cruisers who sail more often than I wouldn’t welcome a bit of a change.
Thanks for taking the time to reply,
Stacey
John, I would like to be one of I’m sure many South Carolinian’s to welcome you and the Carnival Fantasy to beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. I hope to be able to experience a cruise that I do not have to drive to a day or two in advance soon. I do suggest that you try to get off the ship in Charleston for just a short time to take a look around the beautiful historic district just outside of the terminal. Maybe even take a walk down to the battery, or the market, but most importantly find a place to have some real southern cookin’. You won’t regret having to do a table for one in return for the delicious food you will receive. Perfectly fried just the way southerners like it. Love the blog, keep up the great work, and I hope to cruise again with you one day sooner than later.
Jarrett
Great Video, Bouncy Bouncy song made my day. Thank You.
Hey John … Happy Travels to you … So glad to see & hear from you thru the youtube clip.
Shawn
Dear John,
Just had to say, I find you delightfully crude and if you start acting like a “professional” corporate clone I will be very sad. This “Michael” has quite the nerve with his “I hate you” attitude and then asking for help with a table assignment. Perhaps you can set a table for him in a life raft and tow it behind the ship for the duration of the cruise so that his piss poor personality doesn’t bother his traveling companions or the other guests.
- Joanna
John,
Shame on you saying that you couldn’t sing!!! We heard you on the BC3 on the Carnival DREAM, you sing better than I do. That may be a insult to you. Loved the “Bouncy” song and I know you will be singing it to Kye soon. Hopefully the volcano will stop “Hiccuping” by the time your family leaves for the States.
John, PLEASE REPLY:
My mom has been reading your blog for a few years now and just got me hooked!! After reading a few days worth of blogs, I realized that you would be a good person to go to for a couple of suggestions I have. 1st, back in Oct 2009 I was on the Inspiration with my husband and 4 year old. She absolutely loved the water slides (so did we), but she was just over the 42inch height requirement and almost EVERY time she went to climb those stairs, they were measuring her to see if she was tall enough. I am all about safety, so no problem there. My suggestion is maybe a wrist band given to the children that have met the height requirement, thus not needing to be measured 47 times on a 4 day cruise.
2nd, my husband and I just recently got off the Sensation (May2-6th) and you MUST hear our photograph story. It was on elegant night when they come around and take your photo as a couple, and then each of you separately. My husband always laughs because, well, why would we ever want a photo just of him, or just of me. Anyway, we never found the photos until the last evening and when we did, we were laughing until we were crying. See, for our “couples shot” my husband had his arm around me. Then for his individual shot (that he didn’t even want taken), he must have dropped his left arm down the back of the chair. So, the result: a photo of my husband with only one arm!! It totally and completely looked as if he only had one arm. If the photo wasn’t $20, I would have purchased it for a joke. And I bring you this story so that it can be relayed to your photo team. Watch for arm placement when taking photos. Enjoying your blog and my new found addiction to Carnival cruising. By the way, Al Ernst was great, our juggler/magician….not so much!
Melody
Hi John….
OK, I too am wiping tears from my eyes… that was so sweet… I can’t wait for you to be with your girls again.
Thanks for the video update… it does seem like forever since we’ve seen you! You look great!
John,
I have been a reader of your blog for quite some time and really enjoyed it. I am hoping that you can maybe answer a question for me. I have just learned today that your Bon Voyage Dept. has stopped selling Liquor by the bottle to be delivered to your room at the beginning of the cruise. This really is a shame that you have discontinued this practice, because it kept me from having to go down to get a drink when I was just relaxing in my cabin or hanging out on my balcony. I didn’t mind paying a higher price for the bottles than I paid at my local store and also meant that I would never have to smuggle booze. Now either I am going to be inconvenienced or I just won’t go get a drink which is a lose lose situation for all involved. Now that I have given you all that here is the question, is there plans in the works by Carnival to either move this type of sale to another department or maybe we can order bottles from room service at the price we were paying to the Bon Voyage dept? I do thank you for taking the time to read this hopefully to get an answer
John (please reply)
I have just returned from cruising to Alaska on the Carnival Spirit. It was amazing and a must see!
Since I have cruised before I can tell you this cruise is different than others we have taken. There are activities on the boat but not has much as a “warm” weather cruise. Also was surprised to see that there were not as many elderly on the boat than I thought there would be. There was a large group and they brought a mixture of ages.
Likes:
We went down Endicott Fjord instead of Tracey Arm due to icebergs. It was amazing! Amazing! We sat with our friends on our balcony (all bundled up) and watched the scenery and listened to the naturalist on board. The glacier at the end was breathtaking. Would like to have you post some pictures but not sure how to do that.
Our weather was beautiful in Skagway and Ketchikan. Juneau it rained. We did the White Pass Railway in Skagway and that is a must see. In Ketchikan we just wandered through the town but our friends did the snorkeling. Yep! Stu (our cruise director) also did that excursion. In Juneau we went to Mendenhall Glacier and I have to say the glacier we saw in the Fjord was a million times better.
We did the Your Time Dining and never had an issue. We were told by Martina-waitress we had every night-that there were only 220 signed up for it on this cruise because there were several groups so that may have been why we were seated no matter what time we got there. The hostesses upstairs were wonderful. There were two Ekatrina and I didn’t get the name of the other(short blond hair) who knew us the minute we got there and were very accommodating.
Dislikes:
People who just sat in the buffet areas playing games while we wandered around looking for a table to eat. We sat many times by the pool because there were no seats. You hear about the deck chair hogs, well this cruise had table hogs. Sometimes there would be one person at a table reading-really, there are no other places on the boat to read!
VIP check in-other than a shorter line they let everyone on the boat at the same time. I have seen in Galveston where they do it differently so was a little surprised by this. There was nothing different for debarkation either.
No deck party. There was a 4pm Mardi Gras party which was no big deal. Nothing like the line dances and stuff that we have seen on other ships. Didn’t see much of the social hosts either. Stu was good. I told him I read this blog and what would he give me if I said nice things about him on here and he said my thanks so forget it! I want gifts. No, he was ok and we saw him more than we saw Kirk on the Pride.
My husband feels we will be doing it again next year but he is wrong. I plan on being on the Carnival Magic next August or September and we are already booked on Carnival Miracle for December. But we will do this cruise again. The Spirit class ships are great and the crew on this cruise was exceptional.
Karen
OMG… What a great thing to see and hear you sing to Kye… the emotion in your face and eyes is amazing… it truly shows how much you love her… A tear came to my eyes…and it wasn’t because of the way you sound!!!
Now, as for you thanking us for reading/blogging and watching your videos NO, we have to thank you for doing it for us…. SO THANK YOU JOHN for your blog and giving us something to look forward to 5 days a week…
John
Please reply
I just got off the carnival freedom and i had an Awesome time. The cruise director Ryan and the kareoke host Lil Jon were awesome. So was my dinner waiters. I don’t remember their names buy they are the waiters who served table 551. Because of this trip I would like to be a cruise director when I get out of college.(I’m in 9th grade) and I was wondering how you become a cruise director.
Please reply-
Hi John,
I just made a reservation for the Steakhouse on the Splendor for November 30, 2010 – we sail on November 28. My husband and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary on the cruise, as well as (hopefully) my 6th month of being cancer free – I have surgery in early June and plan to beat it!
Would you please let the Steakhouse personnel know that we are celebrating our anniversary? I did put this on my profile but I am not sure that the restaurant will get the message. Much thanks. And we look forward to meeting you since the calendar shows that you will be our CD!
To Whom It May Concern I just tried to call the Bon Voyage department and order a bottle of Bourbon for my up and coming cruise to celebrate my first wedding anniversary. I was told that as of this morning this practice has been canceled and I could voice my complaint via this email address. I would like to say that I am very disappointed in this change to policy. We were planning on bringing a bottle each on the ship of wine that was given to us by friends last year at our wedding. These would be for my wife to consume as I do not like wine but prefer bourbon and water. I would like you to know that because we would lose our deposit if I canceled now that we will be going on our cruise, however this will be our very last cruise… EVER with carnival. We will go back to our land based Caribbean all inclusive vacations where I can have a nice bourbon and water in our room before going to dinner or on our balcony watching a sunset. I understand that carnival is a for profit company and you have every right to have any policy you would like however I also have a choice in my vacations and Carnival will not be one of them in the future. Let me also add that it is not so much the cost of drinks I am opposed to but the way in which I must obtain them, I do not want to have to go to a bar every time I would like to have a drink, I don’t even drink that much if at all at home but when I am on vacation I do enjoy a few drinks and now that this is not a option for me with your company I will be going elsewhere in the future.
Regards
Mark Davis
Thanks for the video, John, but now I have tears in my eyes for Kye. By the way, you are looking wonderful, so the diet is working very well. Congratulations to you, and can’t wait for you to see your family again…I know that you miss them
John (Please Reply)
Carnival has the Cruise Critic boards in a tizzy! The Bon Voyage Dept is no longer selling hard alcohol? When was this decision made, why did they do this, and how can we get the Beards to change their minds? We understand if they are rolling in a new drink program, but please let us know why and what is going on. We hate being left in the dark without any rumpy bumpy to keep us occupied LOL. I enjoy the ability to have a rum and coke in my room before dinner and do not want to have to wait for the poor room service guy to trek down to my cabin to deliver it to me. Please help us get to the bottom of this John. We just like the convenience of Bon Voyage and having bottles in our room waiting on us to start the party.
Thank you so much!
John and all the Stephanies, please respond
I have to write you now, I just got a phone call from my daughter Christina from the deck of the Fascination, She’s just 10 hours from port and couldn’t wait to tell me what a FANTASIC time she had and that Trevor and crew really made her graduation cruise a super special event. You guys went over and above the call of duty, (probably why Carnival is the worlds leading cruise line) Thank you, all the Stephanies, Trevor and the Fascination crew for me.
Loved your little tune to Kye, reminded me of my time, when my kids were little. Keep singing,
Dan
Cruising with my family five on the Carnival Freedom on July 3. We love Carnival. WE have requested early dining but want to sit by ourselves not with others since we love family time! We never get to eat all year by ourselves. Everyone on the cruise critic board says you work “magic”! Can you work a little magic with my family!!!
))
Stacey:
If you are asking John for assistance with seating on July 3rd, please send him another note that says:
JOHN : PLEASE REPLY
Also … add your booking number so that he can have his staff contact the Maitre D’
Linda
one thing stinking creek
Hi John
Just returned from a short vacation in Vegas and had to catch up on the blog. This video made me cry. You singing to Kye was so touching and I bet she loves it. Look forward to the Magic next year.
Eva
JHey John,
We are still laughing about the BedTime story following the Talent Show on May 21 when ‘Mary’ tackled you on stage. Also, Pete brought us to our knees when he leaped forward with “I kick your a__”.
We really enjoyed our cruise aboard Carnival Fantasy.
Our next cruise will be Feb 2011 for a wedding. Can hardly wait ‘Bless My Heart’.
Ya’ll take care,
Bernie & Kaye
John ,
Absolutely love the video and the song for Kye! Want to sing the praises for the staff of the Carnival Spirit. While on our Alaska/Canada cruise last week, we lost our birth certificates. We were horrified as this has never happened in all of our 8 cruises and we just knew we would not be allowed back into the U.S. without them. Lori was so worried so we decided to go talk to the cruise director as this was our last day on the ship. So, we waited until he was alone and asked for a minute of his time. Stu was so gracious and kind. He immediately eased our nerves by telling us it happens all the time to people and we should most definately have no worries about getting off the boat and into the U.S. He hugged Lori who by this time was crying and everytime he saw us after that he would smile and say “Remember! You will have no problems tomorrow!” And you know what? He was right. No problems at all. We never did find the certificates but we made it home just fine and had a wonderful and fun last day on board thanks to a great CD named Stu! We would appreciate it if you could please send him our best regards and thanks and let him know we had no problems. Carnival has the best CD’s ever! Stu is so funny . He’s a real people person and so kind. Everyone at Guest Services and the Excursion desk were so kind and helpful as well. We have to recommend one excursion highly. It’s the “Deadliest Catch Bering Sea Adventure” It was absolutely great , funny, and so informative. You went out into calm waters and watched them pull in the crab pots full of all kinds of crab, shrimp, octipus and other sea life. We learned alot about crab fishing. One thing we didn’t like was the short amount of time that was spent in each port. If you take an excursion, it doesn’t leave much time for shopping at all. It would be nice to have a little more time in port. Also, we thought we would see more of an Alaskan decor and foods onboard but what we had was good. No complaints. Thanks John.
John,
I will echo everyone else you do look great you can really tell the diet is working! And the song it was so touching.
Kim
John,
We absolutely love Carnival Cruise line and are now addicted. My 8 year old son is on a mission to collect a “GOLD” ship from every ship we go on. We are going on the Dream 10/30/2010. Is there any way possible that you could maybe leave him a special “GOLD” Dream in our room?
hello, i worked as a disc jockey for the carnival destiny 2000-2001. after 9-11 i had to come home… Im from north carolina.. if your ever short on a D.J. please give me a call. 252-299-0891. Carnival dream looks lovely!! I worked for John Buccafusco, He left around the same time as I. Just know if you ever need a d.j. i am very reliable. my last contract i did was 8 monthes.. Cheers:-)