Sometimes my fellow cruise directors come up with brilliant ideas and sometimes they come up with ideas that boarder on total lunacy. Take this e-mail that I received yesterday………..to protect the poor sod that wrote it I have deleted the stupid bugger’s name.
From: A. Sillysod
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 11:40 AM
To: Distlist Onboard Cruise DirectorsSubject: Idea
This may sound off the wall but I just saw a calendar made by a firefighter friend of mine from New York. His ladder company made a calendar with them all naked apart from a helmet placed over their hoses! They sold 3,000 copies with the money all going to charity. We should do this and the money goes to charity. What do you think?
Mmm, let me think about this for a moment. Would I like to parade my arse, alongside 20 other naked cruise directors while Radu snaps away with his wide angle lens? Yes, I’m up for that. In the same way I’m up for boiling my penis in a vat of acid…
I am sure the Gooses and the Todd’s and the Jefferson’s and the rest of the metro sexual clan of CD’s would happily do this and I am all about supporting a great cause……but come on……who the heck is going to buy a calendar full of the bits and pieces of Carnival cruise directors…… apart from the CD’s themselves that is. I can think of nothing more vile than on July 31 turning the calendar page over to August 1 to find a George Solano naked, covering his thingy with a lifesaver mint.
Well, look. I’ve got no problem with public nakedness in small quantities and I have seen them on the beaches and of course we have charters of nakedness on the ships now and then.
It’s not the dangly bits themselves that are hilarious, but the polite exclamations of “Good morning!” as if we all stand at the Lido Deck breakfast buffet with our thingies out and our lady gardens on display. How can you have small talk when you are at eye level with someone else’s privates?
You know what they say……nudists are people that no one wants to see naked. And that definitely includes me and my fellow cruise directors…… Anyway, where would I keep my cabin key?
Time for today’s questions…………..away we go.
BIG ED KONEFE Asked:
JOHN PLEASE REPLYJohn, I’ve been with you on this blog from day one. I’ve helped you make this blog that was to last only a month go to almost 7,000,000 hits. I was the one the suggested the first bloggers cruise. Now all I ask is for a couple tickets to a Heat game right before or after BC4, PLEASE. I’m sure Micky will be glad to meet me in his suite for a game. Unlike those from CC I did say PLEASE.
Thank you in advance.
BIG Ed
PS, You can come too. We will have a blast.John Says:
Hello Big EdTell you what. Do the naked calendar with me and I will make sure you get the best seats in the arena. Thanks for all you have done for the blog and we will be talking much more about BC4 very soon.
Best wishes to you and Pat
JohnAndrea Budd Asked:
Dear John please replyI hope you might remember me, Andrea Budd we met on the Carnival Dream this year Jan 30th 2010 me Robert and Bobby and I was the lady that gave you the keychain and earrings that I made for your wife I am from Nova Scotia. Just wanted to tell you that our ppv is wonderful he has helped in every step of the way and maybe he will get something special his name is Marc Gutierrez, he is always there to help us we are going on another cruise on Carnival Dream January 29th 2011 and bringing our son Bobby that you met and his girlfriend and our daughter Crystal my hubby Robert you met him and his mom and sister and our niece. We are so exited we are going on the Carnival freedom and staying on empress deck is that a good deck and is there lots to do on that ship that we might like I don’t think it is as big as the dream but hope it is a good size or is there anything that we might like on the ship and is there any tours we would like to do well we are very excited…… :=)
Say hi to Heidi and Kye
Your Friend
Andrea Budd from Nova ScotiaJohn Says:
Hello Andrea Budd from Nova Scotia.Every time I write the words “Nova Scotia” I am reminded of the superb times I spent sailing into Halifax and St. John on the Carnival Triumph and Carnival Victory. The Nova Scotia key ring and the blue spinning globe set within is a favourite of mine and a favourite of Kye’s. She likes to hold it and spin the globe so many thanks once again for your kind generosity. Thanks for taking the time to write about Marc and I will be certain to make sure he sees your words of praise. Deck 7 on the Conquest class ships is superb and you will be just two decks away from the Lido and two from Promenade……perfect. I hope you have booked the Steakhouse so that you and the family can enjoy a special meal together and if you send me the actual date you are sailing I can look at your itinerary and recommend what night to eat there as well as what excursions you may enjoy. Can you also send me your cabin number as well so I can return some of the kindness you showed me and my family.
Best wishes to you all and please write soon
JohnSJK Asked:
John – READ THIS AND REPLY - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1229131&page=6
There is a very important thread on Cruise Citric that you have to take immediate notice of. It shows that most of the Cruise Critic members think you should not offer table bookings and free prizes. The people have spoken and showed their anger and I hope you realize this.
SJK
John Says:
Hello SJKThanks for sharing this and not to offend “the people” but I will continue when asked to do my best to help them…………….. And you.
Best wishes
JohnWill Johnson Asked:
John (Please reply)It’s the early hours of Saturday morning in sunny England and I have a hangover- what has that got to do with Carnival you ask. Well it is Carnivals fault- well not entirely; the England football (not soccer) team must take some blame for being a bunch of overpaid lazy prima donnas. The only good thing that happened in the World Cup was the French went home economy and early.
Anyway the hangover. Well last year we sailed on the Carnival Freedom on the Eastern- our first cruise and it was brilliant. We booked again and are off on the Carnival Dream Mar 2011. We were stunned that there were so few Brits so we spread the word back in the UK and our friends Grizz and Jules have taken our advice and sail on the Carnival Miracle next weekend (18 July) from NYC. This will be their first cruise and first holiday together without children. We were quite surprised the wrong impression UK cruisers have of Carnival.
This is great but because we recommended this and have been before we have to check all the documentation, plans, packing lists etc as we are experts because we’ve been before. This is stressful so to combat stress we soften the pain with wine. Now over the last months I have personally check their paperwork, plans, etc 8 times. The final check was last night when after a few bottles of vino I pronounced everything was in order and they were good to go.
So just before leaving at 1am Grizz says thanks and we’ll send you a postcard- but oh by the way it’s Jules’ birthday on 19 July (the first formal (sorry elegant) night how do I arrange something special. Now it’s a special birthday for Jules- discretion prevents me specifying her age but suffice to say the days of Club 18-30 have gone. Grizz will be returning this afternoon, when I should be getting some sun in the garden, so I can show him how to book flowers, etc from Bon Voyage. I know its short notice but is it possible you could notify the Maitre”d and get Grizz out of the pooh. They are in Cabin 5210 and at Late Sitting and its Julie Adams.
Sorry a question- Grizz is ex-British Army and plans to wear his medals on his DJ at the Formal(sorry Elegant) night. He has read on an Army Blog thingy that it is protocol to ask the Captain’s permission- is this true? On the Carnival Freedom last year we saw many veterans proudly displaying their medals and I cannot believe they had all asked the Captain’s permission.
Great Blog.
Kindest Regards
Will
PS Buy the dressJohn Says:
Hello Will JohnsonOh bugger and double bugger and a huge dollop of bollocks as well because I am too late ………. they have sailed and I am too late in my reply because I am a lazy sod and am around three weeks behind. Please accept my apologies and also my thanks for spreading the word in the UK about the fun for all ships of Carnival. Did your friends have fun? I hope so and please if you have the time let me know. By the way, it is not necessary for any guest to ask the captain’s permission before wearing medals. They should so and we will be proud to acknowledge them and their service.
As for our sorry excuse of a football team………well………all I can say is that we should have done what the French did and fly the over paid under talented sods home in economy and on Ryanair. I would love to have seen Wayne Rooney have to pay 1 pound to take a pee.
Thanks again for writing, it always makes me very proud to know that my fellow Brits have discovered and fallen in love with the Carnival product. Please let me know 6 weeks before you sail again by dropping a quick post here on the blog thingy with your cabin umber.
Best wishes
JohnSabrina Sollberger Asked:
PleaseReplyHi, John! I emailed you a few months back before we traveled on the Splendor (March 14-21). We were traveling with our 3 year old son who happens to be autistic. We had a speedy check in (actually, our info was at VIP, but I didn’t know so we went to special needs), little boy threw a fit the entire way until we got in our room. We always book adjoining ocean view staterooms as we are a family of 6. He climbed up in the window and sat there absolutely mesmerized. He loved it! “Mommy! Look at the water! It’s the ocean! Ship in the ocean!” Goose sent us a photo of the ship signed by you and him, called our stateroom welcoming Aidan, and had a 24k plastic ship on a stick delivered (we actually have this on display in our living room LOL). It was really great and we cannot thank you enough.
We did have some concerns with Camp Carnival. I addressed these both with Carnival and with Mike from autismontheseas.com He was quite shocked and forwarded my concerns to Carnival as well. He received a canned response from Carnival so suggested that I write to them. I did and received a canned response as well. This is disappointing as we are loyal Carnival customers. We are a family of 6, husband is in the military (I had to resign from the Army 2 years ago after 10 years of service due to our ever growing family) and we are on a budget. Carnival gives us a fabulous vacation experience without leaving us in debt. The kids LOVE Carnival and Camp Carnival. I am happy to forward the information to you if you would like. We had never been treated this way by Camp Carnival and actually ended up canceling our next booking on the Splendor (Jan 16, 2011).
We do have the Triumph booked on Sept 11, 2010. If there is any way to have priority boarding for Aidan again, that would be most helpful. I appreciate all that you did for us last time and do not want to come across as though I am trying to take advantage of your kindness. That is not at all the case. Aidan is a holy terror in line and the entire time boarding (this will be his 4th cruise). It is better for everybody – fellow passengers included – to get his little butt on board ASAP LOL
I sincerely hope that the treatment we receive from Camp Carnival is up to par with every other time we have sailed. What happened to us and what was said to us by Camp staff on the Splendor is rather disturbing. The more I think about it, the more upset I get. Again, of you would like details them please email me. I can copy what I wrote to Carnival as well as another comment that I only told Mike about. I didn’t think it was necessary to bring it up to Carnival, but it really should be taught to not say that thing to a parent (a family was “cursed” by having three children with autism). I understand the language barrier and it likely was not intended to come out that way, but the next parent may not.
Thanks for all your help! Hope you have a great weekend
Sabrina SollbergerJohn Says:
Hello Sabrina SollbergerThanks so much for letting me know about your concerns. I would love to know more about your thoughts as it relates to Camp Carnival here on the Carnival Splendor. Having more detail will definitely allow the right people to see how we can improve. Traveling with autistic children is I imagine a challenge and we certainly pride ourselves in being able to make those challenges more manageable during your hard earned vacation. I have heard many success stories about how our Camp Carnival staff have helped by looking after children who may need special attention but we admit that this is a constant learning curve and we will need to keep learning and that we will keep improving. So, please let me know what happened and I will send your comments to the right people.
I will certainly ask our team to help you with check in and will therefore send your information to them. I am glad your son had such a great time and you received the trophy and I promise we will do all we can to make this next cruise your best ever.
Please write soon with more details.
Best wishes
JohnMaria & Juan Santana Asked:
John…. PLEASE REPLY….You have been wondering about something that will make you shed some pounds…. Here it is!
We have some bad news that will make you lose weight…. Because of the Miami Heat’s new fantastic trio, you will never get a salary increase ever again… in fact, your salary will be probably cut in half! Mickey Arison needs your cooperation and sacrifice in order to pay the multi-million $’s salaries to Wade, Bosh & James…. There you go! Was that the bad/sad news you needed to hear in order to make you stop eating?
O.K.! We are just kidding! But we certainly hope that it doesn’t turn out the other way around….We hope Carnival doesn’t raise the cruise prices for the very same reason! Then the joke will be on us!
We are very happy to know that your vacation with Heidi & Kye has been wonderful….and we certainly hope that you didn’t teach Kye any of your bugger/fart jokes, or any of your irreverent comments! We feel sorry for poor Heidi! She sure has a huge job ahead of her trying to keep Kye ears “nice & clean” …Children are like sponges, they absorb everything…. Good luck to Heidi on her huge task!
John, we are not sure how many weeks behind you are at the present time in responding to the bloggers’ comments, but as we mentioned before, we sent you some comments at the end of May that were never answered. Also, there were a couple of comments afterwards that were not answered either. We are starting to think that they got lost in cyber space…. maybe your Stephanies can give us an idea of where in the world the comments went….. In the meantime, we patiently wait…..
Again, we loved your description/photos of the new Holland American ship and we are certainly very pleased that you and the girls had the opportunity of spending some time together onboard this magnificent ship.
Warmest regards and kissed to Kye.
The Santanas of Miami BeachJohn Says:
Hello Juan and Marie SantanaOn the day the Miami Heat signed Earth, Wind and Fire I knew that any chance of me getting the $1 million bonus, the Aston Martin DBS and a year’s free subscription to Latvian’s In Suspenders Weekly were gone forever. Seriously though, as Miami residents you must be very excited. I have replied to your previous comments I am sure but if I have by chance missed them please re post and I will make sure I reply. I am glad you enjoyed my Holland America blog, their new ship is superb.
My best wishes to you both
JohnBeth Asked:
Dear John (Please reply when you can)I just booked our platinum cruise on Carnival’s Spirit. My husband and I have made so many wonderful memories on all of our cruises with Carnival. I am so very excited about the 15 day Hawaii r/t from San Diego in April of 2012! (I booked this as a surprise for him for our anniversary and will have to try and keep it quiet for an awfully long time!)
This will be the longest cruise we have gone on although we did do a B2B on 2 different ships last year. My question is, is there a different menu for each night on the longer cruises or does the menu repeat after some time (not that it would be a bad thing if it did, since all the food is fabulous!) Also wondered if the entertainment changed nightly on the longer cruises?
Hope you are having the most wonderful time with your family! (Even if you have to grin and bear the shopping sprees)
My very best to you and yours and thank you for being here for us with your wit, your invaluable information and your wonderful heart that opens up to share stories of your family.
John Says:
Hello BethMany congratulations on booking your 10th cruise on the Carnival Spirit where, upon boarding you will receive that shiny Platinum card. And what a brilliant surprise for your husband.
The longer cruises do feature different menus and there will be a different production show and or a different entertainer every night. You will also have the Superstar Live and Punchliner comedy club as well so get ready for a fantastic 15 days. As the cruise gets nearer please let me know if you have any questions or if you need my help.
Best wishes
JohnSheryl Asked:
JOHN PLEASE REPLYHi there,
I am looking into booking a cruise on the Carnival Magic with a group from Cruise Critic. I am very interested in the cove balconies….must have something to do with my horoscope sign being Cancer, a water sign! My question is will there be any handicapped accessible cove balcony cabins? I use a mobility scooter and would need a modified cabin.
Thanks for all that you do!
John Says:
Hello SherylIt would be great to be able to welcome a group from Cruise Critic on their Carnival Magic European adventure. The cove balcony cabins were a massive hit on your Carnival Dream and the views of the Mediterranean Sea and the ports of call will be first class from them. Your question is a good one and as I have to admit that I don’t know the answer. I will check with some people and get back to you by the end of the blog or tomorrow at the latest.
Best wishes to you and all my friends on Cruise Critic.
JohnDominic H. Asked:
reply pleaseDo you think ccl would consider changing the itinerary for the Splendor after rcl Mariner of the sea leaves Los Angeles next yr..? It cruises a reverse itinerary. Meaning The Splendor would stay in Cabo till 6:00pm instead of 3:00 pm, but leave P.V. @ 7:00pm. Their are a lot of people that would like the extra time in CSL.
Dom
John Says:
Hello DomI know that RCI are abandoning California and as you will have heard we have announced a new Los Angeles-based program for the Carnival Spirit and of course the Carnival Paradise and the Carnival Splendor remain here on the West Coast year-round. I have never been to these ports and this week will be my first experience of them. I do know that so many people love Cabo and P.V and that our stay in P.V. to 10 pm is massively popular. Unfortunately our stay in Cabo is short because we have to sail at full speed back to Long Beach. So your suggestion makes sense and maybe we could indeed do something like that. I will send your proposal to our SVP Terry who is the brains behind all of our brilliant itineraries.
Thanks for taking the time to write.
Best wishes
JohnTracy Baumgarten Asked:
please replyI’m not sure how far behind u are on answering back? But we sail sep 2 is the chefs table on the liberty? And I was gonna ask if we can have a booth again the dining room in the back of the ship… do u need my cabin number?
How are u john and the girls?John Says:
Hello Tracy BaumgartenThanks for writing and I will send your request to the Maitre D on the Carnival Liberty. The Chef’s Table is up and running and if you would like a reservation please let me know.
The family are all doling well and I hope you have a great cruise
Best wishes
John
That’s all for today and of course I will be back with more tomorrow. Time for a break and while I go give the ships plumber something to think about I will leave you with a terrific slide show of the Queen Elizabeth……that’s the new Queen Elizabeth which is getting closer to October launch date. This slide show was put together by a great friend of the blog Susan Young who some of you may remember was one of the journalists who sailed with us on Bloggers Cruise number 1. She was part of a press group that visited the ship in Italy and her slide show highlights just how special this ship with the most prestigious name of any ship in the world is going to be. Here is the link thingy.
http://www.travelagentcentral.com/home-based/cruises/site-new-queen-horizon
Peter Shanks who as you know is the President of Cunard has invited me to the naming ceremony of this royal vessel. The problem is do I go? Do I take a week off work and spend 22 hours in the air there and back? I really want to go but……I am a Carnival CD first and foremost ………………mmmmm………tough one that.
Oh hold on………I just got an answer for Sheryl on her question of there being a wheelchair/scooter accessible cove balcony cabin on her Carnival Dream. The simple answer Sheryl is no but there are lots of other options for guests who require wheelchair-accessible cabins. To help you decide which stateroom is right for you on a Dream class ship, here is a complete listing of what is available.
I hope you and many others found that useful Sheryl.
I remember my first impression of the Carnival Splendor and that first impression was that it was pink……..very pink. In fact, there were one or two at Carnival who were concerned that the design was too outrageous and that the travel press would not be impressed. But others even higher up the Carnival tree stroked their beards and their goatees and said “calm down, don’t worry ………it’s a Fun Ship after all.” And they were right. Because the ship was met with much applause and many wrote that the Carnival Splendor and her Joe Farcus designed interior was an escape from the normal………..I always told guests that it was an escape………..from beige.
It was therefore, interesting for me to stand in the lobby during embarkation on Sunday and watch the first reaction of the Californians. Now, someone once described that living in California is living in a big bowl of granola………..lots of fruits, nuts and flakes. Now, I don’t know if that’s true or not but the first reactions of the guests as they walk onto the ship and into the atrium was one of amazement. The ship is a fun ship as a wise man reminded me today and the people of California are it seems a lot of fun so this it seems is perfect match.
One other thing I noticed last night was how late the guests stayed out. Compared to the ships I have been on recently where the public lounges start to wind down around 12:30am, here on the Carnival Splendor guests had every lounge still packed when I headed for bed at 1 am. Yep ……. I went to bed at 1 am because I wanted to get a feel for what was happening and with that in mind I should talk about smoking.
So here on the Carnival Splendor the piano bar is non-smoking. This has been so for the past few months and I have to admit I was concerned that attendance would suffer. The piano bars have long been the bastion of our guests who enjoy a Marlboro or two and I was curious to see if the piano bar still had the atmosphere that they are famous for. The simple answer is yes…….it does. Last night was elegant night and at 11 pm the lounge was full with every seat taken. The entertainer here is a young kid from the Philippines called Russell Blues……..something tells me that’s not his real name.
Anyway, Mr. Blues was really doing a great job and had everyone singing a long and the fact that the bar waiters were very busy showed that even though it was non-smoking now, the piano bar was still the place to be. Also, it is important to note that having spoken to Russell, he is very happy that the room is non-smoking as singing night after night surrounded by smokers was he said “not nice.” Now, this is as far as I know the only ship that has the piano bar as non-smoking as the experiments for now have finished. I may be wrong and I will certainly check with my fellow CD’s but it was fascinating to see that the atmosphere remained unchanged. Obviously this has a lot to do with Mr. Blues being a great entertainer but never the less…….it is certainly food for thought.
The cigar bar is thank goodness still a place where you can smoke a cigar and where I did smoke one last night. I sat alone and enjoyed the live music there and watched the guests do what guests do. I wasn’t alone for long tough because I was “spotted” by the Gregson family who are blog readers and for whom I had arranged a table for 6 in the dining room. They thought they may find me in the cigar bar and I was treated to lots of hugs and photos much to the bemusement of the bar staff and other guests.
Anyway, we sat and chatted and Mr. Gregson who is from Bakersville……..or was it Bakerstown ……..anyway it was Bakers something or other……….told me that as a cigar smoker himself how wonderful it was to be able to smoke indoors. He went on to tell me about California’s strict smoking regulations and how even his local golf club has banned smoking on the golf course which to me seems very extreme. Anyway, it was great to meet them and listen to their love of Carnival and the blog ……..but most of all……………..it was nice not to be sitting on my own.
The ship is running very well and as always when I do these handover things I am anxious to get started. I have decided to try something next week which is based on some of the suggestions I have read here on the blog thingy. It may be a bit controversial but I think it is worth a try. I will tell you about that tomorrow.
Obviously when I start as CD the blog will contain the guest count, kid count and all the usual stuff as well as the more unusual comments.
Before I continue I have to say this. Computers are like women. You never know if you will be successful in turning them on…….and this computer is making me scream because of the sodding cursor jumping around the page like a kangaroo on acid. I asked the IT guys here but they can’t seem to fix it. I know this happened last year and someone on the blog told me what to do to fix it………..if that magician is reading this………….help………………….please.
I have to say I am puzzled as to why people would bother voting if they should ask me for help here on the blog and I am gobsmacked that some are so upset that I do. Without wanting to sound self promoting I think that the extra service I offer is something that I am proud to do and in today’s world it is at times seriously lacking. Let me give you an example.
Before I left the UK last week I had to help my Mum and Dad out. They have been having problems with their internet service so I changed them over to British Telecom and set up an account in my name. My parents are slowly enveloping themselves in the World Wide Web thingy and having e-mail and being able to use it to speak to their children and relatives this way has become very important to them. Anyway, I set this up and just a few days after doing so they couldn’t get any e-mails at all.
So I called… and called… and called and called again. At times it felt like being in a hellish loop as a robotic electronic voice told me that I had six minutes to wait, and that my call was really important to it……………important my arse.
After twenty minutes I was told that I had two minutes to wait and that my call was still, apparently, really important to it. Ten minutes later, I was cut off and left in a state of total rage.
I called three more times during the same day and pretty much exactly the same thing happened. On top of the obvious frustration involved, I had the extra pleasure of paying for the privilege of listening to this total bollocks that passes for customer service.
Anyway, if there had been a human on the end of the phone or someone at British Telecom who wrote a blog and who after me sending them a “Please reply” message to could have helped me then I would have been very happy indeed.
That’s why I really have no bloody clue why me helping others has some so mad at me and that they take the time to write to tell me so. Sadly, it never works like this and in today’s world people always want to let you know exactly how offended they are. I know it shouldn’t get to me but I am embarrassed to say that today……it has. And that’s why I have to say that if my helping people upsets them ……well……..they can just bugger off.
But I can’t say that can I. Nope…..that would be unprofessional……so instead I would like all the people who are upset to please send me their names and address so I can send them a gift in way of an apology. Everyone who does so will receive a John Heald naked calendar. It will be a gift that they will all truly deserve.
Goodnight
Your friend
John
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.
John, please reply ASAP!
Please let me apologize for SJK (whoever SJK is…) and the link to the thread on Cruise Critic. I’m sure this person never read the entire thread. Had he or she read it they would have instantly understood that the VAST majority of CC members who participated think that you should do exactly what you want to do. If you want to grant favors… grant favors.
I have no clue where these folks come of thinking that they know better than you do about how to conduct your business.
I’m sure that there are some ingrates out there who will never offer you a thank you or act like you owe them something but they are a very small percentage.
You keep on being you. That’s why we love you.
All the best to you and the girls. Say hi to Goose for me!
Ciao
Host Mach
Hi John~
Even though you didn’t ask, I’m going to give you my 2 cents on people asking for tables for 2, by a window, in the center of the dining room, a string quartet to play throughout their meal, 15 ships on a stick for everyone in their party and a free cruise while you’re at it.
I have no issue with people coming here to ask for things. I think what you do is a wonderful service out of the goodness of your heart. What I have an issue with is the rudeness and brazenness of some of these requests. I realize you can’t really decipher tone over email but a please and a thank you certainly speak loud and clear. I don’t even care if they don’t want to make small talk and pretend their blog readers. Go ahead and cut right to the chase. Just have some manners when you do it.
Can’t wait to hear your tales from the Carnival Splendor. And Mom and I are very much looking forward to sailing with you in just a little over 2 months!
Colleen
Yes, please and thank you would go a long way. Totally agree with you.
I agree with everything Colleen has stated. (Except for the part re cruising in 2 months
)
John,
How about a Calendar of Carnivals Cruise Ships …… It would be great and sell out fast in the gift shops on board!
And as to the gift shops ……… how about t-shirts in 4X and 5X sizes too?
both good ideas!
Dear John,
Tell the guy (Because no lady would have suggested naked group photos) that even asking the female CD’s if they would be interested in helping create a calendar could be considered to be sexual harrassment and reason for dismissal. In todays, let me sue you for anything you say, lifestyle the lawyers have made such a mess of things you really can’t say anything. There are some who would like to retire after winning a sexual harrassment lawsuit at Carnival’s expense.
I do want one of your naked calendars however as we no longer can use pesticides and need something to blind the three mice living in my garage.
Enjoy your time on the Barbie Cruise Ship (Everything is pink just like she likes it!) and quit worrying about helping people. It is what you do and if the folks at CC don’t like it tooooo Baaaaad!
We love you just the way you are Johnny Sparkles!
The Cruzin2some
James & Nancy Enslow
John, I will do the Calendar with you but I want to do December as Santa with Stephanie Meads and all the other female CDs. I have a Santa hat with a long tassle.
BIG Ed
big ed i love you but if you do this i think i will have to gouge out my eyes! ha ha ha
bee
I’m sorry to hear that you are saddened by the CC poll result. You do nice things for people because that is the type of man that you are……kind, generous, responsive and if I may say so….BRILLIANTLY hilarious on the blog and in person.
Now, about the naked J. Heald calendar. Is there a tiny weenie chance that one of those might pop into the cabins of the BC4 participants? Hope so. It would be great right next to my J. Heald bobble head…..by the way, my cat is still rubbing some of her “parts” on your bobbley head. I have two of your bobbles (from the limited edition of 8,000) and I let her rub on the one not autographed…..the other one “Little Johnnie” shall appear once again on BC4.
Cheer up….just think, next week you’ll be back on stage entertaining a room full of happy, laughing guests some of whom have gotten that “special table for two” they requested here on the blog. If they had believed the CC poll they would not have asked and would be stuck at that table for 24 near the revolving kitchen doors?
As blogger Kathy says, “you’re one of the good guys” always remember that John.
I don’t have a beard, but I am an IT guy. The one thing which works for me when my cursor has a mind of its own is to make the “Mark of Zorro” on your trackpad. For some reason making the letter “Z” (pronounced “zed” according to my Aussie friends) on the trackpad seems to cause the cursor to revert back to normalcy.
Of course, your mileage may vary…
Hi John, I just had to tell you that I really enjoy your blog. Also, it always cracks me up when in the middle of your posts, you write “That’s all for today…” and then go on to write 8 more paragraphs. It’s awesome!
Olivia
OMG, the image of Josh, “Big Sexy”, and Jorhe Solano on the calendar is interesting….They are both amazing and funny, but uhm, they might want to pass or call in sick when thephoto shoot happens….
I am thrilled to hear the Piano Bar on the Splendor is smoke free. We sail on the Splendor Aug 15 and can’t wait. I literally was yelling and fist pumping in the air when I saw that John would be the CD on our cruise a few months ago.
Nothing against smokers, but, on our previous cruises the Piano Bar was SO smokey that we couldn’t stand to be in it for more than a minute or two.
CAN’T WAIT TO CRUISE in 11 days
Hi John,
Thank goodness you have finally told those CC pollsters to bugger off. If people want to ask for your assistance then it is your decision to help or not. Why do they even care? Who do they think they are that they can dictate what should or should not be done concerning table requests, etc.. I for one would like to thank you for your kindness and great customer service. You are an asset to Carnival.
Dear John, I am sorry but I have a picture of all the CD naked on a calender, I do not think that is a very good idea. I know I would not buy one. I would by one if it had the ports of call that Carnival goes to.
As far as the idiots, and they are, that post crap about you on CC, they are jealous.They do not have the guts to ask you for something that they would like on their next cruise so they bash you for helping those that do. Another reason I will never post over there. As far as the person that brought the post here, what was he thinking? That was so rude.
I am glad you are enjoying your time on the Carnival Splendor, she may a tad pink but she is a beauty, my all time favorite Carnival ship. I am so looking forward to sailing on the Carnival Magic next September.
Keep smiling John; you truly are one of the good guys.
My best to Heidi and Kye.
Peg Dunbar
John Please Reply,
First I want to say its been a very long time since I’ve written you! Probaly because I had nothing to write about but now I do. I just booked me and my best friend on my 4th (her 2nd) cruise along with a few of my other best friends (all 3s first cruise). We will be on the Triumph on the 12/16 sailing celebrating my birthday and one of my friends grad from college. Anyway I do have a point in writing. I wanted to know if you have any ideas on how to make this cruise special for my besties. I know the Triumph doesn’t have a steakhouse, are there any other ideas you can think of to make a great trip? Maybe an excursion? Half want to go to the beach and the rest want to so something active. (Aren’t we all just in perfect sync?)
I want my friends to see the wonderfulness of Carnival and want to book many more cruises.
As far as people asking for things. (Hot topic on CC I’ve noticed) In all honestly, I don’t care. As long as people aren’t snobby or rude about it why should anyone care what they are asking for? Everybodys not going to like everything and John, I commend you because alot of people would have said No a long time ago. But you are a kind person with a kind heart.
Thanks for reading,
Brittany L.
Now that would be something to see. You naked in front of a Carnival ship or on board some area on the ship. I know Mary Lou would buy one of the calendars especially if you are part of the calendar.
Mary Lou and I would like to be part of the piano bar but because there is so much smoke we stay away from it. It would great if all the ships were smokeless then we would totally enjoy the piano music.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
To SJK,
FYI: CC readers make up less than 1% of the cruising community. Even then, most of us on CC did not participate in that poll as it is none of our business whether John chooses to help others or not. So please don’t say the people have spoken.
I for one and others like Host Mach would never presume to tell John what he can and cannot do or say whether we agree with it or not.
Mary
Mary,
I am also a CC member who did not participate in the poll. And I agree with you . Please CC, don’t lump us all together as one. John is the BEST & I resent these unfair attacks on him!
Joyce
I also am on CC and did not participate in the poll. Sound like the only ones who did are the ones with the problem. If John wants to give stuff to people find if not that is fine too.
Agreed!!!
I three am on cc.com and did not vote. Why should John stop adding courtesy and pampering to this world? God bless him for it! What I WOULD vote for, on John’s behalf, is permission for him to write back to rude, demanding requestors with a courteous and polite “bite me.” Sigh. John is unlikely to adopt that suggestion.
Another CC member here and find it very presumptuous with the statement “the people have spoken”. Really??? I’ve said it before, if it gives someone joy to make someone happy, then there is nothing wrong with that. What gives people the right to be so judgemental? I’ve actually slacked off on reading CC lately because of exactly this – comments that are nasty, critical, and most times, off topic.
John, we love you and know you are great at what you do. Keep it up because there are people that truly appreciate you.
I had not looked at the poll as polls to me are very 1-sided. However, when I read what SJK wrote, I decided to read it and was surprised by the tone of many of the CC posts.
It is not my business what John does with his blog nor if he wishes to respond to requests.
My time on CC is becoming less and less and my time reading this blog has increased due to the ugliness of some CCers.
John,
Can’t wait to finally meet you on the Splendor on Aug.22. I have been a daily reader of the blog since its inception and appreciate your sense of humour and your honesty about all things Carnival. No need for a response, but I’ll be certain to stop and introduce myself once onboard. Thanks again for all you do!
John,
I agree with Lorna. A calendar with the Carnival cruise ships would be awesome!
Dave
John,
After working for the last 20 years in health care, the best advice I can give you is a quote from Dr Seuss: “Be Who You Are and Say What You Feel Because Those Who Mind Don’t Matter and Those Who Matter Don’t Mind”. Somebody is always NOT going to like somthing you do – so do what’s right and let somebody else worry about the rest of it.
BTW, after answering everyone else’s requests/demands/etc, what can we do for you? I don’t mean something nebulous like, “oh, just read the blog and buy my naked calendar” – (trying to push away the bad images..
, but something real. Like maybe a Megan Fox calendar for your new cabin or maybe a quilt like Kye’s for your new bed (wife’s suggestion). Something to let you know that you ARE appreciated.
Keep up the good work Brother,
John
You can’t please everyone, John…..don’t let it get you down. Keep doing what you do….there are many of us who appreciate you!
I think every passenger on every Carnival cruise should give $20 per day per person for gratuities. I konow I give that much.
Don, We do that too, but when we spring for the whole family of eight, it would price us out of a cruise itself. We have the regular gratuities, then each person by choice gives cash to individuals who do their job well (they all do IMO).
Add me to the list of people thrilled about the non-smoking piano bar. And I’ve heard great things about Russell, can’t wait to check him out myself!
And I would definitely buy a calendar with Carnival ship pictures.
Hey John, Please Respond
I would like to be so Bold as to request a table for 2 on our upcoming cruise.
I see many complainers on Cruise Critic for this type of request. No idea why they beotch about it. You have helped me in the past, and I really appreciated it.
We will be on Carnival Spirit on Sept 7, 2010. Would like a table for 2 if possible. Our room number is * 4154. Thanks for any help, and will give you a review of the cruise after.
Thanks
Preston n Judy
Sorry for the double request. Guess we both asked. Thanks
So glad to hear that the piano bar on the Splendor is smoke free. I tell you, Carnival would get a lot more of my money if they made all the piano bars and casinos smoke free.
We completely stay away from those places since we do not like the smoke.
PLEASE REPLY – SEPTEMBER 5 – SAILING CARNIVAL PRIDE
Hi John, I hope you had a wonderful rest/vacation homecoming with Kye and Heidi. I’m sure they miss you terrible now and feel bad that Kye can not travel right away. I hope Kye is doing well after her shots – OUCH!!
I need your help. I decided to try the Any Time Dining on our Sept 5 cruise…but I keep forgetting that my parents are not as young as they were when we started to cruise some 10 cruises ago. Now that they are in their 80′s and Mom has a slight walking problem, I should have known better. It’s not a good idea to have them wait for a table, even if it is only 5 – 15 minutes. So I called Carnival to get our time changed to early seating and now I’m on a wait list. I’m sure it will clear, but just to be sure, would you please ask the Matre-d’ to confirm us for early seating.
Since I won’t be seeing you on the Carnival Pride as you had originally scheduled, I had to join Big Ed’s Evil Crew and sail on the BC4 cruise. I just hope there are no blizzards and I can get to Florida to make the ship –
Good news is I got an email from Kim Harrison, one of the funniest comedians I have seen, and she told she will be on the Sept 5 Pride sailing – I hope you have had a chance to see her – she is a hoot!!!
Take care and enjoy California!!!
All my best to you, Heidi and Kye,
Deborah (Debs)
John (Please Reply),
On behalf of all my fellow Long Beach residents, Welcome!
I am very happy that you made it to the west coast and hope that this won’t be the only time you come visit us. I had the honor of sailing with you when the Triumph made its first call to Miami so long ago where you awarded me my first 24 ct. piece of ship on a stick! I still have that on my desk.
As a travel agent, I pride myself and with honor to sell my clients cruises on carnival. Why, because carnival has given me many wonderful vacations and last year marked my 14th cruise on carnival. I really hope to make it on the splendor when you are here in long beach. But the men in beards at my second job might frown on me asking to take a 2nd vacation this year. I can not wait to introduce my wonderful girlfriend Cynthia to you and let her see why I send my clients your way. I took her on her first cruise on the paradise, and she loves cruising now. She has 4 CCL cruises under her belt and can’t wait for more.
Word of advice, Long Beach is a wonderful place. I was born here and have been proud to call it home for over 30 years.If you value your life, don’t shop at the wonderful place that offers” low prices every day”, if you catch my drift. The place is worse then Harrods the day after christmas.
If I don’t make a sailing this time around when your on board, I hope to make it to one of the travel agent functions on board they have now and then, and I hope to get to meet you and shake your hand and just say “Thank you” for giving myself and my clients such a great time. I know how busy sundays are for you. John, thank you again…and best wishes to your family.
-Chris Brito
Long Beach, Ca
PS: One thing that bugs me that you might want to share with the beards in miami. I am a big guy, and I would love to bring home a Carnival shirt…4xl and 5xl shirts in the gift shop would be great!!! Cheers!!!
Interesting article, the author has the gift of writing.
Greetings from the Carnival
Wow this is the first time a ship has actually blogged.
I have no idea what gives some folks the idea that what they say means anything at all. You carry on doing what YOU think is the right thing to do. What other people think is irrelevant and if someone dictated to them how to lead their lives they wouldn’t like it one bit. Your life your choice. Their life their choices.
What you do makes a lot of people happy, I expect some do take advantage but that is their way and only if your employer thinks what you do is wrong should you stop. They pay your wages and support you in your blogging. If Carnival are happy who cares about a small minority on cruise critic with nothing else to do but whinge and whine all day.
Bugger off is too mild for them.
My sisters triathalon club made a naked calendar, she was Miss Blooming June! It raised a lot of money & a lot of eyebrows, however they were all strange sporty fit type people with tight buns & wobbly bits all in the correct places. :0 We love you cruise directors & all the hard work you do, however there is a well known saying “you can have TOO MUCH of a good thing”!!! Let the Captains do the naked calendars that way the next time your on stage you know the passengers are laughing at your jokes & not because they saw you in the all together
Bestest wishes
Lorraine & Mom Susan
John, Please PLEASE Reply -
I dont remember if I added Please Reply to my request a few days back. We are sailing B2B leaving August 21st on the Carnival Liberty. We have 22 of our closest friends and family traveling with us. Our group consists of 10 years old through 87. My son’s best friend is cruising the second week with us and so is my sister. This cruise is special for us because we have talked so many first time cruisers into going and we cant wait to share this with them. Anyway, on to my request…great day for it, eh? LOL Anyhoo…my sister is turning 45 the last day of the cruise and I was hoping you could send her a little something to make her feel important!! She is! In the last 2 years she has lost 140 pounds. She is a size 6 and is very healthy. We were very worried about her for a while as her health was truly suffering from the weight. She made a really brave decision to have gastric bypass surgery and has lived an entirely different life since then. I plan on ordering her a sugar free cake from BV when I get on board, but I thought a nice little happy birthday from you would be very nice! Also, my 10 year old son reads this blog with me and is billing himself as THE cruise expert to his best friend. It would thrill him if you could have Kyle Post acknowledge his as well. Kay is in cabin 7394 and Cameron is 7386. Oh WAIT!!, but this is for the second leg of the cruise August 28th sailing!!!
As always John, Thank you so much for trying to do all this for people to make their vacation just a little more special. Just reading you blog makes me feel special and privileged, like I am a part of your ‘inner circle’. Also, you never fail to make me smile. 17 days and counting!!!
Just wait til next year when I have the Girls Only cruise booked (June 5th). Can I ask for something REALLY special to be sent to my cabin this early? Oh well, that is probably inappropriate anyway.
I’ll just have to find my own. Have fun on your fun Ship and I will have fun on mine. Thank you so much John!
I too am on CC, & I too did not vote… (None of my business.)
ONLY 207 DAYS TO BC4 ARE YOU BOOKED YET????
If you need help to make that booking go to this link and view all the pictures from the first 3 bloggers cruise. You will see all the fun the Evil Crew had with John. Be sure to see the Doghouse cake, the Desk cake and the Toilet cake that the Evil Crew presented to John at our special parties for him.
http://ekonefe.wordpress.com/photos/
BIG Ed
Evil Crew
Hi BIG Ed,
Very ready to be confirmed on BC4……but waiting for approval of my vacation time. As soon as that comes through my dear Sis and I will be booked. Can hardly wait. I’ll send a note to you on your blog at that time with cabin numbers, etc.
I have already received John’s order of Marks and Spencer underpants….one pair I will probably “try out” to see if they’re as good as he thinks….I promise I won’t put THAT pair back in the package??
Steve O
Steve O,
I quess your a BIG guy too or they will be falling down around your ankles. LOL
BIG Ed
Yes Big Ed, I have shopped in the “Stout” Department since I was a little boy and THAT was like 65 years ago.
Steve O
PLEASE REPLY
We are going on Carnival Glory in October out of NYC. We need flight advice as to which airport to choose from Atlanta. Also, any advice on transfer service to the port would be appreciated. Excursion info is welcome too as we’ve never been to this part of the country. Can’t wait to be back on another Carnival Fun Ship. Was on Liberty in May and had a fabulous time!
Dear John (please reply),
I returned from my 18th Carnival cruise on the newly-renovated Carnival Fascination this past Thursday. I spent a wonderful birthday at Half Moon Cay very thankful for the beautiful weather.
I asked you before the cruise if you could arrange for me to receive a ship on a stick and you replied that you would do so. However, it wasn’t long after I requested and you replied, that I read a couple of comments about people (like me) asking for s-o-a-s, and I felt really bad and guilty about asking for anything. I considered writing back to you and un-ask for the ship, but I REALLY, REALLY wanted one so I didn’t.
Well, this was the first cruise I’ve taken that was a combination of small disappointments and unattentive service staff and conditions that just made the whole cruise seem a little ‘off.’ I’ll try to explain as briefly as I can. I guess when someone says that, you can count on it not being very brief, right? I’ll do my best, though.
We have enjoyed our meals in the dining rooms a great deal and look forward to the experience of dressing up for dinner every night. We were just under 10 minutes late the first evening and I guess it annoyed our head waiter because he didn’t smile or say hello or anything really, just handed us the menus. I ordered fried shrimp (everyone else orderedd shrimp cocktail) and when he brought me shrimp cocktail I said “oops, I wanted the fried shrimp.” He snapped at me and said “THAT’S WHAT YOU ORDERED.” Not another word from him. Just kind of clumped off and acted mad at me the rest of the meal. Never saw a drink waiter after asking twice. We didn’t return to the dining room the rest of the cruise. We did, however, enjoy the buffet on the Lido deck. Different experience, but suited us anyway.
Our cabin steward was either very forgetful or had too much to take care of. We had to order ice from room service and clean glassware because he couldn’t remember to refill or provide.
I visited Guest Services about 3 days into the cruise and explained my disappointment with the two areas that important to us. I was asked if I spoke to the maitre d and I said no. I was concerned that if I had an issue with the head waiter being rude and embarrassing me (and the other people at our table DID think he was rude to me) and said something to his boss, what in the world kind of service would I expect the rest of the cruise. I’m just saying…
So, we made do with what we had. I kept the cabin clean, stocked with ice and clean glasses and enjoyed our time in the casino and shops and ashore.
My biggest disappointment? Didn’t get a ship-on-a-stick. All I could think of was the guy who keeps complaining about us asking for stuff and thought how happy he would be to know that you are unable to grant every request. Anyway, I decided that to have one given to me instead of earning it wouldn’t be the same so it’s okay.
I am going to spend my next cruise (in October) trying my very best to win one legitimately. I will enter every contest (well, except for maybe the hairy chest contest) that I can, and maybe, just maybe…
John, I look forward to reading your blog every day and I hope that one day I am on one of your cruises. I think your brand of humour (he-he) would be even funnier in person than on paper. Thanks for a great job.
Mary
P.S. I don’t want anything this time! So there, guy on CC who dislikes all the requests!!
Dear John (please reply),
First off, let me say that I am(relatively) new to your blog thingy. But I am now HOOKED:) I want to apoligise for the idiot poll thingy over at CC. I am a loyal, long time member of CC. It is a great site with lots of helpful info, but every group has their idiots(rolling eyes now). My opinion is that if you dont like what a blog says or a tries to do, THE WHY THE @$%%^$$%%^% DO YOU READ IT? IMHO any and all help is greatly appreciated.
DH and I are loyal carnival cruisers. We started cruising when DS was 6 on that ship that has a mouse as a CD. After 2 voyages, we switched to carnival and have never looked back. The value is outstanding and while some cruises are more memorable than others, we have ALWAYS had a fabulous time.
But I do have a ? and a favor to ask of you. DH and I are booked for our 7th carnival cruise this OCT. 21 on the Fascination out of Jacksonville. This is a quickie get-a-way , just DH and I(wicked grin ). I wanted to book the chef’s table, but wasnt sure what night (or if it is possible)and if it runs on a 4 night cruise. This is to be a surprise for DH (another wicked grin). We both love fine dining and are wine drinkers, so this appears to be perfect, spec. since the Facination doesnt have a supper club. Is it possible to get reservations for the 2 of us? We are in cabin M-3. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Huggs to you and yours. I think Kye is a CUTIE! But just wait till she becomes a mouthy teenager(hehe).
Sincerely,
Baf (aka betty)
Dear John (please reply if you can),
I just wanted to write a quick note to let you know that, after our wonderfuly Maiden Voyage last January 2010 on the Conquest, my wife and I are confirmed Cruise Addicts and will be sailing with Carnival as often as we can.
Along those lines, I wanted to let you know of an exemplary and highly skilled Personal Vacation Planner named Gina, who I will recommend to any of my friends and co-workers who are thinking of cruising as well.
She was not only invaluable in getting us on our first cruise, but she also worked tirelessly with us to get just the right cruise package for us so that we could afford to take a *second* cruise this December. Being able to take two stress-free, week-long vacations in the same year is definitely a dream come true!
In fact, when I was explaining our vacation plans to my Mother, she wanted all the details and it now turns out she will be taking her first cruise with us as well!
I just wanted to not only thank you for the Blog and all the information therein, but also thank you (and Carnival) for their skilled employees and excellent customer service.
Sincerely,
Erik & Sharon Valentine
P.S. – You may edit this out if you wish, but I do not understand why people are so upset over a Customer Service Personage such as yourself using your Blog as a filter-point for helping people. Please keep on doing what you’re doing, since it’s obviously working!*grin*
John
Great news that the Piano Bar on the Splendor is smoke free.
We have had to avoid the Piano Bar in the past and are looking forward to enjoying it on our 8/29 Splendor trip.
Hey John,
I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you in person yet, but I just wanted to thank you for arranging our reservation for the Chef’s Table on our upcoming cruise on the Conquest in Sept. My question to you, will QPR get promoted?
Best regards
JOHN- PLEASE REPLY
Dear John-
My dad’s 58th birthday will be around that time and I would love for you to suprise him with something special– . The 2nd request is for him also (and a little for me too) We are huge TN Titans fans, and since the team coming to Nashville, my dad has never missed a game, will you please tell me that the game will be showing in the sports bar (or work your magic)!!! My dad is self employed and hit hardly by the economic downfalls, and has saved every penny to go on this cruise– even if it meant missing his first TITANS game. Any help will be appreciated. His name is Tommy Miles and his cabin number is 6347. Thanks so much!!
I have been a blog reader for the last 3-4 months and have thoroughly enjoyed myself! My husband and I will be cruising on the DREAM on Sept 11 this year- and will be our 2nd Cruise- (Our first was on the Holiday in 2008) My parents- who have barely been out of Tennessee will be cruising with us too for the first time!
I was hoping you could do 2 things for me PLEASE
Oh — one more question- we are cruising with friends and our staterooms are supposed to be “linked” so that our table is together. How can we confirm that?
Thanks SOOO MUCH
Lisa Thorne (a daddy’s girl)
John, please keep doing what you’ve always done! Your generosity is appreciated and admired. You helped me get a table for two when I sailed the Carnival Dream in April, and I will always be grateful. Anyone who’s upset with you needs to get a grip. It’s not like you only selectively help certain people – your services are available to everyone (even the ones who don’t say please).
Thanks for everything you do, John! From writing your blog, to answering our questions, to putting up with snotty comments from certain people, to helping with table and gift requests, you’re certainly a busy man. We appreciate all the time you spend on us!
Your blog makes me laugh every day. Keep up the good work!
Hey John!
Greetings from the Saints and Sinners, in particular the lady in red whose shirt read “I feel a sin coming on”.
Keep on doing what you are doing. Why anyone feels that members of CC would have any influence on how you do your job is beyond me. FWIW – “Most” of the members of CC are not angry at you. Some of us adore you – especially when dressed in a blue wig and tiara.
If you don’t like it, lump it.
See you on October 17th in Long Beach!!
Love ya John! Don’t let the grumps get to you! Hope you are doing well. I know how hard you struggle missing the girls but try to remember how wonderful it is just to have those two amazing people in your life. No matter how awful we feel we have it there is always someone else worse off. Keep smiling.. You will see them soon!
John – Please reply
I have never needed to ask a favor from you, but thank you for being so willing to help everyone who asks. It is your personality that makes you want to help others, and one of the things that makes you such a great CD! I will be sailing with you on Aug 29 (Cabin 7369) on the Carnival Splendor! The group that I’m sailing with (Snoozeman, Phil&Liz, and others) met while on the BC2. This is our 3rd cruise together, and we are all booked for the BC4. You mentioned your parents today, but you haven’t mentioned your beautiful sister, Sue-Drip. I hope she is doing well. Maybe she can join you on the Splendor. How is Kye doing? Hopefully she will be well enough for your girls to join you, before long. Won’t be long until we sail! Looking forward to seeing you.
Darlene
John :
I hope all your travels back from the UK were not as long or as bad as they can be. Nancy and I arrived back in Texas on 08/02…. as we stayed an extra day after our Queen Victoria Cruise. I tried to obtain your e mail address from Carnival, – but was told to contact you here on the blog. Hope you received my earlier message about how wonderful it was to see you – (and Camilla, Duchess of Corwall) while on the QV. Of course YOU were the bigger star for us Carnival types, and “yanks” aboard. As previously written, – we will look forward to seeing you again on the New Magic in October 2011 for our Barcelona / Galveston T/A… & our 30th Wedding Anniv. For now, — Enjoy the Cobo / Wabo !!! Ron Pope / “Texas Cruiser”
John, Please reply!!
I have a ACER computer and on my function key (F7) there is a picture of a hand pointing to a square. To turn the keypad thingy on or off I press down on the Fn key (lower left on mine) and the F7 key and it either turns the thingy on or off.
Love your daily blog and the descriptions of Kye and Heidi knowing that you miss them. You are a very fortunate man to have so many people enjoying you and your stories.
Your Friend,
ERNIE
John I love the blog! I have been reading for the last year and a half when my mother told me about it. I love everything about it. It is your blog so I say don’t change anhything. I did ask you somehting for my honeymoon, and I made sure to say please and thank you. I even thanked you after the cuise. Especially since it led to rumpy pumpy. I again thank you John. Hope the girls are doing well and Kye will be able to fly across the pond soon.
Rositer11
John
Thanks for your belated reply regarding my English friends on the Carnival Miracle. They had a great time and thanks to the Maitre’D for making her birthday special. I suspect my request to you have them sing at dinner was implemented in true Carnival style without your intervention because my post was only a week before. Anyway two more Brits who enjoyed the Carnival Fun and are busy spreading the word in sunny (did I say that) England.
We are off on the Carnival Dream March 5th 2011 six Brits this time and cannot wait. I will certainly post six before
Regards
Will
PS Did you buy the dress?
Hi John,
I was just thinking about not allowing smoking in the piano bars and what a good idea that is for a couple of reasons.
First, if you want to sing along it’s not easy to do when your lungs keep inhaling second-hand smoke – so that’s the reason I wouldn’t go into the bar if smoking was allowed.
But most important, in my opinion, what about the health concerns for the person playing the piano? Sitting in a smoke filled environment for hours on end every night (or several nights a week) puts the employee’s health at risk. Dana Reeve (Christopher Reeve’s wife) died from lung cancer shortly after he passed away and the most likely cause was second-hand smoke from years of singing in lounges that allowed smoking.
I’m surprised that Carnival hasn’t thought about the potential health risk to its employees. Then again, I don’t know everything and maybe this has been addressed in some way. Definitely my 2 cents worth.
Regards,
Anne
Hi John, I am a regular reader of your blog and love it! My husband, John, and I and a group of 30 of our friends will be on the Splendor with you in October, so depending on when the Queen Elizabeth naming ceremony is, I would vote for you not to go, we would not want to miss sailing with you on the Splendor the week of October 24!! This will be mine and my husbands Platinum cruise and the third group cruise we’ve arranged (all have been 30+ of our friends). We love Carnival and are very much looking forward to meeting you!
Dear John (please reply)
First of all let me say I hope you and your family are doing great. Second, I want to say that I’m a member of CC as well. I always thought it would be rude to ask for a favor or a special “something”, but I am glad that I read that post and this blog. Seeing as you enjoy it so much, bless you for being so nice and giving.
So now, I want to please ask you: I’m taking my bf on the Carnival Liberty on 9/11/10 room 8268. It will be our 2 year anniversary and, unbeknownst to him, I have upgraded us from an inside to a balcony cabin (can’t wait to see the look on his face, as he has never even looked inside a balcony!). However my request is this: I’ve been on 4 cruises, this is his second, and even though we tried and tried and would like to win it in the “proper” way, we can’t seem to be able to get our hands on a ship on a stick!
So if you could please provide us with one (or two), it would be much appreciated and it would make the surprise even better for him.
Thank you for anything you could do for us, and even though I’m a little embarrassed about asking, I’m doing it for love!
Thank you again!
XOXO
John,
Geek talk – I had a similar problem with my Dell. It turned out to be the sensitivity setting on the trackpad. The default setting allows even the tiniest brush of your fingers or wrist on the trackpad to cause the cursor to move. In Control Panel you should see something that controls the trackpad. Look for a sensitivity setting and adjust it to require a heavier touch. Hope this helps.
I for one would like to say that the idea for a naked cruise director calendar is BRILLIANT! Please let me know SillySod, where the order list will be posted to reserve my copy.
Joyce
Re CC poll – I didn”t vote because people miss the point. John you may have started this blog as a way to communicate but it has become part of Carnival Corps
marketing efforts. Good for them. They are lucky to have such a good and effective “unofficial” spokesman.
I enjoy this blog but seriously folks- condemning or supporting John is silly. And John please grow a thicker skin. Feel better? Good.
Hey John – how about a photo contest for Carnival passengers, with the winners being featured on a calendar?
Dear John,
I for one would buy the calendar! ( Ok, just kidding…. but I wanted to make you and the other CD’s feel good)
As for that poll and thread on CC, I did see a lot of people disagreeing with you going out of your way to help people who demanded or were rude…. more wanting to take up for you… not that you shouldn’t help all people. I think most just felt you were being taken advantage of.
I love the blog, you make me laugh. Thanks for that!
P.
Hey John,
We are booked on the Magic on Nov. 27th of next year. We have heard that you will be doing the Magic transition to Galveston. Is this true or just a rumour that has been put on CC board. If it is true , will you still be on when we sail on her?
Please reply!!
Debbie Love
OOOH! A naked CD calendar?! Yes! Although…if you cannot find enough CDs to fill a calendar, recruit a few of the burly ship engineers that have to use their muscles to wrench those nuts and bolts into place (on the ship of course!). Or a few of those deck officers too.. Although they might not look as good in the buff as they do in their uniforms? In Seattle, the firefighters wear more than just the hat over the hoses— they wear the pants and suspenders. The female ones wear a tight black tank top under the suspenders (that calendar might just get your attention John
).