The Magic Frog

I went to the Red Carpet Dance Club last night. Not the sort of sentence I get to write very often, because I enjoy nightclubs less than I enjoy having a colonoscopy. But because one of my staff had her 21st birthday and the entire department was going and because they expected me to pay for the drinks………..I promised to come for a few minutes

Obviously, at 45, I was more than a decade older than almost everyone else, and subsequently may as well have been smeared head to toe with my in yak poo.

Most of the guests there had not seen my welcome aboard show the previous night or anything else outside of the inside of their cabins, the Lido deck sun and the bottom of their 23rd Fun Ship special glass. Therefore most of the people in the disco regarded me with a combination of pity and disgust. I spent the entire time with the expression of a man about to be sentenced to 10 years in a Turkish prison…

“I am too bloody old to enjoy this,” I thought. And then remembered that I have always felt this way about clubs. And I mean all clubs from the awful ones in Essex that smelt like a sick bucket to the posh ones on South Beach. I hated them when I was 20 and I hate them today. I just don’t have to pretend any more.

Nightclubs are hot and cramped and play the latest crap tunes thumping through the humid air so loud you can’t even hear yourself or anyone else fart. And since we made the ships dance clubs non smoking the aroma of cigarette smoke has been replaced by the overbearing stench of hair gel. I know that they are some of the most popular venues on our ships……but not for me.

I watched the twenty something guests sharing panting pelvic thrusts with someone who they hope will be having rumpy pumpy with later.

Yes, everyone was having a great time. The guests, my staff, even the bar staff were having fun. Me…………..I felt old………….and I realised that at that moment I would rather be anywhere in the world than the hell I was in now. Except Paris of course.

Time for today’s Q and A……………….off we go.

Dave Asked:
Hi John. Please reply!

I have been curious about something. I know the crew has their own galley. Do you and the officers have to eat in the crew mess hall too? If not, what food do you eat while onboard (the same food as the guests or as the crew)? I’ve always wondered what the life of the CD and officers is like.

Any insight you could provide would be great!

Thank you,
Dave

John Says:
Hello Dave

We do eat the same food as the guests so please…………leave more on your plates. Seriously though there are five crew dining rooms. One for the crew where people like your waiter, stateroom stewards and the cooks, etc., eat. This is a self service restaurant and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a midnight meal as well for those coming off a late shift or starting work at that time.

Then there is the staff mess. This is where the dancers and musicians, shop and casino staff and others eat. This is again mostly self service although there are waiters there as well for special orders that I will talk about in a moment. Next up we have the Petit Officers dining room. This is where the bosons’ and junior officers eat. This is a waiter service restaurant. Then we have the officer’s dining room where the bridge, engine and guest relations officers eat. Again, this is mostly waiter service. Finally we have the captain and senior officers’ dining room where most of the senior officers will eat together, usually at 8 pm.

The menu is though the same for everyone. It is impossible to cook a separate menu for each of the above when you have upwards of 1,200 crew who are hungry morning noon and night. It’s an international menu with many of the dishes being relative to some of the nationalities onboard. However, in the staff dining room there is the always option of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breast, fries etc. Then in the Petit Officers and Senior Officers dining room which is heavily populated by Italian crew, there is a special pasta dish served every dinner time. And the captain ………….well he and the senior officers also have special dishes each night because……….. well ………… that’s a tradition going back many years.

Me………I eat in the cabin. The maitre d will send me a Caesar salad and some meat and vegetables (no carbs) so that I can eat before the shows and not after them……which is the reason I now have an awning built over my thingy. The food is excellent but despite that …….. ask any crewmember what they miss most after their family……..and it will home cooked food.

I hope that answers your question

Best wishes
John

Sharon Sorlie Asked:
Please Reply

First of all I just want to say I love your posts and the Q&A – you make my day! Thank you for being you and not allowing “People” to dictate who you are and who you want to be. I have had the pleasure of meeting you 2x and Heidi (1x) and would love to cruise with you again someday. We were on the Splendor back in May and had a blast, Goose was an amazing CD too. If there is one excursion that I think topped the whole experience for us, was the Salsa & Salsa. The 3 ladies that run that know how to make your excursion adventure phenomenal. It was entertaining, educational and lots of fun. Definitely a DO NOT MISS excursion. John if you get the chance please try it – you will not be sorry. Now for my questions. We are going on another cruise in Nov. (thanks to future cruise cert.) and we are taking our son and his wife (27 & 25). We are on the Nov. 13th – Liberty – Who is the CD going to be (wish it was you) and if there is one or two shore excursion that you would highly recommend for a)them as a couple and b) us as a family – we are 60 & 54 (very young oldies hehehhehehe). We want Andrew & Emily’s first cruise to be memorable and exciting and hopefully not their last. I won’t ask you for dining arrangements, as I can go to the MD on day of arrival to make sure it is for 4 – but if you could recommend a shore excursion I would be forever grateful.

Thank you again for being John, and I pray that you will find all the happiness in life that you are giving to others.

Sharon >

John Says:
Hello Sharon

That is so weird. I just got off the phone with James the shore ex manager and he told me that one of the many excursions that was sold out was the salsa and salsa tour. I am so glad that you enjoyed that and your time on the Carnival Splendor and Goose as your cruise director. The cruise director when you sail on the Carnival Liberty will be Todd Wittmer. He was the first cruise director on the Carnival Dream and did a great job there and I know he will give you a great time. Here is where you are going

Saturday, Nov 13 Miami, FL 4:00pm

Sunday, Nov 14 Nassau, Bahamas 7:00am 2:00pm – ELEGANT

Monday, Nov 15 Fun Day at Sea Tuesday,

Tuesday, Nov 16, St. Thomas, USVI 10:00am 6:00pm

Wednesday, Nov 17 San Juan, Puerto Rico7:00am 3:30pm – ELEGANT

Thursday, Nov 18 Grand Turk 11:00am 5:30pm

Friday, Nov 19 Fun Day At Sea

Saturday, Nov 20 Miami, FL 8:00am

I love this itinerary and as you will see I added the elegant nights for you as well.

As for excursions, well I am going to give my recommendations in each port which should please both your son and his wife as well as you and your husband.

NASSAU — Well for me it has to be a visit to Atlantis. There are many excursion packages there including the use of the exclusive water park which they will love and for you, a walk around the property and a visit to one of the most impressive aquariums anywhere. You might also want to think about the Blue Lagoon excursion which is a morning on the beach, doing absolutely nothing.

ST. THOMAS — Well I am sure at some point shopping will rear its ugly head but I hope you will also find time to explore the island. There is an excursion called the Ultimate Island experience which includes a marvelous island tour, lots of shopping time and then a quick trip back to the ship to put the 5 carat diamond he bought you in the safe, before hopping back on the bus and heading for an afternoon at the most famous beach on the island……..Megan’s Bay.

SAN JUAN – Sometimes it easy to forget how beautiful Puerto Rico is and specifically how gorgeous Old San Juan is. That’s why I highly recommend the San Juan City Tour. It’s not the most exciting excursion in the world but it will give you a terrific overview of the old town and its gorgeous Spanish architecture. Plus there will be loads of time for exploring the cobbled streets and of course……..more shopping.

GRAND TURK – Well after those busy days in port a day at the beach maybe what you need. If that’s the case there is one right by where your ship will dock. Plus you have Margaritaville as well so your son and daughter……..and perhaps you and your husband…….may want to try the Flo Rider while you are there. You will also find great snorkeling as well plus the more laid back island excursions.

There are full details on all of these at www.carnival.com and Todd will host a Fun Ashore talk while you are onboard.

Please let me know if you have any questions and please let me know that you want a table for 4 ……… I would be honoured to try and help.

Thanks for the kind words.

Best wishes to all
John

Cherie Perron Asked:
Dear John (pretty please reply)

I’m about to set sail on my 6th cruise with my brother. We will be sailing on the Freedom August 28th and are SO excited. Plus this year I’m taking my brother to celebrate a job promotion!! We are really really hoping to get to do the behind the scenes tour. Any tips on how to ensure we get a spot??

I was also wondering, does Carnival ever do open houses, or anything where non guests can board the ship? I’m convinced my parents would love the cruise life with us, however no matter how much we tell them there is to do or how big the ship is they don’t believe us.

Thanks John!!!!
Chérie Perron

John Says:
Hello Cherie Perron

The Behind the Fun tour continues to be mostly sold out on all the ships. The secret though is because many of the guests are not aware of it until it is promoted at the CD’s Fun Ashore Fun Onboard talk to go to the Shore Excursion Desk as soon as you board. If you do this I am pretty sure you will get to experience this exclusive look behind the scenes.

You know, Princess Cruises launched a package where non-sailing family members could visit, have lunch and say goodbye. I have no idea how well it is doing but I do know that Carnival was looking at possibly doing this as well but I have heard nothing about it recently. It certainly would be a great way for people to say goodbye to their families and enjoy some special time together as well as it being a chance for people who have never cruised with us to see what all the fun is all about. Let me follow up on this for you. Have a brilliant time and tell me all about it when you get home

Best wishes to all
John

BOBBY D Asked:
John PLEASE REPLY

There are many god fearing folk who are troubled by Carnival not having religious services onboard. There is though much time and space given to the promotion of gambling, drinking and cavorting. A Sunday service would mean a lot to me and other passengers and what you give us now is as sorry as two dollar watch.

Bobby D

John Says:
Hello Bobby D

Thank you for taking the time to write and I will admit something straight away…….I have never heard that saying before………..the one about the 2 dollar watch.

Well, yes we have a less than frequent religious service program onboard our ships and we try to provide services as often as feasible.  I hope that in the future we can do better in this regard and that one day you will look at our program as more of a Timex……or maybe even a Seiko. Seriously though I do hope despite our lack of a religious program that you are still able to have fun when you sail with us.

Best wishes to you and the family
John

Linda Asked:
John, PLEASE REPLY.

John, want to ask your help in providing a special welcome onboard for someone who taught for me when I was a principal. She was one of those GREAT primary grade teachers; one you would definitely want Kye to have. She was such a nurturing person that her students felt that they just must learn everything they could in her classroom and pleasing her was certainly a goal of every student she ever had. I’ve talked her and her husband into not only taking their first cruise, but also into choosing Carnival for an outstanding experience. Her name is Chloe Gildberg and her husband is Barry. They’re both retired now and having some time for themselves and what they want to do. They are on the Carnival Spirit to Alaska, sailing August 31st. The booking number is 17N8R3 and cabin number 6222. If you could send them a note welcoming them to cruising and tell her how much I appreciated all she did for our students, I’d greatly appreciate it! She has no idea I’m contacting you (although she’s heard me talk of you and how much fun I’ve had onboard ships with you).

Thanks! Hope to see you soon.
Linda Morris

John Says:
Hello Linda

Everyone has a teacher who has made an impact on their lives and I salute all the teachers who read this blog thingy and who sail with Carnival. My Dad was a teacher for 39 years and gave his everything to so many children. Yet, we continue to pay teachers far, far less than they deserve. What a shame. I will ask Stuart to mention Chloe at one of his morning shows and to read out your words of praise and send her a little something as well.

Thanks for telling me about her.

Best wishes
John

Carl from Calgary Asked:
John, PLEASE REPLY

I love your blog. Can you confirm to me that you will be the Cruise Director when the Magic is in Europe in September? If you say “yes” then me and my wife will be there. We sailed with you on the Triumph in 2002 and want to do a Europe cruise and are thinking of emerald Princess or Magic. But if you are there then that will make the decision easier.

Please reply soon as air fares are going up again and we want to book.

Thanks
Carl

John Says:
Hello Carl

I am sorry that this reply is probably three weeks behind and I hope that you are able to read this. I will be on your Carnival Magic in September and it would be an honour (spelt correctly) if you would join me. I am humbled by what you have written and even though Princess has a superb operation in Europe it would be a true joy to see you once again. So, let me know what you decide to do and if you have any questions please let me know

Best wishes
John

Patricia Asked:
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 Says:
Hello Patricia.

I am always willing to help anyone I can and I have sent your request for a limited edition solid gold plastic trophy (1 of only 3 billion made) to be delivered to your stateroom. I am sure your BF (is that boy friend, best friend) will be so surprised and so happy when he sees the balcony stateroom. Have a wonderful cruise and if you have time, please write a review on the blog thingy when you get home. Best wishes to you and the BF

John

Sharon Asked:
Hi John! Please reply.

My husband and I are on the October 17th sailing of the Carnival Legend – our 8th cruise, all with Carnival! We are looking forward to some different stops, including Roatan. However, when I look on-line under my reservation for the shore excursions available, there are only four! And not one of them is to Tabyana Beach, which Donna, my Carnival PVP, told me was wonderful! Can you please find out if there are other excursions that just haven’t posted? Thank you!

John Says:
Hello Sharon

I just checked and it seems the full list is now available. My apologies for the glitch there. Tabyana Beach is now up and running on the web and here is the main excursion that goes there:

TABYANA BEACH BREAK Tour Duration: At Leisure Spend some time at a place where the jungle meets a powdery white sand beach, with crystal clear waters and some of the world’s finest, most pristine coral at your feet.  You will have access to private sun loungers, fresh water showers with changing/restroom facilities, a local gift shop and a bar. Enjoy the sounds of great Caribbean music and snorkel in the inviting Caribbean waters. Take part in a friendly game of volleyball followed by a cool glass of iced tea or homemade lemonade.  An approximate 30-minute bus ride takes you to the beach with return transportation departing the beach every half hour. NOTE:  Snorkel gear is available for rent at the beach.

I hope this helps and if you have any other questions please let me know

Best wishes
John

Ernie/cruizer4662 Asked:
John, Please reply!!

I have an 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 Says:
Hello Ernie

Thank you so much. I have filed this away and the next time my lap top thingy starts jumping around I will consult the oracle that is Ernie. Thanks for the very kind words and I hope you continue to enjoy the blog thingy.

Best wishes
John

Darlene Asked:

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 Says:
Hello Darlene

How wonderful that you will all be here next week. Please can you make sure that you leave me a note with your names and cabin numbers on when you come on board. You can leave this at the Guest Services Desk. Ahhhh…..Sue Drip. Well my sister and her family are in Barbados on vacation at the moment and she is back in the UK in Essex after three years in Hong Kong. She now commutes into London everyday and works so hard and even though I never tell her this (a brother and sister thing I guess) I am so very proud of her. She is a brilliant person and so outgoing which is why she is so well thought of at her work. She has a hugely stressful job but still finds time to be a great wife and a wonderful Mum to her two children…….my niece and nephew. Maybe someone who is friends on her Facebook Page could paste this there because I probably will forget to tell her how proud I am of her. I will see you next week and I look forward to sharing a brilliant cruise with you all

Best wishes to all
John

Lisa Thorne Asked:
JOHN- PLEASE REPLY

Dear John-

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 My dad’s 58th birthday will be around that time and I would love for you to surprise 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!!

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 Says:
Hello Lisa Thorne

Thanks for finding the blog and taking the time to write. Let’s start with Dad’s worry. Now, I don’t have the schedule here of the games but if it is a game shown on the networks…NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, MTV or the Weather Channel……….then yes……we will have the game shown on the TV’s on the Promenade Deck and in the cabins. If you can send me the two cabin numbers ASAP I will make sure you are sitting together. Please put the words “time sensitive” in the header of your next posting. Dad will have a great time and we will send him something of course. I hope my daughter Kye is a Daddy’s girl as well.

Have a brilliant cruise

Best wishes
John

And that’s your lot for today. More tomorrow.

Yesterday I received a note from two regular bloggers, Linda Mom of DJ and Carolyn and Don. They have just returned from the Carnival Elation and were full of praise for the ship, her crew and especially the CD Felipe Couto. They described him as a “natural” which is high praise indeed from these Platinum and Milestone cruisers who have seen many a cruise director in their time. I will make sure that the right people in Miami see what they have written and of course that Felipe sees them as well. I am very proud of him.

So a quick recap on what’s going on here on the Carnival Splendor. Well the weather has been good so far and today was a beautiful day with crisp blue skies and a temperature warming up to 75 degrees. But it’s the weather that we are all looking at here as you will see from this bulletin from the Captain.

Public Advisory # 8 “on Tropical Storm “FRANK” issued at 08 PDT by the National Hurricane Center. The official forecast calls for the center of “FRANK” to be at a distance of about 200 miles South/South East of Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday, August 25, 2010. At that time, the max wind speed is forecasted to reach 70 knots/h near the center and 34 knots/h winds are expected within the Northerly Quadrants at a distance of about 80/100 miles from the center of “FRANK”. As we stand, we will be able to call regularly at Puerto Vallarta. As for our call at Mazatlan on Thursday, August 26^th, there shouldn’t be any change as well. However our call at Cabo San Lucas on Friday, August 27^th could likely present some difficulties to our Tender Operations, mainly due to the high swells eventually created by “FRANK” on its passage over the waters South of Baja California. We will be closely monitoring the progress of “FRANK”. Should the need for it arise, we will let you know about any change of scheduled itinerary.

So what the Captain is saying here is that he is watching the situation very closely of course and while we expect no problems in P. V. or Mazatlan, the tendering of guests ashore in Cabo may be tricky. I have already let the guests know that we are watching the situation carefully and that their safety is obviously our top priority.

What surprised me was the number of people who said they had no idea that Frank was in the area. Anyway, the most important thing is that I keep them informed and it’s hard to even think about Tropical Storm Bastard ………. sorry…….. Frank ……..when the skies are blue and the sun is shining down on this wonderful ship. Let’s hope as we always do………………for the best.

Meanwhile the shows go on………well mostly. As you saw in yesterday’s blog we have this huge problem with the orchestra pit which means one of our main production shows featuring the dancers and singers …….Vroom…….has had to be canceled. We are awaiting a specialist team to come into PV and do an inspection and hopefully they will be able to do some rapid repairs. But the way my hemorrhoids are itching I have a feeling it may be longer than just a week. I hope I am wrong. I have an extra entertainer flying in, a brilliant juggler called Marcus Raymond who everyone tells me is superb. He will perform in the Vroom slot and to make up for the loss of seeing the cast perform………I will be dancing the Nutcracker…………in a G String.

The guests are having fun and so far we have had much less concerns than we had last week. I do want to say again though how surprised I am that so many of the Californian audience don’t dress formally on elegant night. They don’t wear jeans or anything inappropriate…..they are just…..well ………smart……but casual. I find this quite fascinating.

Well, today is the day and by now many of you will have explored the new Carnival Magic website and seen that fantastic virtual tour thingy that the beards at marketing have put together ……………….what a fantastic job they did. And let’s get all official now and read the official press release from our mate Vance.

Well that should get the heart beating faster. And did you see that stunning fly through the ship that the beards made? It is quite extraordinary that they can do this and what a breathtaking way to discover what our new flag ship is going to be all about. Goodness me……..where do we start?

How about down the pub? Carnival Magic has a pub………brilliant. We have already hired a special entertainer for the RedFrog and I know that what he is going to do, coupled with the RedFrog signature beer and the other pub-style games, events and of course those delicious nibbles we will be serving from there will make this area surely one of the most popular onboard. The RedFrog Pub is designed for fun and relaxation. A chance to sip on a pint of beer and have a chat and with your new friends. And why then would anyone want to spend want to spend any time in the pub…….standing up, doing math…….or playing darts as it’s sometimes called. Because in the video it looked like there was a dart board there.

Did you know that Henry VIII invented darts? Yep the king who had six wives and beheaded most of them invented darts……. probably because he didn’t have cable TV or a Playstationxbox and he needed something to take his mind off an alarming collection of sores that were multiplying in his underpants.

In the UK darts is still popular but nowhere near as popular as when I were a lad. When my mate Alan and I went to the pub we would play darts because we had run out of things to say… But now, anyone who can’t think of what to say to their friends while in a pub can spend their time texting other friends who aren’t there. Even that is better than bloody darts.

Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m not very good at it……..in fact……..like most sports……I am bloody awful. Mostly, I fail to hit the board at all, or the dart bounces back and pierces my shoe. And then I’m expected to stand there, with my foot nailed to the floor, in absolute agony, trying to deduct 13 from 289.

There are calls for darts to be introduced as a sport in the 2012 Olympics in London. But darts isn’t a sport. A sport is something that requires special clothing and equipment and training and exercise and skill and dedication. All you need to play professional darts is a loud shirt that you don’t tuck into your pants, a stomach the size of beer barrel and an idiotic nickname. I guess then based on my own writing………I should fit right into the darts world then.

I am already thinking about what we can do in the RedFrog Pub because a pub isn’t just about the beer, it’s about the atmosphere……hey that rhymes. Games…we have to have games…. pub games are a lot of fun and I think we should have them in the RedFrog. The good old pub has long been the place for games. In olden times, the pub was the venue for a horrific sports such as cock fighting to ease the stresses of the day……..mmmmmmm…….not sure if we should bring that back. More recently, less gruesome activities like skittles kept punters happy while they awaited the invention of non-stop televised sports……..oh hold on……note to self ……. we will need some Plasma TV’s there…….pubs and sports go together like eggs and bacon or Latvian women and suspenders. How about chess and backgammon?

One game we must have in the RedFrog……..is dominoes. If you were to look at any Caribbean pub or indeed pop down to the crew bars on our ships you will find people playing dominoes. It’s as Caribbean as sun, palm trees and Diamonds International. But they don’t just play dominoes. Oh no, they slam the pieces down with all their might and ask someone from Jamaica, Bahamas or Latin America and they will tell you say “Dominoes is life……. a good game is when you can hear them slappin’ the table a mile away………..mon.” So, dominoes………..got to have dominoes and a domino tournament on a lazy sea day accompanied by some conch fritters and a pint …….. how does that sound?

It’s going to be a Caribbean style pub that as I mentioned will be called The RedFrog. Pub names are great. We have lots of pubs where I live. We have the Pig and Whistle, The Wild Duck, The George and Dragon and Alan’s favourite, The Cliff. But we also have one that has been around for years……it’s called The Queen’s Legs. The sign features a painting of Queen Victoria pulling up her long black dress to reveal a pair of hairy legs. It’s a very popular pub and of course the locals will always go a few minutes before service starts………just so they can say that they are “waiting for the Queen’s Legs to open.”

I thing the Red Frog looks brilliant in the video and I have to say…..I am very excited about this super new addition.

The whole competition aspect is I think superb and I love the fact that you…….yes you …….. have multiple chances to leave an everlasting impression on the ship. I hope you are all going to enter

That’s a lot to take in and a lot to excited about. The contests are brilliant and I hope you will all take the time to have some fun and enter them. Someone is going to leave a permanent mark on their Carnival Magic, it might as well be you. Go on……..have a go. This going to be a fantastic ship and along with the new features and of course the ones that were such a hit on your Carnival Dream such as The Lanai, Ocean Plaza, the huge children’s areas and of course the fact that we will be sailing in Europe once again, a Carnival Magic cruise is going to be just brilliant.

Over the next few weeks I will chat with you about some of the new areas including the water park, the Italian style family restaurant and indeed the ports of call she will be visiting.

One area I don’t intend to talk about though is that rope deck swing thingy. I am sure right now that hundreds of you are jumping up and down in excitement about this new addition and the first of its kind at sea. Yep, those of you who enjoy something I believe is called physical exercise, pushing your bodies to the limit and drinking Aligatorade. and there is no doubt that this will be an absolute hit with our guests. But of course there is a problem. That’s because one of those people who will love this is our President and CEO Gerry Cahill. Now that’s all well and good. If Mr. Cahill wants to go swinging from rope to rope than that’s fine.

But it won’t be will it……because just liked he dragged me to the top of your Carnival Dream‘s water slide and made me race him down and then had me do the Twister thingy that resulted in my shorts falling off…..I know already that he will expect my fat arse to be swinging on a sodding rope with him like some fat Tarzan in leopard skin shorts.

Oh joy.

Goodnight
Your friend
John

P.S. Over the weekend we reached 7 million hits on our blog. Thank you all so very, very much.