Today’s blog starts off with an apology……………….well…………..sort of.
J.J. Asked:
John,I have been reading your blog off and on since the fire on the Splendor. I have never cruised on a Carnival boat but was intrigued as to how you were handling the situation. Apart from the unnecessary sexual overtones your commentary was well written and that has kept me coming back on occasion to read your blog. Then tonight I read your praise of Ricky Gervais and that has prompted me to write to you.
I am an actor myself and have a regular part in a popular soap and although not yet a household name I am certain that one day I will be. Ricky Gervais is a cruel person. It was a night of cheap shots, from a cheap man. How embarrassing to have this loathsome individual representing you Brits in the USA. And you supported him in your blog. Gervais deals in a type of cheap humor that I loathe and that you honor. This must mean that you are the same when you perform on your cruise ship then and that means that I will make sure myself and all my many friends in Hollywood know never to cruise with you. Gervais is now the most hated man in Hollywood and anyone that supports him is not far behind. I cannot believe a major corporation allows you to write what you do. The American press has ridiculed this poisonous man and you insulted me and my fellow actors. You are as disgusting a man as he is if you think that he was funny.
J.J.
John Says:
Hello J.J.,First of all J.J. I want to thank you for taking the time to write and for reading the blog which in your busy schedule must be difficult. I would like to first of all state that although I do write about my life as a Carnival employee and their brand ambassador this is my own personal blog. It is also a place where opinions are written. Not just mine but anyone who wishes to share their views on life, cursing, Carnival and of course…….me. You know………we Brits are an aggressive species. Nowhere else on earth, with the possible exception of Judge Judy’s court room, is highlighting people’s shortcomings so accepted. British humour (spelt correctly) is based on sarcasm but I admit it can sometimes come across as cruel.
And Ricky Gervais may have come across as cruel at times but……and again…….this is just my opinion…..it was a cool place to be cruel. However wonderful the massed ranks of Hollywood royalty might have felt as they sipped Cristal champagne and nibbled on little caviar thingies, by the time Ricky Gervais had finished with them they may have realised that like fat people, bald people, Muslims, Jewish, Christians, the Irish, the Polish and pretty much everyone else in the universe, they can be the subject matter for comedy.
Gervais’s speech wasn’t designed, in award ceremony tradition, to flatter or to have Hollywood fall in love with him it was straightforward comedic carnage, designed to deliver a quick kick up Hollywood’s glamorous arse and bring a group of people who live with their heads in the clouds back down to earth. A friend of mine Al Ernst who is a stand up comedian once said to me that the best comedians only say the things we dare not. That’s exactly what Ricky Gervais did. I guess he bit the hand that feeds him………but I think he will survive. I wish you much success in your career and hope you will still find time to read the blog thingy.
Best wishes
John
Let’s crack on with some more Q and A
Bobby C Asked:
Hi John…please replyI am, indeed, one of your many fans and an avid Carnival traveller. I’ve been on 12 Carnival cruises and I must say… Carnival’s the BEST! We will be celebrating our wedding anniversary on the Valor on March 26th 2011 and I need some advice. There are 38 of us on this cruise that “met” each other on one of the websites and we are looking for a gathering place on the ship. What area(s) do you recommend? The bar on Lido deck is always so busy… I’ve been going over the deck plans but I don’t know if there are any areas off limits or closed. I believe Monday 27th, would be the best day for everyone to meet… like maybe 2:00 pm?? But I just can’t figure out where. I talked to Guest Services about a private area but I have to guarantee a specific number of people and pay for 1 hour open bar… can’t quite afford to do that!! So… what do you think? I’m open to suggestions…
John Says:
Hello Bobby C,Please send me the name of your group and I will organize something for you. I suggest you meet in the piano bar or the conference room and I will see what is available. So, please send me the info plus your cabin number and I will make sure you have a place to meet. Please send me this information the week before you sail and I will make sure you are all happy. Best wishes and thanks for your loyalty to Carnival.
John
Cynthia Sanders Hood Asked:
Hello John – Please Reply,First a huge THANK YOU for all that you do! I wrote to you back in March regarding my cruise on the Carnival Paradise out of Long Beach, CA, on November 29 – December 3rd. I was concerned about my food allergies, and you had someone from the CARE Team contact me regarding them. I want to comment about that, and also about our experience on the Paradise.
Embarkation – We did early check-in on the Queen Mary, and it was ridiculously painless! We had our Sign and Sail cards, and luggage checked-in in less than 20 minutes. After our number was called, we were on the ship in less than 15 minutes. It was a wonderful experience, and I want to say kudos to everyone on the ground there.
Our Stateroom – We had an Inside Cabin with Porthole Windows. It was a huge room that was extremely clean, and very comfortable. Our cabin attendants were excellent! I can honestly say that it was perfect.
The Main Dining Room – We had Your Time Dining in the Elation, and we loved it! We were able to get a table for two each time we went, and the food was wonderful! We ate breakfast and dinner there each day and here’s where I have to say that Carnival exceeded my expectations. My allergies were listed in the computer, and Petra, (who says “Hello,” she sailed with you on the Conquest) was an absolute delight to work with! I could not have been in safer hands. My expectation was that Carnival would say, “You can’t have that because it has an allergen in it, let’s pick something else” but instead, Petra said, “you tell me how you want it made, and we’ll make it that way for you!” I was able to eat everything that I wanted off of the menu, tailored to my allergies. It was the best dining experience I’ve had since being diagnosed with food allergies. I also want to say that Edgar was an outstanding waiter, and an absolute delight! He is simply wonderful, as were the other dining room staff. The Table Magicians were also excellent, and we really enjoyed them!
The Comedy Club – We went to the R Rated Comedy Show, and enjoyed it immensely. I was at first a bit concerned about the R Rating, but soon realized that it was for language, and not uncomfortable subject matter. It was a lot of fun, and I think it’s a great addition to the night time entertainment.
The CD – Felipe Couto – I had previously sailed with Felipe on the Fantasy out of Port Canaveral about 5-6 years ago, and loved him then. I was excited that he was on the Paradise, and I have to tell you that he is still doing an excellent job! He is brilliant!
Behind the Fun Tour – We took this tour on the last sea day, and I have to tell you that it’s worth every penny, and more. It was truly a wonderful experience, and Erin, our tour guide, was absolutely perfect. We enjoyed every moment of the tour, and it was evident that Carnival put a lot of thought and time into tailoring the tour to what guests are interested in. We had a blast, and will recommend it to everyone.
There isn’t really any constructive criticism that I can give you regarding the Paradise, and that’s a plus in my book! We had an excellent cruise, and are already booked for next November on the Liberty out of Miami for the Eastern Caribbean.
Please accept my gratitude for helping me with my food allergies, and please do let the Paradise staff know that they were simply the best!
Cynthia Sanders Hood
John Says:
Hello Cynthia Sanders Hood,There really isn’t much for me to write here except to say that this was an absolutely brilliant review. You have no idea how much joy it brings me and the senior beards who read this blog thingy everyday when they see that both shore side and shipboard employees made this such a brilliant experience for you. I will make sure that everyone mentioned gets to see your words of praise. I hope you are already thinking about what ship to cruise on next and when you do please know that I remain here at your service should you need me.
Best wishes
JohnCharlena Bryant Asked:
*Please Reply*I will be sailing on the Legend 2/27/2011…will there be the opportunity to donate to St. Jude on that cruise? Your blog had me in tears! I am so thankful that I had 2 healthy girls!
John Says:
Hello Charlena Bryant,Yes Charlena there will be. At the moment we have something called Groove for St Jude which invites everyone to donate $10 to the children’s research hospital. For this money you get a T-shirt and a wrist band. I am in the process of working out a new onboard activity and will put this in place when I join the Carnival Freedom. I to give thanks each and every day that my daughter is healthy and I remember each and every day the poor children I saw whose young lives hang in the balance. Thank you for your kindness and I hope you have a brilliant time on the Carnival Legend. Best wishes to you and the family.
John
ITCruiser Asked:
John REPLY PLEASE.I don’t know if you read the discussion boards on Cruise Critic but if you don’t you should. The big topic today is how Carnival is going cheap on us with more and more cutbacks each week. Calypso bands, chocolates on the pillows, pins at the past guest reception and now the coupon book has gone as well.
John Says:
Hello ITCruiser,I have seen a lot of these comments in the past weeks and I guess that someone started a rumour over there that others have picked up on. We still have the chocolate mints on the pillows and we have a Calypso duo playing on the lido deck. I want to point out that the change from a four piece band to a duo was not a cutback but a reutilisation of resources. You see, we can only hire crew subject to the number of beds we have onboard. It was felt that we needed a new duo or extra soloist on Promenade Deck and in the lobby. So a decision was made to hire these people and so that we could accommodate them onboard we changed our four-piece bands on lido to duos. Now I am very confused about the coupon book you mentioned. I am not familiar with this so please can you let me know more so I can look into this further?
Best wishes
JohnDana T Asked:
John – PLEASE REPLYI’ve seen so much about St. Jude lately, not just from Carnival, but hadn’t really followed it all, so thanks to your blog thingy, I am now a bit more educated. Thank you. Now, for my request and then a bit of a review (though my writing is far from all the eloquent reviews I’ve seen on here, so please bear with me):
Request: I’ve not seen a request like this before, so I’m getting it in (probably too) early, and will send it again sometime in 2/2011, unless I see a response from you before that…My hubby & I just sailed on the Spirit and our waiters were (of course) wonderful. It turns out that the asst. waiter, I Putu Epi, will be moving to the Triumph out of New Orleans soon and it just so happens we’ve got another cruise planned on that ship leaving 3/12/2011 (Room 6266). Is there anyway the maitre d can make sure we get a table assigned to I Putu? We have late dining confirmed and we never care what table or how many seats, so maybe this is do-able?
Review: We sailed on the Spirit (11/12/2010, Room 8191, Table 231 late seating) out of San Diego, so we got to see the Splendor docked next to us after it was towed to port. I’d been following your blog, and found myself tearing up when I got my first glimpse of the Splendor. What a story…I almost wished we’d been on the Splendor for the experience, to have sailed with you, and certainly for the generous compensation those passengers received afterward. Then again, we had such a good time on the Spirit, I’m glad it worked for us the way it did!
We pretty much loved everyone we came in contact with on the Spirit, guests and Carnival staff alike, but especially want to recognize: 1) Sergio & I Putu, our wait staff. They were efficient, friendly, and good sports when our new friends at the table next to us got crazy. 2) Kade and Made, who kept our room spotless and made the best towel animals. One night we thought they’d forgotten our animal, but then there it was–a hanging monkey. 3) Calvin–I don’t know his title, but he introduced the comedy acts and also called bingo games and trivia contests. His sense of humor (spelled correctly) is so endearing. 4) Weezey (sp?) the asst. CD who was also personable and fun. 5) Jen Baxter, CD, who was a crackup in the Dolly Parton skit, and I loved the queen’s wave thing. 6) Victor in the casino, who was so friendly during the slot tournament (where I actually got to the finals!!!).
We went on the Behind the Fun tour on our last sea day, and boy-oh-howdy, that was fun. Seeing the bridge and meeting the captain was probably the most impressive part of the tour. But all the other areas of the ship were just as interesting and I’ve decided I want one of those sheet ironing machines, though I don’t know where I will keep it.
The food was excellent–I can’t even pick just one favorite meal–and as much as we want to try the Steakhouse, we just haven’t because we always know the food in the dining room will be wonderful.
All in all, another great cruise and we can’t wait for our next one.
John Says:
Hello Dana T,That’s two great reviews today and all the people you took the time to mention will soon be reading this posting and will have huge smiles on their faces for sure. It is so important that we hear when we make mistakes or when our guests see opportunities for improvement but is absolutely brilliant when people like you take the time to write a testimony of praise. I have sent your request to the maitre d on the Carnival Triumph so that he can do his best to have I Putu Epi assigned to serve you dinner. I hope you have a brilliant time and I shall look forward to reading that review as well.
best wishes
JohnMatt Torey Asked:
Hi John, Please replyMy wife Kerrie and I recently did our 4th Carnival Cruise on the Liberty. We realized that with so many staff on board there must be a whole world below decks that we never see. Are you able to shed some light on the typical day of a staff member, time off, roster etc and a little about the staff that serve the staff??
John Says:
Hello Matt Torey,I am so glad you enjoyed your cruise on the Carnival Liberty. You asked about the crew and their hours. Well, every crew member has to clock in and out just like many work places on land. We do this through a system called Fun Time which keeps track of crew members’ work hours. One of the reasons for this is because we have to make sure that crew are not over worked and too exhausted to assist in an emergency. Let me explain. Before the waiter is a waiter, before a dancer is a dancer or a cruise director a cruise director we are seamen….that didn’t sound right ………let’s try that again. Before the waiter is a waiter, before a dancer is a dancer or a cruise director a cruise director we are sailors and the safety of the guests is every crew member’s primary concern.
Therefore, if a crew member has worked so many hours that he or she is exhausted and then the ship gets into difficulty (touch wood) then that crew member will be too tired to help the guests or themselves. This obviously was put to the test last November on the Carnival Splendor and it was a test that the crew passed perfectly.
Now don’t get me wrong. Working on a cruise ship regardless of the position still requires some long hours however we always make sure that the crew do get time off. For example: The waiter has to be there to serve you dinner of course but at least once a week that waiter will not be scheduled to work breakfast or lunch thus giving them a big chunk of time off to go ashore and do what the crew do .
As for who serves the crew? Well there are three dining rooms on board each of our ships. There is a crew dining room which is self-service, the staff and entertainment dining room and the officer’s dining room which has waiter service. This is where the waiters are trained before they go to the Lido or main dining rooms. On my last ship I was served by a young chap from Jamaica called Raul. Next week Raul will be going to the guest dining room to work as an assistant waiter. However, this week I noticed as he was bringing in my dinner that he had his thumb in the middle of my steak. I said, “Raul, you have your thumb on my steak.” He said, “Well, I didn’t want to drop it again, mon.” Whatever the position the crew on a Carnival ship are the best there is and I am proud to work alongside them.Best wishes
JohnSgtGlenn Asked:
John, (Please Reply)Thank you for all you do, I read some very nice comments from passengers on the Splendor. It’s nice to see there are still people out there that can find the silver lining. I am writing to because I was told that you are the person to contact in reference to making a reservation for the Chef’s table on an upcoming cruise. We are sailing on the Carnival Dream April 16th 2011, I would like to see about possibly getting a reservation for two (2) for the Chef’s table on Thursday April 21st 2011. This will be our fourth cruise with Carnival, I was not aware about the Chef’s table until I joined the Cruise Critic board and was told about what a great experience it was.
John Says:
Hello SgtGlenn,Thanks for those kind words sir and I am glad to read that there are still so many positives about reading the boards on Cruise Critic. Moist of the time I only get to reply to the comments and rumours that are of a negative nature that come from there. However, you have shown that by reading the reports about the brilliant Chef’s Table, you have decided to book it for yourself. I will make sure I reserve you 2 places for your Carnival Dream cruise but need your cabin number and your full name please so can you send that via the blog? Thanks so much.
Best wishes and have a brilliant time.
JohnEve Lawrenson Asked:
John Reply Requested,I will be sailing with my husband on the Splendor on April 23rd. My husband does not like talking to strangers and so I will need a table for 2 min a quiet place in the restaurant. We had an awful experience on the Legend when the people at the table with us were loud and drunk alcohol with every meal. This ruined our cruise. We must have a table for 2. We are in cabin 1377.
Eve and Martin Lawrenson
John Says:
Hello Eve,I have written to the maitre d of the Carnival Splendor even though he is not onboard as the ship is heading to San Francisco for continuing repairs. He will be back though before the ship sails again on February 20 and I know he will do his best to get you a table for 2.
Best wishes
JohnCarolyn in NC Asked:
Hello John, Please reply!I have good and bad to share. I just returned from my first Carnival cruise on the Fantasy on her 7 day 11/20 sailing. Our family of four had a MARVELOUS time. Rodney, our room steward, was tip top, as was Gerardo, Meynard & I Kadek who served us most nights in the Celebration dining room during My Time Dining. The MDR food was OUTSTANDING, especially Chef’s Table, which I thank you VERY MUCH for helping us get a reservation. In addition, I came home with many fabulous photos of my kids & family thanks to the staff photographers. Some people have a bar bill, I had a photo bill. My youngest and I did the Behind the Fun tour, and Kitty was a great tour leader.
The not so good. I am the one who booked our cruise, paid for it, filled out all the documents. I was so looking forward to the emailed customer survey so I could share about those who made our vacation so special. Imagine my annoyance when I discovered I didn’t get one, but my husband did. He filled it out not realizing it was our survey, before I knew about it. I’m angry that Carnival picked the “man” on the reservation, instead of the person who booked the cruise, and paid for it. Why didn’t both adults get one? I’m all for going green and keeping up with technology, but Carnival blew it on this one.
Last, our PVP booked us as both adults in one cabin, and both kids in the other, connecting cabin. She offered this, we did not ask, but agreed as it was how we planned to sleep, and saved us a trip to the guest services desk to swap folks. The negative? Since there was no adult on the kids’ reservation, I was unable to register them for the Camp Carnival & Circle C in advance. I called Carnival, and they were unable to assist. Please send this to the beards — I would have much preferred to do that paperwork prior to vacation.
In summary, we had a great time, and plan to sail with Carnival again; I hope my comments will help Carnival improve on an already great experience. Thanks for listening.
John Says:
Hello Carolyn in NC,Yesterday on my Facebook page I wrote how frustrated I was at our current review card system. It appears that despite checking the right boxes on the booking form too many people are not getting the forms e-mailed to them. I will talk to the beards about this again and I will also mention the point you raised as well because it is an absolute valid one. I was so glad that overall your first cruise was a positive one and that you had fun. I was glad to have been able to help and will be here again to do so the next time you cruise with us. Thanks again for the great review and I will pass it on to all the right people.
Best wishes to you and your family.
John
William Steadman Allen Asked:
I wanted to thank you for arranging for me to scatter my wife’s ashes at sea. A special thank you goes to Iris at the guest services and Luca the environmental officer both of who were so kind.
Carla and I were married for 43 years and had been on 9 Carnival cruises together and this one on Inspiration would have been her tenth and she would have been a platinum cruiser. It was very hard being on my own and I am not sure if I can cruise again as the memories are too clear of the wonderful times we had together. We cruised with you John on the Triumph in 2001 and you were the best cruise director of course and my wife always said how the others did not compare to you.
She loved cruising, loved Carnival and loved being at sea. Sea days were her favorite part and that’s why scattering Carla’s ashes at sea was so special. Thank you John for allowing me to do this. My world is now one only of sadness, Carla was my everything and I feel so alone without her.
Sincerely
William Steadman AllenJohn Says:
Hello William Steadman Allen,This was a very difficult post to write I imagine and in all honesty it is not easy to find the right words in my reply. All I can do is hope that the memories of the fun and laughter you shared in your 43 years together remain with you always and that you know that today, thousands of blog readers are thinking about you. I will let Iris and Luca know how much you appreciated their help. We are all thinking of you and we all send you our very best wishes.
John
And that’s all for today.
I think we all need to take a break so while I go off and write an e-mail to William I will leave you in the company of the ACD on the Carnival Triumph. Here then is Cory Rogers.
My name is Cory Rogers but because I look like the offspring of Drew Carey and Peter Griffin from “Family Guy,” I am known as Cory “Family Guy” Rogers. I am from Memphis, Tennessee, Born and raised and I am the only child of John and Laura Rogers. My mom is a “stay-at-home-mom” and takes care of our 5, yes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Chihuahuas named: Halo, Harley, Heidi, Holly and Heather and we have little Hannah on the way. My dad is a writer/safety trainer for the Valero oil refinery, and he has been down there for over 40 years.
I attended the University of Memphis aiming for a degree in biology and then nursing school. And while in school I went on many Carnival cruises with family and friends, and that’s when I fell in love with the ocean. Yes I wanted to be a dolphin, but when I realized science could only take me so far I decided to work on a cruise ship instead.
The last cruise I took before working for Carnival I was in the Carnival Legends show as Ricky Martin. While I was backstage goofing around with the entertainment staff and cruise director, I knew that this was my calling. Three weeks later I was on my first ship, the Carnival Ecstasy, out of Galveston, Texas.During my first Welcome Aboard Show, literally seconds before my first host introduction, the cruise director tells me that I remind him of Peter Griffin from Family Guy, and I have played off this ever since. Back when I was in high school I was member of a club called HOSA. (Health Occupations Students of America) I was our high school chapter president and during my junior year I was elected Tennessee State President which was a huge honor. That year the HOSA National Conference was held in Nashville, Tennessee and it brought in over 15,000 students, adults and sponsors. I was given word 2 weeks before this that I was responsible for giving the welcoming speech to the entire conference. I WAS FREAKING OUT!!!! I had never been on a microphone before. So I prepared night and day for 2 weeks for this speech and when my time had come to shine I took the stage started the speech and in front of 15,000 people I locked my legs and passed out cold. After this I was in charge of holding leadership conferences and team building meetings and all of this is the reason for who I am today.
So now I have been an assistant cruise director since June 2010, and I love everything about this job. I love to meet thousands of different people every week and then have the challenge of being “entertaining.” My favorite thing to do on ships is “Cory’s Thriller Dance Class.” Listen, don’t judge this Drew Carey look alike by its cover, I can SHAKE IT!!!!! My dance class takes place on the main stage and has an attendance of about 200 people every week. I meet repeat guest who have sailed with many times before and they still attend and love every minute.
The one thing I look forward to is working my way up to becoming a cruise director. I had my first chance during Halloween for 2 weeks this year and it was amazing. I had so much fun doing it I cannot wait do be doing it for real. One of the best times to cruise is during Halloween. I was Iron Man for Halloween this year. The Iron Man suit itself was bought at Wal-Mart made for a child ages 10-14 husky, I can honestly say that it was a tight fit.
The overall moral of what I am trying to say is that I cannot wait to become cruise director. I have had the pleasure of working under some of the best cruise directors in the fleet. My best friend Kevin Nooooooonan, Butch Begovich, Mark Price, Jeremy “Big Tex” Mayes, Steve Knisley, Ryan “Guitar Hero God” Fitzgerald, Kirk Benning, Goose Neuman and Tory Secoy. I have learned so much from them and look forward to learning more and more every day.
I am currently on the Carnival Triumph until January 22, 2011, and then I am going on vacation. I will then join the Carnival Conquest on March 27, 2011 for a 7 month tour of duty. So far in my many adventures with Carnival Cruise Lines I have been on many ships and travelled all over. I have been on the West Coast out of San Diego and travelled all up and down the Mexican Riviera, travelled most of the Caribbean; East and West and in January of 2010 I had the amazing opportunity to be docked in downtown Vancouver, Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics. I was on the Carnival Elation at the time and we were just housing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP’s) for 6 weeks. I had the chance to attend many of the events ranging from the games themselves to victory ceremonies both in town and up at Whistler Mountain. I went skiing for the first time up at Whistler after watching a hour long tutorial on “How to Ski.” From personal experience I recommend taking lessons instead of just watching YouTube.
I love working for Carnival Cruise Lines and look forward to many more years of FUN!!!!!!!!!!!
I have not worked with Cory but from what I have heard that is a real shame. He has a fabulous reputation and is known as someone with boundless energy. All the makings of a great future cruise director.
Just a couple of things that I mentioned on Facebook yesterday. Firstly the Cabanas at Half Moon Cay. As you may all now realise you can book these online which is something that I know many have wanted for some time. A question arose on Facebook which I checked with our vice president of shore excursions. The question was could specific cabanas be reserved online. The answer to this is no….but I was told by my colleague in Miami that if you do reserve one online that you can go to the shore excursion desk onboard and the staff there will do their best to note and reserve the one you want. Now this is done on a first come first served basis and they cannot always guarantee that you get the one you want but…….they will certainly try. If you have any questions of thoughts about this please let me know.
Secondly there is the subject of the Carnival Spirit. I was asked repeatedly on FB since announcing the ship will head to Australia in 2012, if there will be a repositioning cruise that gives our guests a chance to sail from North America to exotic ports of call before arriving in Australia. The answer is yes, there will be but I don’t have any other details just yet. I don’t know when and I don’t know what ports she will call at on the way. I do know though that this will be one heck of a special cruise and for those who like the longer voyages………..well this will be perfect for you. As soon as I know more………..so will you.
I couldn’t sleep last night. There are no reasons why. Sleep avoided me like movie offers will no doubt ignore Ricky Gervais. So I went downstairs and at 2:40am I turned on the TV. I flicked through dozens of infomercials including one self help thingy that for a moment I thought was being hosted by Richard Kiel who played Jaws in the Bond movies of old…turned out it wasn’t him. Not wanting to pay £99 for a series of DVD’s that would help me to become a better person and a millionaire all in three months I flicked over to the Home Shopping Network where the actress who played Bobby Ewing’s wife, Pam, was selling me some face cream that would make me look younger and if that didn’t work she suggested that I take a shower where like her husband did in Dallas I would find that I wasn’t really an ugly fat bastard hated by soap opera actors….. but in fact……..it was just a dream.
Finally during my channel hoping I struck gold….Laurel and Hardy gold… a film called Sons of the Desert. I have always loved Laurel and Hardy and that look of despair that Ollie gives the camera is pure genius. In Sons of the Desert our buddies try and get some time away from their domineering wives or “bitches” as they would be called today in street slang. They feign illness to get to go to on a boys trip to Honolulu and chaos obviously follows. As I watched I learned that men of today could learn from Laurel and Hardy …. for example kicking your wife in the arse was acceptable and never marry a woman who is a crack shot with a rifle.
It’s been a strange sort of blog today hasn’t it. And as I write this nonsense about what was on TV in the early hours of the morning all I can really think about is poor William Steadman Allen and my answer to his posting was so short and I feel it wasn’t enough. How do you cope with such a loss? So many happy memories that are now such sad ones.
William, I do have one suggestion. Why not write a posting here on the blog all about beautiful Carla and tell us everything you ever did on a Carnival cruise?
Why not tell the thousands of readers what made her the most fantastic wife who ever lived. We would love to know more about her and the one thing I know from my own experiences is that writing things down………really helps. I know you are sad William but I believe that one day the sadness will ease. You haven’t got there yet………….but you will.
Today’s blog then is dedicated to the memory of Carla Steadman Allen who like everyone here loved cruising, loved Carnival…….and loved the sound of the sea. We think of her and William tonight.
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,
Thank you for being a defender of the fat and bald!
Randall, a fat and bald man who will never get to rub shoulders with elite soap opera actors.
i love Rickey!
OMG! he was so funny at the Golden Globes, and hey you J.J don’t taker your job to seriously. Rickey is a comedian… he is paid to be funny, just like you are paid to be dull. : )
Ricky is my hero! What other professionals, besides entertainers, think they deserve an entire series of award shows to boost their egos and careers?
One of my favorite quotes is, “Laugh at yourself, and you’ll never run out of material.” Hollywood and its devotees need to put on their big boy pants and get over it.
Hi John,
You are correct on Ricky Gervais. Funny how when they roast celebraties on the Comedy Channel, they say a whole lot worst. Plus if she doesnt cruise, it will save you from being filed with another lawsuit.
Dave
John:
JJ reminds me of typical Hollywood. They love to dish it out. They love to tell everyone else how they should live their lives and how important they are. But they just can’t handle the truth. The truth is that they put their pants on (when they aren’t whoring around) just like everyone else.
I suggest that they “put their big girl panties on” and deal with hearing the truth for a change. ( I know…..a rare commodity in Hollywood)
LOVE CORY. We had the pleasure of sailing with him in October on a back to back (we seem to be doing a lot of those lately) and he ROCKS!
Since he is from Memphis, we are all going to get together for lunch during his time off. I can’t wait. John, if you have not had the opportunity to work with him….you are missing out.
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
Amen!
I cannot agree MORE!!!
Dear John, I have just recently been enjoying your blog. I will be on my 11 carnival cruise with my husband who will be on 10 and becomes platium. We are celebrating 25 anniversary and was wondering if you could make sure we can get reserved for the behind the scenes tour. I know my husband will love it. I know there is only so much room and I really would like to do this. We are sailing on Legend 2/20/2011 Thanks so much and keep up what you are doing and that goes for everyone at carnival. Thanks Carol Cornell
Dear Mr. Allen:
Please let me be among the many members of this Blog Family to let you know how sorry we are to hear of your loss.
We would indeed love to hear all about Mrs. Allen. Personally, I think we honor those that we love, who have passed away, each and every time we share their life story with others.
I know it can be difficult for friends to know what (or what not) to say. So if we just embrace her memory and share it, then she is always here with you. She sounds like a wonderful lady to have been married to such an exceptional gentleman.
Linda (Mom of DJ)
Well said Linda. Compassionately, John shows why he is so good at his job. It was a class act for Carnival to give Mr. Allen the closure he needed to honor Carla’s love for cruising and the sea.
Mr. Allen, please know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of many others who also love to cruise.
Exceptionally well said Linda. You took the words right out of my mouth…
Our thoughts are with you Mr Allen…
What a shame it is that a professional actor is so buried in Hollywood that he can not understand humor, or humour, outside the Hollywood shell. Has this gentleman never watched Monty Python or pretty much any of the comedy on the BBC?
Although I didn’t watch the Goldy Globes I did see Ricky Gervais’ comments on the morning news. I’ve got to admit that it caused me to laugh out loud. There’s no one, especially in Hollywood, who is so powerful and awe inspiring that they’re immune from having a little fun poked at them. Lighten up, Mr. Serious Actor Who Is Not A Household Name. You’ll last longer in the business.
I have had many nights like your’s John. I often end up watching Mr Laural and Mr Hardy and occasionally the Three Stooges. There’s also TMC that show brilliant moves from the 30′s and 40′s. Good stuff done by actors who never took themselves too seriously.
All the best to you, my friend, Heidi and Kye!
Ciao!
Host Mach
Personally, I LOVED hearing Ricky Gervais’ pot shots/jokes! It made the award ceremony bearable and humorous! As for some folks not liking John’s particular brand of humor – no big deal. He is who he is and if it weren’t for his particular brand of humor and quick wit, he wouldn’t be in the position he is today. A lot of people never care for the current President of the US, but that doesn’t stop them from being a US citizen. I was on the Splendor 1 cruise prior to her mishap – and JH was an amazing cruise director! Wake up in the morning, turn on the TV and there he is. Great way to start the morning. JH is a fat bloke who pokes as much fun at himself as he does others – I respect and admire that. I, myself, am what I call a UFO… Ugly, Fat, Old – and I refer to myself as Don Juan…. the ladies “don juan” nothing to do with me – but that’s ok!
To John – I will be taking my 10th cruise within the next 5 months or so (along with my wife who has 12). Not sure where you will be then, but if we can swing it, I’d love to be on your ship again – but if not, no big deal as I don’t care where I’m at as long as I’m on a Carnival Cruise ship!
Fair winds and following seas!
John…..
You are truely a wonderful man…Thank you….I do hope Wlliam writes about his beloved… he may help others in the process…WE would love to hear the memories..
Thanks again,
Cheria
For William Steadman Allen: You are a fortunate man to have loved and had the love of a lifetime for over 40 years. I think if we readers of this blog had known your Carla, we would have loved her, too.
Thanks John for sharing his letter.
Elaine Onstad
I’m thinking of you too William Steadman Allen and so very sorry for your loss.
And then there is JJ…get over it.
Bravo John,Im so happy you asked William Steadman Allen to write about his wife of 43 years ,we would love to honour her memory and hear of their life together perhaps it will nudge us all to appreciate our family and live life to the fullest like William and Carla……
-Sandra
Mr. Allen,
Always always talk, write and think of your lovely Carla. I lost my 17 year old daughter 7 1/2 years ago and there is not a day that goes by that she is not thought about, talked about or written about. I know everyone grieves in their own way, but putting someone out of sight and mind does not seem to be the right way. As they say, they may be gone but they are never forgotten. Hugs to you they are so comforting.
Margie Tracy
I can’t help but see the irony in the fact that the soap actor doesn’t like your “unnecessary sexual overtones”. Perhaps he should quit his day job!
Hilarious!!
To ITCruiser – Carnival still puts the chocolate mints on the pillows at night. The ship’s pins are given out to Platinum and Milestone cruisers only since a lot of them ended up in the trash. We’ve been on 23 Carnival cruises and have never seen a coupon book. This covers the time from 1994 through December, 2010 so maybe you have Carnival mixed up with another line.
In IT’s defence, (though I too am sick of all the rumours on Cruise Critic, and the dimwit’s that perpetuate them even after they have been corrected on CC).
I have on rare occasions had a coupon book in my cabin. I’ve only seen them 2 or 3 times in my 21 cruises. They generally have discounts on photo’s or jewelry. I may even have one in a scrapbook at home. I’ll check tonight after work.
On my first Carnival cruise in 2001 we did get a coupon book. It had maybe 3-4 coupons in it and I don’t think we used any of them! I disagree about the pins – I have one from every ship we have been on. That is up until our Splendor cruise last Sept. It was there I found out that only platinum cruisers got them. Maybe they could give people the option of getting one. I really don’t think people would throw them away ( but I have seen some on ebay!) A very nice man (fellow cruiser) in the MDR went and got pins for us after we told him that we had all of them up til now – so our collection is still intact. Cruise #8 is this summer!
They do sell a ship pin in the gift shop, but it’s not the nice enamel kind that the Platinum cruisers still get. I think they are all gold toned and larger.
I’m not sure why they needed to change the design on the pins you can purchase. I think that many more people would buy the nicer looking ones. If I were not already Platinum I wouldn’t purchase the new goldtone pin, but I might purchase the original design.
Janey,
I agree with you….I didnt understand the need to redesign the pin as that is not what people wanted. They wanted to be able to purchase the original design.
i had just started my collection of pins and was delighted when i got one on my last cruise on the legend, now i found that ive misplaced all of them. Is there a way to order some , and pay of course, replacements?
Hi John,
One of the TOP sporting events in the world is the Daytona 500 on February 20th. What’s the chances we will be able to watch this on the BIG SCREEN on the Destiny?
Since it is a day race….that may make it more difficult to have it broadcast on the big screen, since not all cruisers are race fans.
IF they are able to put it on the big screen, I would expect it to be without the sound…so that the cruise music by the bands that so many cruisers love is not interrupted.
The good news is that hopefully it will be on in other areas around the ship.
Linda
In response to J.J’s comments…many Hollywood actors (Al Pacino, Jon Stewart, Larry King, Christian Bale just to name a few) have come forward in support of Ricky Gervais and all thought he was hilarious!
First I’d like to acknowledge the review where I Putu was praised. There aren’t enough nice things to say about this young man. I was fortunate enough to have his services a few years ago aboard the Carnival Glory and when speaking of Carnival cruises his is the first name I bring up (there are loads of others, but he is my favorite ! )
Second, I wish to extend sympathies to William. As can be said: “Been there, done that”. After sixteen years I still remember every day. The difference is that now I can remember with a smile. Yes, it takes time. You were so lucky to have Carla for those 43 years. Celebrate her life. And, yes, share your memories with others.
This is so cool for you to also acknowledge I Putu! Since it appears we may get to be seated at his table on the Triumph in March (with John’s request and if the maitre d can swing it), I’ll be sure to tell I Putu about your comments on this blog.
Hi John,
How thoughtful and kind of you to offer a forum for Mr. Allen to honor his wife. How wonderful to hear a man speak so lovingly of his wife. How lucky they were to have found long-lasting love.
As for Ricky…the “actor” that wrote to you is so off base. Even the Hollywood Foreign Press, who got lambasted by Ricky, publicly said the show was one of their best ever. Ricky gave them what they paid for! Ricky is a smart cookie and the ballyhoo is a strategic move…gotta keep people talking about ya. Go Ricky and keep us laughing our arse off.
Annette
Mr. Allen, please accept my condolences on the loss of your beloved wife. What a wonderful tribute to her, being able to leave her with the sea she so loved and from a Carnival ship yet. I agree with the “other” Linda that you should tell us more about her and her love of cruising. Take care of yourself and take a day at a time. It does get easier even if the loss never leaves you.
You know, the network knew the type of person Ricky was. If all of Hollywood is so upset, why do the networks continue to invite Ricky to host?
And for the most part, he was just stating the truth…..what Charlie Sheen considers breakfast, how we know Downey (jail, clinic), etc!!
And the most ignorent thing is blasting Carnival and John because John thinks Ricky is funny! How sad.
John,
I had posted on FB about the deck parties and asked for more dance classes. The Thriller class I was refering to was taught by Cory. It really was one of the highlights of our cruise.
I hope William will write again and tell us all about his beloved and their adventures together.
Martha
I hate how you feel like you need to apologize for saying your opinion about Ricky Gervais on YOUR blog. Blogs were designed in the first place to be a place for people to write and express themselves. If you can’t do it on your own personal blog, where can you?? I personally agree with you and think that Ricky Gervais did an amazing job and was absolutely hilarious! Award show hosts often poke fun at the celebrities in the audience. He just took it a little further. I think it was actually quite refreshing and everyone needs to calm down and take it as humour (or humor).
John (this does not require a reply)
I’ve read your blog for a while but have never commented before. I just wanted you to let you know how much I, also, love Ricky Gervais.
Some people take themselves way too seriously. Don’t worry about it or feel like you should apologize. Honestly, I can’t believe the attitude of some of the people whose comments you respond to. They act as if they are entitled to something or you are supposed to live your life according to a set of rules THEY have dictated.
On the subject at hand, although I’m an American, I find british humor (stand up, movies, etc) to be the funniest around and I adore Ricky Gervais (as does my husband and about everyone else we know). When I had the chance to visit England for the first time last year, after all of the typical touristy places we visited, my favorite of the entire trip was a local comedy club. You guys really know how to have a laugh.
It’s your blog, write what you want, whether we agree with you or not. But also know that you’re right about Ricky Gervais and anyone who disagrees is wrong
John ~ so very glad you are back to normal (or as normal as is possible for “John”)
I think your request of Mr. Allen is perfect. It would be my honour (spelled with John correctness) to learn more about such an obviously phenomenal woman as Mrs. Allen. What a wonderful and living legacy to publish and share her endearing attributes to an apreciative audience. I hope to have the privilege to learn more about her, a fellow cruise lover of Carnival.
I had always told my better half Pete of my desire to be given wings to the heavens from the stern of a Carnival ship. I think Mr. Allen’s tribute to his wife was simply wonderful.
I have a post to formulate for you concerning our trip on the Conquest 1-9-11. Suffice it for now to know it was a unique trip for me!
Hugs from this fan from Texas,
Kim
How disgusting that that this J.J. whomever he / she is to attack you just because you enjoy Ricky Gervais and what he did that evening. Believe it or not he said what he said stating reality and it seems that J.J. can’t accept what is real in he/she’s profession. It seems that in Hollywood what ever takes place in this place but just don’t say the truth. I totally enjoyed Ricky Gervais.There should be more like him.
Laurel and Hardy, Abbott & Costello, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis & the Marx Brothers were poor enjoyment growing up. They gave me laughter and enjoyment as I grew up. IT’s to bad that you can;t find these comedians today
Two days to go for mt cruise John.
Paul
TO: Carolyn in NC,
Having been a travel agent for many years, I can tell you that when Carnival takes your money, they don’t make a record of which person in the stateroom payed for it. The only notation they make is the credit card info, which I’m sure is destroyed as soon as the money it transferred. The comment cards have always been sent to the cabin and not the individual passengers, even when they were left in the stateroom, there was only one.
It’s not the end of the world, chalk it up to experience and remember for next time.
To: ITCruiser
Is seems to me that you just jumped over here to write your comment. You have not been here before or you would know that all of those topics have been discussed ad nausium! The pins!!! The Chocolates!! Just admit that things change and move on. Those boards are a forum, and as much good as they do, they also generate a lot of hate and bad feeling due to rumor and inuendo. Maybe people from other cruise lines are jealous of the attention that John’s Blog gets and feel the need to try to make people switch cruise lines. I have been on most of the major cruise lines and know that each one has plusses and minuses. Carnival is a good fit for people who want value for their money. In fact all of the Carnival Lines offer the best value for your money. I hope that before you jump on and start shouting, you look at the search thingy at the top and see if your topic has been discussed.
Okay, off the soap box and back to normal life. Great job as always John!!
Cheers!
Mr Derek
Dear Mr. Allen
Please accept my condolences on your loss. I can imagine that the pain you feel is as deep as the joy you shared with your beautiful Carla over the years. I hope that when you feel up to it, you will share some of your memories with us. Until then, please know that we hold you in prayer and in our hearts. May you come to find some peace and comfort in the coming days. Peace and Blessings, Ronda
Hi John,
I just wanted to express my sentiments to William as well. It was so great to hear that Carnival took very good care of him on the cruise and allowing him to scatter the ashes. Carla is definitely at home now at sea as she loved being on the sea herself. It is so great to hear William that you had many long years with your wife and I can only hope that I can have many long and happy years with my new wife and that we have many, many Carnival cruises together. I am introducing her to the world of cruising (just took her on her first cruise on Carnival Freedom last year) and I know she is starting to love it, maybe not as much as me yet, but I think she will come around once she gets more comfortable with it. Seems that your first cruise is always kind of weird because you are becoming acclimated to the sea and the huge ship with so much to do all the time and all the food….how can I forget all the food 24 hours a day….LOL
John, you are such a great guy to share posts like this with us and that we all just feel like a big family of Carnival cruisers. Wish November would hurry up and get here so I can celebrate my first anniversary with my wife on Carnival Miracle.
Re: JJ
have run into those Hollywood types and the real ones, I mean the real stars, aren’t like what he purports to be. the few A list people that I know are real down to earth professionals. These people are in the entertainment business to line their own pocket. I much prefer the entertainment professionals that Carnival employs because they seem to actually enjoy doing what they do. That is entertaining their audience, whether it is in the theater on board or as direct contact people such as bar tenders or even state room attendants.
I would take this opportunity to commend the people that hire your personnel, and I mean everyone that works on your ships, for the insight to acquire employees that really seem to enjoy what they do.
I have been on two cruises with Carnival and am looking forward to my third. My expectations are high and I am sure you will fulfill them.
I have serious doubts that “JJ” is indeed an actor on any soap opera, and I laughed out loud at “Gervais is now the most hated man in Hollywood.” Good grief…
Great comments Host Mach, wish I would have said that
Mr. Allen,
Please know that the Blogger Family is holding you up in hugs and prayers. I am sorry for your loss of Carla, but am so thankful that you had 43 years with the love of your life. Please do write to blog and tell us about Carla. We would love to hear about her.
Julie and Randall Mendenhall
Dear Mr. Allen, (Thank you for indulging your blog family John) I too wish to add my most heartfelt sympathies on your loss. I cannot for one minute imagine how you feel, except to say that I have been married 27 years to my dear Jeffrey, who indulges me my best and my worst, and I know that if he were to preceed me on our next life journey I would miss him terribly as you do your dear Carla. I have echo the thought that she must have indeed been a remarkable woman to have the good fortune of being married to such a warm and caring man. Two years ago, 2008, I lost both of my parents in the same year. They had been married 51 years when my Dad passed first. Mom hung on to see her first grandchild married, but it was more than she could endure to see in Christmas that year. You must do your wife the honor of letting everyone who will listen(or read) of the great love story that is yours. You have inspired me already and I do look forward to hearing about what she loved to do when cruising and all the memories you have to share. It will not be easy, but I am sure it will be worth it, and I hope it will help you to return to the thing you loved together, cruising. Know also that wherever you are there are sure to be members of the blog family nearby who would love to shake your hand or hug your heart and offer their best wishes. Sail on dear brother, sail on!
Beautifully said.
P.S. Cory you are a handsome devil, you look like my son-in-law, Jaime, and I wish you all the best in your future with Carnival and I sincerely hope to sail with you one day. Keep ‘em laughing, they won’t have time to envy you your wonderful sailing life!
John,
I think your reply to Mr. Allen was spot on and I love that you asked him to tell your readers more about what they enjoyed when they cruised. I found it interesting that he said his wife loved sea days, as I love them as well. It always surprises me when people get so bent out of shape about extra sea days, to me those are the best days because I truly relax. Nothing on the agenda, just me, my sweetie, and the sea! Hugs to you John and also to you Mr. Allen!
Mr. Allan
I just wanted to send you my best wishes, my wife and i just sailed our tenth cruise on Carnival together as did you and Carla. She will be with you any other cruise you ever take as she will always be with you.
Ryan
Mr. Allen,
I know that you are very sad and missing your lovely lady. But even though she is physically not with you she will always be in your heart. Please tell us all about her, so that we can get to know her too. I am sure you have a lot of wonderful stories that we all would enjoy.
Best Wishes and Prayers,
Marqueta from Oklahoma
While going online to book my next cruise, I discovered your blog. I immediately booked on your Bloggers Cruise on the Glory. My husband and I have now reached VIP status, as this will be our tenth cruise on Carnival and our third with you. Our first cruise with you as our CD was the Once in a Lifetime, Millenium Cruise aboard the Triumph. As I recall, the Triumph had just come off of the week long Christmas Cruise where the children out numbered the adults. From what I understand it was one of the most taxing cruises to say the least. However, upon our boarding between Christmas and New Years, the ship, the crew, and passengers had such joy and excitement for the New Millenium that it truly felt like Magic in the air. This feeling was compounded by the fact that we had the best CD in the world. That of course was you. We had the pleasure of traveling with you again two years later. We have tried every major cruise line once; however, we keep coming back to Carnival, because of people like you. Your personality, your humor and wit and your genuine care and concern for others is apparent to all who have the pleasure to travel with you or to read your blog. It drive me crazy to read some of the negative comments people feel the need to write. I assume to make themselves feel better. It is a free country and it is Your Blog. If someone does not like what you have to say, they need to follow someone else’ blog that will say what they want to hear. I have found your stories heart warming and hilarious. One minute you make me cry and the next laugh. Of the 15+ cruises that we have been on we can’t recall the names of any of the other CD’s. Although they were all great none left us with the lasting impression that you did. My husband and I still remember some of your jokes from 11 years ago. We wanted to Thank You for making our experience with Carnival our vacations of a lifetime. We can’t wait for your Bloggers Cruise and the opportunity Thank You in person.
Mary & Joseph Montalbano
Hi John!
I was wondering if you could help me out. I am going to be sailing with a group of family and friends on the Pride this August. During this cruise it will be my husband’s birthday. I thought it would be wonderful, we could have some cake at dinner, the waiters will sing, it will be perfect. Then I realized that his birthday is the day we are docked in Port Canavarel and we probably will miss dinner since we have the early seating. I was wondering if you knew of anyplace on the ship we could gather for a bit to celebrate and have some cake. Their will be about 35 people altogether and I would want to do it right after sailaway, around 7:30.
Thanks for any help you might be able to give.
Kristy
Uh oh John – by the looks of that first comment, I think Mr. Cloonpitt has found your blog!!!
You are so right
John,
Great response re: Ricky Gervais. Ever since Ricky’s original “The Office” started being shown in the States, I have believed that he is the funniest man in the world. He topped himself by taking on the puffed-up Hollywood star egos and puncturing their pompous airs.
I know that if Ricky ever made jokes about someone like yourself, you would laugh right along with him because you are down to earth and you appreciate a good joke. That’s why you have so many loyal fans… including me… see you soon on BC4!
John-no need to reply,
Was looking at the Cruise Director schedule linked to your blog as my wife and I will be sailing on the Splendor Feb 27 and March 6! I noticed that it shows dry dock ending Jan 16th. Obviously this is not accurate as the Splendor is just about to move to San Fransisco. As you can imagine, an accurate status of the Splendor is very important to everyone booked to sail beginning Feb 20th and the next several cruises.
Also I noticed that for the Miracle in March the CD is listed as Kevin Noonan but it appears that should be Gary Brierley based on Feb and April notations.
Cheers!
Mr. Allen,
You are in my thoughts and prayers today. I hope you had family with you on board for your ceremony. Although your days are now filled with sadness, know that God will bring joy into your heart once again. We would love to hear about the wonderful years you shared with Carla and I hope that sharing will ease your pain.
JJ,
What you wrote to John almost made me pee in my pants. If you truly looked at all the press clippings you will find that they are all congratulating Ricky for a marvelous job. The ratings were through the roof. Its amazing Hollywood has become such a tight arse society. A bunch of babies that need to be spoon fed to keep there ego’s so high. John, you couldn’t have said it any better and keep up the great work
Brent
John:
Hope you got a raise! Keep up your natural style! Hollywood bedarned!
I thought ricky was Hillarious! Im glad he told the elite the way it is! Oh waaah they all got there feelings hurt! If they can’t take a joke or some words then tell them to go cry to Oprah or something seesh. J.J. huh you wouldn’t happen to have a sag card would you? I know this other annoying crybaby wanna be to his name is “cloonpitt”
Big fans as Allways,
Frank and Bridie
Hi John,
You are so thoughtful in inviting William to write about his Carla. I know how hard it is to lose someone. My Mom passed away 10 years ago and my Dad missed her every single day. He passed away on Jan 1, and we console ourselves by knowing he is at peace with Mom now.
Eve Lawrenson,
I guess please and thank you aren’t part of your vocabulary. It is very rude to demand and that’s what you have done by saying “We need a table for two in a quiet place!” How important you are!
Please get Eve a table for two. I’d hate to offend her by having alcohol every night at dinner on my vacation!
Table for two by the kitchen door. thats My Favourite!
May God bless you and keep you Carla….
Whoever this actor is that does not like good humor, get over it. I am sure that he will never amount to anything. Most actors stay on soaps because they can’t get work on night time TV or the movies. I am sure this will apply to this fool. He is not even a regular on a soap so he really should keep his job as a waiter.
Waiting for more news on the Carnival Magic and Europe
My condolences to the the gentleman that lost his wife.
Keep smiling John; you truly are one of the good guys.
My best to Heidi and Kye
Many blessings William. You are in our prayers today. May you feel the Lord’s presence around you in the coming months.
“I will need a table for 2…We must have a table for 2.”
Ummm… I guess she was too busy thinking about how her last cruise was ruined by people who had the nerve to enjoy themselves to remember to say, “Please.”
Heather
How dare they enjoy themselves on their vacation?!
Seriously Eve. That’s a bit dramatic. If your cruise is ruined by people who drink then I suggest you stay home because alcohol is everywhere.
I, too enjoy having Cory as our cruise director on the Triumph cruise this month. I kept referring him as Drew. He was very friendly and always had a smile. Thank you for a wonderful cruise. Seem like a different cruise then those of the past, but still fun.
John just wanted to let you know that we have sailed on Carnival 15 times before and will be on bc4 cruise. I have never had a bad time any of them. We were on the Ecstscy when it took thr right turn in the gulf. The crew and the Captain keep us all informed and did a great job of geting the ship back to were it should have been in avery short time.
As far as all of the bad publisty about the Splendor people don’t realize that these ships run 24 hrs. a day 7 days a week and seldom have any problems. It seems that the problem on the Splendor may have been an manufactor error from what i’ve read. The crew did everthing to make sure the passingers were tinded to the best that could.
I plan to keep sailing on Carival and will be on the Magic on its frist cruise out of Galveston in November. Hope to see there then. For now we are looking forward to Feburary and the Glory.
John,
(343 Stephanies: Please make sure a beard sees this….)
I too did not receive the email survey after our 12/16/2010 cruise on the Fascination. I thought that I had been forgotten.
Well, my husband finally checked his email last week, (He only checks it once a month or so) and lo and behold, the survey was in his email!
Just like Carolyn in NC, I also booked the cruise, paid for it and all communication about it was via MY email, not his, but HE received the survey! Crazy!
So when I clicked on it to complete it, I was redirected to a page that said “sorry, time has expired on this survey” and could not fill it out!
Oh well, I guess I am out of luck again. I really wanted to compliment some wonderful waiters and staff and did not have the opportunity.
Thank you for forwarding this info on to someone that can change the procedure on the survey emails.
Thank you for all you do, John!
Lisa
Hi John,
JJ and many other actors are so up their own backsides ( although some actors prefer to share and share alike……….) that its not true, get a life JJ!
Must point out John that you are complely wrong to include Muslims as part of the group to be made fun of, NO one but NO one makes fun of them, comedians simply do not have the b…s to do it! for the simple reason that if they did have the b…s to do it they would no longer have the b….s!
Regards from the sunny resort of Chelmsford,Essex.
Bill Horncastle
John,
So glad to hear that there will indeed be a repositioning cruise to get the Spirit over to Down Under. We were fortunate to book the repositioning of the Splendor around SA to the west coast. Please keep 007 on the trail of the exact dates. As soon as you know, let us know!
I too am a fan of Ricky Gervais, and enjoyed watching those pompous stars squirm! The British do indeed have a wicked sense of humor. Some of my favorite tour guides in London would throw in irreverent comments, along with their tour talks. What struck me is how they hold themselves up to as much ridicule as they do us American tourists.
Long live British humor!!
JoyceG.
I just do NOT understand!!! If people don’t like how you write YOUR blog or what you say in YOUR blog, or how you say it….why do they think they have to keep reading it?? The letter that opened this blog today was rude and once again…if someone doesn’t like how you present YOUR blog…no one is forcing them to read it!! I just don’t know how you do it John..Hang in there!!!
John,
OK. Now I read that you are a Laurel and Hardy fan! I have always loved their brand of comedy. Stan Laurel was such a gentle soul and a true genius when it came to his brand of the s l o w build punchline. Hal Roach, who produced their films, certainly struck gold when he introduced this tour-de-force duo to the silver screens of the world. He produced the films of Laurel and Hardy from 1927, until 1940. Although the studio lot has long since disappeared, there is a park adjacent to where the lot once stood (all 55 acres), where a plaque dedicating that hallowed spot sits, placed there by none other than “The Sons of the Desert!” This is an actual fraternal organization dedicated to the lives and films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
As to the response from the soap actor. It’s a pity today that PC has gotten SO out of hand, that people cannot enjoy the simple pleasure of laughing at themselves, or each other. PC has taken all of that away. If you can’t poke fun in Hollywood, then where? Just look at these people. If this is where this aspiring actor hopes to find themselves, then be prepared for what comes with it.
Your life becomes more than an open book, it becomes an open sewer, dredged of anything that can act as fodder for the voracious appetite of Hollywood scandal. From public drunkeness, bad behavior, prima donna attitudes, arrogance, habitual drug use, bad manners, course language, idiotic tweets and posts, etc. NOTHING can compare to Hollywood. It is a ripe comedic apple just waiting to be plucked. These so-called stars, many of whom could take a lesson from the stars of yesteryear, who knew how to handle themselves with dignity, are just ASKING for it!
Ricky Gervais just said what most folks were thinking, but wouldn’t dare say to their collective faces. Bravo for him. It is this type of humour that used to prevail in the absolutely wonderful “Dean Martin Roasts”. I have many of these on DVD and they are gut wrenchingly funny. Not PC by any stretch, but funny none the less and done in good tongue-in-cheek fun.
Celebrities need to be taken down a few notches and should be on a regular basis. It keeps them humble (or at least on their toes!)
So good for Mr. Gervais and that inimitable brand of humour that is strictly British and good for Sir John Heald for keeping it going on his wonderfully non-PC blog.
Long may it reign.
Mr. Allen,
Please write again and tell us about your wonderful wife Carla. I would even like to see a picture if you don’t mind. It is so refreshing to hear about a good marriage instead of how “nobody stays married anymore”. It sounds like the two of you were a match made in heaven, and I am sure that is where your wife is now. Just a reminder to the rest of us to make every day count.
Now John about Ricky Gervais. I say bravo. I am so tired about hearing about all the troubles the stars have. With the kind of money they make, if they can’t handle a joke or two about them they need to get out of “the business” and try teaching a high school class, or be a garbage collector. They are all rich spoiled brats…or most of them are.
And I would like to end with a demand of you!!!! I want…..you to have a nice day, and I’m not even going to say please! LOL
Greetings John,
Have not had a chance to write for a while, so will try to keep things brief.
First of all, what a great job handling things aboard the Carnival Splendor! Being a pilot we train for all thoes emergencies that most crewmembers never see for real during their careers. I know you folks train the same way, and what a wonderful job you, the Captain, and the rest of the crew did! Well done my friend! Also my hat’s off to the Carnival Corp., for going above and beyond in taking care of everyone. I flew into San Diego the Saturday following your arrival, and my thoughts were with you as they had been all week. Seeing the ship safely docked was a fine tribute to your hard work and dedication to safety!
John, I appreciate all you and Carnival are doing for St. Judes. Also enjoyed following along with the festivities in New York over New Years.
Glad you have had some time at home with the girls, and that you are feeling better!
I am sorry to say that I will not be able to make BC4. I know you will all have a great time, and will try to catch you on a future cruise. My family will be sailing on the Carnival Triumph, June 18th, to celebrate my Daughter’s graduation from High School. We are of course looking forward to that!
Take care my friend, and thanks for all you do!!! Greetings to Heidi and Kye!
Doug Robertson
I agree with you Debbie. How someone as dull and stupid as an unknown soap opera actor could even be qualified to judge anyone.
A beautiful ending to your blog. I’m so glad you came back to reflect on Carla. My heart goes out to William. I’d love to hear their love story.
I just want to say that it really was a breath of fresh air to see Ricky Gervais smack those Hollywood fellows around, and you know he was not rude at all he was just direct, I miss that in America, the political correctness is destroying the country and if you are not careful soon freedom of speech will be just a memory….
As a soap opera actor, I would hope that said actor is familiar with how to locate/operate the “on-off” switch on his television remote control.
I mean, if NASA can train a chimp to operate controls on a spaceship, certainly said actor can turn off a television program he considers to be offensive.
Given that soap opera actors are oftentimes viewed as trained chimps, it shouldn’t be too great a task for said actor’s acting coaches to train him to locate/operate the “on-off” switch on his television.
dear john
happy birthday to you
hope you have enjoyed your temporary stay at home, in southend with your family
and in doing so, have got over your cold
i had the unfortunate experience of seeing the last boat you were on with us
the splendor
all sad sitting tied up at san diego this past week
dark and miserable, all alone, possibly with the handsome captain aboard with a skeleton crew
so sad, as in august both my wife and myself met you and watched many of your fun times on the stage
i hope the young lady, the splendor, will be all happy again and giving passemngers the times of there lives, just like we had
bill and penny penhallow
thanks john it will last that cruise in my memory for the rest of my life
HI John!
I just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Freedom. WHAT A BLAST Ryan, Ryan the second and Ryan the third were great! I wish I was still on the ship and not sitting in this -15 dec F weather…BRRRR
I was so excited when I got home from my cruise that I have a group of friends that want to come with me next year.
So here comes my question….
If friends are sharing a room, is it possible to have different credit cards assigned to the foloio? Maybe it is a stupid question…but……..
Happy Birthday John, from a long time lurker to your blog. I hope you enjoy your natal day with family and friends.
I wish my message was half as happy as my wishes for your special day. I will be cruising on the Glory with a group of 50 on February 6th. This will be the 7th Bloody Mary Haunted Cruise on Carnival, my husband and I have been on 5 of them, we did jump ship one year and went with RC, but hurried back to Carnival to have fun again (RC was not a “Fun” ship), My family and I have also cruised with Carnival an additional 4 times. That number 10 is so close! But I fear it will not happen.
Our group is made up of Halloween Enthusiasts and Haunted House owner/operators. During October we obviously can’t cruise together, so a wonderful lady named Bobbie Weiner (Bloody Mary) started organizing cruises in January or February so we could get togther, dress up and enjoy time together. What started out as a 5 day cruise has turned into a 7 day cruise and next year we were looking at making it either a back to back or 7+ cruise.
We have always had an excellent experience with Carnival and found everyone to be helpful and that they seemed to enjoy having us aboard. We generally had group meetings on sea days and 2 evening meetings with cash bar. The final evening was a costume ball, we would deck ourselves in our haunted finest (nothing gory, nothing overtly adult oriented), we know we will be seen by children and plan accordingly. We meet, have cocktails, choose who has the best costume, and then conga line our way to the dining room. This has never been a problem and we’ve received many compliments from other cruisers and cruise staff.
This year we booked our cruise, made our arrangements and then in December were informed we could not have rooms in the evening, we had to fight to get a room during the two sea days in the afternoon, but the biggest blow came when we received an e-mail from a Velma Jaghai, informing us that we could not have our costume party. We sucked up the no evening room, we were happy to be able to meet on the two sea days, but this came out of no where. Ms. Jaghai, says the travel agent Ms. Weiner used, knew of this back in March (the travel agent denies this), We are in shock. We feel betrayed by Carnival and don’t know what, if anything we can do about it.
We would appreicate it if you could look into this for us, any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Again have a wonderful birthday, and if this is our last Bloody Mary Carnival Cruise, thanks for the great memories.
Martha
I, too, have done my share of work in Hollywood. Frankly, I find it rather nationalist to point a finger at Ricky Gervais and condemn specifically British humour as cruel and rude, especially when one considers that it is a sort of comedy which has been around since at least the dark ages and it’s most popular format was performed by Americans on “Dean Martin’s Roast.” I will add that in Dean Martin’s day, Hollywood performers lined up to appear on his show to jeer and be jeered at, insult and be insulted. For one thing, it’s humbling and makes you human – which is what I’m sure an disagreeing actors didn’t enjoy about Gervais’ speech – and, for another, it’s good publicity.
I appreciate, John, how brilliantly polite (and well-spelled) your response was to a rather ill-thought and self-sequestered remark.
Hi John, I just want to thank you for your sense of humor on the Carnival Splendor Adventure! My 5 friends and I kept a positive attitude amid all the anxiety during the fire and drifting at sea. I have rebooked my trip for May, but it seems like yousaid you will be sailing the Hawaii route by then. I hope we have another cruise director of your caliber to join us. Hope your birthday was great!
Cathy
Hi John,
I had the privilege to sail with you last year during Super Bowl week on the Carnival Dream. We loved all your shows. You are a very talented man.
That was my second cruise and I booked another cruise for this January as soon as that cruise ended. I planned on making it a yearly event. Unfortunately I booked for January on the Splendor!
As soon as I heard it was cancelled, I rescheduled even though March was not my favorite cruising month. I settled for a room one floor lower than what I wanted and I though all was set.
Today I wanted to book a reservation for the Steak House and found that my cruise, which was paid in full for January, was cancelled for non-payment and my previous fully paid cruise was credited to my credit card.
My Carnival Cruise Agent that I rescheduled with (Rachel Leung) said she submitted the correct form and was never informed that it did not go through.
While everyone is saying, “Sorry”, I am the one who is suffering the loss of a cruise here. There are no rooms left in my category and I do not want a room on the 1st level. I booked a year in advance to get the room I wanted on the 7th level.
This incident hurts a lot and I’m afraid Carnival has lost what would have been a loyal customer. I know I am not a big spender, but I thought as a customer I would have been more important than the way I feel now.
Thanks for listening,
Nancy Starno
Happy Birthday John! I just want to thank you for making our cruise back in August so memorable, from the very first day. I didn’t know what to expect from you as I couldn’t even remember the name of the last cruise director we had before you! Well, you are so hilarious, you and John Cleese are in excellent company.
I wish you a brilliant new year and all the best to your family.
Oh poor JJ…did that mean comic hurt your feeling. Get a life you whinny baby. Isn’ t it time you head off to one of your ridiculous awards ceremonies where you all pat each other on the backs for contributing nothing really worth while to society.
John, great response to the “actor” JJ. It is about time that somebody poked fun at these people who love to praise and reward each other for playing pretend. Many actors take themselves way too seriously and have no problem spouting their high-minded opinions, but when someone points out their short-comings (of which they have many) well, that is just too far. I would love to see actors hols an awards show for people who really contribute to society like doctors, nurses, scientists, teachers, etc. They won’t because they are too busy celebrating themselves.
Dear John, my girlfriend and I will be cruising on the Pride 2/27/11 out of Baltimore. The ship leaves 2 days after my birthday and returns 2 days prior to her birthday. Does Carnival do anything for ‘near missed’ birthdays? LOL… Also, we were trying to arrange a meet and greet for our cruise critic friends but do not know who to contact. But the big news is, shhhhh, don’t tell my girlfriend, is that I will be asking her to marry me on board. Any suggestions on where to do this on board to make it an even more memorable occasion? This is her second cruise and my 5th but our first on Carnival and are looking forward to many more since the Pride sails out of Baltimore which is less than an hour away from where we live. We are in suite 7296, for now, hoping for that upgrade call…LOL…. Thanks for all you do for everyone on here. Bob