So on Saturday night I minced around the Promenade Deck on the Carnival Splendor travel agent function, shaking hands and being a brand ambassador thingy. I have to admit though I have never been much of a fan of parties. Maybe this comes from the fact that I was hardly ever invited to one when I was younger and if I managed to gate crash one…..well no bugger would speak to me. I would arrive at the party with dreams of meeting a girl……any girl……. who would want to have a bit of rumpy pumpy with me in the back seat of my Dad’s Ford Escort ……….reality was that I would leave alone………..and go for a kebab.
And so the good the bad and the ugly descended on the Carnival Splendor for a night of fun, dancing, shows, loads of eating and a drinking vats of wine.
Now, the invitations had a dress code on them……….because that’s the law. As I told you a few weeks ago, dress codes make me crazy. There used to be just two and that was OK.
Formal……..or casual……..that was it. Now we have Elegant Casual, Casual Elegant, Business Casual, Casual Business and Cruise Casual. The invitation for Saturday 19th event said “Cruise Elegant.” Now I know that’s what we put on the Capers during a ……..ahhh bugger ……….. that’s what we put on the Fun Times but I have never really liked this term since someone came up with it while eating a toasted tofu sandwich on organic bread.
What in the name of all that’s holy is “Cruise Elegant?” I guess I was not the only one who was confused because, as I wandered around the ship last night, I saw people dressed in every possible combination. Jeans and T-shirts…..obviously elegant to them meant wearing the T-shirt that doesn’t have a huge ketchup stain on it…to people who seeing the word elegant had dressed to kill. There were long dresses, short dresses and men with tuxedos of every color and cut.
As I moved on through the ship I started no notice people in various stages of plastic surgery. There was one woman who had undergone some extraordinary eye work and clearly found it very hard to blink. The fact that she looked like a Medusa didn’t seem to upset her. Personally I would have sued the surgeon, but what do I know? This was also California and that meant that everyone at the party has such unbelievably gleaming teeth and they flash them about like rapiers. I’ve started to get really paranoid, and tend to mumble when talking to anyone as everyone stares at your mouth, trying to get a good look.
It was obvious who was single and who was not. The single men were gathered in groups like prides of lions ready to attack the single travel agent. The women were also gathered together in short micro skirts realizing the more skin they showed the better their chances of meeting Mr. Right. These were not ladies who harbor the romance novel notion that men find kindness, a good heart and a sense of humor important when looking for a spouse; they understand that what men really want is breasts like the Alps a bottom like Megan Fox.
The party really was a wonderful place to “people watch” and also to meet so many people. Honestly, at times it was overwhelming as dozens and dozens of people came up to me and asked for photos and autographs. It seems that the blog thingy and Facebook is quite popular all night long I was hugged and kissed and groped.….. And that was the men. I took loads of photos and it was …… totally humbling. Seriously, though, it was a great night and I need to mention a few things about it which I will do after we get some Q and A out of the way.
Here we go.
Fllady61 Asked:
Please replyI understand a lot of people like Wee Jimmy. However, I am so glad that Josh Waitzman was nominated and won the CD of the year. He is an awesome amazing person. Anyway back to Wee Jimmy. We sailed with him once. WE NEVER SAW him except for on the TV until the last day. We are not drinkers, and unless you do a lot of drinking, and partying on the ship, you do not see him. Please don’t get me wrong about WEE JIMMY, but he needs to mingle with the non drinking and partying crowd a little more. All the other CD’s we had we ran into a few times each trip. But with him, we did not. Josh “Big Sexy” is our favorite CD. WE have been on 9 cruises and 2 with him. This last cruise was the best thanks to the entertainment staff. And we made a lot of new CCL friends on this cruise.
John Says:
Hello Fllady61,Isn’t life strange? Yesterday on Facebook I had a very negative comment about Josh AKA Big Sexy from someone who did not enjoy his humor at all and vowed never to cruise with him again. Yet here I am today reading that he has someone who thinks of him as the best ever cruise director and obviously from the fact that he won the award here on the blog thingy, many others agreed. I also have many people who have told me here on the blog that they love Wee Jimmy and that he is the funniest CD ever. This shows that it really is a personal opinion and that being a cruise director subjects you to the world of the critic. I will make sure Wee Jimmy sees this comment as will Josh. Thanks so much for letting me know and I hope cruise number 10 ….…. your platinum cruise …is the best yet.
Best wishes
John
Julie Mendenhall Asked:
John PLEASE REPLY TIME SENSITIVE: Sailing 3/31/11 on the Carnival Destiny.Hi John,
I have to ask a favour, my hubby, Randall and I will be married 30 years on 4.4.11. We are sailing a Back to Back on the Carnival Destiny (3.31.11 to 4.09.11). I would love it if you would send a little something to our Cabin, (number 7102). We were to sail with you in May of last year on the Carnival Fantasy. Instead my brother-in-law and sister, MR. and MRS CARNIVAL, got to sail with you and we had to cancel. Since we have not gotten to sail with you, I thought a message from you would be the next best thing! The 3/31 cruise is my Platinum cruise and the 4/4 cruise is my hubby’s platinum!
I do have a question as well. We are sailing the Back to Back as I said earlier. We know that we can take one bottle of wine or champagne per adult on a cruise. We want to take an extra bottle of Champagne to have on our anniversary but don’t know if this would be allowed as that would make 3 bottles but for back to back cruises. We are also ordering from the Bon Voyage dept an anniversary basket and a wine / cheese / Fruit basket so those will be in the cabin already. But wanted to bring an extra with us. Would you please ask the appropriate Beard to find out if we can take the extra bottle on embarkation? Thank You….and I will sail with you one day! (My sister, Mrs. Carnival, can’t have all the fun!)
Julie
John Says:
Hello Julie,Congratulations on booking your back to back cruise and I will certainly send you a little something to help celebrate this special occasion. I checked with someone on your back to back wine question and yes actually you can bring a third bottle as you are on two cruises. I hope you both have a wonderful cruise and at least another 30 years of happiness together.
Best wishes
John
K and G Asked:
John, respondI have been reading the blog now and then but have never written to you before until now. We are due to sail on the Freedom on Feb 27 and having read this on Cruise Critic me and my partner are now seriously thinking that this may be a very big mistake
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=32131&highlight=is+carnival+gay+friendly
Read this and you will see why we are both so scared of walking on the ship.
Tell me this is not true PLEASE
John Says:
Hello K and GWell I didn’t need to actually read the link to know what the subject is as its obvious from the title. The answer is simply yes…….. Carnival welcomes and respects all of our guests regardless of colour, gender, lifestyle, race, religion or creed. You will find that during your cruise we will advertise Friends of Dorothy meetings in the Fun Times which is your daily activity and event program. Carnival is all about fun and I think we provide the best vacation around and I’m sure you’re going find this out for yourselves during your upcoming Freedom cruise. I hope you will write when you get home.
Best wishes
John
Bill KIllips Asked:
Hi John,I only recently found your blog and love it. I took my first Carnival cruise with my family last April on the Valor. It was my first cruise in 18 years and I am hooked again. Crusing has changed over the years but my wife and I were very pleased. My boys (age 14 & 12) loved it and want to go again. The ship was immaculately clean and the crew was very friendly.
We are booked on the Miracle on 4/21/11 to Bermuda, room 8214. I would appreciate any help in arranging a table for 4, by a window if possible. We are looking for some quality family time.
Regarding some recent topics:
Keep the WCMC. It was the ONLY dessert my son ate in the MDR
We had Felipe as the CD. He was great. Don’t believe anyone who says otherwise.
Keep up the good work!!!!
Bill Killips
John Says:
Hello Bill Killips,You will love Bermuda. I was only there a short time and apart from a nasty experience with some hot sauce I loved the place. I will certainly ask the maitre d to see if he can help you with your table request and please tell your son not to worry…….the chocolate melting cake is not going anywhere. Thanks for your kind words especially those about Felipe who I am positive will do a brilliant job here on the Carnival Splendor. Have a great time and best wishes to all
John
Patrick Armstrong Asked:
Dear John, (Reply if you wish?)Just typed you a beautifully long post going into detail about how elated I am that my works Short Sleeve wearing IT beards have finally granted me access to your blog from my desk. How much I am looking forward to our cruise in 11 weeks and generally waffling (a lot)! I hit ‘Submit Comment’ then get a message saying that I have missed off my mail address and is required, I arrow back a screen and my post is gone. Admittedly it hasn’t taken me quite as long as you to recover but I feel your pain.
Anyhow I was thinking the other day that I would post you a message asking you to obtain a copy of ‘Capers’ sorry ‘Fun Times’ for the Paradise for me, so imagine my sheer delight in reading your blog yesterday and seeing you already had to this covered without me even asking hahaha.
So it’s now just 10 weeks til I fly to LA from the UK to marry the love of my life and just 11 weeks til our honeymoon cruise on the Paradise. We are both so excited. I read that the CD will be Jeff Bronson, are there any profiles on CD’s anywhere? I am struggling to find them?
Hope you are having fun in the UK and the girls are well.
Your friend from Essex
Patrick
John Says:
Hello Patrick,Timing is absolutely everything and bugger me if on the day the beards send me your question what happens……..I post the Fun Times for the Carnival Paradise. Brilliant. I am glad that I am not the only one with continuing computer issues……..maybe it’s an Essex thing. Anyway, hope all is well there and that you can now enjoy the blog thingy. Put the kettle on for me and have a decent cuppa.
Best wishes
John
Candid Cruiser Asked:
John, Please ReplyPlease tell me that the rumours of Carnival leaving Tampa are not true! I read this today and have not been able to think of anything else. We live in Tampa and have been on the Legend 11 times and don’t know what we would do if this happened. Please tell me it aint so
Thanks
Paulette
John Says: ,
Hello Candid CruiserI am sorry that it has been so long since you posted this and my reply. I am sure by now that you know that this rumor is not true. I hope this means that you have booked cruise number 12 on the Carnival Legend.
Best wishes
John
Sign of the Fish Asked:
reply JohnSo you don’t think that having religious services onboard your cruise ships is important but gambling, drinking and fornicating is? Another reason you should be kneeling at the Penitent Form asking for forgiveness.
John Says:
Hello Sign of the Fish,I don’t ever remember ever saying that having religious services on the ship was not important. In fact I am known for a fact that I said that we must improve our religious programs during the holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Passover, etc. Thanks for listening. Oh and by the way …….. where’s the fornicating going on?…………..I wasn’t invited.
Best wishes
John
Karen(formerly Techmom) Asked:
John (Please Reply)First-Jen is the best! I have been on 7 cruises and her and Jaime (Kirk is CD, she is ACD) on the Pride are the ones I would sail with again. I would rather have one that is visible and cares than the last cruise where he was invisible and we heard no announcements.
Second-I was recently watching a show on The Food Network and they mentioned a cruise and to go to their travel site. One of the chefs along with others are going to be on another cruise lines transatlantic cruise and I thought how awesome would that be. They are offering cooking classes, etc on the sea days. You were asking what to do on Carnival Magic and it may be too late but it can be an option for the Carnival Breeze. Myself, a book, drink and sun is all I need but I think if I did a transatlantic cruise I would like some other options and cooking classes or picking the right pans to use etc would be great. My husband would like anything that has to do with videoing and editing etc.
Thanks for listening and feel better!
Karen
John Says:
Hello Karen(formerly Techmom)Yep, Jen Baxter has many fans and as I was saying at the start of today’s Q and A, everyone has their own favourites when it comes to cruise directors and with Jen, Kirk and Jaime you have picked three that many would agree with you about. The ship that was hosting the cooking channel was I think the Holland America ship Eurodam that was using its Culinary Arts Theatre for this event. I think it’s a great idea and yes indeed, on a longer cruise like a trans-Atlantic this would be invaluable. I am going to have to start thinking about things like this for your Carnival Magic’s voyage back to America. I hope you and all your family are well and hope to see you soon.
Best wishes
John
LadyJag (Laura W) Asked:
Dear John, (Please Reply)Happy new year to you and congratulations on doing such a brilliant job in New York during the New Year’s Eve celebration! I’m sure it was an experience you will always remember proudly.
I have two rather silly questions concerning my upcoming cruise on the Carnival Legend. First, does the CD, Ralph Valente, still go by “Wee Jimmy,” or is he trying to move away from that nickname?
My second question is, does Ralph “Wee Jimmy” Valente broadcast a morning show on the Carnival Legend? I ask because we are sailing Easter day, and my almost 5-year-old, Alyssa, has already asked me countless times if I would submit her favorite Easter bunny jokes when we get onboard, but I don’t want to tell her “yes” if there is no morning show.
At first, I thought every Carnival ship had a morning show, but was surprised to discover on our Carnival Inspiration cruise last April that this is not always the case. I went to the purser’s…I mean, Guest Services desk the day we set sail and confused the heck out of the poor GSA by handing over a note for our CD’s [non-existent] morning show. (Ooops!)
Anyway, thanks again for a great blog and for your Facebook updates.
All the best,
Laura
John Says:
Hello LadyJag (Laura W)Wow, that’s two mentions for Wee Jimmy today. Yes, Ralph still does go by this name. I think there was a period of time where he tried to re-invent himself and step away from his alter ego but he soon discovered that Wee Jimmy is as much a part of him as Ralph is. Quite honestly all the CD’s are supposed to do a morning show and I was surprised to read about what happened on the Carnival Inspiration. Anyway, you will really like Wee Jimmy and he is back to his best. I will ask him to make sure he reads a birthday wish out and sends Alyssa a birthday something.
Have a great cruise and best wishes to all
John
That’s all for today. We have 9,120,000 views on the blog so far and thank you all for joining me here and on Facebook.
Let’s have a look at the gorgeous new Serenity adults-only retreat on Carnival Legend.
Well I am sure you have read by now what Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill told the press last Saturday. In case you missed it here are the major points.
- Repairs took longer than we would have hoped which to some extent was influenced by the availability of parts. Spare diesel generators and alternators for cruise ships are not generally sitting around on a shelf somewhere. Some parts had to be manufactured and much of what was replaced on board was flown in from Europe where our ships are constructed via chartered cargo jets.
- We’ve now successfully replaced one diesel generator that weighs 109 tons and two alternators weighing 53 tons each, as well as installed new switchboard components and roughly 110 miles of electrical cabling. We also completed extensive cleaning of the affected areas.
- All systems have been inspected by Lloyd’s Registry of Shipping, which is the world’s foremost independent marine classification society. Lloyd’s provides certification that ships meet all safety requirements.
- Additionally, the US Coast Guard has inspected the vessel and verified the safety certification by Lloyd’s.
- The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing and is being led by the U.S. Coast Guard with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board, Carnival and the ship’s flag state.
- We know that the fire was caused by a catastrophic failure in diesel generator number five. You don’t expect diesel generators to have catastrophic failures, especially one that is two years old. We have never had this occur in our 40-year history.
- The investigation to determine the exact cause of the failure of the diesel generator is still ongoing. That generator has been removed and is being examined by a team of forensic fire experts. It is our understanding that the U.S. Coast Guard will complete an official report at the investigation’s conclusion.
- Nothing is more important than continuously striving to ensure the safest and most comfortable environment possible for our guests and crew.
- To that end, we have formed a fire safety task force comprised of four distinct sub-teams and 18 core team members. The objective of the task force is to develop and implement action plans to enhance our fire prevention, detection, suppression and response capabilities across our fleet.
I know some of you have been pressing me about releasing this information on the blog thingy. One chap (hello Steve) has been quite displeased about this and accused me of hiding the truth. We haven’t hidden from anything but I could not talk about it here until permission was given. I hope you understand.
The press conference went well and Gerry handled it brilliantly. He is unrecognizable from the “accountant” who joined us a few years ago and didn’t seem to enjoy speaking into a microphone and had developed his own style on the microphone now which is so much more relaxed than when I first saw him…..…..and he is funny….I don’t think he realises that he is…..….but Gerry………you are and you handled a very difficult press conference with skill and charm.
I was also asked some questions and together, we got through it and hopefully now, that is that and we can move on, the Carnival Splendor can cruise on and we can all talk about something else………like the new activities and fun onboard…….or the Miami Heat………….or your Carnival Magic……………or Carnival in Australia…………..or my arse.
Anyway, the evening was a success for sure and it was absolutely the right choice for me to be there and although there were plenty of reasons why the most important reason…..were the crew. It turns out that there were nearly 600 crew who were here during the fire and I think I must have probably spoken to all of them. The camaraderie, the feeling of accomplishment, the being part of what happened is something that these brilliant men and women will always have and the fact that so many thanked me……was overwhelming………..especially considering all of their incredible hard work.
Yep………it was definitely the right decision to have been there and I wish the Carnival Splendor nothing but fair winds and calm seas …….forever.
So how’s it going over there so far? Let’s find out through the eyes of one of the entertainment staff there now. He was with me during the fire. He had in fact only been onboard the ship, his first; for 3 weeks and he showed that this was a job he was truly meant to have. Ryan is back on the Carnival Splendor once again to tell us about how the first cruise is going.
Ryan….over to you
Hi John
So here we are! Back on the Amazing Carnival Splendor…sailing towards Puerto Vallarta and the ship seems to be finding its heart again. Spending 7 days on the Splendor with no guests makes it wildly apparent where the real life of this cruise ship lies…in its passengers. We have a very full ship with 3,550 guests on board, and the energy here is palpable. As I walk along promenade greeting our newly arrived guests I feel from them the built up excitement of a long-awaited vacation, the joy of turning off “real life” for a week, and the sheer pleasure that IS a cruise vacation. Of course, after the incident in November, I know a lot of people had questions, concerns, and notions of what sailing on the Splendor could be like, but all their worries have been left behind in Long Beach and now we have a ship full of carefree vacationers finding the fun and not looking for the holes…they’re also eating a lot of free ice cream and pizza! From the game show in the Spectacular Theater to Superstar Live Karaoke in the El Morocco, everyone is officially ON VACATION!! Tomorrow is our first Fun Day at Sea and already I hear people planning this and that, setting up lounge chair meetings on Lido, deciding how many shore excursions they can fit in to one day, and scouring the Fun Times (that’s Capers for you, John) for the next trivia challenge so that they can finally win the coveted Golden Ship on a Stick.
This ship has overcome a lot in the past few months, and if there was ever a time for it to shine, it’s now. Should the smiles on the faces of our crew seem a little bit more like those of proud parents, it’s because we know we have a wonderful thing here and we are all very pleased to be sharing this triumphant return with our incredible guests. This is just the beginning…not only of this 7-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera, but also of a new chapter in the life of the Splendor…with all eyes on us we will continue to go above and beyond the expectations of our passengers and make this ship the star of the Carnival fleet. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week will bring! Ciao for now. I’ll bring you more news tomorrow!
Ryan McQuarrie
Carnival Splendor
Entertainment Host
Thanks Ryan, beautifully written and I know your Mum is a blog reader and like me she is very proud of you. We look forward to checking back in with you soon.
Here are the Fun Times for the Carnival Paradise. (Click this link to download them.)
I want to go back to the subject of dress codes for a while. You see, I was talking to a very important travel agent who sends Carnival loads of business and who I have been friends with for some time. He has around 150 employees working for him and we were chatting about dress codes when he told me that in his offices the dress code is casual and that he had read that times have changed even in New York and that only 1 in 10 office workers wears a suit to work.
I am truly happy about this. Who says that it is smart to wear a thin strip of material around your neck……….unless you are a country and western singer, I have to wear a tie on elegant cruise elegant chic formal elegant night onboard and that means that once a week it needs to be dry cleaned because I have accidentally lowered it into the Minestrone soup.
So here I go again on my high horse about dress code even though I know that like Paris Hilton in a nunnery……………I am in the minority.
It’s just that dress code has changed and over the years, formal elegant clothing has changed and the way things are going the suit will soon be a thing of the past. Look, at Carnival men are not required to wear a suit and on Friday’s it’s dress down day which means many come naked.
So if you have a suit I am not sure in a few years time when you are ever going to wear it. I only wear one on stage because it is illegal for fat people to wear a polo shirt that’s tucked in. So is it time to say goodbye to the suit? Think about it…..…we don’t put a dress code in the Fun Times that says that the pants must be made from the same fabric as the jacket. Look at the tuxedo …….compared to 10 years ago sporting a tuxedo on elegant night onboard is as rare as spotting a Frenchman in a bath.
Dress codes seem to be ignored these days. Take Saturday night. Carnival invited 1,200 travel agents to a special party and asked them to dress elegantly………..50% did and 50% said bugger that and wore nice jeans, slacks and casual but smart clothing.
I know that many will not agree and please don’t worry…..….we are not changing our current dress codes. Of course, I also know that some people like getting dressed up. And some people enjoy the feel of working in a good suit. I have no problem with this. If you want to go to work dressed up in something exquisite from Neiman Marcus, go right ahead. And if you want to dress up for dinner onboard then I think you should keep doing so. The question I am often asked is why we don’t always enforce the dress codes onboard? Well, the maitre d really tries but not only are there multiple entrances, sometimes on two levels, it is never easy to tell someone that wearing jeans and a polo shirt means they can’t have any lobster.
By the way, the dress code for this blog is as it always has been……….underpants only.
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.
Yay John!
Finally someone who agrees with me about dress codes!
Packing lots of underpants and no suit for the Magic May 22nd cruise.
Actually I will probably rent a tuxedo from the ship for the Cruise Casual Formal” nights.
John a negative comment about Big Sexy ???? How is that possible? ? Josh is one of Carnivals biggest stars!! We absolutely love him and his humor! We like the cruise eligant nights or whatever the name they have for them we enjoy the photos, dinner and all the hype. I don’t understand why some thumb there noses at it.
Big Fans as Allways
Frank and Bridie
Haven’t owned a suit for 40 years, elegant is shorts with a hem on the legs not torn and a shirt with a collar. I may put on long pants if it goes below 50 degrees but more often then not it is sweats.
Elegant night is the only place I have every been rejected and I resent it
As for Sign of the Fish, obviously a troll – otherwise they are begging to be judged themselves and nobody is perfect.
On the suggested dress code, my suggestion is to hell with the fashion fascists and they are welcome to stew in their own juices. I will continue to wear casual but decent clothes to ensure they have something to whine about.
I hope the dress code doesn’t change! It can’t get any more casual and I really enjoy dressing up, even when it is not Elegant Night. I never have the opportunity to wear dresses in my “regular” life so I wear one to dinner every night on board just because I can!
Melissa, i totally agree with you! I never get to “get dressed up” in my everyday life, so we love cruising and getting “dressed” for dinner. Especially since we don’t eat out like that in everyday life either!
I agree! I have a home office – and while I am a good girl and ditch the PJs when I get up – there isnt much dress up time! So I really enjoy doing it onboard!
Hi John, I am probably in the minority but yes it is time to get rid of the elegant dress code. Today the airlines charge most of us for checking bags and 50 pounds is the limit. We live in a casual society. Packing fancy clothes is a waste of space and weight. Lugging a suit for just one night is stupid.
Jo
I have always been a fan of formal nights, but I too am leaning toward the idea of dressing in business casual or just nice loking clothes. You are right about the airlines making packing the extra clothes expensive & more difficult for us all.
Well, you know how I feel about formal night. I start planning what we are going to wear before we even book our cruise! It’s fun to do and even more fun seeing what everyone else is wearing! It’s just right that the old traditions of elegant ocean voyages be carried on even if for just one or 2 nights. I LOVE it! Any one who needs reminding how great they were should watch the movie “An Affair To Remember” …..so romantic!
John,
Hopefully you’ve seen Blazing Saddles or this will make no sense.
A big “Harrumph” to your views on dress codes!
I can’t wait to be sailing on the Splendor Feb 27th and March 6th. We just got 16 inches of new snow in the last two days. Work has been crazy….
I booked this trip over a year ago and Sunday cannot come soon enough. My wife will even turn Platinum on the 2nd cruise so I’m looking forward to the free laundry!
to the fish guy, I wonder how you know carnival allows fornicating… just wondering.
smiles, bee
xoxo
You know John, I totally agrees with you about about Elegant Night compared with Casual. It seems that people to longer follow what is asked of them. My last cruise on the Carnival Miracle Elegant Evening wasn’t just that. As I walked into for my dinner room there were men sitting at their tables in suits, tuxes, but then there were men just in slacks and shirts. What confused me that there were alos men in shorts, tee shirts with caps. I was shocked yet no one stood up to in form these men that this was Elegant Night. The women were showing the same confusing clothing. I thought that you HAD to wear proper clothing to the dinner room, yet these people were allowed to have dinner dressed on Elegant Evening. The Maitre’ D didn’t do any thing about it. The shorts really made me angry and these people stood up so proud showing that didn’t need to dress up. Can’t something be done about that?
Your blog and facebook are doing great my friend.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
Dear John,
Thanks so much for answering my questions and for posting those wonderful pictures of the Carnival Legend!
I’m with you on the dress code – I rather miss the days of actual formal attire on formal nights. But then, I work from home, so my opportunities to wear decent clothes are rare. (“Casual Fridays” have a whole new meaning for me. LOL!)
Thanks again!
Laura
John,
Excellent blog thingy. I being a retire TA can tell you that dress codes have changed so much from the days I started out. Travel agents knew formal and we enjoyed dressing up. Today is a different thing altogether. I went to an even where I was sure the girl forgot her skirt the dress was that short. She sat at dinner a French (sorry) restaurant and well no one looked that way except the men. All I could think was is that chair cold!
I feel sorry for the people who make such a big deal about other peoples orientation, religious, or otherwise. We are here on this earth for such a short time that we need to just live and let live.
Hope your luggage has finally caught up with you.
Love your writing, and look forward to meeting you someday.
Starr
John, I have to put my 2 cents in again. We still think a cruise ship is an appropriate place for formal clothes. If the clothes fit correctly then they should be comfortable. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on dress clothes – just buy them on sale. We always get a table for two so we don’t have to wonder how the other people at the table dress. If you don’t want to dress up then there is always the Lido. I can’t imagine having dinner at the Lido but lots of people do. Since the big draw for the MDR for a lot of people is the lobster on formal/elegant night, maybe there should be lobster on the buffet so people don’t have to make a choice. We prefer the elegance of the dining room.
Hooray for Ryan!! Glad he is back home with you on Splendor! We were so fortunate to sail with him on Freedom in January. He was so funny, accommodating, and also warm hearted. He made our first cruise so memorable in so many ways! My cruise mate Angie ( winner of the mixology contest) is still talking about him daily! She also has an 8×10 colour (spelt correctly) glossy framed of them in her living room, much to her husbands dismay! Kudos for a job well done! We hope to sail with him again one day. Oh, and you too :0) keep up the great work! Margo and Angie ( jolly )
K & G…..I truly hope you read the good posts on that thread along with the bad ones. Carnival is no different from other cruise lines (or cities in the US, for that matter). There are intolerant people everywhere, but hopefully you don’t have to cross paths with them. I know that Carnival has Friends of Dorothy get-togethers, and I have sailed with gay friends who were worried about being welcomed onboard. They never mentioned any sort of problem.
Please don’t let this ruin your anticipation and joy of your upcoming cruise. I really think you’ll have a wonderful time. I’ll echo what John said…I hope you come back and let us know how it went.
Oh, John, John, John …. (reply if the spirit moves you!)
I’m concerned. You need to take another trip home ASAP before your Americanization is complete! Did you see what you wrote in today’s blog? “a good heart and a sense of *humor*” !
*humor*? The indoctrination is subtle but insidious, isn’t it?
Quick… home for a visit and debriefing before it’s too late! (We need to keep “u” in humour! Sorry, couldn’t resist! LOL!)
Concerned Canuck
PS : You also wrote “harbor”. This is serious. I prescribe a copy of The London Times, to be read daily….
Hey John,
I have to agree with you that passenger’s likes and dislikes of CD’s is a personal thing. For instance we sailed with Wee Jimmy and adored him. I found the post interesting that said they never saw him unless it was a party. When we sailed with him, he was everywhere. We ran into him on Lido deck several times, in the main lounge area watching the singers, in the dining room, just everywhere. Our next cruise was with Jen Baxter, and as I’ve said before I will never willingly sail with her again. Our last cruise with with Steve Cassel, who was also amazing and I hope to sail with him in the future. Again, we ran into him all over the ship. While a bad CD won’t ruin my trip ( I won’t allow it, I’m on a ship!), I do take note of those I don’t care for and will always pay attention to who the CD is before I book a cruise.
As I mentioned on FB, thank you so much for posting the pictures of the new Serenity deck on the Legend. She is our favorite ship and we are so excited about these updates!
Take care John and I hop you got your luggage!
It does my heart good to read Ryan’s remarks about the Carnival Splendor. I looked at the webcam today as I have many times in the past but today I really smiled when I saw all the people on lido enjoying themselves in the sunshine. It’s again as it should be.
The Carnival Legend looks great with the new Serenity area and the picture of the ship going under the Skyway bridge you posted on FB is beautiful.
I know the trip cross county and back within a week was hard on you but I thought as you from the beginning that you needed to be there to see her back into service.
I am sad that I will miss BC4 but hope to be on BC5! I hope you are finally able to relax and have some fun then.
But John…about Formal Nights…do you have any idea what it does to a woman when she sees a man–any man–dappered up in a tuxedo?!?!? Let me put it to you in a way I think you could relate to: wearing a tuxedo turns a man from “Norwegian Epic” to “Megan Fox” instantly.
Please, gentlrmen, WEAR YOUR TUXEDOS!!!
Your Friend,
Diann Smith
John, Please stop giving Sign of the Fish the attention they are struggling to get.
Sounds like you had a blast onboard the new and improved Splendor. I’m glad you talked about the dress code. I just don’t think anybody really understands what the dress code means anymore. I try to explain to my clients what casual elegant means but some people just don’t see it that way. In our office we dress “nice” M-Th then on Friday’s we get to wear jeans and a “collared” shirt…no t-shirts and no shorts. Although one of the coporate guys has worn shorts a couple of times and nobody has said anything! When we work Saturday’s we can wear jeans and a nice shirt…but again because we work with the public..we need to look nice! I personally always liked dressing up for dinner because it was fun and it was cool to see what everybody else is wearing! Another great blog John…thanks again for all that you do!
Hi John;
I have been looking for a method whereby I could contact you directly as we have just completed a cruise on Carnival Pride. I believe that, while everyting was great, Kirk, Jaime and the Entertainment Staff are deserving of special recognition.
In that vein I have been trying to send this message personally but keep encountering difficulties.
I am writing a review on cruisecritic.com titled “Princesser does Carnival” and will be getting to the CD staff in the next few posts or so, but wanted to notify you beforehand.
Anyway, should you find the time I invite you to read the entries coming within the next week as Kirk and Jaime are extraordinary people and deserve such recognition. (IMHO of course)
Gord
Hi John!
You were absolutely right to be on the Splendor as she returned to service. Being anywhere else would’ve felt awkward.
Thanks so much for the pics of the new Serenity Deck on the Legend. Wow! Drooling would probably be very bad for my computer so I’ll try to control myself! I’ll just say that April 3rd can’t come soon enough. I’m thinking of giving up my cabin and just sleeping on one of those hammocks!
Thanks for the blogs and the facebook posts – they are invaluable resources as I prepare for my very first cruise!
John,
Thanks for answering my question and I will post a review of my Carnival Destiny upon my return. Thank you for all you do for us bloggers/ FBers. We really do appreciate it.
Julie
Hi John,
Wow.. I certainly did not see alot of the same people at our Travel Agent event as you did. My friend and I had brought an elegant change of clothes that we had planned on changing into after arriving on the ship and having our lunch, due to the dress code printed on the invitation. I kept looking for people that had dressed more elegant and can honestly say that I maybe saw a dozen or so and I do not recall seeing anyone in a Tux. Gerry didn’t even wear a coat, if I remember correctly. We almost went back to the cabin to change several times, but decided against it since we felt that we were actually dressed nicer in what we were wearing than MANY others onboard. Yes, it did not appear that elegant was the theme of the night after all. It was so cold on the ship, that I am glad that I brought my nice leather jacket to wear or I would have been freezing, and I am not of the age of freezing, more of the hot flash type..lol. I was quite disappointed in how many of the travel agents dressed and agree that Tshirts without a stain was more abundant than it should have been. I just do not understand how they felt it was appropriate. It was nice to see some men in suits and women dressed more appropriately. I hope that how the agents dressed does not negatively affect how Carnival will treat them in the future.
It was a wonderful event and aside from the attire, I hope that you enjoyed yourself, since we certainly enjoyed having you there. I would have liked to have seen you speak at VROOM, but I guess that the plans changed:(
Looking forward to sailing with you someday.
Lori
Hi John,
We enjoy reading your blog often because it helps keep us in a state of readiness for our next cruise and makes us feel a little like part of the family.
As the ambassador for the line and an expert on all things Cruise Directorial, you should be able to answer this questions. We first cruised on the Sensation in September of 2000. The CD was a lady named Valerie. When it came to keeping the guests informed, she was incredible. In fact she was second only to you. My wife absolutely loved to hear her talk. We didn’t actually meet her on that cruise, but she made us feel at home at every show and every time she opened the P.A. mic. And to this day whenever my wife hears a female voice over a ship’s public address system she asks, “is that Valerie?” It’s pretty apparent that she isn’t with Carnival in that capacity anymore. Any idea what happened to her? You wee a master at communicating on our two cruises with you. But no other Cruise Director has even come close to communicating as effectively as you and this Valerie–not even Wee Jimmy, whom we watched you tutor on the Victory. I read a lot of comments on these blogs about Cruise Directors. But what I notice too frequently on the sips now is that they’re running through the laundry list. They don’t seem to understand the art and importance of the personal connection with the guests and the power of the spoken word. I think that’s why we keep looking for a Valerie.
Thanks for devoting so much time, effort and heart to your communications with us, John. Have fun!
R & T
I love reading your Blog and Facebook posts
Years ago I promised my Mom a cruise for her 60th Birthday and that time has finaly come. So on May second we leave for our Baja Cruise and we are both super excited!! This will be a first cruise for both of us.
I have read so many of the forums and have been trying to catch up on some of your blogs (you are a very funny man). The forums have been very helpful, I’m sure my questions and I would have been driving my PVP nuts by now had they not been there…
Thanks again for all that you do! (Like the seat at the Chefs Table for Mom and I. Stan contacted me, he is a very nice gentleman. I cant wait to meet him!)
Take Care,
~Christy
77ZX78
John:
As a true believer, my heart truly saddens when I read comments like those from the “Sign of the Fish”.
Because the attitude and intent of their words are a “typical religious statement” …. but sadly is as far from anything “Christ like” as a person can get.
Statements like this are the reason that so many scoff and dismiss a relationship with Christ.
Yes, that is typical “religion” for you….but “religion” as NOTHING to do with the TRUE “sign of the fish”.
I pray that the “Sign of the Fish” will turn their back on “religion” and find a true relationship with Christ.
As far as having “religious services” on board the ship….every true believer has no problem meeting with the Lord at any time. Carnival even provides a copy of the Scripture in each cabin to lighten the packing!
As for the dress code, I admit it is a hard tradition for someone as old as I am to break from BECAUSE … all my life this “tradition” equated to respect.
As with any “rule or code”, to break this meant being disrespectful by exhibiting an attitude of arrogance… “I am better than you, I don’t have to follow the code”.
Also in today’s world, some people wear clothing with the intent to intimidate others. “Gangsters” with their pants around their knees with their underwear showing. Is that acceptable?
IF there is no “code”….then you run the risk of “anything goes”….and the next thing you know…you are having dinner with some guy in a wife beater shirt that looks like he is smuggling Choobakka.
So IF someone isn’t trying to be disrespectful, intimidating or “disgusting”… they should not mind a dress code.
Personally I think Carnival’s current dress code is perfect.
Jeans are fine except on Elegant night. If some guy wants lobster badly enough, he will put on a pair of khakis.
LInda (Mom of your friend DJ)
OK John…
Reading your comments on the dress code and how it was followed by the invited guests just makes me boil. You account of the evening points out exactly what is wrong on the ships. The attire was stated to be Cruise Elegant, those that did not meet that standard should have been turned away.
The “look the other way” attitude is exactly what has caused the issue to become such a problem and has caused so much confusion. If Carnival could just make a policy and be consistant with it, it would be much easier and the would be much less posted abouth the issue. If dress in the MDR is “come as you are” then that is what we all expect. If it is “criuse elegant” we should alos expect to follow that. Bananas with all this banter of “well elegant means different things to different people”, jeans and a t-shirt (I don’t care how new or nice) is not cruise elegant.
Please John…. Just some consistancy… can we please follow the outlines that have already been laid out be the Carnival beards?
John
Hi John!!
Thanks so much for all you do!! Have followed your rather busy last fews days, what a mess with Delta! Glad you finally got your undies back!! Really enjoyed the rapid fire questions, lots of fun~ Now.. I have to book the Valor due to your fantastic pictures of the new Serenity area. I already have 3 booked this year! On that note I will be celebrating my 50th (dont tell anyone LOL) birthday on the Paradise the 11th-14th of March. I have finally gotten 4, 1st time cruisers going with me!! Anything you could do to make it special for us would be appreciated, I just want to impress the hell out of them with Carnival!! I so love the blog & facebook. It makes me feel like I’m part of a big family instead of just dollar to a big cruiseline! Best to you and hope to have the pleasure of meeting you one day~
John,
As you may recall, the only cruise my husband and I have been on was the “freestyle” one in Hawaii, which I understand now is flying a European flag. We went with the “freestyle” specifically because of health issues I have, in which when I “gotta eat” I HAVE GOT TO EAT! It may be 5 pm or not til 8 pm. I may be napping at 5pm or 6pm and thus having a set dining time is not feasible for me. Many an evening, this was the case, in which we would either go to the buffet, or find a restaurant that had a table available of food we felt like eating. We ordered room service nightly, as 2-3 hrs after I eat, I want/need to eat again (BTW I am 5’9″ and 125lbs). Many times even putting on appropriate clothing to leave our cabin was a chore for me, thus the thought of having to put on a dress or “uncomfortable” clothing, seems worrisome. Is this something, should we choose to book our next cruise on Carnival, be a requirement? And what “special” dietary foods could be requested from chef, that I could eat? (I would love a dessert that is both milk-free and sugar-free is a low-sugar soy milk available? Is there a sugar-free chocolate melting cake? (Heaven). The sound of playing “dress-up” could be fun, but, what if its “elegant night” or lobster night, and I just don’t have the energy at our reserved time to go down to dining and eat and get dressed up? Is there lobster available other nites? Is there an additional charge for these special nights? Also, I tire quickly, and sometimes, 10 pm I am full of energy and could participate in the shows. However, many nights, we are “RE-tired” by that time. Are all of the shows late, like 9pm? Are there shows and plays done at 5 or 6 pm? Sorry to ask so many questions. I appreciate it. We are planning to book a cruise for either August, November and/or February so these thoughts are going thru my blonde head
Thank you!
Karen Bauer
While it might not be easy to tell someone they can’t have lobster, how can Carnival expect other rules to be taken seriously if they randomly pick and choose which ones to enforce and when? If Carnival prints something that says “Not permitted in the dining room…” then they should enforce it or change it to say that, “The wearing of shorts, gym shorts, basketball shorts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men and baseball hats is discouraged.” I find it rather insulting to go to the trouble of packing a suit, ironing my shirt and dressing, for what I basically consider a fancy-dress dinner party, only to be seated at a table with someone who looks like they just came off the beach. “Oh, I’m sorry, you must be looking for the sunset beach barbecue. Down the hall to the left.”
Just wanted to say in regards to Josh Waitzman I had been on 7 CCL ships 4 with him he is the BEST!!!!
But! Suits would be back in vogue if only men realized how much hotter they look in a good suit than in a polo shirt and khakis. Sigh…
John, an answer to the second part would be nice if you get a chance.
So glad to hear that the Splendor has come through her troubles with flying colours (spelled correctly) – her crew are a credit to the company for the way they handled themselves and should be warmly congratulated and rewarded.
Love the new Serenity area down aft on the Legend – I hope this is going to be a standard facelift for the Spirit class vessels, and if so when will the Spirit herself be getting the upgrade? I would hope that it’s well before we board her in November this year for twenty days to Cabo and Hawaii – we had some very relaxing hours on the Serenity deck on Splendor in 2008…
Best wishes to you, Heidi and Kye – but you can take the Ashes and sod off
Cheers mate,
Mal
HI John – re dress code – I have a long dress for one of the Elegant Cruise Elegant whatever nights – and I will be wearing it because it has only been worn once – last February on the Dream!! Second wearing will be on the Splendor in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!! YESSSSSSSSSS! The other night will be a less formal dress but a dress nonetheless — I like dressing up once in a while — and it’s usually only once a year on a Carnival ship!
@ John – Sign of the Fish reply was so damn funny, I sprayed coffee out of my nose. I have always found the cruises without (my) children to be the easiest to find the gambling, the drinking and the fornicating. Just a hint.
Hi John.
First off I love reading your blog. I do have a question, we sail on the Legend on March 20th. I would like to know if we are porting in Belize or another port. I would think that 3 weeks out, Carnival would know where they are porting. It isn’t really fair that we have to wonder about what we are going to do on that day.
It doesn’t matter to me where we port, I just want to be able to make plans and I’ve put deposits on an excurison in Belize and really don’t want to have to deal with this once on vacation.
After 20 I’ve talked my husband into a cruise so this is a first for our family and I just cannot wait.
Thank you.
Donna
John -
I would like to provide Carnival with feedback on the Ecstasy cruise that was supposed to leave on Saturday, Feb 19th, but was delayed by two days because of the fog in Galveston. The following is what I think Carnival did right and what you need to improve on if you want me as a customer in the future. I don’t know where to post this, and thought that you may be able to get it to the right folks and help make the point that good communications go a long way in helping folks deal with unexpected delays.
Things Carnival Did Well
1. Compensation: I thought the two offers that were made to guests (50% refund on this cruise and 50% discount on next OR 100% refund on this cruise and 25% discount on next) were very fair. In fact, I was so frustrated by the lack of communication, the compensation package is the only reason that I will consider sailing with Carnival again.
2. Staff: All of the staff, as well as the support personnel in Galveston, were extremely nice and did a fantastic job under trying circumstances. I know that they were tired and stressed, but there was only one person who I thought was rude. One person out of a hundred or so, is pretty darn good.
Areas of Improvement
1. Communication, communication, communication: It was abysmal…am I clear? It sounds like Carnival did a good job of keeping passengers on the ship informed. Who was supposed to do the same for the passengers waiting at the port, because information was extremely limited? I know that Carnival is not responsible for the weather, but you are responsible for keeping passengers informed and you didn’t do that for the passengers that were waiting in Galveston. Until the compensation package came out, you had lost me as a customer because of your extremely poor communications. If something like this happens again and communications are not better, you will loose me as a customer regardless of the compensation package. Here’s how I would like Carnival to communicate in the future:
a. Putting a message on the highway signs on Interstate 45 was a great idea. It gave us the opportunity to call Carnival and our travel agent to get some information. Continue to do that. Unfortunately, the information flow pretty much stopped after that.
b. E-mail or call to inform your passengers of the delay and provide as much info as possible…such as ‘We don’t know when we will commence boarding, but it will be after 5 PM (or whatever time seems appropriate)..’. When our Holland America cruise was delayed out of San Diego a few years ago, we received a call informing us of the delay. That was great…we ended up being able to go to the zoo instead of wasting time at the terminal. We have to provide you with a telephone number and an e-mail address. Utilize those to keep your passengers informed when you have events such as this. It is interesting that Carnival had the technology to send me e-mails when you want me to buy something, but doesn’t have the technology to keep me informed when one of your ships that I am supposed to be sailing on is delayed. Why is that?
c.. Keep people informed by making regular announcements at the terminal or wherever you have asked passengers to wait. Make an announcement at least every two hours and when you say that you will make an announcement at a certain time, make an announcement. Even something as simple as…’We don’t have any additional information, but we know that it will take at least x hours to get the ship to port and y hours to disembark’ would have been helpful…then I would have known how much time I had to eat, visit Moody Gardens, go to the Stand…whatever. As it turned out, I sat at the terminal for about 6 hours on Saturday and at the Convention Center for about 6 hours on Sunday. On Saturday, an agent at the terminal said that there would be an announcement at 6 PM…at about 6:30 PM, she finally made an announcement saying that she was awaiting info and that she would make another announcement in 30 minutes. 45 minutes later, she made an announcement. It doesn’t seem like much, but if someone says that they are going to make an announcement at 6 PM, make an announcement…don’t wait until 6:30 PM…that just adds to the frustration level.
d. Send out e-mails and put updates on your website that people can actually find. In this day and age, you should be able to send out e-mails every few hours keeping folks informed. That would enable guests to do other things besides wait in the terminal. In addition, it would have been nice to be able to go to your website and get regular updates. I was able to find the first announcement under ‘fog’ (how was I supposed to know to look under ‘fog’ I’ll never know), but I was never able to find any of the other updates (the supposed 10 AM update on Sunday and equally supposed 2 PM update on Sunday) that were supposed to be on the website. Where the heck were they…I could never find them. Again, many of your guests have cell phones, e-mails, I-Pads, laptops…take advantage of that technology. The one biggest help to minimizing my frustration would have been to be able to do something other than sit in a terminal or convention center awaiting non-existent information.
e. Keep your telephone agents informed. I ended up calling the toll free Carnival number to try to get an update on Sunday morning. I had to wait for an agent for 30 minutes and then he didn’t have any info. Those folks need to have access to up to date information also.
2. Decision Making: It is always difficult to predict the weather, but I think Carnival should have informed people that the Ecstasy would not be able to make port earlier than you did. The fog started to lift during early Saturday afternoon and then by 5 PM it got bad again. How come we had to wait until 7:30 PM to get the announcement? People and support staff were left dangling all weekend because no one was brave enough to make difficult decisions in a timely manner. I am also convinced that Carnival should have known late Sunday that the Ecstasy would not be able to make any ports, yet no announcement was made until Monday morning. I live 2 hours from Galveston, so that information would have been great to have Sunday night
Hi John –
Thanks for your blog – it is a wonderful way to feed my cruise fix between sailings. And we enjoyed you immensely our Liberty sailingin the Mediteranean a few years ago.
Can you tell me the best way to organize a “meet and greet” through Carnival. I am the designated spokesman for a group of about 140 people who have “met” via our Cruise Critic roll call for the April 16 sailing of the Dream. About 40 so far have expressed an interest in a gathering. Can you pleaselet me know who to contact to make the arrangements.
Thanks again
I enjoy wearing my tuxedo on elegant night!
John
I’ve criused with you at least twice maybe more. I remember doing the Med and you were the Cruise Director, Liberty, the ship was
rather new at the time.
You are the best, remember the large TV on deck, where you did a live
talk show from your office, this was neat.
Roger
Dear John,
Sorry but I will have to break the Blog Dress Code as I usually read and write at work. Just wearing underpants to work is frowned on and my boss has absolutely no sense of humour (Spelt incorrectly).
The Cruzin2some
We wish the Carnival Cruise Line’s Splendor and her great crew all the best!!!
Hello there
I am bringing my 2 daughters, their spouses and my 2 grandchildren to see my hubby and I renew our vows. I am concerned about everything I’m reading concerning the ugliness going on in Mexico. I also found an article that says the Disney cruise that goes to the same area as Splendour has cancelled the Mazalan docking. Do you know if Carnival has the same concerns? This is a very important vacation for all of us and I just want to make sure we will be safe?
First off I have to say your blog is FANTASTIC! I have never had the pleasure of sailing with you but we would LOVE LOVE LOVE to sometime! We are book on Splendour in October of this year. It will be Carnival cruise #4 for us
If things that are specifically restricted are going to be allowed into the dining rooms, like jeans, shorts and ball caps on elegant night, it should be announced that your desires supercedes that of Carnivals, and no one will police these things.
It seems Carnival now only defends policies that are revenue generators.
If the jean wearing, ball capped, person walking into the dining room with a bollte of liquor on elegant night, he would only be chastised for bringing that bottle into the dining room, regardless of which entrance he used.
The dress code is no secret and even on elegant night, it doesn’t require a lot. If you don’t want to follow it and want to wear shorts and a t-shirt, there are other options for dining. Perhaps, they need to serve lobster on lido?
Personally, I love to dress up and dress up some even on casual nights. I don’t look down on anyone if they are dressed more casually. It’s just something that I enjoy. I’m also happy to say that my brother is the same. When he cruised, he happily wore a suit even when it wasn’t a requirement. He likes dressing up and looking nice for weddings, funerals and other elegant occassions.
Since I wear mostly swimsuits during the day and would change for dinner regardless, I have to check a bag. Getting ready for elegant night doesn’t take me any longer. I take a shower and get ready in maybe 30 minutes regardless of if it’s elegant night or casual night. My formal clothes take up the same amount of room as my casual clothes. A LBD doesn’t take up anymore room than a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
Sign of the Fish Asked:
reply John
So you don’t think that having religious services onboard your cruise ships is important but gambling, drinking and fornicating is? Another reason you should be kneeling at the Penitent Form asking for forgiveness.
Dude, you just made my day. I actually spit coffee out of my mouth. Hey Son, did you fornicate with Mrs Fish on a cruise ?
It’s not fornication when both partners are married to each other.
Just a comment about ships in general. I spent last sunday flipping between the races in daytona and watching the parade of ships.
Every ship that past the camera, RCI big sob of the seas, princess something, and the NCL, and Holland New dam boat, well they all looked like big ole suv’s that float, no style. Then comes the carnival freedom. compared to the other barges that sailed past, she looks like an Aston Martin, would have said Porche but I know your fondness for the aston.. anyway curb or dock appear you got it hands down. Also an unofficial survey the freedom’s passengers made the most noise cheering on the way outbound outbound.
Will my prime rib taste any better if your in a Tux at my table, hell no.
Will it taste worse if your in just pants and a shirt, hell no.
So people just wear what you want as long as it’s nice and clean.
You paid to eat in the MDR so enjoy it. You don’t have to hide up on the Lido.
BIG Ed
Hear, Hear, Big Ed,
As a past CCL cruiser of 22 wonderful trips. Whatever other passengers wear does not affect my enjoyment of a meal. What they wear matters not to me. Wear a formal dress to breakfast for all I care. It’s your cruise and as long as it doesn’t affect me personally it’s your business. Now
What is offensive is drunk, loud, rowdy passengers but again, I can get up and leave, they are BIG SHIPS. JMHO.
Hey Big Ed, I’m a fan from afar! :0)
Dear K & G,
My wife and I just took our son and his life partner on therir first cruise.
They went to the Friends of Dorthy meeting and meet a few folks that they became friends with and would meet several times around the ship.
The crew of the ship we were on the CCL Fascination were nothing but fabulous to the boys and everyone else for that matter. Please do not worry as I said that the boys were treated like they mattered and were never put down in any way and are currently planning cruise #2. Have a great cruise and I hope yoy enjoy it as much as my son and his partner did.
The Cruzin2some
Hello John, I have been following you for quiet sometime now; I have a few questions. First of all my husband for whatever reason has no desire to spend his dinings with fellow passengers. I am wondering if its possible for us to get our own seating on our cruise. Carnival Splendor (Marchn 13-20). He doesn’t like small talk. My next question is, we had booked a cruise at a certain cost about a week ago and came back today and the price had dropped; I had called and they said they would give me an upgrade or onboard credit. So I told them I would call back and to check with my husband with what he wanted; when I did call back; they told me I couldn’t have either of those. Any help would be great.
Thanks!
The blog dress code is why I’m glad that picture phones never caught on.
John,
Hello, thanks for being such an interesting person and sharing your life with us! I had some friends that were on the Ecstasy that was stuck outside of the port of Galveston last week. Just wanted to let you know that they had all wonderful things to say about how it all was handled. They said they felt well taken care of and were happy to be able to spend longer on their cruise.
Just wanted to share!
Keep blogging!
John –
Thank you so much for the commentary of late. I have to apologize to you sincerely – You took extra measure last year for me, my husband, and my sister and everything worked out brilliantly !!!! Wonderful table every night, surprises in the room . It was perfect !! I hadn’t had the opportunity to get back on here and post. We’re booked on two more this year and eagerly keep looking at what I can book for next year.
As for the dress code — we take every opportunity to dress cruise elegant and I love to see others follow suit. (no pun intended) It truly makes the night more memorable and really makes us feel proud to be able to do this. Because the times have changed so much, you can go into any restaurant, dressed any way you please and you don’t get turned away. Although we aren’t old by any stretch, we still believe in “class”. Take pride in how you look and it will add to the pleasure of the evening and make it special. I hope this is one tradition that Carnival never changes!
Thank you again. We’re eagerly looking forward to our upcoming cruise in May and again in September – both on the Pride. One of these days we’ll try to get one where you’ll be onboard so I can thank you in person!
Hi John,
The only problem with the casual a dress code thingy is that it is a slippery slope and casual slides quickly into sloppy. Casual dress code for men at work in many large companies includes 3 pieces – shirt, slacks and sport coat, but most think casual means only a polo shirt and pants of any kind. There are lots of businesses going back to more structured dress codes because the employees basically act like they just fell off the turnip truck – women with low cut tops, flip flops at work etc., skirts too short . My son has to wear a coat and tie to work at his job with an energy firm in the NE. DH and DS just attended a huge energy event last week and at least 85 % wore suits and another 10 percent had on at least a sportcoat and tie It is a good thing none of these cruisers work for UBS In Europe – they issued a 41 page dress code that even dictated how often they had to get their hair dyed and trimmed. Not only do they decree the color of the suits, length of skirts, but also that they fit well and men’s dress shirts must be professionally laundered. Google it sometime for some fun reading.
My DH works from home and can work in his underwear if he so chooses. However, when he has to go out in public to represent his company he wears a suit and tie and his shoes are shined. Everyone thinks about nothing but their own comfort – how about showing respect for others by dressing for the occasion. Hey, they might even gain some self-respect when they see how well they clean up.
John,
I am one who very much enjoys dressing up on formal nights. No tuxes, but a shirt, tie, and jacket. It seems like there could be a fairly easy fix for this. When you ask at the time of booking which dining time you would like, Carnival should also ask if you plan to participate in formal night by dressing formally. For that one (or two) night(s), One of the MDRs could be designated as the formal dining room, and the other could be for those who prefer the more casual look. Since it appears that there is about a 50-50 split of customers on formal vs. non, it should work out fairly well. The only downside is, one might lose their wait team for that night.
Wow, did you stir things up today. I love to dress up, so as long as that’s okay, I’ll be happy and as long they don’t introduce “clothing optional” as a dress code we are forever good. But really all I could think of tonight is: any updates on the sugar-free version of WCMC? Guess I’m due for a cruise!
Regarding Wee Jimmy, I was on a cruise with him as CD in 2009 (Carnival Freedom) and also one with him as CD in 2010 (Carnival Legend).
On the Carnival Freedom, I only saw him once in person, at the past guest party. On the Carnival Legend he was EVERYWHERE!
I think on some of the larger ships, it just isn’t as possible for a CD to get around to all the activities/locations and so sometimes they just don’t.
One of the many reasons I love the Spirit Class ships
JOSH “BIG SEXY” WAITZMAN IS THE BEST CRUISE DIRECTOR! CARNIVAL IS LUCKY TO HAVE HIM!!! AND SO ARE WE PASSENGERS!!!