These days many flight attendants I have met on planes seem to be more like security guards with nice hair rather than the “Is there anything I can get for you, sir?” attendants of old. This, of course, comes from the world we live in and we have to listen to what they say in much the same way we ask our guests to do on the ship. One of the sure ways to upset Susan or Quentin, the flight attendants, was to use your cell phone while on the plane and anyone found with their phone not in the mysterious “airplane mode” would be thrown to the floor, beaten over the head with the in-flight magazine and tied to their seat until landing when they would be arrested before being driven to Guantanamo Bay accused of being a terrorist.
Well, it seems that the worry about something that costs $40 from Radio Shack bringing down a 747 (thanks to Aaron Sorkin for that line from West Wing) was total bollocks because Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa and other airlines will allow passengers to make use their personal cell phones during trans-Atlantic and long-haul flights. Now, some of you may be excited by this and will be one of those who directly after takeoff grab their Eyephone and scream “Hello Mum, I can see Buckingham Palace. Gee, it looks so small from up here!” Surely there are very few who will be jumping for joy about this news. I would rather be trapped inside Calvyn’s underpants than trapped in a metal tube next to H82Seaugo screaming down his phone, “I’m on the plane! The food sucks, the service sucks and I will be writing a review about this on FlightCritic.com.”
Personally, I hate this idea and flying does have one respite and that’s I am out of contact with the beards and ship life for a few hours and I sodding love that. Cellular phones rule our lives. The streets where you live and the mall where you shop are now populated by zombies who shuffle along staring at their handsets. Being on a plane and while at sea were, for the most part, the only places left where you were unreachable, where just for a while you could relax, watch a movie, stare at the flight attendant’s bottom and do so knowing you were completely disconnected from the world.
And, of course, using your cell phone in flight means it’s not just the speaking loudly which will be annoying but remember people can now call you so that means throughout a eight-hour trans-Atlantic flight, we will be disturbed by various ring tones from Beyoncé to the theme from James Bond. Yep, flying already is s**t from those bastards who recline their seats immediately after takeoff to those whose arse smells so badly it probably has a tooth growing up there. Actually, it really does not matter if the bad guys try to do us harm because Virgin is a British airline and even if we British passengers saw anything remotely alarming, we wouldn’t say anything because being British, we prefer to die in a horrible explosion at 30,000 feet rather than alert the flight crew because we don’t like to complain. It won’t be long before cell phone rates are cheap that everyone on a cruise ship will be jabbering away on their phones incessantly and that would be a real shame because for most people a cruise is like a flight……a chance to savor the liberating feeling of being disconnected. Long may that continue.
Time for today’s Q and A…..off we go.
Alan Benowitz asked:
Heald, why do you not carry Fox News channel on your ships? You have CNN which gives no unbiased news and to most Americans is known as the communist news network. Other lines carry Fox — why doesn’t Carnival LISTEN?! And see what their customers want. Fox is the news station of choice for most Americans and as Americans are your customer base, you need to LISTEN!John says:
Hello Alan BenowitzThank you for taking the time to write and while I am sure that your comment will promote much debate, the bottom line is that at the moment Fox News is not part of our programming across the fleet. So, for now, you will have to endure the other network. Best wishes.
John
Scott Troeger asked:
John,My wife (Joni) and I have enjoyed many relaxing cruises on a variety of “Fun Ships” including the inaugural voyage of the Carnival Magic with you. In all of this time we have never asked for anything, but wanted to know if you could help us with something for another family. This other family will be joining us on the Carnival Conquest out of New Orleans on Jan. 13, 2013. This cruise is to celebrate the Dad’s return from Afghanistan where he is currently serving as a U.S. Navy SeaBee. These are wonderful people that we met on board the Carnival Fascination in July or August of 2010. They are excited and this will be the first cruise for the two boys ages five and seven.
What I would like to ask is:
1. Can you arrange for them to be seated with us at dinner?
2. Is it possible for them to board with us? We are Platinum guests
And it would be nice to treat them to VIP boarding.
If I’m asking too much, I understand. We intend to do some things for them ourselves, but thought the two items above could be a nice treat from Carnival. Thank you very much.
Scott Troeger
John says:
Hello Scott TroegerYou must be very proud and I will do all I can to help you. Obviously, we are sometime away from your cruise so please can you send me this again in early December and I will see what we can do to make this brilliant cruise even more so. Best wishes to you all.
John
Frank and Catherine Whelan asked:
Our son, Callum, was the valedictorian from Canyon High School and will be going to USC in the fall. We will be taking him on the Carnival Paradise for a cruise June 11 and would like to arrange a private tour of the ships bridge and engine room for him and as a gesture of congratulations, I would hope that Carnival would not charge us for this. I will make sure that we tell the Orange County Register about this which gets Carnival great press. I would also like Callum to be presented on stage at the show for all he has achieved. This is our third Carnival cruise and I hope that you will make it very special for Callum.John says:
Hello Frank and Catherine WhelanHow proud you must be of Callum and I am sure he is going to continue to be a success at university. While I am not able to offer a free tour of the ship, we do have the Behind the Fun tour that takes you behind the scenes and I can imagine that if you purchased this unique view on what happens behind the crew only door that Callum would be thrilled. You can purchase this tour on board and I truly recommend it. I will ask the CD to send Callum something from me to wish him all the very best in what I am sure is going to be a very bright future. Best wishes to all and have a brilliant cruise.
John
Don Boice asked:
Just wondering is the cruise director schedule for July-Dec is out yet, or will be soon? The spreadsheet on the blog currently stops in June and I was curious to know who the CD for my next cruise in July (Carnival Magic 7/22-29) is going to be. An aside, my compliments on how you handle some of the complaints here. I just scratch my head at the petty complaints/finding something to bitch at in the hopes of getting free stuff. I would have flown off the handle at someone long ago and been out of a job. Hope to see you on a cruise someday.John says:
Hello Don BoiceI am sure by now you have seen that I have posted the new summer CD schedule and my apologies for the delay. The CD will be James Charlton whom I know you will truly enjoy. Thanks so much for those very kind words and if there is anything I can do for you please let me know. Best wishes.
John
Alice Stockland asked:
John, as I did not get a comment card last week please can you tell the beards that Alania my cabin steward on Carnival Dream last week was the best I have had in my 22 cruises. Alania was perfect and I shall miss not seeing her wonderful smile and her sparkle every morning. I sail next on the Sensation for cruise number 23 in May.John says:
Hello Alice StocklandThank you, Alice, for your amazing loyalty and for this wonderful post that highlights a special lady in Alania. I will send this to her and her supervisors so that they can see that they have one of the best working on board. I hope that cruise number 23 was just as good and if there is ever anything I can do for you please let me know. Best wishes.
John
Bobbie Biro asked:
First off, I would like to say, “My family and I had a wonderful cruise on the Carnival Paradise 3/24-3/29!” Second, finally met Wee Jimmy (second cruise with him as CD), and as usual he was FANTASTIC! A couple of items I would like to address 1. When at a shopping talkThat was scheduled not in the theater, but on promenade close to the Karaoke, it was very difficult to hear what was being said. 2. There has been some improvements in the debarkation, but I think there still should be a de-brief in person. I am a Platinum card holder and
understand most of what will happen, but there are some who do not and did guide them in the right direction for answers. Last, but not least, CAN’T wait until my next cruise! Please tell Wee Jimmy, the purple lady says HI!
John says:
Hello Bobbie BiroWee Jimmy is truly an asset and his on stage personality is fantastic, isn’t it? I am so glad you had fun and I will make sure I pass on your comments. I have no idea why we would schedule a shopping talk on Promenade Deck and if so we should have provided a microphone. As for debarkation, well the days of us gathering all the guests in the lounge are long gone but we need it seems to make sure that we get the message across more clearly. Thanks, Bobbie, and thank you also for your loyalty. Best wishes.
John
Janis McClure asked:
John, I want to compliment Jennifer Nunez in the customer service dept. I called to ask about gift certificates which she helped me with and then mentioned a problem I had with my booking. Dhe finished with the gift certificate and the asked me how she could help with my problem. John she went above and beyond to get a resolution that was better than I had hoped. Carnival is well represented by her and I will keep booking because when they say customer care they really do. Thank you for all you have done on our past cruises to make them so much fun. Looking forward to Carnival Triumph in May and again in November.John says:
Hello Janis McclureIt is always wonderful to receive compliments about shoreside personnel and it seems Jennifer is worthy of praise indeed. I shall make sure she sees this and her supervisors too so thanks so much for taking the time to write. I hope you will let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Best wishes.
John
Andi Sullivan asked:
Have you seen the size of the cheese plate you offer in the dining room? What a joke. Four thin slices of cheese. You should be embarrassed and instead of sitting there taking the admiration of your sickening cheerleaders, why not look at the product and see where you fall short big time. I cruise next on the Carnival Destiny in August.John says:
Hello Andi SullivanI love cheese. In fact, let’s have a look at some cheese, shall we, in the company of the Monty Python team:
Thanks for the post and please remember that you can order as many cheese plates as you like so if one is not enough, please let your waiter know and he or she will bring you more. Best wishes and have a brilliant time on the Carnival Destiny.
John
Carla Fuentes asked:
Booking number is ******. Carnival Breeze. Dear John, I’ve seen on your blog that you have arranged special requests for dining and was hoping you could please help me with one. We’re sailing on the Carnival Breeze with you as our cruise director, of course. We will be celebrating our 58th wedding anniversary. This may sound a bit strange but last cruise on the Carnival Freedom, we were given a table for two and although we love each other very much we really enjoy the company of others. So my request is to please have the maître d put us at a table with other passengers. Thank you on behalf of my husband and I.John says:
Hello Carla FuentesWhat a wonderful celebration and I can see that I will be here with you in July so I promise to do all I can to make this anniversary cruise very special for you. I will speak to Chris and Ken the maître ds here and we will make sure your table request is granted. I wish you a brilliant time and many more happy years together. Best wishes to you both.
John
Anna Beaman:
Hi John! My husband and I are contemplating a cruise for the annual summer vacation, but I couldn’t bear to cruise without you ever again. We cruised with you a few years back on the Carnival Freedom and it was the best cruise we’d ever been on and I think it was mostly due to you. I lay on the deck each morning and looked forward to watching you on the big screen.With all that being said, will you be the director on any cruises leaving from the US east coast this summer? If so, please tell!
John says:
Hello Anna BeamanThank you that is so very kind of you and I am thrilled to see that you had so much fun. I am afraid I won’t be on the east coast until November when the Carnival Breeze returns to Miami from her European season but I hope this does not stop you from booking another brilliant Carnival cruise. If you have any questions or need anything please let me know. Best wishes and hope we sail together one day soon.
John
That’s all for today.
I had been posting the cruise directors’ bios and need to get back to doing this because I still believe we have the best in the business and they can make a difference to your cruise. Today, I want to feature a lady who I know well and who has rapidly become so very comfortable in the CD chair. Here is Jaime Dee.
Jaime Dee – Cruise Director
Jaime is originally from Michigan; she grew up with an entertainment background and has loved to be on stage since the age of eight. Jaime worked in Michigan as a theater camp counselor for 10 years and performing in interactive dinner theater comedy shows. In 2007, Jaime graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in community relations and psychology. After sailing as a guest, Jaime set out to fulfill her dreams of traveling and helping others by applying to work for Carnival. She has been working for Carnival Cruise Lines for five years and is grateful to have the opportunity to have a positive impact on Carnival guest’s vacation memories. Jaime now has worked on 10 Carnival ships and has been fortunate enough to visit most of the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera, the Baltic, the Mediterranean and South America. Jaime has a passion for people, and a nurturing spirit, and appreciates each day and each opportunity to make a positive impact on board.
Congratulations, Jaime, as I see so many positive comments about you here and on my Facebook page, you should be proud.
Well it is getting very busy here and preparations are under way, for our sailing to Venice which will be in the afternoon of May 31 and we should arrive inside the canal at Venice on the night of June 2. Let me show a timeline of events.
May 29: Carnival Breeze Handover Festivities & Dinner
May 31: Carnival Breeze departs from Fincantieri Shipyard – sailing to Venice begins
June 2: Carnival Breeze arrives in Venice in the late evening
June 3: Carnival Breeze sails from Venice on her inaugural 12-day voyage
We will be sailing with approximately 200 invited friends, family and retired Carnival captains and chief engineers as well as about two million beards who are here to support us and help us prepare for the first cruise. The ship is looking fantastic and I hope you have been enjoying all the photos I have been posting on Facebook. Now for those who are unfamiliar with this class of ship, here are some facts about your Carnival Breeze…
Gross tonnage: 130,000
Length: 1004 feet
Beam: 122 feet
Maximum draft: 27 feet
Maximum capacity: Guest: 4,891
Maximum capacity: Crew: 1,386
Here are the senior officers:
| Master: | Vincenzo Alcaras |
| Chief Engineer: | Antonio Colotti |
| Captain: | Stefano Battinelli – he will take over as captain when Captain Alcaras goes on vacation |
| Hotel Director: | Pierre B. Camilleri |
| Staff Captain: | Nicola Iaccarino |
| Staff Chief Engineer: | Fabien Gervaise |
| Guest Services Manager: | Ana Maria Dumitru |
| F&B Manager: | Ivaylo Hristov |
| Housekeeping Manager: | Niksa Pelic |
| HR Director: | Dorothy Ziemba |
I will have much more news on the days ahead. We are all very excited and really want to get going and show off this fantastic ship. Some people may think it’s far too early to say this but having been here for a month I think I am in a position to do so. If you take the decor, quality, facilities, dining choices and the crew, I think she scores an almost consistent row of 10s and will be our best ever ship to date. Yep, I truly believe that, I really do. She may look like her sisters Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic on the outside but let me tell you that on the inside ……..she is incomparable.
But hold on a moment I hear you cry, she looks fantastic, chic and elegant but is she still fun inside? Good question. Can you truly score a row of perfect 10s and still have that Carnival style of fun? Think about it and in doing so let’s think about Rodger Federer. I say this because there is tennis on my cabin TV at the moment and while he is a brilliant tennis player but can you imagine him putting a piece of dog poo in Rafael Nadal’s tennis shoe? Can you imagine him standing on a chair doing the YMCA dance…naked? Nope, you can’t can you. In short, then, to be brilliant, to be the best, do you have to be boring? The answer, of course, is no. John McEnroe wasn’t boring. LeBron James isn’t boring and neither is Tiger Woods! So to answer my own question, yes you can have a perfect row of 10s and yes you can be fantastic and the best and still be full of fun. And the proof of this is of course…….your Carnival Breeze. Wish you were here.
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.
My husband keeps arranging that the beds get put...
Thank you for another great blog! I loved the reference to H82Seaugo. I almost pissed my pants…LOL
Crystal,
You know that he is in his glory having been named on JH’s blog. Too funny!!!
Jamie is FANTASTIC, one of the best CD’s ever. She is so fun and filled with energy. She takes the time to walk around the ship and visit with people. She was a ACD last year when we met her so very happy to see she is now a CD. Hope we get to sail with her soon GO JAMIE…….
Dear John,
Thank you for the brilliant Blog. We can’t wait to see how many cheese plates we can order…. See you on June 3.
Oh, is your cigar trimmer in good repair?
John I agree Fox News would be a much better choice. Can you at least pass this on to the beards?
May I support James request for Fox News. It is fair and unbiased.
Ranjit
RIGHT fox news unbiased? I don’t think so.
What a joke… As a Canadian (with no US political affiliation) I cannot imagine having news like on FOX shown in Canada! It is the most biased channel of them all and although MSNBC isn’t that much better it is clear that none of those or unbiased…. Wake up people!
John,
Please don’t limit us to FOX (Faux)news. They are one of the most biased cable news networks there is regardless of their “fair and balanced” propaganda. CNN is the most middle of the road and if the beards make a change then include all 3…CNN, MSNBC and FOX. At least then just about everyone is covered.
How about just having CNN International, or BBC. CBC would be the best. Keep the news channels neutral.
I have no problem with you offering Fox, Al Jazeera or Xinhua as long as you give us the option to choose.
And yes, there will be MANY people with opinions on this.
Hopefully no one will get all personal over it.
Why would they want to have that tabloid trash on TV on a ship full of people with functional brains.
AND, why would anyone watch TV anyway while on a cruise.
Barbara, I agree with you. Jobs, phones, computers and tv are what we are trying to get away from when going on a cruise!
Hello John
We will sail the same as you on Aug 26. This will be our third cruise all with Carnaval but this one is very special, it is to celebrate our 25 wedding anniversary witch was on May 16 but the real anniversary date is when we met and this was Aug 26 1984. We are looking forward to it for obvious reason but also love sailing with Carnaval.
We are Canadian with only our second time to Europe but time on a ship in Europe
Hoping to get to meet you
Keep up the good work John
Andi Sullivan,
Are you French? I hope you were joking as your comment seemed rather rude! While at dinner a guy beside my husband and I was finishing his cheese plate and called the waiter over and let him know he really enjoyed the blue cheese and could he have more of just the blue cheese. The waiter happily brought him a huge slab of blue cheese.
I wish you were French, cause then I could tell you what I really wanted to say
I believe Jamie was the Asst CD on our Ecstasy cruise this winter. She was fabulous and I am so happy to see her as a CD! Congrats, Jamie!
LOVE jaime as a cd!!! totally out there with the guests and so sweet!
can’t wait to see you again on the breeze john, but not until january.
smiles, bee
Yes to CNN no to Fox News.
John, According to tv ratings Fox is the most watched of the cable news channels. However their total viewers averages around 1,500,000 a day. Which is less than 1% of the US population. It’s like cc members screaming they need extra on a cruise when they make up less than 2% of all passengers. It is also a very polarizing network. For the most part people who watch it think there is no other opinion and every other network is biased. They call it fair and balanced, yet at least 4 previous conservative republican presidential canidates worked for them the last several years. For the most part people either love fox or are indifferent to it, but if it was on the public tv’s instead of just in the room it would drive more people away than keep. I occasionally will watch to see their slant on a news story, but would not want them to be the only option. The suggestion of BBC was probably the best and least controversial.Thanks for all you do.
I second the vote for BBC news!!!!
Ed, nice post, you provided the information Carnival would need to justify replacing CNN with Fox. Fox has more viewers that all the other networks combined. While Fox is not the choice of all Americans, it certainly is the new channel choice of most Americans. I had to laugh with your comment that Fox was polarizing, that is like a bulldog calling a greyhound a canine. IMO, both Fox & CNN (or whatever other liberal biased network you like) should be offered in the cabins and be selectable for the pax in that cabin. Also IMO, no news should be aired on the big screen unless there is a very BIG story that needs to be made public.
signed as fair and balanced cruiser.
“it certainly is the new channel choice of most Americans.”
Ummm, really> I’d like to see anything to indicate that most Americans watch Fox. That needs to be at least 160 million viewers to be able to say anything like that.
Looks like Jas hit a nerve. Looks like all 5 CNN viewers are on this message board.
ROFL!!!
Mark, you obviously have a computer, look it up yourself. While CBS beats Fox for the number one spot in Network News, that is not what we are talking about. CABLE News is really the topic. I am remiss in not using the term CABLE, my apologies for that. As far as CABLE news channels, FOX dwarfs CNN. Look it up yourself, you won’t believe anyone anyway.
Fox enjoys it’s high viewership only because it is geared exclusively to the low information folks…and it’s the only channel they go to.
Those who are interested in real news and information get it from reliable and valid sources….many of them.
I agree BBC would be nice. International, World or America would do nicely.
At least you’d find out what’s going on in the real world…if you wanted to know.
.
This whole topic is about what NEWS channels to provide on the ships, NOT about who can come up with the worst attacks on people they know nothing about. IT wasn’t mentioned here to create a debate among bloggers, merely to ask a question of preference.
AGAIN, I say to provide both CNN and FOX for the passengers and leave it off the ship’s big screen all together.
BTW, a programs popularity is based on numbers, not on education levels nor income. Ratings are based on the numbers.
Isn’t Fox owned by Murdoch? And you know about all the problems with him in the UK!
As a Brit I would prefer BBC World News too
Please don’t ever put FOX NEWS on your ships. It is not the preferred news source for Americans. While I’m on a cruise I NEVER watch the news and leave my cell phone in my dresser at home. While I’m on holiday my priority is what time is bingo and what is being served for dinner.
I agree with mjgruskin, please say NO to Fox news. It is NOT the preferred new station of most Americans, it is the preferred station of Republican Americans and I for one would prefer no new stations while on vacation. I want to be happily oblivious to the outside world while on vacation which is why I turn of my cell phone and the tv for the entire time I am on the ship.
I agree.
No cell, no computer. Don’t care about “news” while I’m gone.
If anything earth shattering happens, my family and friends know where I am and how to reach me….and if there is urgent and serious news, it will come over the PA system.
I’m more interested in my book, my nap, my balcony….what’s for dinner, what time is Trivia and where, and which lovely alcoholic beverage I’ll choose before dinner.
Hear, hear! I agree!
It is for Constitutional based Americans. Much better than the Crises News Network.
I do not agree with mjgruskin. Fox news is the number 1 rated cable news network.
And I watch tv when I’m getting ready to do other things on the ship.
Dear John,
I am confused maybe you can help me figure it out.
On your FB page you said you don’t want to hear anything about Cruise Critic, yet you are the one always bringing H82 up and we all know he’s from Cruise Critic. I guess what I am asking is do you want to know what he says
About you or not?
Enjoy the Breeze, it looks magnificent
Perhaps you have missed the wonderful ascerbic wit……….
Yes John, you are always the one who brings H2O and CC up. Please don’t take the low road and always criticize him and CC. It gets tired after awhile you must like the contentions it causes or perhaps the publicity.
Harry
It is simple. When a comedian has a heckler, the comedian makes the heckler part of the show.
If someone does not want to be part of the show….do not heckle.
John, how dare you not give Callum a tour! There was ‘free publicity’ at stake!
*eyeroll*
I hate those sort of entited helicopter parents. As if ‘precious widdle Cawwum’ (baby voice) is so special – how many high schools are there in the U.S.? Because that is how many valedictorians there are graduating this year. How do we know Callum wasnt homeschooled and first in a class of one?
Couldn’t agree more!
I totally agree with you! There are thounsands of valedictorians each year! Come on!!!!!!
Im sure carnival gets plenty of publicity, one local paper wont make or break the company’s hopes of survival, they can pay for their tours like the rest of us.
Love it!!
HI JOHN, LOVE THE PICS OF THE BREEZE CANT WAIT UNTIL SAT TO FLY TO VENICE AND START OUR WONDERFUL VACATION, AS I ASK B-4 OUR 38TH WEDDING ANN IS JUNE 7 WHILE WE WILL BE ON THE BREEZE AND HOPED YOU COULD SEND SOMETHING TO OUR CABIN # 2264. WE ARE PLATINUM AND SAILED WITH YOU IN 05′ ON THE LIBERTY TO EUROPE. THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO. SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS.
John,
I have never cruised with you as CD, however from your blog I think it would be a blast! My family goes on our 3rd cruise in September on the Destiny. Our Last cruise was March 2012, with Kurt as CD and Jamie as ACD…Congrats Jamie!!! Just wanted to throw a line and say you are toooo funny!
John, do not let Alan Benowitz bully you into broadcasting False News Network, often referred to as Faux News, especially based on a fallacy. Alan is proud to say that some folks call CNN the Communist News Network yet he fails to tell you that Faux News is often called “Faux” because most of what is reported on that network is generallky based on false information. Further, it is aimed at the conservatives and ultra-conservatives. Finally, Alan offers nothing to support his comment that Faux is the network watched by most Americans for their news. Actually, it’s quite the contrary. If he would bother to do a quick google search, he’ll see that Faux News’ ratings are down while CNN’s are up. Our President has often said that Fox News is “destructive” to America and even one of Alan’s champions, Newt Gingrich, said that CNN is much less biased than Fox. Sorry Alan, but good try. Now be good and go watch Tea Party.
Really Richard? Did you bother doing a quick Google search? I guess not.
Ratings
The Scoreboard: Thursday, May 31
By Alex Weprin on June 1, 2012 4:34 PM
25-54 demographic (Live +SD)
Total day: FNC: 261 | MSNBC: 124 | CNN: 103 | HLN: 101
Primetime: FNC: 359 | MSNBC: 231 | CNN: 126 | HLN: 136
John,
I love being out of cell phone range. The biggest concern when I cruise is that very odd phone call to my cell provider asking what switch I need to hit on my phone to make sure it doesn’t “roam” while at sea, churning away charge after charge on my cell phone while happily roaming the ship, waiting to greet me with terror on my return. So I discussed all these different buttons and switches to punch, and the representative helping me on the phone said she “thinks” this will prevent roaming charges. Thinks? Great. Very reassuring. I finally just traveled with the thing in airplane mode. Maybe they should make phones with a “cruise ship” mode?
Looking forward to cruising the Carnival in November after drydock!
-Mark
Can you hear me now….funny but not to me. First, Im not a stupid person but obviously ignorant when it came to using my cell phone in a US port on a cruise ship. VW my server said because the ship’s tower picked up my signal, I am liable for the 2.49 per minute charge. The dilutional part of my story of CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW, I was told by the person in custmer service that…I am suppose to notify them when I go on vacation!!! I did not have roaming services in my contract but CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW…My contract had already expired with them and so I changed my server. I am sure many people out here may already know that they need to contact ther wireless phone service prior to cruising but for those who dont be ware, I told you so!! I guess my next cruise, I need to contact the electrical company,gas company, mail carrier, newspaper delivery service and the neighborhood thief and tell them I am going on a 7 day cruise.
So we can now use cell phones on airplanes in the middle of nowhere, and Carnival says the sorry service they provide for internet at inflated prices in the middle of nowhere is the best they can do. Hmmm…somehow I bet the internet service in the Pursers office works better than that.
I want a tour around the ship… sure we can do that. It’s $95 per person. It always amazes me the “FREE” part of many requests sent to John. I don’t mind people asking for bridge or engine room tours. People’s curiosity is endless and that’s a good thing and very interesting to know some of the inner workings of these technological wonders that cruise the oceans. And Carnival (and many other lines as well) obligued and offer such tours… but at a cost… I paid $95 for the Behind the Fun tour in Carnival Magic and think it was worth every penny. So don’t be so cheap and pay for the tour like everyone else.
Andy….about that cheese plate thingie.
It is supposed to be dessert…not a meal. A cheese plate after dinner is usually paired with the last of the wine or the coffee as that “little something” that tops of your meal..like a scoop of sherbet or something.
I always order it and take it back to the room… When I get “home” from the evening activities, it’s nice to nibble on it while reading the next chapter in my book.
Mmmm, cheese! I’ll have seconds, please!
John, please do not put the Republican Party Fascist TV station on your cruises. In fact keep those that watch that TV station off your cruises.
How RUDE!! I’m a proud registered Conservative Republican and sure hope i never run into the likes of YOU on any of my Carnival cruises!!
No fox news? That’s good news.
Fox news viewers tend to be the least well informed of any major news outlet’s consumers. They seem to like it that way.
TV news – Who needs it on a cruise. I could care less what news channels you show as I never watch the news while on vacation. If any thing I would say have more music channels and movies. At least change the movies every day. Running the same ones over and over gets old.
John, please don’t make Fox your only news channel and please, please don’t put it on the big screen. I believe the reason Fox has the most viewers is because that population (1%) doesn’t watch any other news program because it is so far right. The rest of us watch a variety that isn’t so biased. I watch BBC, CNN, HLN, but mostly watch the network morning or evening shows. Fox is so polarizing it will open up a can of worms you don’t want opened, especially if it’s on the big screen. I much prefer no news up on the Lido deck and if you are thinking of getting rid of CNN, I vote for BBC. They are more respected and actually care about checking their facts. There is a reason they are known as faux news. Thanks for all you do. I can’t wait to sail in July!
Jaime is great & FOX News, the number 1 cable news should be available on the ships.
thanks so much for this blog
i was wondering if you can direct me to do something special for my mom this year. her and dad are going on the Paradise on August 30th for her birthday, i normally go with them but this time i cant. thank you in advance
John,
I get my news from Jon Stewart!!
HI Calvyn!
JoyceG
Looks like your only choice is: NO NEWS!!
Going to Alaska on Spirit at end of July. I don’t plan to watch any news but rather will be out on the balcony looking for whales!
This morning we were standing by Wee Jimmy on the Empress deck while waiting for Gergely Szado, the Guest Services Manager, to escort us thruough customs for our B2B cruise. When Gerg showed up I noticed that he was from Hungry. I asked if he was from Budapest and he replied yes. I then said “Buda or Pest?” and he said Pest. Jimmy looked really confused as he only caught part of the conversation and didn’t know that Budapest had once been two cities divided by a river. He thought I was refering to him as buddha and Gerg as a pest. Well, Wee Jimmy does sort of resemble a Buddha with his big tummy. But, Gerg is anything but a pest as he was a very friendly and helpful gentelman. Then Jimmy started laughing to himself and asked me to ask you about the word “pescht”(sp?). He said that was the state Brit is in after a night of heavy drinking at the pub. Any idea what he is talking about?? Looking forward to seenng you on the Breeze on Oct 25th, for 27 days of B2B fun! John
Dear John and the crew of the beauitful Carnival Breeze.
I see you are leaving the shipyards to start the adventure.
To all who sail on the Breeze. May you all be safe and have the time of your life giving us the best vacation of ours.
God Speed!
The Cruzin2some
P.S. We just found out that our daughter Jessica and her husband Alex are having a baby girl in September. Elaina Auria Vogtman will be joining our cruise in 2013 out of Baltimore to the Caribbean. Ya Mon!
I wish to thank you John for our wonderful cuise on the Splendor May 13th. every one of the crew where great. the entertainment was the best.Special tip of the hat to Marty in the piano bar.
One thing that really helped was that it was our second cruise and we had an idea of what was going on and didn’t have that “deer in the headlights” look to us.
Thank you for getting us into the chef’s table. it was a once in a lifetime experence.
Todd and Eric where the very best and made our trip very special. The past guest party was a blast. We will always remember the fun we had. Please tell Todd that the Karaoke comment was just a joke. He did a great job singing.
So sorry to hear that the last night cruise party has went away. it was wonderful time and the ship’s band was great.
The food was fantastic. not a single thing was even close to average.We had anytime dining and was always seated promptly. The new maitre d was a lot of fun. all of it was great. except the 8 pounds i gained on the cruise.
so sad to lose the Splendor to NY. It is a great and beautiful ship.hope to some day sail on her again.
Again thank you John for the Chef table reservations. it was beyond our expectations.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less what is on the TV — I can sit at home in my living room and watch TV! I’m on a cruise ship! I’m going to do things I can’t do in my living room!
We were in Venice on Saturday and saw Carnival Breeze when we came back to Norwegian Spirit.
Nice looking ship.
Hi John,
Just returned from my third cruise on the Carnival Liberty. I had a wonderful time and just wanted to let you know that Dave the pianoman in the Piano Man Bar was absolutely outstanding.
He knew each guest by name, played exceptionally well, and went out his way to learn new songs that the guests had requested on his behalf.
He was an exceptional worker who went above the call of duty.
I look forward to my next cruise (which will also be my first cruise as an “adult” (over 21) on Carnival, as while as my first cruise without my family) on The Sunshine January 2014!
Just wanted to send along a note about a wonderful experience my family had on the Carnival Pride. You have two amazing people in Jaime Dee and Gumby on that ship! We couldn’t have asked for a better host and hostess onboard. Excited, personable, knowledgable, and receptive to anything. During our Ask the Cruise Director & Assistant Cruise Director chat they we open and honest about life onboard and shared the passion they both have for their jobs. This was our 4th Carnival Cruise and it’s people like them that will have us back for number 5! Thanks for a wonderful time! We’ll be sailing from wherever they are when the time comes!