Dave994

I do not believe he is in any danger.......;) You might be surprised at how high in esteem he is held in regards by senior mgt at Carnival.

 

 

 

Didn't say he was Jimbo. I said if he worked at other companies I don't think it would be the same result. Obviously Carnival feels JH is doing a good job, and I would agree...he has a large following, but social media makes it harder for guys with his sense of humor (spelled correctly) to not get attacked.

All CD's say the same spiel, which is pre-approved by corporate bosses, bean counters and lawyers.

 

 

 

A CD who voiced his own opinion would find himself looking for another job when that particular cruise is over.

 

 

 

JH's "blog" consists of corporate messages, not his personal whims.

 

 

There is certainly a script of some sort for them to follow, but JH goes off script a fair bit I would think. Some of the stuff he posts would have had him fired from other corporations.

He has said it many. Many times, yet there are some here who refuse to believe it.

 

 

I may actually agree with Jimbo here. I don't think Carnival keeps any of the crews tips...it's how they pay their salary, or more to the point, how they don't pay their salary....you do :)

 

I do however disagree with the way they distribute it, and so I may try cash tips next time. (Always just leave the auto tips and tip extra) but after thinking about it, I think I would rather tip those who personally server me in cash.

John Heald has started asking questions about the "free" 24 hour ice cream over on FB. As a follower of his page I have learned that when he starts this it means nothing good for passengers.

 

It usually means:

 

1. Start charging for it.

2. Take it away totally.

3. Limit the time of access.

 

What do you think.

 

 

Lol. Ok that was funny. I hope his random quick fire questions are not the basis for the beards making changes to things on the ship as it would be a very poor representation of the cruising population.

 

The reality is they can almost do whatever they want as they have massive profits and people keep coming back. It hasn't gone so poorly for me yet to choose another line due to cost, but one day I may get to that tipping point, but again, they could care less if they lost me or any of us as customers...always new ones coming on board.

I see. I am very picky with flights (always get non-stops at decent flight times).

 

Thanks !

 

 

Same! I was able to get direct flights from Toronto to Miami and back. Late flight home to spend more time at beach too :)

 

And with only a $300 total deposit, I was very happy :)

"Prepaying" for airfare is not optional unless you know of an airline that lets you book reservations with a guarantee or downpayment/deposit - I sure don't know of any :rolleyes:.

 

 

Actually, I have a cruise booked for August and for the first time ever booked my airfare with Carnival as they had a great deal, and it didn't have to be paid for upfront. I only had to pay the normal deposit for the cruise itself. Can be cancelled up to the final payment for the cruise with no penalties.

 

This was a new one for me, but there is a way. [emoji4]

I like these from Ikea. No surge suppressor and only $5.99 for a 2-pack.

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70086401/

 

 

We used one like this on our last cruise. No issues at all. For my fellow Canadians, Dollerama has these :)

I would like to know this as well. Getting the cheers package on my 4 day cruise in August.

I would bet that salaries are equivalent. That line about subsidizing salaries is hogwash from my point of view (oops did I say hog, I am sure he will chip in with some anti tipping points now). More likely it is people not tipping that brought it on.

 

 

Your suggesting salaries are the same on the ship for dining room staff as they would be for a waiter in a land restaurant?

 

Surely you don't believe that to be true?

 

As for not tipping, if people thought it was included before, then I could see why they would not tip on top of that. I have only eaten in the steakhouse once and I was told the fee I paid included gratuities. Now we had great service so I left extra, but others may just think they paid it already and leave...so there may be some truth in that.

Can't argue that but I can only guess what prompted them to do this.

 

 

Money of course. Same reason they pay staff a lower wage and expect us to pay the remainder of the salary for staff under the guise of "gratuities" and then repeatedly remind you to tip the staff on top of that.

 

But that's just my opinion.

Guess your taking lots of places off your list. Chill out its only a couple of bucks.

 

 

Not really. And I don't worry about the money, I tip very well actually, I just prefer to do it based on service I receive. I also think mandatory service gratuities can hurt workers as well..some think that they have tipped already when maybe the service team earned 20 or more % as a tip.

 

But again,

 

Tipping always has and always should happen AFTER service.

I am sure as our friend alludes to, there will be posts on whether tip was included partially included or not included. All immaterial now as they will add it (as it should be). Still a very enjoyable way to spend an evening.

 

 

Why should a tip be included? What happened to the days of tipping because you got good service?

 

I wouldn't dine anywhere that forces a tip on me. And I was once a waiter and Bartender who relied on tips. But I damn well earned them.

Oh and if you haven't already unpacked throw everything you had from that trip into the dryer to kill them off. If you have already unpacked, then you may have a bigger issue.

I would go to a family Dr. and get it checked out. But it is mostly likely bites from bugs on one of the islands you visited. If you had bed bugs, all of you would have bites, not just the kids. The Caribbean has lots of insects that like to nibble on tourist. Not saying it couldn't be, but mostly likely, not.

 

 

Not true. Certain people don't show any signs of bites.

 

Alert Carnival right away so they can at least investigate and prevent further issues.

Robin. I am sorry for your loss as well. Losing a parent is never easy. My condolences to you and your family.

For those who think some answers were abrupt, I think the tone was set with this post. Why come here and matter of factly ask for an address for credit to a future cruise without calling sooner to Carnival? How much could be accomplished with e mails while the ship was currently loading? Was the family member even a close member? The person is not a first time cruiser, so must have had some idea about cancelling and having insurance.

 

 

Are you serious with this? What business is it of yours how close the family member was and what relevance is it to the question they asked?

 

What happened to this being a place for fellow cruisers to share their love and knowledge of cruising with others?

Realized that my last line was not what I was meaning.

 

 

 

Snacks all over the ship but especially the red frog pub wings!!! Didn't want to diss them wings! :cool:

 

 

Haven't tried those wings yet. Perhaps on my 4 day I will give them a go.

 

Also forgot to try the tacos at the Blue Iguna as well. Lots to look forward to I suppose.

I enjoy his bathroom humor. I incorporated a bit of it in my latest wikipedia page edit

It's in the "Personal Life" section of Heald's Wikipedia page

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Heald#Personal_life

 

 

You may need to cruise more as you have far too much time on your hands if your doing Wikipedia posts on JH.

 

90% of the people who sail on Carnival have no idea who the man is.

 

Now I don't know what the ship is going to be called, but if they were going to name it Fiesta and then someone caught on, I would expect a brand ambassador to deny it on behalf of the company.

 

I have never stepped on a ship simply because of a name. Features and price are what I care about.

First off my condolences on your loss. There is an email address I am sure, but I can't seem to find it. My suggestion would be to contact John Heald on FB directly and either he or one of his Followers will be able to point you in the right direction.

 

As I understand it, without insurance I think you only get port fees and some other small amounts back, but not a full refund or even a future cruise credit.

 

I hope that info helps in any way.

OP. I am sorry about the experience on your last trip.

 

I have only been on Carnival 3 times so far and it seems to me on our last Conquest cruise during march break the food quality was way down. Edible, but not what it once was. Even my beloved Eggs Benedict was off.

 

We also spent a lot of time at Guys burgers which were amazing! Loved them for sure.

 

Booked on 3 more cruises and hope the food is better next time, but I see more and more of this everyday here.

 

As for other lines being as cheap as carnival, do you have a special rate? Looked at 4 days for me and my Daughter to try a different line and couldn't find a thing even remotely close to carnival. Booked in at $269 and most were $500 plus.

Thanks for that option John. I appreciate these. Smart business idea to have a place where people can store their bags at the beach!

Hmmm. That sounds like a decent plan. I like the idea of an extra "beach day"

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

I had the social media plan (well the plan above it) on our cruise for march break on the conquest. It was spotty at best. When it did work it was slower than if I was home with my own wifi.

 

I would probably get it again, but I am aware of its limitations.

Hello,

 

I am doing a short 4 day with my dd as a special trip and our flight home on Friday isn't until 8:00pm that night.

 

Any suggestions for the day other than the Carnival excursions? I am mostly worried about what to do with our luggage.

 

Thanks for the thoughts....

[quote name='suzyques']O, I guess everybody does what they can to cut prices but I liked the formal atmosphere for dinner. If I wanted casual then I'd eat at the buffet[/QUOTE]


I suppose it comes down to what line you choose to sail. I have only done Carnival and Celebrity and if I wanted formal, I wouldn't sail Carnival.

They are a business and if I owned it, I would always be looking for the balance btn customer care and making money as I am sure all business owners would. I don't go into a cruise with Carnival with high expectations.

Though as I said, the food this last cruise was the worst I have had in my short time cruising. But I am booked for 3 more cruises so I suppose it wasn't bad enough to keep me from the ship :)