‘Twas the night before the cruise, when all through the house
Everyone was packing; have you seen Mom’s blue blouse?
The kids’ luggage was set by the back door with care,
In hopes that they’d remembered to pack formal wear.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of waterslides danced in their heads.
In the morning we got up and got coffee and fraps,
And we got to the terminal without needing a map.
When we got on the ship we avoided the clatter,
We sprang to the buffet to load up a platter.
Away to Guy’s Burgers we flew like a flash,
Next to the pools of kids making a splash.
The sun on the breast of the blue ocean waves
Made me think of a drink, which I started to crave.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a goofy British man who was holding a beer.
At the site of him, someone beside me yelled,
And I knew in a moment it must be John Heald.
More rapid than eagles the cruisers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and began to exclaim:
"Now Sunshine! now, Glory! now, Pride and Sensation!
On, Magic! On, Conquest! on Spirit and Elation!
To the Caribbean and to three ports of call;
Now cruise away, cruise away, cruise away all!"
Some cruisers stood by and waved their goodbyes,
As the ship’s horn blew and the sun set in the skies.
So up to the lido deck the cruisers they flew,
With cameras in hand to capture the view.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the deck
The pouring of juice and some orange triple sec.
As I signed my receipt and left an extra tip,
Up came John Heald to the top of the ship.
He was dressed in his swimsuit, ready for the slides,
And he looked quite happy, with a pep in his stride.
A bag full of sunscreen he had flung on his back,
With a Guy’s burger inside, in case he needed a snack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
But his chest won the contest for being too hairy!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
For he’d just heard the sketch for the comedy show.
As the senior cruise director of the whole Carnival fleet,
He would shake the hand of every cruiser he’d meet.
He had a broad face and he loved the food at the deli,
And in the mornings he room serviced toast with some jelly.
He was funny and kind, a right jolly old man,
And I laughed when I saw him get a bit too tan.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know his skin would go red.
He spoke not a word, but went back to his work,
As he wrote up the Fun Times for our day in Grand Turk.
He planned out the bingos, the trivias, the shows,
And made sure to list when the ship’s bars would close.
He then sprang to the mic, to his team gave a shout,
And away they all flew, the crew so devout.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere we sailed out of sight,
"Happy cruising to all, and to all a good-night!"
Azamara Club Cruises has announced a world cruise entitled The World Journey; a 102-night itinerary aboard the 686-guest Azamara Journey. The voyage will span 61 ports in 29 countries and starts March 7, 2018 in Sydney.
Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas is set to be receiving a complete $30 million makeover just in time for her summer 2016 Mediterranean season.
A cruise ship was evacuated on Friday afternoon from Port Miami after a passenger got onto the ship without clearing security.
Carnival Cruise Line has expanded their initial 2016 lineup for their entertainment program Carnival LIVE to include Kathy Griffin. She will perform two hilarious shows onboard Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Breeze.
A big congratulations goes out to Princess Cruises who is celebrating their 50th anniversary today aboard Pacific Princess in the Port of Los Angeles. The city of Santa Clarita and Los Angeles County have proclaimed December 3 as “Princess Cruises Day” to honor the cruise line. - See more at: http://cruiseradio.net/princess-celebrates-50-years-of-cruising/#sthash.6QdV2SgR.dpuf
Carnival Cruise Line is going with a staggered embarkation program, allowing guests to pick the time they arrive at the terminal. You must arrive at your scheduled time or be asked to come back
If you’re traveling aboard Norwegian Escape and want to dine in Jimmy Buffet’s signature ‘Margaritaville at Sea’, bring your wallet (or Freestyle Card). The once free venue is going to a la carte pricing effective November 28.
Princess Cruises announced today their 2017 cruises to Europe, including Majestic Princess’ inaugural sailings. The ship debuts in April 2017 and will sail 5 to 28 day cruises from Barcelona, Athens, and Rome in the Mediterranean.
Queen Mary 2 made her inaugural call to Carnival Corporation's newest Caribbean cruise port, Amber Cove, in the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Amber Cove is located on the northern tip of the Dominican Republic and is located 100 miles south of Grand Turk.
Holland America’s ms Eurodam received its ninth perfect score of 100 percent on recent health inspection. This is the first time in the company’s history that a ship has achieved this.
Tiffany & Co. announced today their first ever free-standing boutique at sea aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. The store is located in the ship’s Central Park neighborhood and will offer a full selection of Tiffany’s jewelry, including engagement rings and the T and Atlas collections, as well as Swiss made CT60 watches.
Carnival Cruise Line held a benefit recently for Kids in Distress of Broward and Palm Beach counties. The Fort Lauderdale Improv was transformed into the cruise line’s Punchliner Comedy Club for the night as part of a special fundraiser that raised over $12,000 for the cause; a 20% increase over the amount raised last year.
Norwegian Cruise Line returned to Port Canaveral for the first time in three years when the 2,018-guest Norwegian Spirit arrived over the weekend.
Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that international music sensation Pitbull will serve as GODFATHER for its newest ship, Norwegian Escape.
Carnival Cruise Line is launching a new air program that is designed to provide guests with maximum value, choice and convenience when making their air arrangements in conjunction with their cruise.
If you’re ordering late night room service aboard a Celebrity ship expect to pay a $3.95 late night room service fee.
Carnival and the City of Mobile announced today that the Carnival Fantasy will operate a year-long schedule of four- and five-day cruises to Mexico from the Mobile Cruise Terminal beginning in fall 2016.
Carnival Cruise Line is cutting lobster on short cruises effective September 19, 2015, according to a Facebook post by John Heald. Lobster will still be available on sailings six nights or longer during elegant night.
The first piece of steel was cut at Meyer Werft for Norwegian Cruise Line’s second Breakaway Plus class ship on September 15th. This new ship, currently unnamed, is set for delivery in spring of 2017.
Guests sailing Norwegian Cruise Line will now find it harder to remove the daily service charge from their onboard accounts, this according a story published this morning by CruiseCritic.
Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city, has broken its record for cruise-ship passenger arrivals, welcoming 26,770 cruise passengers aboard four ships in one day.
Could PortMiami be making room for an Oasis-class ship in the future? It’s looking that way if all goes according to plan between Royal Caribbean and Miami-Dade County, this according to an article in the Miami Herald.
Good news for fans of Carnival’s beverage packages. Guests can now pre-purchase their drink package before they set sail by going to Carnival’s Fun Shops website.
The City of Mobile announced that they are in final contract negotiations with Carnival Cruise Line to bring a ship back to the city after a four year absence.