OK, let’s talk about this coming bloggers cruise. I finalized the events and let me pass some of them on to you…………..here we go.
DAY 1
Welcome Aboard cocktail party - this will feature the introductions of … well
………… me ……………two special guests and of course a chance for all of us to meet and
have fun which will be helped by the one hour complimentary drinks service
Dinner - The bloggers will have a special area of the dining room reserved for main sitting. It will be open sitting but we will have special tables reserved for the various families of Cruise Critic, Big Ed, Cruise Mates and those of us who do not belong to one of the families…….sounds like the mafia. I will have a table each night and I will be joined by invited guests. I have not decided the best way to do this yet but I will make it fair and fun……..not that watching me chew on a steak is fun……….but anyway ……dinner, I promise will be a fantastic experience. I do suggest though that once you choose your table that you remain there for the five days. Many of you will know that the experience of having the same waiter is what makes meal times so much fun. If you have any questions about this, please let me know.
Pajama Party - This has been organized by Kuki and the Cruise Mates group but he has invited everyone to come along and enjoy the fun. I will have him tell you about this maybe in the days ahead………I don’t have any pajamas so I will have to borrow someone’s or I will be naked.
CABIN DELIVERY - THIS WILL FEATURE THE FIRST OF THE FREE GIFTS FROM ME TO YOU……AND NO…..I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT IT IS.
Day 2
Early morning get together. This will be a chance to meet in the main lounge for
an hour’s fun. We may have a Q&A and games or just chat…………..who knows. But one
thing is for certain………you won’t want to miss this…….unless you would rather
stay in bed for an hour which considering many of you will have been drinking at
the pajama party the night before may be a strong possibility.
Tea Time
Obviously having 400 of you attend a private tea time will not allow me to meet
and mingle with you all as I would like. Therefore we have broken this down to
four groups, two on each of the sea days with an hour dedicated to each group.
Again, there will be one for Cruise Mates, Cruise Critic and Big Ed and then one
for those traveling with no affiliation to the five families. Each hour will
include tea and goodies and some one on one time with old friends and me.
Elegant Night Photos
Before we go to dinner I will be available for photos with a special backdrop. I
will also have a pen in hand ready to sign something if you wish……something that
may have been placed in your cabin today as gift number two.
Elegant Night Dinner
Music and Dancing……..well for me Music……no dancing and of course we have to go
and see the show.
Day 3 - Progreso
There is no organized tour here however I hope to go to Chitunitza ……….
Chitunnizer ………. Shitunatzer……….the Mayan pyramids so some of you may wish to
join me.
Dinner all together
Midnight - We proudly present the Bloggers Only Male Nightgown contest
Special gift delivered to cabin
Day 4 - Cozumel
Our private excursion to the beach in Cozumel. If you wish to go and have us
provide transportation then I suggest you book no later than January 30th via
www.carnival.com. Food and drinks and fun
are provided and it’s going to be a great day.
Dinner all together
10:30pm - Private Bloggers only show featuring two of Carnival’s top
entertainers …….. this is a private show and both entertainers have stories
which I know will embarrass the heck out of me………oh joy.
Special gift delivered to cabin
Day 4 - Sea Day
9 am – 10 am- Press Q & A
We are proud to have some of the industries most respected travel writers
joining us and they have agreed to make themselves available for a Q & A. This
was a huge success last year and I encourage as many of you to attend this year
as you can.
2:00pm - More Tea Times
4:00pm - 5:00 pm - Bloggers Talent Show
5:00pm - 6:00pm - Farwell Party featuring fun, complimentary cocktails and hors d’ ouerves and some sad goodbyes.
6:00pm- Farewell Dinner
These are some but not all of what we have planned and I am sure its going to be a wonderful experience.
Now, I just received an e mail from Big Ed and a similar one from Kuki and Host Mach who had some questions which I am sure others may want answered as well…………here they are.
When does the bus leave for the charity event? - This is still to be determined but I think we are aiming for 5 am…….sorry………8 am. I will confirm this next week.
What does the bus cost for those not on Carnival package? - For all the volunteers I have told my friends at Carnival that the transportation should be free and that is what I hope I will be confirming on Monday. I think it is unfair to ask you to pay $20 for a bus ride and then volunteer to make the city of New Orleans a better place. Again, I will confirm soon.
Where is the cocktail party? – At the Maison St. Charles Hotel
When is the cocktail part? - we are aiming for 5:30 pm………..I will confirm this ASAP.
What time does the bus leave the hotel for the port for those on Carnival package? - TBA - but will have this information very soon
Will there be any room on the bus for those not on the Carnival package and how much will it cost them? - We will have the answer to this on Tuesday, but should have transportation for everyone who said they needed transportation when they signed up via the form here on the blog.
Now, there will be a separate Carnival Capers delivered to everyone’s state room on the first evening plus we have a hospitality room for the entire cruise which will be manned by Stephanie, Stephanie (Meads), Tom, Tony and others. If you have any questions or concerns we will be there for you.
Anyway, that’s a brief outlook on what’s happening and of course the main difference between this bloggers cruise and the last one is that I won’t be the CD so I will have much more time outside of the planned activities just to be with you……..my friends.
Now, over on www.bestblogsatsea.com I want to point you in the direction of the Queen Victoria’s world cruise which we are all able to share thanks to the ship’s Entertainment Director Alistair Greening. Have a look today at the amazing photos of this majestic liner transiting the Panama canal…….amazing.
Tomorrow there will be a Sunday blog extra as I post a wonderful interview with our friend James Cusick whose Arcadia blog you have been enjoying so much. This should be posted by 2 pm on Sunday so I hope you will stop by for a read.
On Monday I hope to give you a first look at one of our new commercials……stand by for that
Also, next week I will be posting an interview with a great friend of mine who has been chosen to be the Captain…………of the Carnival Dream. Look out for that one next week.
I am certainly going to do my best to make this bloggers cruise the best yet. I was hoping to bring James Dunn whose dance class was a big hit last year but his brilliant services are needed on the Carnival Freedom and in his place I will be joined by our old friend Stephanie Meads who will also be teaching a bloggers dance class…….country y’all style. I didn’t list that a moment ago and also I didn’t list Chef Kevin’s cooking class but they will be taking place and I will let you know on the bloggers Carnival Capers.
