Latest news with #JohnHeald
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line rep addresses adults-only cruise controversy
Carnival Cruise Line rep addresses adults-only cruise controversy originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. Adults-only cruises have been a big hit for the hip Virgin Voyages cruise brand. These kid-free cruise vacations have become so popular that many cruisers have begun to wonder whether other cruise lines would break with classic cruise tradition to test out the new style of sailing, Carnival Cruise Line fans often write to the cruise line's brand ambassador, John Heald, on his popular Facebook page with questions and requests about adults-only cruises. Few people expected that the family cruise line would actually add adult-exclusive sailings, though. On his page, Heald even told passengers he didn't think that would ever happen. But then it did. Why the sudden shift? Is Carnival Cruise Line moving toward becoming an adults-only cruise line? Those were some of the questions swirling around the internet after Carnival recently announced a series of casino-exclusive sailings and SEA cruises — sailings exclusively for adults. Sailing from Miami on select dates this summer and fall aboard Carnival Conquest and Carnival Magic, these specialty itineraries are casino-focused cruises featuring expanded casino access and other perks for Carnival Players Club casino loyalty program the release of these specialty sailings led to rumors that Carnival is moving to become an adults-only cruise line, John Heald was quick to set the record straight. 'Please ignore that; we are a proud family cruise line, we have been and I'm sure we always will be,' Heald insisted in a video message posted on his Facebook page. Heald assured his followers that the only reason Carnival is offering adults-only casino cruises is because of schedule changes for Carnival cruise ship dry docks — maintenance and refurbishment that cruise ships undergo every few years.'This all is because we moved Carnival Magic's dry dock and the casino have taken a couple of cruises and made them adults only. They're making special casino offers to people,' Heald explained. Since both Carnival Magic and Carnival Conquest won't be out of service as originally planned for a few weeks later this year, the cruise line decided to offer some special invitation-only casino cruises to fill the reason these sailings are adults only is simply because they're casino cruises. 'Now, because they are casino offers, we cannot make those casino offers to children, which is why these cruises are for adults only because they are casino-based offered cruises and they are very popular,' Heald pointed out. These new offerings have made the brand ambassador more open to entertaining the possibility of future adults-only Carnival cruises, however. 'I understand why people are saying, 'Oh, we need an adults' cruise,'' Heald noted. 'So listen, I don't know what the future is going to hold, but let me just tell you we are not moving to an adults-only cruise line now.' More Carnival cruise news:Those who want to continue to enjoy Carnival cruises with kids shouldn't fret. 'This is not something that you should be concerned about because for every one person who says, 'I would love an adults-only cruise,' there are many who have written and said, 'What do I do with my children, my grandchildren?'' Heald explained. 'No, we are a proud family cruise line,' the brand ambassador reiterated. 'These were cruise-specific situations, so please ignore what some people have been highlighting.' (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on May 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line passengers targeted by more travel scams
Carnival Cruise Line passengers targeted by more travel scams originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. Sophisticated scammers have targeted unsuspecting cruise passengers in a variety of ways lately. Multiple cruise lines have recently alerted passengers of a number of cruise scams, including schemes where individuals pose as cruise line employees or travel agents. The scammers attempt to trick passengers into making bogus payments for the balance of their cruise fare, cruise upgrades, or for airfare to their cruise departure Norwegian Cruise Line passenger reportedly lost nearly $20,000 to a new phone scam related to the cruise line's airfare deal. Along with these sorts of scams, cruisers are also being warned to watch out for new travel document scams, which can target all types of travelers, whether you're traveling by sea, air, or land. Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald recently alerted his more than 600,000 Facebook followers to two of these travel document scams that cruisers need to watch out for as they prepare for their vacations. While one of these scam warnings applies only to those visiting the UK, the other alerts cruisers of a scheme targeting those sailing from U.S. first travel scam that Heald addressed stems from the UK's new electronic travel authorization (ETA), a digital pre-clearance that most travelers must now obtain in order to visit the UK. Carnival Miracle recently kicked off its UK cruise season from Dover, England, and the brand ambassador has posted several reminders for passengers traveling to the UK for a cruise on the ship to make sure to obtain an ETA before their trip. If they don't, they won't be permitted to enter the country. An ETA is required for travelers of all ages visiting the UK who do not have a UK visa. It costs £16 (about $21) and can be applied for via the UK ETA app or online at applying for an ETA, it's vital that you double-check to make sure that you're applying via the official UK government app or website because fake ETA application websites are already popping up. 'There are once again despicable scammers targeting individuals trying to apply for ETA,' Heald told his followers. 'They are creating fake websites that resemble official government sites, charging inflated fees and potentially stealing personal information. We have had guests who have paid $90-$200 to sites and their approvals looked fake.' Heald also instructed passengers cruising from Dover to make sure to hold onto their ETA confirmation email. 'Please keep the copy of your email that you receive when you get your visa in case immigration officers at the airport or Dover need to see it.'Travel document scams are not just targeting travelers visiting the UK, however. Heald also warned passengers that a company posing as Carnival Cruise Line is tricking cruisers departing from U.S. ports into paying $400 to have travel documents needed for their cruise expedited to the cruise line. Of course, those documents don't reach the cruise line, causing problems for the passengers when they check in at the cruise port. 'Guests with document issues are showing up at our home ports stating that they called a company pretending to be CCL,' Heald explained. 'This company has their booking information somehow and tells them they will expedite copies of documents that they'll send to Carnival and that all is taken care of. They're charging $400 per transaction.' More Carnival cruise news:'And sadly, very sadly, some have fallen to this scam from these heartless, soulless creatures. So please be careful,' Heald urged. He also reminded passengers that they can always contact him on Facebook or call the legitimate Carnival Cruise Line phone number to verify or get assistance with anything related to their cruise. 'Even if you have a small dollop of doubt, ask us. Please write to me here on Facebook or of course call 1-800-carnival and we will make sure everything is confirmed and checked,' Heald promised. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on May 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line answers controversial tipping question
Carnival Cruise Line answers controversial tipping question originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald is once again combating the cruise rumor mill. In a recent Facebook video for his more than 600,000 followers, the beloved brand ambassador explained that over the last few weeks he's received hundreds of questions and complaints related to a social media post from an alleged crew member who worked for another cruise the crew member shared online led to an outcry among cruisers about cruise lines' tip distribution policies. Heald did not want to reveal which cruise line the crew member worked for, but he detailed what the crew member posted. According to Heald, the crew member stated that 'the cruise line that he or she works for will take a large percentage of the gratuities that are automatically left for the crew members to use to pay other crew members, or for whatever the cruise line decides to do with it.' Heald pointed out that he didn't know if that statement was true and he didn't want to judge, comment on, or speculate about it. He did, however, want to clarify how Carnival Cruise Line's automatic gratuities are distributed after many disgruntled passengers wrote to him angrily assuming that Carnival follows a similar tip distribution procedure.'The gratuity that you give our crew stays with them,' Heald emphasized. To provide transparency, Heald went on to explain just how Carnival Cruise Line divvies up the automatic gratuities that most passengers choose to prepay for their cruise. 'The majority of your gratuity of the suggested daily amount is shared equally between the lady or gentleman who cleans your cabin and the lady or gentleman who serves you in the dining room,' Heald explained. He also noted that stateroom attendants and dining room servers may share those tips with their assistants. Additionally, a smaller portion of passengers' prepaid gratuities goes to crew who serve, clean, and work behind the scenes on the Lido brand ambassador also explained that if passengers choose "Your Time" dining, which means they aren't served by the same dining room service team each night of their cruise like they are with traditional dining, their prepaid gratuities are shared between all Your Time dining servers. 'If you give a waiter in Your Time dining cash, it is kept completely by that waiter; otherwise it is pooled, as they say,' Heald noted. 'It's the same with the bartenders,' he added. 'If you write a gratuity on the receipt, or if, for example, you've got the Cheers program, that gratuity is shared equally between all the bartenders on the ship. If you hand a bartender a cash gratuity it is kept completely 100% by he or she that has served you.''If you give a crew member a gratuity in cash — if you give them the same amount as the suggested amount in cash or any extra in cash — then that is kept 100% by that crew member,' Heald explained. 'Again, he or she may give a portion of that to their direct assistant or the assistants in the dining room.' Heald assured passengers that Carnival Cruise Line does not require its crew members to turn in cash gratuities they are given; 100% of those cash gratuities are kept by the crew. More Carnival cruise news:The brand ambassador also made a point to thank Carnival cruisers for how well they take care of Carnival crew members with their tips, and reminded them of one very important thing. 'Please don't believe everything you read on the internet — it is so important — and before you come racing across to accuse us of something, just ask me civilly and I will give you the honest and a civil answer back,' Heald promised. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on May 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line celebrated for heroic rescue
Carnival Cruise Line celebrated for heroic rescue originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. Just a week after Carnival Paradise rescued a group of refugees from an adrift vessel near Cuba, another Carnival Cruise Line ship's crew sprang into action to make a dramatic rescue on the other side of the world. Carnival Splendor was sailing south of New Caledonia in the South Pacific during an eight-day cruise from Sydney when the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Noumea alerted them of a distress call from a disabled catamaran carrying four people and three Splendor was five hours away from the catamaran and immediately rushed to their aid in the middle of the night, as cruise ships will always do when they learn of anyone in peril at sea. One of the rescued couples, who feared for their lives while stranded on board the disabled catamaran, have since recounted the frightening ordeal and the cruise ship's extraordinary response, in a touching letter addressed to the entire Carnival Cruise Line Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald shared the letter from rescued sailors Juli and Ivan on his popular Facebook page that's followed by more than 600,000 Carnival cruisers. 'To all the Carnival crew, we are Juli and Ivan, two Argentinians 25 years old, traveling around the world for one year. We got the opportunity of crossing from Australia to Fiji in a catamaran, a bit more than a month ago, and from what you all know, it didn't end as expected,' the letter began. The sailors detailed how they ended up adrift at sea hundreds of miles from land.'After 8 days of crossing the ocean and having lost both engines, we were caught in a storm, which first made us think we were going to get hit by lightning and ended up breaking our mast in two after 50 knots of wind surprised us. 200 nautical miles away from New Caledonia, and this being our first passage, we were frightened to death,' they explained. The sailors reported contacting every coast station they could, but did not receive a reply for hours until the voice of Carnival Splendor Captain Eduardo Ferrone brought them hope. 'After two hours with no news, we received a call from your captain, saying he knew about our situation and that by doubling their speed in the middle of the storm, could reach us in just five hours. That was and will [for]ever be the best notice of our lives,' the letter emphasized.'After 5 hours, hoping the catamaran didn't sink because of the mast hitting us on every wave, we received the second-best call of our lives, from your captain asking us to drop the first flare, and straight away confirming he could see us,' the letter continued. Finally, Carnival Splendor reached them at 3 a.m., swiftly bringing them aboard the cruise ship and saving their lives. But what Carnival crew members did for them did not end there. 'What followed was just beyond reality,' the letter continued. 'This boat and its crew not only saved us but gave us all kindness, warmth, smiles, and attention which made recovering a completely different experience and a much easier one. There are no words to thank you all for being part of this recovery and exceeding expectations. Human values on board showed us better, and for that, we will be forever thankful.' More Carnival cruise news:The letter ended with heartfelt words of gratitude to Carnival Splendor's captain and several other crew members whom Juli and Ivan thanked by name. 'Special thanks to the Captain, Eduardo Ferrone, for being our guiding light in the middle of the ocean, giving us hope by making the call to save us and taking us back to land,' the emotional letter read. The rescued sailors went on to thank many other crew members who not only made sure they were safe, but who received them with exceptional kindness and concern for their health, well-being, and happiness. 'To all of you, thanks for the warm words and treatment, this would have been a different story if it wasn't for you," they added. "We will forever be grateful to Carnival Cruise Line.' (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on May 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Carnival Cruise Line rep addresses adults-only cruise controversy
Adults-only cruises have been a big hit for the hip Virgin Voyages cruise brand. These kid-free cruise vacations have become so popular that many cruisers have begun to wonder whether other cruise lines would break with classic cruise tradition to test out the new style of sailing, too. Related: Carnival Cruise Line gives passengers Titanic-like warning Loyal Carnival Cruise Line fans often write to the cruise line's brand ambassador, John Heald, on his popular Facebook page with questions and requests about adults-only cruises. Few people expected that the family cruise line would actually add adult-exclusive sailings, though. On his page, Heald even told passengers he didn't think that would ever happen. But then it did. Why the sudden shift? Is Carnival Cruise Line moving toward becoming an adults-only cruise line? Those were some of the questions swirling around the internet after Carnival recently announced a series of casino-exclusive sailings and SEA cruises - sailings exclusively for adults. Sailing from Miami on select dates this summer and fall aboard Carnival Conquest and Carnival Magic, these specialty itineraries are casino-focused cruises featuring expanded casino access and other perks for Carnival Players Club casino loyalty program members. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. After the release of these specialty sailings led to rumors that Carnival is moving to become an adults-only cruise line, John Heald was quick to set the record straight. "Please ignore that; we are a proud family cruise line, we have been and I'm sure we always will be," Heald insisted in a video message posted on his Facebook page. Heald assured his followers that the only reason Carnival is offering adults-only casino cruises is because of schedule changes for Carnival cruise ship dry docks - maintenance and refurbishment that cruise ships undergo every few years. Related: Carnival Cruise Line answers controversial tipping question "This all is because we moved Carnival Magic's dry dock and the casino have taken a couple of cruises and made them adults only. They're making special casino offers to people," Heald explained. Since both Carnival Magic and Carnival Conquest won't be out of service as originally planned for a few weeks later this year, the cruise line decided to offer some special invitation-only casino cruises to fill the void. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. The reason these sailings are adults only is simply because they're casino cruises. "Now, because they are casino offers, we cannot make those casino offers to children, which is why these cruises are for adults only because they are casino-based offered cruises and they are very popular," Heald pointed out. These new offerings have made the brand ambassador more open to entertaining the possibility of future adults-only Carnival cruises, however. "I understand why people are saying, 'Oh, we need an adults' cruise,'" Heald noted. "So listen, I don't know what the future is going to hold, but let me just tell you we are not moving to an adults-only cruise line now." More Carnival cruise news: Sailors recount their life-saving rescue by Carnival cruise shipCarnival and Royal Caribbean both have this surprising extra chargeCarnival cruisers eat way more of one food than Guy Fieri burgers Those who want to continue to enjoy Carnival cruises with kids shouldn't fret. "This is not something that you should be concerned about because for every one person who says, 'I would love an adults-only cruise,' there are many who have written and said, 'What do I do with my children, my grandchildren?'" Heald explained. "No, we are a proud family cruise line," the brand ambassador reiterated. "These were cruise-specific situations, so please ignore what some people have been highlighting." (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
