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BLOGGER’S CRUISE ABOARD CARNIVAL FANTASY
Carnival’s
John Heald seems almost larger than life to his loyal blog following
(with four million visitors and counting). It was certainly obvious on the
2nd Annual Bloggers Cruise aboard the
Carnival Fantasy from New Orleans.
The full sailing drew close to 400 blogger participants who have fallen for John and his blog. About one-quarter of the participants participated in a “Community Service Day” in New Orleans before the sailing which was a hands-on volunteer effort hosted by Heald and the city’s Beacon of Hope Resource Center. A bus took the volunteers up to the flood-ravaged Lake Pontchartrain shore, where hardworking participants used paint brushes, rakes, and more to pretty-up a local park.
Once onboard, the five-night
cruise was packed with special events for Heald’s loyal legions including
Welcome Aboard and Farewell parties; a Q&A session with Heald: special
tea times with Heald (he’s British); private shows (comedians Al Ernst
and Lewis Nixon where huge hits); and a Bloggers Talent Show.
In addition, the guests enjoyed the new ‘Evolutions of Fun’ refurbishment onboard the Fantasy including Carnival WaterWorks aqua park (with the famed slides), the adults-only “Serenity” space and much more. And if that wasn’t enough, the trip included two days in the Mexican port towns of Progresso and Cozumel. With typical beach and shore excursions in the balmy weather of the Caribbean, the itinerary offered up a feel-good vacation with a bit of feel-good effort thrown in for good measure.