Carnival Magic Cruise with John Heald - For Fun's Sake #1

February 2018, Carnival Magic from Port Canaveral

View from our dinner table aboard Carnival Magic FFS cruise

What is FFS, and how do you join?

This was our first time joining the FFS group. Although this was our 15th Carnival cruise, I had only learned about FFS cruises a few years ago. At that time, the cruises were called Blogger's Cruises, and I thought it was a group of bloggers that cruised together with special blog events, or something. Since I maintain a few blogs, I inquired about joining one of the cruises to see if it was something I could become a part of. The reply I received then was vague, and it was not until this year, when the name was changed to FFS, that I fully understood what Blogger's/FFS cruises are. 

FFS stands for "For Fun's Sake." The name of the group has been officially changed to, Cruise with John - For Fun's Sake. Apparently a lot of people, like me, did not understand that the Blogger's Cruises were for anyone interested! The official word I received, says, "John started these sailings with guests that followed him on his blog and so he opted to originally call them blogger's cruises; even though no one was actually a blogger other than himself. Now most everyone follows him on his Facebook page."

When a [Blogger's] FFS cruise is set, the 500 guest spots are filled on a "first come, first serve" basis after the sign-up date starts. We had our Magic cruise booked far in advance, and I did not learn that it had become the official John Heald/FFS cruise until after the 500 spots had already been filled. I sent an email to John/Mischelle with our names asking to be waitlisted, and hoped for the best. About three months later, less than 10 weeks prior to our cruise, I received an email saying we were in! This was very exciting for us because we had met John back in 2003 when he had been cruise director on the Triumph. Also, our adult son enjoys all the Carnival events and activities more than pool or sun lounging, so I knew being part of this group would mean more for him to enjoy. I have provided a link to the FFS 2019 cruise below.

FFS events page 1

FFS activities onboard

We received a weekly schedule of events in our cabin upon arrival. We were able to attend several events, although not as many as we would have liked, because of other activities or excursion plans that we had.

FFS events page 2

Between the three of us, we attended:

• Hospitality Desk & St. Jude Raffle. We all bought tickets, and we got to meet and talk with John briefly. 
• Welcome Aboard Party. Beverages were provided, and raffle ticket winner names were drawn. 
• Q&A. My husband and I missed this. Our son said they talked about many things, and he shared some of the information he had learned with us.
• Private Tea Time. My husband and I, unfortunately, missed both of these. Our son enjoyed it.
• Morning Fun with John. John took questions from members of the audience. Many that spoke were either complaining about something, or making a special request for something. I wanted to ask a few questions, but I chickened out. 
• Formal Photos with John. Our son attended and planned to purchase the photo; however, it did not turn out well. I wanted to go with him, although I did not let him know, and he did not ask me before he went. 😑 Now that I know I can find FFS cruise details on Carnival's page, maybe we will be able to make it to another one!
• Trivia Fun with John & Calvyn. Similar to other trivia shows on board with a batch of John and Calvyn humor.
• Cigars Under the Stars. No cigars for us ~ Just a nice party on Serenity Deck with live music and Jamaican patties!
• Afternoon Show with John and Al Ernst. Nice, private, shortened version comedy show.
• Farewell Party & Group Photo. Beverages were provided and we all had our picture taken at the end. I had just gotten a glass of wine when they asked everyone to move forward for the photo. I left my full glass on the table in front of my belongings (sweater, etc.), and someone took it away during the photo shoot! 😢 I easily replaced it, since we had the Cheers package; however, it still seems like it was a waste of money to take my glass.

FFS backpack and T-shirt front

FFS perks

Along with all of the complimentary items I already mentioned, we each received a lanyard, navy T-shirt, backpack, and CHOOSE FUN bumper sticker. We actually only received two lanyards between the three of us; my husband gave his to our son, as he was not sure he would wear one.

FFS backpack with T-shirt back

The backpack gift was perfect timing for us, because the Carnival platinum backpack we had brought with us was starting to rip out. We left that one behind at the end of the cruise.

Before the cruise, we had been told our T-shirt gifts would be in our cabins, and during the cruise, we were told we needed to pick them up at a designated time and place (this is listed on the FFS event schedule page 2). People were lined up that morning before 8:00 AM. I had a spa appointment after breakfast, so we got in line a few minutes before 8:00, as well. I was not sure if my husband would be able to get my gifts without me. It appeared that he probably could have, because they let us get our son's gifts with ours. The line went very quickly once it started.  

Bumper sticker received during FFS cruise

After the cruise, John Heald posted a contest on his Facebook page inviting everyone to enter a photo displaying the bumper sticker. I entered the photo above, and we have not heard yet whether anyone's entry won a prize for this contest.

For Fun's Sake cruise with John 2019

The 2019 FFS cruise will be on the Breeze February 9th from Port Canaveral. Here is the registration link, which opens August 1, 2018 at 9:00 AM - ET.

Misc and overall

We enjoyed being part of these extra events, and are thankful we were able to join. I wish I had not missed the Q&A event because I would have liked to meet Mischelle and some of the other staff members.

Although some of the following information that I am sharing below is more hearsay than official information, I feel that my sources are reliable.

• I read that the reason we had been able to join the group is because everyone who registered was allowed to attend, which made over 600 guests. There were quite a few people at the events we attended, so I am not sure if Carnival will do this again.
• I read and heard many comments from people who criticized this group, calling them self-righteous, holier-than-though types. We met some nice people in this group, and we also observed some complainers who fit into the aforementioned description. I cannot say for sure which group is the majority. I did hear about some behaviors by FFS attendees, which, if they are true, should result in the members being banned from FFS forever, IMO.
• We met a nice woman at breakfast one morning who told us she was on the second cruise of a back-to-back cruise with some FFS group members she has known for years. Apparently this year, the rest of the group decided they no longer wanted her in their "click" (my word choice; not her's), and there was a confrontation with her and the Maitre 'D to get her removed from their dinner table, so someone else could join them instead. As she was telling me the story, it did not sound to me like she grasped that they were trying to get her removed. She seemed to think they were mad at her because they thought she had made some type of table request that had messed things up. She was confused and upset because she had not done anything. In order to provide some background about the story situation, I want to say that we started out talking about cruises in general, FFS overall, and many more topics before she told me about her sadness. Also, I guess I am a good listener, because complete strangers often tell me all kinds of things!
• In the evening after the FFS farewell party and platinum party, we were in Ocean Plaza when we saw the head of security walk through. A Carnival employee near us commented that something must be up because head of security is not usually on deck. The next day, we heard about a fight that had occurred in the lobby bar that evening. The person relaying the story said that it was a group of FFS people; some who had been mean and snide to another member all week, and he had finally had enough. A physical fight ensued, and it sounded like at least one person had been taken to the brig that night. 

All-in-all, we were glad to have been a part of these events! We enjoyed our time with John, and we appreciated the generosity. I missed not attending the "married show," which I had thought John was going to host. I heard that he was not feeling well a couple of days this week, so this may have been changed. If this event was in our Fun Times, I missed it.

It seems like many of the same people have been going on FFS cruises for years. Hopefully, some new people out there will get a chance to join in. Now that the name has been changed, and FFS cruise information is posted on Carnival's page several months before the sign-up date, this should give interested persons time to prepare. Just type in "John Heald" in the search bar on Carnival's page, and FFS cruise information comes up.

Let me know if you have any questions!