John Heald

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John Heald (born 22 January 1965 in Essex, England) is Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador and Senior Cruise Director. He also blogs about life at sea.

Career basics
- He started with Carnival in 1989 as a wine steward and bar waiter, became a cruise director in 1990, and was promoted to Senior Cruise Director in 2004.
- He oversees the entertainment on ships and helps plan first sailings of new ships. He makes videos before voyages about affordable excursions.

Blogging and public profile
- In March 2007, Carnival asked him to start a blog during the first sailing of the Carnival Freedom. He writes daily, answering about 60 questions a day.
- His blog has drawn millions of hits and many comments. It focuses on passengers and events at sea and carries a disclaimer that his views are his own.
- He is sometimes called “Bill Bryson at sea,” and USA Today described him as famously irreverent and candid.

Notable moments
- He was the cruise director of Carnival Splendor when its engine room caught fire, leaving passengers stranded off Mexico for more than three days; he discussed the incident on his blog.
- He won Carnival’s Sea Going Employee of the Year in September 2007.
- In January 2008, he led his first Bloggers Cruise with about 700 fans, which included charitable activities such as helping paint a Katrina-damaged school and planting trees in New Orleans.

Personal life
- He met his wife Heidi in 1995 in Amsterdam; they have one daughter, Kye, born in May 2009.
- In June 2015, Kye officiated the ceremony at the shipyard where Carnival Vista’s exterior was completed, making her the ship’s godchild.