Carnival Cruise Line’s wildly popular Brand Ambassador, John Heald, will be making waves in November, while he waves from the deck of a Carnival ship!
Heald will be sailing aboard Carnival Magic from Miami, Florida for one special departure. Typically, he announces his cruises more than a year in advance, not just seven months.
The ship’s November 15, 2025 sailing is a 6-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary with visits to Amber Cove, Princess Cays, and Nassau.
“We are adding some itineraries this fall on Carnival Magic from Miami, and I’ll be sailing and hosting some special activities on the November 15 departure,” he confirmed.
In fact, followers on Heald’s official Facebook page – and he has more than 600,000 fans – can register for exclusive deals for this cruise.
Depending on the type of stateroom booked, guests will receive up to $100 onboard credit, lowered initial deposits, and a free room upgrade as part of the booking promotion. Additional registration may be necessary to reserve space for events with Heald.
Carnival Magic can welcome 3,690 guests at double occupancy, or up to 4,724 travelers when fully booked.
Space is limited for the special registration to sail with Heald, however, and will fill up on a first-come, first-served basis.
Interestingly, Carnival Magic has been scheduled for dry dock from early October through mid-November, but it appears this plan has changed.
The ship’s last dry dock was in May 2021. At that time, Carnival Magic was the first ship to receive her red, white, and blue hull livery after the new look was introduced for the then-brand-new Mardi Gras.
It is not unusual for dry dock schedules to change. If shipyards have changes in their workforce or supply lines that could impact project scheduling, or else if other ship schedules have adjusted, the entire dry dock calendar can shift.
It is possible the dry dock for Carnival Magic may be shifting earlier or later than anticipated. Impacted guests will be contacted with details if any cancellations or rescheduling may be necessary.
It is also possible that the essential maintenance work may not be as extensive as previously anticipated. If this is the case, the dry dock can be easily shortened to accommodate this new sailing.
Is This Another FFS Cruise?
This new cruise announcement comes weeks after Heald had already announced his next “FFS Cruise” – a voyage to Alaska aboard Carnival Spirit‘s May 5, 2026 departure.
Typically, Heald only sails one of these unique cruises each year. These voyages include exclusive activities, meet-and-greets, games, trivia, autograph sessions, and swag for registered guests. Space is limited to ensure everyone has the opportunity to meet Heald and participate in all the fun.
The 2025 FFS cruise was also aboard Carnival Magic, the same ship as this new November sailing. This appears to be simply a coincidence, however, but that size ship – the 128,000-gross ton Dream class – is convenient for Heald’s cruises.
Previous FFS cruises have been aboard Carnival Horizon, Carnival Freedom, and other ships as well.
This new sailing, however, is not immediately being marketed as a “For Fun’s Sake” cruise. Heald does note that there will still be a lot of things for guests to enjoy.
“I promise to make this a very FUN time for you all,” he said. “Cheers and hope to see you there.”
Read Also: Are Carnival Cruises All Inclusive?
Undoubtedly, there will still be exclusive activities and other fun aboard, though perhaps not quite as extensively as on the annual FFS sailings.
This could also be a move by Carnival Cruise Line to introduce more FFS Cruises, giving more loyal guests the chance to meet the popular and charismatic brand ambassador.
Heald (and his ever-helpful assistant, Jacinta) responds to hundreds of questions and comments through his Facebook page every week about all sorts of issues.
Mayonnaise, dress codes, spreading ashes at sea, mobility scooters, egg shortages, dining times, mattress toppers, prohibited items, and much more are just some topics he’s covered in the past few months.
Obviously, some issues are more serious than others, but Heald always treats guests with respect and diligently tries to address their concerns, all with a dollop of humor.
Exceptionally rude guests, however, just might hear from his alter-ego, Bob, with an acerbic remark or less-than-flattering comparison.
