Hello to all our Carnival peeps. Just returned back from my vacation, and boy was it interesting! Among other eventful things, I attended a wedding — that was lots of fun — but it's so nice to return to my other family on the Miracle. I had such a wonderful welcoming...

Now that I am back onboard the Carnival Miracle to finish out 2010, we are on our new run to Aruba, Curacao, La Romana, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and St. Lucia. I've heard that Aruba is really excited to have the Miracle sailing into Aruba, as well as the return of Carnival. Big events were planned for our inaugural return cruise back, including fireworks and more. I love Aruba, because they have my favorite ostrich farm there. The island is fantastic, with great beaches, shopping, tours, restaurants and weather. Last time I was in Aruba was on the Carnival Destiny many years ago. (As some of you know, I have already spent 11 years with Carnival.) After finishing our very last full 8 day cruise out of New York, was the two day 'Cruise to Nowhere' [This is a cruise that doesn't stop in any ports, but features all the usual onboard amenities.—Ed.] I will certainly miss being out of New York and being several steps away from the ultimate shopping mecca... but I'm certainly looking forward to our return next season, with our overnight runs to Bermuda Woo Hoo! I love overnight stays in ports.

Since I have been back onboard we have had great cruises so far, although the weather was a bit rocky the first cruise, the guests have been great. It was the funniest thing to see what guests did in Grand Turk! It happened to be raining, so we planned a new entertainment lineup for the day to entertain our guests onboard during a rainy port day. Instead of staying onboard, the guests still ventured out in the rain and went to the beach! I could not believe it. When all the guests were back onboard, I had to talk with them about it and we all had such a great laugh at the past guest party. This cruise has also been interesting, starting from the embarkation night. There was one guest onboard with a cane that has a headlight, horn and some kind of flip-down thing, which looks like a seat... I could not believe my eyes, and we all had a really good laugh. The Punchliner Comedy Club has been a success, with new faces stopping in on the Miracle and performing. It's nice to hear all the feedback from the guests. I am also making my reviews known as well, so that our guests are getting great performances. Open mic has been going really well, though guests still seemed to be a little nervous in getting up front of their fellow guests to tell jokes, but they shouldn't... you should hear my bad jokes! It's one night only, and it's all in good fun.

There is another new event, and I'm not too sure if many folks are aware. When you head to the Miracle, as soon as you get onboard, check out the new function called the Chef's Table. It's a ten-course meal in a private dining area, and is limited to 12 guests. It's not even located in the dining room, so if you want to be V.I.P. for the night and experience how celebrities dine out, check it out. The Behind The Fun Ultimate Tour, which is our behind-the-scenes tour, and helps you getting to know us. It's truly the best and only way to see what goes on "behind the curtain," which is always interesting!

As I'm writing this, today is our second Fun Day At Sea; the sun is shining, and guests are happy. Tonight is 80s night, along with the Marcus Monroe Show. We also have a brand-new host team onboard, but William from South Africa is here and Leslie Sparkles will be returning soon.

Thank you for all the great comments... I can't wait to hear your reviews, as we truly appreciate them. WOO HOO from the Middle...

All The Best,

Malcolm Burn
Cruise Director, Carnival Miracle