Ever been pleasantly (or otherwise) surprised to discover who is sailing with you?

[Flindy&Doc]

As we were waiting to board the Zaandam three weeks ago, we looked up to see our favorite waiter, Dedi, from a previous cruise to Alaska on the Ryndam. Once again, we chose to sit in his section of the dining room and enjoyed his excellent care each evening. :)

[Aruba]

Yes, and it was on my first cruise. I had just quit an awful job that caused me a lot of stress. The first morning -- my very FIRST morning at sea -- I was standing in the breakfast buffet, looked up...and there was the boss I was hoping to forget.

[cpayne]

In line to board Princess Grand several years back. Husband sees someone wearing a Corvette tshirt. He strikes up a conversation with the man while we are waiting b/c we too have a Vette. Gentleman says we are sailing with a large group from our Corvette Club. My husband asks which club b/c we belong to a club too. Long story short....not our club, but we knew about 1/2 the members of the group sailing.

 

Next year, about the same time of year, we are in line waiting to board RCL Voyager. Lo and behold the same group from the Vette Club are sailing with us yet again!

[RuthC]

Yes, and it was on my first cruise. I had just quit an awful job that caused me a lot of stress. The first morning -- my very FIRST morning at sea -- I was standing in the breakfast buffet, looked up...and there was the boss I was hoping to forget.

That's one way to lose an appetite! Good grief.

[RuthC]

Can you immagine what a surprise my other sister and I would have gotten if we showed up at the ship and no sis & bil to surprise!

Did either of them take the cruise? Hubby with the girlfriend, perhaps? If I were the wife I think I would have gone on the trip.

[UKBayern]

Not on a cruise, but a similar story. My parents had very noisy neighbours, who really made their lives hell. So, to get away from it all, they decided to book a much needed relaxing vacation. They get to the hotel after a long flight, my father opens the balcony doors and steps on the balcony with a "peace and quiet at last", only to discover the neighbours are sitting on the balcony next to theirs. :eek:

They rushed down to reception and had their room changed immediately....

[Hflors]

Did either of them take the cruise? Hubby with the girlfriend, perhaps? If I were the wife I think I would have gone on the trip.

 

Neither took the cruise. I understand that they had taken the ins and got part of their money back. It was a very sad situation which my sis has not gotten over to this day even though she has had a live in boyfriend for the last 5 years. As the years have gone by and I have found out more of the story I keep wondering how my bil stayed as long as he did. I did meet up with him about two years ago and he and I had a heart to heart talk. He and his new wife are very happily married and I am very happy for him. I just wish my sis could be so blessed, but we all make our own beds.

 

Helen

[GarySuzy]

On our first cruise on HAL (Maasdam) out of Norfolk we were at the Captains Party and this rude gentleman and his wife almost stepped on us and didn't even say excuse me.:mad: I looked up at him and it was a program manger from my company whom I did not get along with.:eek: I thought we would see him all the time as 1200 passengers is not a lot, but luck was on our side and we only saw them at the airport on the way home.

[RuthC]

Neither took the cruise. I understand that they had taken the ins and got part of their money back.

Thanks for answering. I'm sure the situation was tough all around.

[markshale]

Yes, and it was on my first cruise. I had just quit an awful job that caused me a lot of stress. The first morning -- my very FIRST morning at sea -- I was standing in the breakfast buffet, looked up...and there was the boss I was hoping to forget.

 

That is my worst nightmare! Luckily he is too cheap to spring for a cruise!!

[epixx]

Last summer on Amsterdam Alaska cruise my husband was surprised to run into one of his high school classmates. The last time they had seen each other was when they both graduated in 1976.

[Sonup2Sondwn]

I love to people watch and always try to detect if there are fellow cruisers on the flight or at the hotel. (we're easy to spot....we have big silly grins on our faces before our anticipated cruise). I so often find it amazing that I will meet these people in the hotel and then never see them again during the entire cruise. Then there are those others that seem to travel in your mode and you see them everywhere!!!!

 

Last year during our B2B out of Tampa we remet a couple who were on our favorite cruise to date from the previous year. They were with a large group from Virginia and my son had a "shipmanse" with one of the girls from their group. His wife had bought a lottery ticket for a free cruise, won and ended up picking the cruise we were on. We had dinner with them one night and it was fun talking about the fun we all had from the year before. It's a kinda you had to be there thing.

 

We also keep meeting up with a former Minnesota gopher football player who me see at the belly flop contents, he usually wins. Our family only cruises once or twice a year and sometimes on different cruise lines. I think we met him frst in Australia on Royal and then two years ago on the Maasam in the Caribbean..weird.

 

We've met a lot more fun, cool, interesting people from around the world than losers. That's what I love about cruising..where esle could you meet such fun people and I think for the most part HAL has the best passengers, especially the cruises of 14 or longer days.

 

Jen

[Randyk47]

My favorite story is about our honeymoon. In 1995 my ex and I cruised on the Ryndam. Four years later and the ex and I have parted ways and I've gotten remarried. My soon to be bride had never been on a cruise and was excited about the possibility. I contacted my TA and she recommended a cruise on the Ryndam. I was kind of.....oh me...but so many years had passed I figured it would be fine. So off we go on our honeymoon and the Ryndam. The very first night, before dinner, I decide to introduce my bride to the Crow's Nest. We take a seat and here comes one of the staff to wait on us. He looks vaguely familar....so he walks up and says immediately "Dr. Randy! Good to see you again. And Miss....ah....Miss....oh....not same wife." :eek: Four years later mind you! I'll never forget Ronald and he obviously didn't forget me. :D

 

Sorry to repeat this story again as it came up six months ago but it is actually one of our fond memories from our honeymoon and other cruises.

[Hflors]

Thanks for answering. I'm sure the situation was tough all around.

 

Ruth you are so right! Sadly for sis who kind of caused it all it remains tough!

[Hflors]

Oh I just thought of another funny story. We were cruising out of Galvenston and flew the day before into Houston. ON the shuttle going from the airport to the hotel we were sitting with another couple and the usual conversation came up. Well the women from the other couple was a TA (now all ta's please do not take offense) You will see in a minute why I mentioned it. So we say we are going on a cruise and the TA says they are also going on a cruise, but she doesn't know the name of the ship, but it is going out of Galvenston. We get to talking and it comes up that we are taking the transfers and she says did I know I will need to buy them tomorrow. I said no we had already purchased them. She then informes me that she is the TA and I couldn't have bought them already. I told her I called up RCCL and bought them. She insist that I will need to buy them tommorrow. I just let it pass. The next morning we are back at the airport waiting for the transfer when the rccl rep I see him talking to her and I wait then he comes to me and says. He knows that dh and I are in the TA's "group" and he needs to explain to me that I will need to buy the transfers. Well I have all the paperwork and told him I only met the ta last night on the shuttle to the hotel and I really don't know her. I was a bit put out, but let it pass.

well we board the ship and the next day I am standing at the pool talking to another guest about cruises and the TA from the day before comes up and interjects herself into our conversation and informs the other person that she is a TA and knows more about cruising them me! I couldn't believe what she said. Then she informs us that she has cards in her cabin we we need a TA! She finally leaves and the other women and I start to laugh. She was as dumbfounded as I was at this rude, pushey person. The whole rest of the week we made it our business to avoid this person. No matter where we went she was there. I felt sorry for her clients. If she didn't know the name of the ship she was about to board that could be a problem if someone booked a cruise thru her.