crusing friendship

[shanni-shanni]

It has been my experience that no matter how chummy fellow cruisers appear to be during the trip, nobody seems to be interested in carrying on after returning home inspite of exchange of email address.

 

Is this unusual or others have similar experience? Tom

[GmaPajama]

It has been my experience that no matter how chummy fellow cruisers appear to be during the trip, nobody seems to be interested in carrying on after returning home inspite of exchange of email address.

 

Is this unusual or others have similar experience? Tom

 

Maybe you just haven't met the right folks yet? Some of our best friendships were forged on a ship, and weve actually driven several hundred miles to meet cruising friends for a long weekend. Don't give up ... some of the nicest people are waiting to meet you!

[Cruising-along]

I second what Donna just said. And will add that our friendships started on the roll call. The hard part is when you live on opposite coasts, but even then you can stay in touch if you really want to, and even meet up when you sail out of a nearby port. :)

[kjw869]

It has been my experience that no matter how chummy fellow cruisers appear to be during the trip, nobody seems to be interested in carrying on after returning home inspite of exchange of email address.

 

Is this unusual or others have similar experience? Tom

 

To us, the opposite has happened. Over the past three years, we have met three couples we keep in contact weekly.

 

We sailed with one of them again in May, and had met them for a land vacation earlier.

 

The two other couples are joining us on the Noordam for an 11 day cruise a week from today. We met those two couples on different cruises, one being in 2009 and the other on the Zuiderdam last January.

[jkrislc]

While it is not the norm for us on most cruises, we did hit it off with a number of fellow cruisers on our last Disney cruise. We talked extensively before the cruise online, did the meet onboard, and even arranged to dine at a table of 12 to accommodate all of us. In the end, we've kept in contact for over a year thus far and have seen each other months later, meeting up at theme parks, for lunch, etc.

 

Most of the time, though, we prefer a table with just the family, so we only meet other cruisers casually onboard.

[TraelorMex]

Will agree with Shanni-Shanni's post. We have 'befriended' many people while on board...also made a point of becoming friendly with the on board ministers...exchanging e-mails, sharing congenial laughs, etc etc. Leaving the ships with shouts of 'we'll be in touch...don't forget to e-mail', loved meeting you......

 

Still waiting for my first e-mail :(

[mauiedin87]

It has happened to us both ways. Very chummy on board, never heard from them again. But much more often we've kept in touch by e-mail and Christmas cards for several years! In one case I met a couple on a cruise board in 1999, we are in almost daily contact, and have yet to meet them in person AFTER 13 years!!! They have become very close friends.

[sail7seas]

We definitely have made friends on ships that we are still in touch with as much as 10+ years later.

 

Sure, we have met folks and enjoyed their company on board and never heard from them again but far more we have, indeed, heard from and some have traveled with again.

 

We met some for dinner near home.

We met some for dinner/visits at places distant from our home.

 

But as I say we also have never heard from (nor tried to contact) others.

Could be lots of reasons.

In one case we really liked the other couple and intended to contact them but less than a week after we arrived home, I had a critical illness. At that time, DH was learning how to e-mail and he accidentally lost a lot of mail that came to my address. When I recovered enough to get on line, much mail was lost and never recovered. By then, I had so much else to put my attention to and never wrote them. I don't know if they e-mailed us.

 

Be kind in thinking about those who disappointed you with their silence..... could be all sorts of reasons you haven't imagined or could be they were 'phonies' and better they disappear from your life. :eek:

 

[Himself]

Somehow I am feeling guilty. Very frequently I get names and addresses and even e-mails and seldom do I do anything about it after I get home. Sorry

[ASIWISH]

We never make direct eye contact with anyone on a cruise ship...! We prefer to vacation as a family.

 

That being said:

• I have kept in touch with one crew member via Facebook, and Nancy and I met her for lunch in Miami when we happened to be there together.
  
• I get e:mail forwards from a nice man I met in the roll call on our first cruise, although we only met briefly.
  
• I am connected through LinkedIn with a man we met on our last Easter cruise and checkin every other month or so.
  

 

I do, however, enjoy the friendships I have forged here in Cruise Critic!

[Ontariotrekker]

The same thing can happen on a land tour and you are in much tighter quarters than on board a ship.

 

I have 2 FB and e-mail buddies that I am still in touch with after my first V2A cruise in 2010... on the Isle of Wight and the other in Australia. I've also made friends on this blog with whom I've shared my e-mail even though we have never met yet we chat constantly - Hi Cynthia and Pat! - Shar

[kazu]

I have met wonderful people on cruises and while we are far away, we still email each other in the hopes that someday we will be in the same city or on the same cruise. :) Others, you don't hear from, it just depends.

[RuthC]

Remember, there's a big difference between acquaintances and friends, or, put another way, there are degrees of friendship. Close friendships take a long time to develop.

That said, I have become Internet friends with people on this board who I have later met on a cruise. Over time, many have become friends; some have become close friends. One could be termed the best friend I have ever had.

Any yes, there are acquaintances with whom I have kept in touch, at least periodically.

[Arwen]

Will agree with Shanni-Shanni's post. We have 'befriended' many people while on board...also made a point of becoming friendly with the on board ministers...exchanging e-mails, sharing congenial laughs, etc etc. Leaving the ships with shouts of 'we'll be in touch...don't forget to e-mail', loved meeting you......

 

Still waiting for my first e-mail :(

 

I agree. I have met some really nice people on our cruises. On one of our Mexico cruises, hubby and I had fixed early dining with three other couples. All of us hit it off so well and had a marvelous time together for the entire week. Hubby and I and the three other couples met for lunch towards the end of the cruise. One of the couples had a planned stay in Palm Springs after the cruise ended in San Diego. We also had a planned stay in a relative's condo in Palm Springs after reaching San Diego. This lovely couple invited us for dinner at their beautiful rented condo. "N" made an absolutely fabulous meal that was gluten free for me. She had been in the hospitality industry for years and had been an executive chef for several high end hotels.

 

We got along terrifically at dinner and I invited them to come visit here (they lived just one state away). Never heard from them again :(

[Globaliser]

Is this unusual or others have similar experience?

In my experience, it's rare to seriously keep in touch with fellow cruisers after the cruise. It's the same if you do a land tour.

 

However, there are exceptions. I've made some very good friends on ships, both passengers and staff, including some I've flown thousands of miles to spend time with.

[RMLincoln]

We hosted aquaintences from a TransAtlantic cruise in our home this summer; they came to the US to visit from Australia and we enjoyed visiting and touring them around our NM sites for 5 days. We keep in otuch by email and skype. I only hope we can go to OZ and see them there. m--

[Joy R]

How about when you live on different continents? On our first cruise, four years ago, we got chatting with a couple by the pool on the first day. We were all on Anytime Dining and arranged to have dinner together. We spent that dinner laughing, and met up each evening after that. We stayed in touch and arranged to cruise together the following year, when we had a whale of a time!

 

We have kept in touch by e-mail and Skype. They live in California and we are in England. Last December we went on a cruise that ended in San Diego and spent a lovely weekend with them. We count them as good friends, and they feel the same way about us.

 

Yes, we have got friendly with other people on cruises, and not kept in touch afterwards. Some "friends" come and go. Others last, and we would never have met these lovely people if we hadn't gone on a cruise!

[twinkletoes4445]

It has been my experience that no matter how chummy fellow cruisers appear to be during the trip, nobody seems to be interested in carrying on after returning home inspite of exchange of email address.

 

Is this unusual or others have similar experience? Tom

 

We've kept in contact with several people we met on our cruises. Facebook makes it a lot easier to keep in contact. We've yet to cruise again with any of these folks, but we hope to in the future. We have lots of friends and make friends on each cruise. We've also experienced the opposite (only with one bunch of people). Despite coming across as friendly and warm, some are the exact opposite in person! I guess that's part of the Internet ... you can be whomever you want behind the screen, but in person, that's a different story. I think some people just have a hard time following through for whatever reason. Don't let it bother you. Maybe we'll be on a cruise together one of these days!! :)

[LindaM]

We've kept in contact with several people we met on our cruises. Facebook makes it a lot easier to keep in contact. We've yet to cruise again with any of these folks, but we hope to in the future. We have lots of friends and make friends on each cruise. We've also experienced the opposite (only with one bunch of people). Despite coming across as friendly and warm, some are the exact opposite in person! I guess that's part of the Internet ... you can be whomever you want behind the screen, but in person, that's a different story. I think some people just have a hard time following through for whatever reason. Don't let it bother you. Maybe we'll be on a cruise together one of these days!! :)

 

I know what you mean about people acting the opposite of what they appeared to be like on the rollcalls. Sometimes the friendliest people seem like the most unfriendly in person. I think it is just being insecure or shy or easily intimidated. It used to bother me, because I didn't understand why....but I think I have it figured out. I don't believe people are unfriendly on purpose---they just have issues and are uncomfortable.

 

This post just caused me to remember to email a friend we met 12 years ago on the original Noordam!

[jbhcw]

We have met so many cruise friends...on roll calls..and on cruise boards:):):) We have friends from Australia, Washington, California, Texas, Florida,MN....

 

We have cruised together and visited each other's homes...cruising and all the different boards..and Facebook are a wonderful thing:):):)

 

We will be meeting friends in April in Charleston to show them around for the day...they are from Seattle and we met them on the Zaandam in 2010...they'll be on the Maasdam...we also met them this summer in Seattle and they showed us around...we love all of our cruising friends!!

[twinkletoes4445]

I know what you mean about people acting the opposite of what they appeared to be like on the rollcalls. Sometimes the friendliest people seem like the most unfriendly in person. I think it is just being insecure or shy or easily intimidated. It used to bother me, because I didn't understand why....but I think I have it figured out. I don't believe people are unfriendly on purpose---they just have issues and are uncomfortable.

 

This post just caused me to remember to email a friend we met 12 years ago on the original Noordam!

 

I think the bulk are just as you described, but we've met a few people that I'd avoid at all costs. Hubby and I are leery of joining roll calls after that experience, but I know it was probably a fluke. The other get-together's were awesome and everyone was so nice. I did learn a valuable lesson though ... I am very cautious now because I am not around here enough to know what's going on between posters. Getting caught in the middle is no fun!

[CathyK2]

As others have said, I've met people on cruise ships that have become life long friends. Some extremely good friends. In fact, we have stayed in contact with a couple from our dinner table on a our very first cruise about 30 years ago. So it can happen.

 

I know that there are always some that you exchange info with and don't stay in touch, but I find that in most cases, we really do. Keep trying and don't give up. There are wonderful people sailing the seas with you.

 

Cathy

[Sophiebaby]

I guess I've been very lucky. I visited people in Montana who I met on the Maasdam in Spring of 2010. They will be coming to stay with me in April! I sailed on the Maasdam this past Fall with people who were at my table on the Rotterdam last April. I am in contact by letter and e-mail with several people I've met on cruises, and have lunch dates pending with cruisemates who live close by. Not everyone wants to keep in touch, but on the longer cruises you really get to know people well, more so than on a 7-day cruise.:)

[yiddishkopf]

One of my best friends is someone I met the first time I went to trivia on a HAL cruise. It was on the Ryndam on a cruise around South America in 2001. As it happens, we live near each other and have been friends ever since. They are now on a long cruise --Hawaii, Cook Islands, etc and when this one ends they board another ship headed for a warm climate. They would like us to cruise with them.but I don't think I could take 30 days on a ship -- We've done 3 weeks and that was a little too long.

 

However, we've remained devoted friends.

[gigianne]

We met up with a lot of awesome people on our last cruise - NA - TA in October. We have kept in touch by e-mail, mail and phone - are FB friends with some and we will be cruising again with one of the couples next year. It doesn't always happen - but sometimes you just hit it off! Cruisecritic has been great - you get to meet on line and forge a cyber friendship even before you meet face to face!! I will agree that geography sometimes makes it difficult to maintain friendships - it isn't alway easy!