crusing friendship

[Northshorecruisers]

Some of our best friends we met on our first cruise. Got to know them a bit on the Roll Call prior to sailing. We have since sailed with them again and they have travelled from their home in Vancouver, BC to visit us in Minneapolis, MN. We're heading out to visit them before our Alaska cruise this summer.

Even if you don't develop forever friendships with people you meet on a cruise - enjoy the time with people you meet. I love anytime dining because I get to meet new interesting people every night. It's one of the best parts of cruising.

[Typhoon1]

We made some friends on a cruise ten years ago.

 

We make it a point to visit them in Northern California every five years or so. Have been there twice so far.

[George C]

We stick to our selfs in general, exchanged Christmas cards for a few years with some. But on of my best friends is someone I met on a 1985 cruise and we sometimes vacation together and any tme we take a cruise from Florida we get together.

[Randyk47]

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 have made friends with fellow cruisers that have developed into long term, outside of cruising friendships. Most recently our table mates and next cabin neighbors from the Maasdam have become great friends. They've subsequently spent a few days with us in our home, the ladies have gotten together up in the DC area for dinner a number of times when she's been up there on business, and they will be our next cabin neighbors on the Silver Wind on our Med cruise in just seven or so weeks. This is probably the strongest friendship but we've made others and have cruised subsequently with a few of them. It happens. :)

[RevNeal]

Over the past 11 or 12 years I have met a lot of people on Cruise Critic, then met a smaller number of them aboard ship, and have become very close friends with a few of these. Indeed, several of these friends mean a great deal to me, and I enjoy cruising with them whenever I have the chance. RuthC is an example. There are others (and they know who they are).

[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 agree. Upthread I quoted your post and misread what you posted. It's been a long day!! I believe you have hit the nail on the head.

[Two@Sea]

Over the past 11 or 12 years I have met a lot of people on Cruise Critic, then met a smaller number of them aboard ship, and have become very close friends with a few of these. Indeed, several of these friends mean a great deal to me, and I enjoy cruising with them whenever I have the chance. RuthC is an example. There are others (and they know who they are).

 

I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you, RevNeal, but would be proud to be able to call you a friend... and am very glad to see you back on the HAL board.

 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled topic. :o

[twinkletoes4445]

I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you, RevNeal, but would be proud to be able to call you a friend... and am very glad to see you back on the HAL board.

 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled topic. :o

 

He's a peach! I've met him and he is very gracious. It was a pleasure meeting him. :)

[erewhon]

During our 28 day Panama Cruise in 2009, we met a great couple from Seattle, and have kept in touch.

In 2010, we were on the Trans Pacific cruise from Vancouver.The first port of call was Seattle, where they met us and took us for a drive, (unfortunately pouring rain), and back to their beautiful home, before driving us back to the ship.

[Crew News]

We met a couple from Puerto Rico on an Alaska cruise and kept in touch. On a Caribbean cruise, when our ship docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, we were met at the port, given a tour of the city, treated to a lunch of local cuisine, and then taken to a non-tourist area to buy souvenirs.

[JJPacer]

One couple we met on a 2001 cruise, one in 2006, and 2 couples we met on a 2008 cruise. There have been others who have give out e-mails, etc. that we haven't kept in touch with. We feel blessed to have met these people. We always meet interesting people on our cruises. So, even though we don't keep in touch we remember them, fondly.:)

[alaskancruzr]

We aren't the most social people but have met people on two of our cruises that have become dear friends. We are in Alaska and they are in Florida and England. We have since had them as our guests, visited them in their home, and met up during our travels. We stay in touch online and by phone and see each other whenever we can arrange it. Truly a blessing!

[MrsMuir]

We kept in touch on and off with two wonderful couples we met onboard Ryndam in 2007, then our emails petered out. It takes effort to keep up a friendship...I may just reconnect and see what they're up to these days. One of the reasons we ask for Main Dining is that it gives us time to get to know our tablemates, and it is more likely that we will remain in touch than if we just chatted over one meal. A good friend came into our lives when DH noticed she was alone at a large table and invited her to join our table for 8, which had an extra chair. She was the life of the party, and we'd be in touch if she would just stop taking cruises all year long......

[ger_77]

We met and became great friends with 2 couples on a millennium cruise - one from Charlotte, NC, the other from New Orleans. We've stayed in touch over the years, gone on cruises together, and visited each other's homes (we live in Canada) several times. Prior to that, technology wasn't available to us to maintain contact through email, etc. It wasn't nearly as convenient to send a letter or a card, as it was to email and wait for a response.

 

We also met another couple on our first Holland America cruise and became very good friends from that point on - we're quite opposites, they're a great "biker" couple, while we're more library and Adagio Strings people, yet we have lots of common ground and get along so well. They surprised us by joining us on a cruise - they showed up at our cabin right after muster drill to buy our sail-away drinks, and we spent the next 2 wonderful weeks together.

 

For those of you who haven't heard from someone who said they'd email you, why don't you email them? It's like waiting for someone to call - you've got a phone, too!

 

Smooth Sailing! :):) :)

[jig]

First of all I met my Girlfriend on the Princendam 9 years ago. Our friends ince a great couple from Sydney we met on the Star Princess. Then a great woman on the Pacific Princess. We have cruised together several times as well as driving around the USA. I met a nice lady on the Princendam who just visited us in Hawaii and next week friends of another cruise will be coming over and another the following week. Could go on. However there have been many more that we would have nothing to do with.

 

Jeffrey

[IRL_Joanie]

[quote name='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[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=Blue][B]I had to wait to respond to your post because after reading it I had the strongest desire to call my best friend ever!!!

I met, as she calls me, "My New Best Friend Forever" on our Roll Call for our 17 September 2011 Alaska cruise on Zuiderdam in probably July or early August of 2011. We hit it off from the very first post and then emails and when we met face to face, it was like we were twins who'd been separated at birth!!:D:D

Vicki and her hubby Ramon have become our dearest ever friends, before, during and even now to this day!!

In fact Ramon told Vicki that they were cruising again, but only if Roger and I were on the same cruise:) And he was and is serious!! We are all going on our next Alaska cruise together in May 2013:D

So, yes, people/friends you meet through Cruise Critic, on board a ship etc., can become and stay the best of friends!!

Love ya Vicki and Mons!!!!!!!!!

As an aside here, our Roll Call from 17 September 2011 is still active.Even if we are not cruising together we still chat back and forth:)

Joanie[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[1cruiselvr]

This thread reminds me of a vacation taken many yrs ago where we met/befriended a nice young couple on their honeymoon. We were just finishing our trip and they were just starting theirs. They didn't have a working camera with them so we offered ours (before digital) as we learned we lived within 25 miles of each other and we couldn't imagine not having pictures for honeymoon memories. We exchanged ph #s and they promised to return the camera. Well you guessed it, we didn't hear from them. Months later, we remembered that they still had our camera. Turns out they were getting a divorce (already :confused:) and had totally forgotten about our camera. I know this story is only distantly related to the subject thread but thought I'd share it anyway. :)
We have met lots of people thru all our travel adventures. Not one has made an effort to continue the 'friendship' after the trip was over. I have always wondered why, thinking it was us but after reading this thread it's nice to know we are not the only ones that have had this experience. I've given up offering contact information. I figure it's not going to get used so why bother. Happy Sailing!

[TraelorMex]

As mentioned earlier, we to have not ever received any follow-ups on our 'friendship' encounters. After due consideration I believe it must be me. Then it dawns on me; if I met me, I, in all likelehood would not want to continue a relationship with myself either :cool:

Maybe we should, like Lucy, start a friends of the friendless club...see if we can get HAL on board to host it, or something....

[IRL_Joanie]

[quote name='Crew News']We met a couple from Puerto Rico on an Alaska cruise and kept in touch. On a Caribbean cruise, when our ship docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, we were met at the port, given a tour of the city, treated to a lunch of local cuisine, and then taken to a non-tourist area to buy souvenirs.[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=Blue][B]Hey you forgot that after all the touring and lunch Ruth took us to their home also where we visited with her, her mother and Carlo (the hubby) until we had to get back to the ship for Sail Away:)

Ruth also calls us on average about every other month:) BTW, we met Ruth and Carlo on Oosterdam 2008 our first ever cruise with HAL.

And as I stated in my own post (sorry honey to hijack ya here (I love you:D)) Vicki and Ramon.

Aint life Grand with Good friends!!

Joanie[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[1cruiselvr]

[quote name='TraelorMex']Maybe we should, like Lucy, start a friends of the friendless club...see if we can get HAL on board to host it, or something....[/quote]

Hey, I like that idea....we should start a friendless cruise club........:p

[Rockfan2]

DH and I have been on 5 cruises of varying length and have not met other cruisers that we wanted to keep in touch with until our last cruise, a 17 day to Hawaii. The last day we handed out business cards with our names & emails and encouraged people to email and call if they were ever in Victoria.

We were thrilled to receive an email with Christmas wishes from a couple we met at Happy Hour at the Ocean Bar. We had our usual seats at the bar, and enjoyed our beverages and conversation almost every night. We even sat together at the Mariners Luncheon.

I emailed back but have not had a response but I would not be surprised if we ran into them again on anther cruise.

Maybe in August.:)

Rockfan2