Pleasant experience with a unknown person on a cruise

[A&L_Ont]

On our honeymoon (our first and only cruise:rolleyes:) we meet a wonderful couple having dinner beside us at the Stirling Steakhouse. We were on the Dawn Princess and it was a southbound Alaska cruise. We also had a balcony, which we later discovered was mistake number two, as there was no going back:D We chatted with them throughout our meal, learning a bit about each others lives. We discovered that they were celebrating their 5 year anniversary, and it was each of their second marriages. At the end of the meal we parted ways and wished each other well.

 

On our second to last night a bottle of champaign arrived in our cabin with a note wishing the us well. After a bit of investigating at the pursers desk we found out the first names of the people that had it delivered. Turns out it was the couple from the steak house.

 

On our next Alaska cruise we kept bumping into an Irish couple on their honeymoon cruise. As it turns out they were staying at the same hotel post cruise as us. We saw them as we were leaving the restaurant after supper, and stopped at their table to wish them a safe trip home. After our goodbyes we quickly found out who their waitress was and took care of their dinner bill for them. We also left a note for them wishing them the best and a wonderful life together. It seemed only fitting for us pay it forward to the "next" generation of honeymooners, as we had been so lucky to experience a few years earlier.

[cruisinwithmaandpa]

Just recently we met two very nice couples on our cruise at the meet and greet. One couple invited us to dine with them in their grand suite, and hosted a cocktail party. The other couple invited us and the other couple to share their cabana with them on barefoot beach. They are both fantastic couples, down to :mad:earth and sincere. They made our cruise one of the best we ever had.

 

The cruise prior to that we met a couple in the MDR from Newfoundland, Canada. I never laughed so much in my life.

 

Needless to say, we still keep in contact with all of them.

[dadroy]

Back in 2003 I had scheduled a cruise that went from Tampa to New Orleans (during Monday and Tuesday of Mardi Gras) then to Mexico to be legal. We would be in New Orleans on Monday and Tuesday nights. I was taking my son who was just over 21. With cruise leaving Sunday, I woke up on Friday with a strange pain in my neck. nothing bad, but bothersome considering I was going to be away from home. Went to the Doctor and they decided I should have quad bypass heart surgery on Monday.

 

I told them I was going to Mardi Gras and it would have to wait.:D They gave me some nitro pills for the chest pains and told me to take it easy. Well, can't party with the son and take it easy, so we feeling bad. On the ship we started talking to a couple (22 and 23) and they offered to adopt my son for the time in New Orleans. They all quickly bonded and my son said it has been the best experience ever.

 

Without them, my son would probably have missed the great adventure in the Big Easy. I thought it was very nice of them.

[Beach4me]

Many (many) years ago on the original Sun Princess, we had a fun dining table. We laughed through dinner every night. The table across from us was a two-top with a middle-aged couple. The wife would look at us and smile. The husband...not so much.

 

One evening, they finished eating and left the dining room. Our table was enjoying a funny story from one of the tablemate's snorkeling experience from the day when something caught my eye. The couple was walking on the promenade outside the dining room. The lady was acting like a fish as she passed the window - puckering her mouth and flickering her hands like fins. We laughed ourselves silly.

 

The next night, we had their table pulled up to ours. The wife loved it and laughed her way through dinner the rest of the trip. The husband...not so much. :)

[JimAOk1945]

This thread is awesome! Kudos to the OP for starting it. It's like a breath of fresh air . . . no name-calling, no bashing, no flaming, and best of all no complaining. Just nice, heartwarming shared experiences.

 

Thanks everyone for posting!

[belle2]

We sailed last summer aboard Holland America's Westerdam. It was a family cruise; 14 family members, ages ranging from 15 months to 74 years old.

 

The 15 month old is my daughter, and while we had an absolutely wonderful time, this trip proved to be a bit more challenging at times than we expected (long flights, time changes, getting her out of her routine, on a cruise line that's not as kid friendly, etc). But we couldn't leave her home since that would've defeated the purpose of this family trip that we started planning before she was even conceived.

 

Many nights, we skipped the MDR because we felt that our daughter wouldn't last through dinner, and we wanted to be considerate towards fellow cruisers that wanted to enjoy a more sedate dining experience. One particular night, we were sitting at the lido buffet restaurant, and my daughter just had enough. She started crying and throwing things on the floor. Sure enough, we got the evil eye from some fellow passengers (the one that says "how dare you bring small children on a cruise!" :o) I quickly grabbed my daughter and took her to the lido pool area, which was deserted,

until she could calm down.

 

An elderly couple approached us as I sat there with my now calm daughter. The wife said to us "What a precious daughter you have, so well behaved", to which I replied "You should've seen her a few minutes ago". The elderly lady then said to me "I did see her a few minutes ago, I was sitting at a table next to you. In fact, I've been watching you guys all week long. Your kids are very well behaved, and I can tell you're doing a great job raising them. I've been commenting this to my husband every time I see you. Yes, you'll have moments like this, but don't doubt yourself."

 

Someone's initial reaction may have been to think that this was a bit creepy; someone "observing your kids" from afar, but I thought that her words were heartwarming, and they also made me realize that all the hard work that we had put into raising a family, and getting it together on this vacation, had completely paid off.

 

The elderly lady then proceeded to tell me "I have grandchildren around the same age as your children back home. Seeing your family here makes me wish that they could be here with us. It would be great if the cruise line could come up with an exchange program, where grandparents traveling without kids could swap with parents traveling with kids. That way the tired parents could take a break for a few hours, while people like us could alleviate some of the separation anxiety from our own grandkids!" We laughed a bit and said goodbye.

 

This elderly couple didn't have to stop and talk to us, and they didn't need to encourage us or try to make us feel better. But they did, and that's one of the memories that I'll always carry from that cruise. :)

 

That's is precious! I love the wisdom and encouragement that comes from generations that "have been there, done that". I too have small children and get caught up in the hard parts of raising a family. But then I remember the words of an older lady whose kids and grand kids are grown. She told me that these are the best times of my life. To take a deep breath and cherish the moments, easy and tough, because they are gone before we know it. As humans we needs to remember the power of our words and give some grace to others who may be struggling! Thanks for sharing, love this thread!

[reney313]

On our first Alaska cruise a few years ago, we had a couple different groups that really helped make the cruise (aside from the incredible scenery!)

 

1. We left Whittier at night and I think everyone went to eat at the exact same time. We had anytime dining and all the dining rooms were full. They sent a group of 6 of us to the MDR for traditional dining saying there was an available table there. One of the couples were celebrating their retirement. This was their first vacation in many many years (I want to say 20-25 years). Anyway, the next day we ran into them again and they invited us to their suite as we were sailing by Hubbard Glacier. They weren't drinkers and on Princess received a full mini bar set up as a benefit.

 

When we got to their cabin they gave us a tour. It was an incredible suite. Then made us some drinks and we went out onto their HUGE balcony to look at Hubbard Glacier. We had planned to go back to the room before we ran into them to grab our jackets and binoculars and go to the Promenade deck (we had an inside cabin) but when we ran into them, we forgot to do that.

 

It was misting out and pretty cold. The lady lent me one of her jackets, the man gave his jacket to my boyfriend and then shared their binoculars. I started to feel bad because they were so busy pampering us I'm not sure if they even took time to look at the Glacier! We did leave shortly after so they would have time to enjoy themselves. They told us to take most of the liquor from the mini bar! We were good though and opted to just take one drink with us to go. I thought that was very generous and nice, but told them they might meet others who want to visit their awesome balcony!

 

We ran into them several times after that, and it was really nice visiting. I was 39 and I think they were missing their own kids! LOL. Such a nice couple though. I remembering asking why they chose a Full Suite on their first cruise and the husband said "I wanted a fishing boat, but she wanted this cruise!". It really was a vacation of lifetime for them and I hope we added to their memories!

 

2. On that same vacation, we had started with a 4 day pre cruise land tour to Denali. On the train we had met 2 couples traveling together who were near our age. We moved seats around so the 4 of them could sit in a row. During the train ride, it was apparent we would be seeing a lot of them as one of the husbands was quite the comic. When we got to the Denali Lodge, sure enough, they were in the room next to us. Later that night, we ran into them on the deck and they invited us in to their room with the other couple for drinks. We compared notes for the plans prior to the cruise and met up a few times for dinners.

 

Once onboard, we saw them most days. It became quite the challenge to NOT see them in the same place, even in port. I have a great picture of the 6 of us in a bar in Ketchikan near the end of the cruise. The last night i had won quite a bit in the casino and decided to have a 'last drink' in the nightclub. Sure enough, there they were. I did pay their tabs with my seapass as I told them good night and wished them well on their flight home the next day.

Edited December 13, 2013 by reney313

[wotaripper]

Since we have the "rude" thread going, I'd thought I'd ask the opposite, tell us a story about how someone you didn't know (hate to use the word stranger) helped make your cruise memorable in a good way.

 

I'll start

 

Last April, on the Allure, we were seated in a row of twos. You know, tables that only seat 2 all in row. There were seven of us, 6 couples, each at their own table, and a single woman of orient descent who did not speak English very well.

 

This was our third night in a row that the 7 us happened to be seated side-by-side. We enjoyed sharing our day and meeting each other. The single woman would smile a lot and share as best she could in her broken English. She was very warm, friendly and used to cruising alone. All of us smiled and laughed throughout each dinner course.

 

She had managed to win a rather nice bottle of champagne, we're still not quite sure how. After dinner, and before dessert, she had them open the champagne and had all of us toast to our wonderful cruise. It was so nice, seated with interesting people, strangers only days before, now being asked to share this lady's champagne. Smiles and gladness all around.

 

And that is cruising is all about. Meeting wonderful people and sharing a drink.

 

Dolby1000

We had the pleasure of meeting and enjoying the company of a sprightly lady in her 80s, named Rosé on an M.S.C. Cruise in 2010 although our family group was a

Mish mash from young teens to people in their 40's and 50's and my father in his 80's also Rose was a vibrant and energetic and fun companion whenever we encountered each other which was often.

[jo24]

Hi everyone!

 

I have always been very lucky on cruises and met some wonderful people.

 

In November 2012 on my first cruise on Allure with my mum, we were sat at dinner with 2 couples. We met them on the 2nd night (formal night) and arranged to meet them at several other points throughout the cruise. We all celebrated one of the guys 21st birthday during the cruise and on the last evening we all had a wonderful meal together, shared champagne and lots of laughs!

 

We are all still in contact now and have made friends for life!

 

I have since done 2 further cruises on Allure and had similar experiences - I love meeting such wonderful people and have never had a bad experience. I can't wait for my TA on Indy next November!

 

Jo

[drarill]

Excellent thread!!! Loving all the stories!:):)

[debbs0723]

I have encountered so many more nice people than rude people that it is hard to keep track.

 

Last year I was on an elevator with a bunch of people on the Navigator of the Seas. It was towards the end of the trip when a lady about my age says out loud to her husband and everyone else "See that is the lady I was telling you about. Her eyes are so pretty" I was all embarrassed in the full elevator and said thanks. Then my dad says "Gee, I never get in elevators and have people shower me with compliments" Then another lady looks over and says "I really like your shirt". The entire elevator was almost in tears.

 

When my husband and I were on our honeymoon cruise we sat at a 2 top. There was an elderly foursome across the way. A few different nights they sent over wine and chocolate dipped strawberries to our table. Very sweet.

 

I do think there are rude passengers on cruises but the nice and funny people have always way overshadowed any of that that I cannot remember the rude ones. Maybe I'm just in vacation mode and I just completely tune out the negatives.

 

Debbie

[debbs0723]

We sailed last summer aboard Holland America's Westerdam. It was a family cruise; 14 family members, ages ranging from 15 months to 74 years old.

 

The 15 month old is my daughter, and while we had an absolutely wonderful time, this trip proved to be a bit more challenging at times than we expected (long flights, time changes, getting her out of her routine, on a cruise line that's not as kid friendly, etc). But we couldn't leave her home since that would've defeated the purpose of this family trip that we started planning before she was even conceived.

 

Many nights, we skipped the MDR because we felt that our daughter wouldn't last through dinner, and we wanted to be considerate towards fellow cruisers that wanted to enjoy a more sedate dining experience. One particular night, we were sitting at the lido buffet restaurant, and my daughter just had enough. She started crying and throwing things on the floor. Sure enough, we got the evil eye from some fellow passengers (the one that says "how dare you bring small children on a cruise!" :o) I quickly grabbed my daughter and took her to the lido pool area, which was deserted,

until she could calm down.

 

An elderly couple approached us as I sat there with my now calm daughter. The wife said to us "What a precious daughter you have, so well behaved", to which I replied "You should've seen her a few minutes ago". The elderly lady then said to me "I did see her a few minutes ago, I was sitting at a table next to you. In fact, I've been watching you guys all week long. Your kids are very well behaved, and I can tell you're doing a great job raising them. I've been commenting this to my husband every time I see you. Yes, you'll have moments like this, but don't doubt yourself."

 

Someone's initial reaction may have been to think that this was a bit creepy; someone "observing your kids" from afar, but I thought that her words were heartwarming, and they also made me realize that all the hard work that we had put into raising a family, and getting it together on this vacation, had completely paid off.

 

The elderly lady then proceeded to tell me "I have grandchildren around the same age as your children back home. Seeing your family here makes me wish that they could be here with us. It would be great if the cruise line could come up with an exchange program, where grandparents traveling without kids could swap with parents traveling with kids. That way the tired parents could take a break for a few hours, while people like us could alleviate some of the separation anxiety from our own grandkids!" We laughed a bit and said goodbye.

 

This elderly couple didn't have to stop and talk to us, and they didn't need to encourage us or try to make us feel better. But they did, and that's one of the memories that I'll always carry from that cruise. :)

 

You know, we used to live in a society like this. My grandfather never met a baby in a grocery store that he did not go talk to and play with.

[alfaeric]

Threads like this remind me of my theorum of meeting people.

 

It states- when you meet someone that you get a long with during a cruise, you will meet them all over the ship for the rest of the cruise. Including off the ship.

 

We've had the chance to meet some realy great folk- one couple while waiting to get onto the ship. We saw them all over the place, including while DW and I were running on the island- their tour happened to stop at the same place and time that we were at a spot. We took pictures of each other there.

 

Many here have posted similar occurances, but still the experimental numbers are not quite high enough to make the theorum into a law. :D

[davy jones]

Encounters with nice people far exceed the occasional rude encounter. If it didn't, we would not cruise. I give one though.

 

DW and I cruised while she was expecting, 7 months along with our first child. (Clearly an old story, she would not be allowed to cruise today.)

 

In the MDR, we were seated at a two top. Since she was expecting, she was not drinking, so we had no wine with dinner. A full bottle did not make sense. Our table was surrounded by large tables that were occupied by people involved in some kind of corporate function. Each table had plenty of pre ordered wine, more than they could drink. After a couple of nights, they noticed this and struck up a conversation. The rest of the week, they made sure that my wine glass was full every evening. We even joined them for dinner at their tables when one of the couples was not coming.

[Ladysilver]

On our Mariner cruise last year, my daughter was suffering from allergies by the second day. She was fine before we left home. A very nice woman on the elevator took notice and offered to share her Claritin meds. We followed her back to her cabin where she gave my daughter enough to cover the rest of the cruise. We were very grateful. A couple of times after that we ran into the lady and she always asked how my daughter was doing and to let her know if she could help with anything else. I don't even remember her name. :)

[tserface]

I'll add my hurrah's to this thread. I hope it goes to many more pages.

 

On our second to last cruise we met a couple on an excursion named Keith and MaryLou and we ended up hanging out with them for much of rest of the cruise. They were a delight.

 

On our last cruise we met a couple from Australia named Michael and Wendy and had a similar experience.

 

There are countless others.

 

It seems like every cruise brings new faces and new reasons for joy. We haven't been good at staying long distance friends, but the memories of the people we've met on cruises lingers on. Some we've met just in passing at dinner or coffee tables and others we've spent serious time with on the cruise. The "stuff" we do on cruises and the food we eat and shows we see are always fun, but it's the people we met that we remember most fondly.

 

Tom

[OCruisers]

We have had way way way more pleasant experiences with folks we've met on cruises than we have had bad experiences. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[mjeff87]

I was on the receiving end of a Good Samaritan a couple years ago.....lost my wedding band in the Solarium pool one night before dinner. Flew right off my finger in the deep end and settled to the bottom, right on top of the drain cover. In a vain attempt to retrieve it (I'm a self-proclaimed non-swimmer), I knocked it down the drain. After coming to terms with the Mrs. about an hour later, who was none to happy, I proceeded down to Guest Relations to report it, as a crew member suggested that they drained the pool every night and I might be able to come back to the Solarium at that time and look again. As I stood about 10 deep in line, I overheard a man at the desk telling RCI staff that he heard about some idiot (me) loosing a ring at the pool, and then pulled my ring out of his pocket to turn in to lost and found.

 

I offered my deepest thank you to him, and asked what his table number was and "red or white". He was treated to the nicest bottle of red wine that night for dinner.

 

Now, I always take my ring off when doing anything related to water!

 

Jeff

[OCruisers]

:D Jeff ... Funny story because it had a good ending.

Did you send it to the table signed "From the idiot whose ring you found"? :D

 

LuLu

~~~~

[sargeantcurley]

I want to give a shout out to the BEAD BRIGADE...if you ever get a chance to sail with them, do not hestitate, just do it...they keep the roll call active and lively, plan activities together and are just about the nicest folks to ever sail the seven seas....I consider it an honor to count them among my friends....scratch that...make that family!:p:p

[SusieV]

We've met some fabulous people onboard and we still stay in touch with and occasionally cruise with them.

 

I think the highlight though was our recent Hallowe'en cruise. I had asked on our roll call if I made some little treat bags, if people would mind allowing my four year old son to trick or treat, since he'd be missing Hallowe'en at home. So many kind people agreed to let him knock on their doors, and it was the highlight of the trip for him. A few people even bought him little toys. He was SO happy.

 

It was a great cruise.

[mm1251]

On a cruise on Brilliance, it was the first day and we were still in port. My DW and I were already settled into our cabin and were out messing.

 

We stood to get on an elevator and there was a couple in there 60's or 70's standing waiting with us. They had small carry-on luggage with them they were wheeling around. I said something like, "Isn't it great to be on board," and we struck up a conversation. They told us they had no idea what cabin they were in. They had booked last minute and they didn't even look or pay attention when they checked in. All they had was there sea pass cards.

 

I asked if they were heading to guest relations, and the husband said, "Nah. That's too easy. We know the cabin number, we just don't know the deck." The wife said it was like a treasure hunt. They got off on the next floor and walked away.

 

My first reaction was -- they are nuts! -- or, are they pulling my leg? But my DW and I giggled about it and came to the realization that these people were having a wonderful, relaxing time. They had absolutely no worries in the world.

 

A couple days later I saw them in the Windjammer and they smiled at me, so I walked over and asked them if they found their cabin. They said it only took four decks. I asked what they would have done if someone was in the room they were trying to get into, and they said something like, "Well, we would have apologized and moved on I guess."

 

What I learned is to keep reminding myself: Don't sweat the small stuff!! Just relax and have fun.

[Desert Cruizers]

Susie that was a marvelous thought, did you little bags have something differant in each one. The bags I made up for our Hawaii Roll Call ( Pirate Loot Bags ) had a drawstring bag of Candy, Pirate Pencil, Magnet from home and a cloth snap on Pirate Bracelet. Our Roll Call had a Pirate name, reason for the particular items.

[CatBelle]

I met some nice poeple in Meet and Mingle first day, and after I had really good luck with our table mates, a family with two sister who were more or less my age, we spend some nights after dinner in the jacuzzies, swimming and eating pizza in Sorrento's, not very healthy plans but awesome memoirs.

[Beach4me]

mm1251 - I LOVE that story! Thank you for sharing! :)