Thrak Posted September 2, 2017 #1 Share Posted September 2, 2017 Many times I’ve seen references here on CC in regard to cruiser’s favorite servers or other Princess staff members. I’ve often wondered if I would ever encounter a favorite staff member on a future cruise. We have a limited number of cruises so far (only 7 to date) but have yet to have a second encounter with the folks we enjoyed most. Out of all the staff with whom we have interacted there are two who really stood out head and shoulders above the rest. If you have a favorite or two how often do you manage to actually see them again? Does one have to be a super frequent cruiser to even have a hope of this happening? Do you encounter them on the same ship or on different ships? Does this tend to happen only on longer cruises? (Perhaps the outstanding folks are generally snagged for these cruises?) Like I said, there are a couple who were outstanding but it seems like such a random chance to ever meet up with them again. Note: I’m not referring to the CD or the Maitre ‘d as there are a limited number of those positions so one is far more likely to have multiple experiences with those folks. I’m thinking more of the dining room servers, baristas, wine servers (not sure of the proper title for the Vines folks), etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdoer Posted September 2, 2017 #2 Share Posted September 2, 2017 FB with them just enough to see where they are and on what itinerary. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted September 3, 2017 Author #3 Share Posted September 3, 2017 FB with them just enough to see where they are and on what itinerary. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Ahhhhh... is that how it works? I don't have a FB account so that method is out for me. Staff wear name tags with their first names but not last names. I haven't asked for last names because I didn't think they would want to divulge that information given the number of people they interact with. I'm not sure how one would go about looking for someone on FB without their full name. (My wife has a FB account and I could ask her to check but, without a full name, I'm not clear on how she would to that.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdoer Posted September 3, 2017 #4 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Ahhhhh... is that how it works? I don't have a FB account so that method is out for me. Staff wear name tags with their first names but not last names. I haven't asked for last names because I didn't think they would want to divulge that information given the number of people they interact with. I'm not sure how one would go about looking for someone on FB without their full name. (My wife has a FB account and I could ask her to check but, without a full name, I'm not clear on how she would to that.) Staff I believe would be flattered if you were interested in keeping in touch with them and be happy to give you their last name. You would not exchange addresses or telephone numbers it would just be a matter of a polite word now and then. Keep it simple. A head waiter we traveled with three years ago shows pictures of his daughter who was just born periodically and I do enjoy seeing them. Unfortunately we've missed the same cruises but one of these days we'll see him again. It's kind of special to see his family and what they're doing. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted September 3, 2017 Author #5 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Someday we'd love to meet up with these two folks again. Both made our cruise (different cruises) exceptional. Needless to say we turned in the "made a difference" cards and also mentioned them by (first) name on the post cruise survey. Additionally I sent separate email to Princess with the cruise info and their names to let the powers that be know that these individuals went out of their way to insure we had a fantastic cruise. Just would love to meet up with them again someday. Christopher Faye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted September 3, 2017 #6 Share Posted September 3, 2017 We have had the same cabin steward when booking a cabin close to where we were the first time he was our steward. He is one of the best cabin stewards. Once we had an assistant waiter on an Alaskan cruise who showed up at our table on a Caribbean cruise on a different ship four months later on the last night of that cruise. The assistant waiter who had been serving us got sick the last day, and he was filling in. It turned out the Alaskan cruise was one of his last ones on that ship and the Caribbean cruise was his first one back after his break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahospud Posted September 3, 2017 #7 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Staff I believe would be flattered if you were interested in keeping in touch with them and be happy to give you their last name. Absolutely! They freely give out their last name and email so you can keep in touch. Many crew members also use an app called "Whats app" for instant messaging. (A bar steward on a Princess ship helped us set it up.) Now when we meet up with an amazing crew member we ask for their Whats app number. We follow our favorite crew members from ship to ship all the time. We feel so fortunate to be able to meet up with the same guys and gals. Just this week a deck attendant messaged us that it was 18 more days until we meet again and how excited he was to see us. We feel the same way. If you find a crew member you like, never hesitate to let them know you'd like to see them again. Crew members are excited to see friendly faces in the sea of passengers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdoer Posted September 3, 2017 #8 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Absolutely! They freely give out their last name and email so you can keep in touch. Many crew members also use an app called "Whats app" for instant messaging. (A bar steward on a Princess ship helped us set it up.) Now when we meet up with an amazing crew member we ask for their Whats app number. We follow our favorite crew members from ship to ship all the time. We feel so fortunate to be able to meet up with the same guys and gals. Just this week a deck attendant messaged us that it was 18 more days until we meet again and how excited he was to see us. We feel the same way. If you find a crew member you like, never hesitate to let them know you'd like to see them again. Crew members are excited to see friendly faces in the sea of passengers! Absolutely. They are away from home for a long time and friendly faces are always welcome. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmik1 Posted September 3, 2017 #9 Share Posted September 3, 2017 We have a whole bunch of officers,room stewards and bar tenders on our facebook.We keep in touch with many of them year round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted September 3, 2017 Author #10 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Poop. Guess I blew it then, eh? Live and learn. Hopefully someday we will meet up again and I can get the info on these folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzyed Posted September 3, 2017 #11 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Our favorite crew member is Theo Santana! He is part of the CD staff and really really nice and so friendly. We hit it off so welll with him that we invited him to eat dinner with us in the MDR on formal night. He came all dressed up and we all had a wonderful time! We are friends with Theo on FB too. The other is one of the officers...forget what his official title is, but he is basically in charge of every aspect of the ship that does not report directly to the captain. He was amazing! He even invited our little group of 5 into his office and shared his wedding pix with us and showed us pix of his adorable child! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdoer Posted September 3, 2017 #12 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Our favorite crew member is Theo Santana! He is part of the CD staff and really really nice and so friendly. We hit it off so welll with him that we invited him to eat dinner with us in the MDR on formal night. He came all dressed up and we all had a wonderful time! We are friends with Theo on FB too.The other is one of the officers...forget what his official title is, but he is basically in charge of every aspect of the ship that does not report directly to the captain. He was amazing! He even invited our little group of 5 into his office and shared his wedding pix with us and showed us pix of his adorable child! :D Probably the hotel manager as they're called. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzyed Posted September 3, 2017 #13 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Poop. Guess I blew it then, eh? Live and learn. Hopefully someday we will meet up again and I can get the info on these folks. Well now you are forced to book another cruise, Thrak! And another and another......;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzyed Posted September 3, 2017 #14 Share Posted September 3, 2017 (edited) Probably the hotel manager as they're called. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app You might be right...we'll find out in October! Update: I just looked at his epaulet stripes in a photo of him and myself and yes, he is the Hotel Manager! Edited September 3, 2017 by suzyed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF - retired RRT Posted September 3, 2017 #15 Share Posted September 3, 2017 We had a steward on our first Hawaii cruise (our 3rd cruise overall). Saw her again on the Pacific. We were just walking the halls looking at how different the Pacific is from other Princess ships. DH saw her down the hall (he has a memory for faces/names, me not so much). He called to her and she said, "Mr & Mrs ---, Star Princess, aft Dolphin mini-suite". We were knocked over that she remembered us. One of the best stewards on our 20+ cruises.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted September 3, 2017 Author #16 Share Posted September 3, 2017 We also had a member of the CD staff on one cruise who was really fun. I believe his name was Mark but, again, no last name. I also gave him extra credit with Princess as I believe that sort of feedback can be valuable for the staff. This guy was crazy and really fun and funny. Very... flamboyant. :D He seemed to really love his job and was fantastic at it. We had some great interactions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzyed Posted September 3, 2017 #17 Share Posted September 3, 2017 This was on a Carnival ship many years ago, but our dining room waiter's name was Vanoo and he was just wonderful with our kids on the Sensation. Very interested in making it a fun experience for our son and daughter! About 6 years later, we were on a different Carnival ship (without the kids) and who starts waving at us from across the dining room, but Vanoo!! He came over and addressed us by name and then asked how Tim and Meghan were!!! We were floored!! He remembered all our names!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riclop Posted September 3, 2017 #18 Share Posted September 3, 2017 We had the best waiter on the Royal last year and hope we will see him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdoer Posted September 3, 2017 #19 Share Posted September 3, 2017 You might be right...we'll find out in October!Update: I just looked at his epaulet stripes in a photo of him and myself and yes, he is the Hotel Manager! Should be easy enough to get his name since you know his position and have a picture. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzyed Posted September 3, 2017 #20 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Should be easy enough to get his name since you know his position and have a picture. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Oh I know his name...just didn't want to put it up here....I was trying to remember his title.... but what a great guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdoer Posted September 3, 2017 #21 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Oh I know his name...just didn't want to put it up here....I was trying to remember his title....but what a great guy! Oh right. It was the op that didn't get the name. Sorry. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzyed Posted September 3, 2017 #22 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Oh right. It was the op that didn't get the name. Sorry. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app No worries! I am enjoying this thread...thanks for starting it Thrak! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted September 3, 2017 #23 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Have on many occasions met again on same or different ships some bartenders, bar staff and MDR waiters and HC wait staff. We have been in touch and kept posted by some on what ship they are assigned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyss00 Posted September 3, 2017 #24 Share Posted September 3, 2017 We had a steward on our first Hawaii cruise (our 3rd cruise overall). Saw her again on the Pacific. We were just walking the halls looking at how different the Pacific is from other Princess ships. DH saw her down the hall (he has a memory for faces/names, me not so much). He called to her and she said, "Mr & Mrs ---, Star Princess, aft Dolphin mini-suite". We were knocked over that she remembered us.One of the best stewards on our 20+ cruises.:D Wow!! That is special! How cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridalover5623 Posted September 3, 2017 #25 Share Posted September 3, 2017 I've been keeping a gallery of photo's from different cruises over the years & when I find one of the crew we've sailed with previously I always show the photo's to them. You would be surprised how many they know and what ships they're currently working on. I keep photo's mostly waiters, assistants, baristas, bartenders, CD staff, sous chefs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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