Small World Cruising

[Mammado]

On my first cruise on the Festivale a co-worker ended up being on the ship. Didn't like her that much and everywhere I turned there she was, waving at me! My friend and I spent most of that cruise running away from her.

 

Another cruise we went with some friends of ours (August 2003). We are in the casino and our friend says that he ran into someone he graduated high school with. Then he says come to think of it, I think he lives in your neighborhood. We go over to meet them. Yup, they live in our neighborhood...on our street! Haven't seen them since!

[ScottsSweetie]

On our last cruise, we met some people on the roll call here on CC that were from our same town. After meeting on the ship, we discovered that they lived within 2 miles of our first home, and their babysitter was (and still is) our son's best friend and college roommate.

[GreenZolie]

I don't have a story to tell (only one cruise under my belt) but I just had to post to say I love this thread!

 

Except, I kept thinking if I ran into some of the people some of you have run into (ex's, clients, certain co-workers, etc) I wouldn't be too happy to see the ones from my life, lol. There are a lot of folks I would be happy to see, but a lot I wouldn't be happy to see at all. heh

[letsgocruz1]

On our first cruise, we sailed on RCCL and went to CocoCay. I was walking down the beach and ran across a family whose son goes to school with my son. The Mom and I had actually volunteered at school together on a project. That same cruise, the guy who won the bellyflop contest lived in the same county as I.

 

On the Inspiration, a couple approached me and said I looked familiar. Turns out they live less than 2 miles from me.

 

Keep the stories coming; these are so fun to read!

[mapsmith]

Mine was a CC connection sort of. In one of my forays into other lines than Carnival, I received an email from Princess about a too good to be true fare. Since it was the same week as our anniversary, I booked it.

 

Get on the Roll Call Board for the sailing and start posting to find out about other folks coming on the cruise. One "Handle" seemed to be one of the main instigators, so I clicked on their profile. Said the town that she lived in, Her Husband was a lawyer, had four children. Started to sound really familyiar.

 

Turned out it was my sister who we hadn't spoken with for about 3 years (She doesn't really get along with DW) So I posted the infamous "Sis is that you?" post.

 

We met at checkin and were cordial thruout the cruise. We still don't speak that often, but it gave us a chance to catch up.

 

Haven't been on any other cruises with her since tho.

 

She is a Princess Person,

My Brother is a RC and Celebrity person

Mom is Celebrity,

DW and I are Carnival and MSC people.

 

so we all have different likes.

 

 

 

(BTW the "familyiar" is intended.)

[GreenZolie]

Mine was a CC connection sort of. In one of my forays into other lines than Carnival, I received an email from Princess about a too good to be true fare. Since it was the same week as our anniversary, I booked it.

 

Get on the Roll Call Board for the sailing and start posting to find out about other folks coming on the cruise. One "Handle" seemed to be one of the main instigators, so I clicked on their profile. Said the town that she lived in, Her Husband was a lawyer, had four children. Started to sound really familyiar.

 

Turned out it was my sister who we hadn't spoken with for about 3 years (She doesn't really get along with DW) So I posted the infamous "Sis is that you?" post.

 

We met at checkin and were cordial thruout the cruise. We still don't speak that often, but it gave us a chance to catch up.

 

Haven't been on any other cruises with her since tho.

 

She is a Princess Person,

My Brother is a RC and Celebrity person

Mom is Celebrity,

DW and I are Carnival and MSC people.

 

so we all have different likes.

 

 

 

(BTW the "familyiar" is intended.)

 

OMG, that is eerie! LOL @ "Sis is that you?" I'll bet people thought you were joking.

 

It's too bad there is a rift there. I get it, though. I was that way about my ex BIL, so my ex H's communication with him was limited to times when I was out of town. I didn't make him do it that way, but I told him I would not have that loud, drunken, lazy sob in my house or around my kids. Fortunately ex H honored my wishes.

 

Oh, yeah, and it's a good thing you pointed out the deliberate spelling error. I'm sure everyone else thought you just misspelled it, like I did. heh

[theeddie]

i would HATE to run into someone i know.

I get on boats to get away from everyone. but i guess thats because of the business i am in.

[zqvol]

Last summer, while cruising with my son on the Legend, I heard someone call my name. I looked around and it was a woman and her family that I had grown up with, in fact I was in their wedding and her brother was my best friend.

 

Made for a great cruise and we got to catch up!

[GeneHunter]

I want to go on a business trip that involves me being on a cruise!:D

 

This fall will be my first cruise that isn't business related! My first four have all been a "Conference and Cruise". On the "fun day at sea", there were lectures, but on port days we vacationed.

 

I'll even be able to sleep in this trip. :D:D

[Alibaster McGillicutty]

1st Cruise on RCCL Grandeur of the Seas: Unloading our luggage out of our van and the minivan behind us had a front license plate with the mascot of the high school in the town I grew up (I went to a private school but knew many people from that school.) I said something to them about it and they knew 3 of my brothers.

 

2nd Cruise on Conquest: Walking out of a show and I hear my name. It was a lady from a place I used to work. Found out some information about the company and a merger that didn't go through and I am back working there today.

Same cruise: My wife worked with someone that happened to be going on the same cruise and she had the same first name as my wife. We took a dune buggy excursion in Cozumel and paired up with a couple from NY. We told them we are from Arkansas and they said their table mates WWW and YYY were from Arkansas as well. We heard the names and you guessed it, it was my wife's co-worker.

 

3rd Cruise on RCCL Grandeur of the Seas: Our table mates were from Arkansas as well. The gentleman and I worked in the same industry and started spitting out names of people at each other's companies that we each had worked with. It was odd that our paths had never crossed though.

 

4th Cruise on Conquest: Nothing to note on this one.

 

5th Cruise on Fantasy: Walked by a man wearing a t-shirt with a mascot of that same high school in the town where I grew up. I yelled "Go Cats!" He looked at me and gave me a strange look and asked, "Are you YYY's brother?" Do we look that much alike?

[DaDivaMom]

Nothing like being on the boat, rockin' your bikini, sipping on a DOD and hear "Mrs. Caaaaaaarrrrrrrrttter......dude, your on my boat!" That's right, two years ago I taught High School and on the first sea day I discover that no less than 5 of my students are on the boat. Kept the visits to the F deck to a minimum on that one!:eek:

 

A few years ago we also ran into my ManHo's old family Doc. He actually was the Doc that delivered my hubby at his birth. He stopped us and said "your a Carter boy and you weighed such and such" Was kind of a nice catch up.

[yogi2929]

We were on the repositioning cruise of the Amsterdam in 2003 with less than 200 pax on it, I run into the guy that taught my college outreach History of Beer class. (We sampled also.)

 

March 2008, We are sitting in one of those awful 6 person booths in the DR on the Paradise. DH looks through the glass seperating us from the next booth and sees the daughter of his former secretary on her honeymoon.

 

January 2008 on the Paradise I run into a former student and her mother.

[The C-Macs]

My parents were on an Alaska cruise (their first), and the first night they sat down to dinner their Filipino waiter greeted them by name--and they greeted him by name right back. My folks were missionaries in the Philippines, and he'd been a waiter at one of their favorite restaurants there.

[sappygirl]

On our last cruise, we were sitting on Lido waiting to go to our cabin when this woman walked by my husband and I and stopped and just stared at me for a minute and smiled at me. It took me a minute or so to realize it was my ex sister in law. We don't see each very often which is why I did not recognize her instantly. What made it even better was that I got to spend some time with my neice and nephew that I barely get to see.

On our first cruise on Fantasy we dined with about 5 other couples. We were seated next to an older couple which we talked to a little the first night. Well the next day we saw them walking on lido and the gentleman had a newspaper from our town in his back pocket, so at dinner we asked where they were from and sure enough they were from the same town as us. Also on the same cruise we were at port and I was shopping and DH was outside waiting and I turned to check on him and I see him talking to some guy I do not know, so when I am done shopping I ask him who that was he said it was a guy he grew up with that happens to live 1 block over from us.

[crtzgrl]

Two years ago, DH and I were on the Liberty and we were headed to the Lido deck when we ran into the father and step-mother of the DH's best friend (who was also house-sitting for us while we were on the cruise). Strange thing was that the father and son (our house-sitter) hadn't spoken in about 2 years and after getting home and telling our friend how hurt and upset his father was, they rekindled their relationship. I think we were meant to run into them or something. But still, I found it rather moving....:)

[BigDfromTN]

We were on the Fantasy in 2007. We went with our kids and our neighbors and their dd. While sitting at the Cats Meow in Costa Maya (loved that place!) we struck up conversation with a couple from Louisana, DW told them we were from Memphis, TN as most people dont recognize Bartlett, TN (on topic here with some of the other posts...). Another couple came up and we engaged them in our conversation. They are from our town of Bartlett and lived only about 2 miles from us. We hung out the rest of the cruise and have been the best of friends since. Cruised with them 6/2008 and will again in 32 more days, had dinner with them last night and will attend the Memphis in May Bar-B-Que fest with them tomorrow night.

 

Great stories.... Keep em coming.

[2young2care]

On our cruise in 2007, we ran into my boyfriend's boss and his family on the Promenade Deck before we even set sail. :( We booked that cruise to get away from him! :p

 

What are the odds of 2 people who work in the same small business in Ohio showing up on the same ship in Florida without either person knowing the other one was doing the exact same thing on their vacation??

[Luvscruisin]

On my very first cruise on the Carnival Fascination, I ran into one of my college professors on the 3rd day. After that first encounter, I saw him everywhere, it was really weird.

[okgirl]

okgirl, my husband and I lived, went to church and worked in Bartlett, TN until a few years ago when we moved to Orlando.

 

It's a small world here at CC too! :D

 

We were on the Fantasy in 2007. We went with our kids and our neighbors and their dd. While sitting at the Cats Meow in Costa Maya (loved that place!) we struck up conversation with a couple from Louisana, DW told them we were from Memphis, TN as most people dont recognize Bartlett, TN (on topic here with some of the other posts...). Another couple came up and we engaged them in our conversation. They are from our town of Bartlett and lived only about 2 miles from us. We hung out the rest of the cruise and have been the best of friends since. Cruised with them 6/2008 and will again in 32 more days, had dinner with them last night and will attend the Memphis in May Bar-B-Que fest with them tomorrow night.

 

Great stories.... Keep em coming.

 

It is a small world, lets see if we can recreate it here......My BIL's surname is Pitt. The family has lived in Bartlett for at least 75 years. Went to 1st Baptist, then moved to Faith and now they live out in Middleton, but BIL still owns a business in Bartlett

[Jrabbit128]

I love this thread! I even stayed a few minutes late at work to finish reading. I have never had anything like this happen but on my first cruise with my hubby, I swear that every person we spoke to was from NY, which is where we are from, or from NJ.

[sea_u_onboard]

Non-cruise related but still a small world story.

I go genealogy and a co-worker and I started a genealogy club at work. It’s a large company with about 2000 people in our corporate office. We sent around a spreadsheet to have everyone fill out the surnames they were researching and I saw that someone had DILLARD, which is my grandmother’s maiden name. I contact the woman and asked her where her Dillard's were from. She tells me she is from New Mexico but her father was born in Arkansas. I tell her that my grandmother was born in Arkansas but moved to Michigan in the 1930’s. Come to find out we are 4th cousins twice removed. Strange that 2 people whose ancestors were born in Arkansas, one moved north, one moved west and then their descendents end up working at the same place in Texas and discover it – what are the chances??

[Memphis_Wife]

had dinner with them last night and will attend the Memphis in May Bar-B-Que fest with them tomorrow night.

Great stories.... Keep em coming.

 

BigD - we were at BBQ fest last night for family night and will be back there again on Friday night for Adult Fun! We will be hangin' at the Radar Hogs......

[Janchris]

Every cruise i end up with the same guy at my table. and he seems to follow me around the ship all the time. ...... OH yeah its my husband. ...

 

steph

 

Now, that is funny!:)

[Janchris]

On my last cruise CC menbers whom was on the Miracle thread made plans to meet up on the first day out. Unfortunately, no one showed up at the designated place to meet. During the Drill I was sitting next to a very nice couple and we started talking. When the drill was over and she told me where she lived I had this feeling that she was one of the posters on the CC thread and it was her. LOL Next day we are sitting by the pool and I struck up a conversation and turned out it was another member of CC.......small world. Third day on an excursion that we booked by ourselves and not Carnival, there was a whole group with us and it was another member of CC that we talked with. LOL With over 2,400 people aboard what are the chances that we all found each other accidently. LOL:D

[bonniemari]

okgirl, my husband and I lived, went to church and worked in Bartlett, TN until a few years ago when we moved to Orlando.

 

It's a small world here at CC too! :D

 

My business is in Bartlett-technically it is on the Memphis side of the street but everyone calls it the Bartlett store.

 

We were on a NCL cruise to Alaska and I won the bingo cruise raffle. Of course they asked where I was from and I said TN. As I was leaving the show lounge this guy walks up to me and said do you have a sister named Teresa? His sister and my sister were best friends growing up. Thank goodness my brain was working that day and I remembered him and his name.