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Do you ever see the same crew?


Johalla
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We've only been on 2 cruises but we have absolutely loved some of the crew we have met. I wonder if their is a high retention rate? What are the odds of seeing your old cabin person (I forget what they are called) or wait staff again? Especially if you went on the same ship again?

 

I noticed in some of your signatures that some of you have taken the same ship numerous times. You guys ever see the same crew and they are your lifetime buddies now?

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We've only been on 2 cruises but we have absolutely loved some of the crew we have met. I wonder if their is a high retention rate? What are the odds of seeing your old cabin person (I forget what they are called) or wait staff again? Especially if you went on the same ship again?

 

I noticed in some of your signatures that some of you have taken the same ship numerous times. You guys ever see the same crew and they are your lifetime buddies now?

 

I won't say "Lifetime buddies" but we have run into the same crew members several times, and not always on the same ship. Crew members move around the fleet all the time. We had the same head waiter several times, and he was the M'aitre D' once....he remembered us from the extensive conversation we had with him on previous cruise about Israel....so on Friday nite he brought us a bottle of wine and challah, so we could do the Friday nite traditional family things we would do at home....it was so so nice.

 

We have had the same Cruise Director (Mitch) a few times, and had more fun.....each time. I keep hoping we run into Elvis (activities manager) again, because he is a terrific activities manager. We have had others who were very good, but none so far as good as Elvis.

Edited by Paulette3028
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My family was on a Carnival cruise two years ago. Then this past year, different carnival ship, same waiter. He recognised us (or he is really good at faking it) and we said we'll see him next year.

 

Unless he "jumped ship" and is now on the Oasis, we won't be seeing him on our next cruise, lol

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My husband and I met a bartender on the Allure in 2011 (caribbean), had 1 drink and moved onto another bar. We were on the Navigator in 2013 in Europe and my husband recognized the bartender, so we got to talking, and it was him! (my husband has this weird facial recoginition thing)

 

Well, it worked in our favor because he was very generous with our drinks that week :) i wish we would have traded contact info, id love to know what ship he was on now!!

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Yes many times, we have had the same suite attendant on the Explorer the last 2 times we sailed her, we are hoping to see him next week on the reposition.

We usually run into many of the crew we have met on past cruises, at least one on each new sailing!

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We actually have had 2 experiences where we have seen the crew that we have met on previous cruises... The first was we met Patrico Honores, who was the assistant cruise director when we traveled with our family on Explorer of the Seas in the summer of 2011. He was working with Jimmy Rhodes at the time and did the trivia in the Schooner Bar (which we participated as much as possible). Many pictures with him and the kids from that trip as we all had some memorable/fun times with him and he got to know us pretty well over the 9-night Caribbean itinerary that summer. He was high energy and my kids loved him.

 

In Fall of 2012, DH and I were on Oasis and the first day when we flipped on the stateroom television and - we nearly fell off the couch - there was Patrico on the TV in our stateroom! He was the Activities Director on the Oasis on that cruise. We sought him out, and of course, he was very cordial and thought back to his time on Explorer. When we showed him pictures of him with our kids and us from the cruise the year before, he was so excited to see us again. The crew meets so many people, that we really didn't expect him to remember us, but he was certainly very friendly with us the rest of the cruise again.

 

The second experience was just a few weeks ago. We were on Explorer for the 5-night Bermuda cruise. Last year, we did the 7-night Bermuda also on Explorer. Our Bar waitress from the dining room on the cruise last year, was there again this year. This time, she came over to us on the Promenade at the Captain's Reception and when she served the champagne to us, she says to me, "Have you cruised Explorer recently?" and then looked at my husband and said "I feel like I have seen you both before." We told her that we remembered her from the previous year and that she was our bar server in the dining room on the trip in 2013. She says "Yes! You were traveling with another couple and kept me busy making sure you had those after-dinner cordials in the souvenier glasses. You were making sure you collected every color." (we were shocked!) She definitely remembered us - or at least my husband and his best friend, who we were absolutely traveling with the year before.

 

It is very nice when you see crew on different trips or on different ships. My husband never forgets a face. :)

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Yes, on our first Freedom of the Seas our assistant waiter Shaun was a gem. He made sure that he treated us as if we were part of his family. Great Guy. The next year we went back on Freedom and took the grown kids. Shaun was still on board but now a waiter. He did not serve our table but made a point of coming over to our table every night to greet us.

 

The next time we saw Shaun was several years later on Jewel of the Seas and now he was still a waiter but in MTD, we like traditional, and supervisor in uniform in the Windjammer during the breakfast hours. Great to see him again. He had recently married his girlfriend and brought us pictures. It is a joy to visit with him every time we meet. Don't know if he is still on the ships, he told us he may only do one more contract, he wanted to spend more time with his family. We hope we run into him again. :D

 

Elvis was on Jewel of the Seas out of San Juan on our March/April B2B - he was still Activities Director for Carley Beuleh (?).

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Has not happened on Royal, but on Holland I had been on an Alaska cruise in 2005. In 2009 we sailed there again, different Holland ship, and on embarkation day a waiter walked up and said "Welcome back Mr. Roy, may I get you a Budweiser?" Not only remembered my name but my drink preference.

 

I think maybe I spend too much time drinking, must leave impressions with the bar staff:D

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Absolutely!!! Before the Enchantment left Baltimore, we had the best waiter 4 times in a row and we do My Time Dining!!! We asked the hostess if he was still on the ship and he was!! Not only did he remember us, he remembered that we enjoy having a cheese plate as an appetizer before dinner! Sure do miss him!!!

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We've had this happen to us several times. We have sailed on Freedom several times, and had Kumar and Joseph as our waiter and assistant waiter. Since then, we've seen them both on numerous follow up trips, and they always make a point of coming over to us and visiting with us. They remember both of my boys and always comment on how big they've gotten over the years. But it's my mom they always remember. She's always a favorite of everyone, and is always so friendly that people remember her.

 

We've also made friends with the sports deck staff, as both of my boys spend most of the cruise on the Flowrider and rock wall. One year, we were on the flowrider as soon as it opened and before muster, and all of a sudden a crew member in uniform comes running (well, fast walking with all that water around) down to the bottom of the flowrider calling my sons' names. It was our dear friend Rojda, who we met on a previous cruise and she remembered my boys. We've sailed with her 3 times now and it's always fun to catch up with her.

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We cruise often, so we have run into bartenders, concierges, cruise directors and their staff again. One bartender remember me better than I remembered them, guess I tipped well that cruise. :D

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We know so many crew it is almost impossible for us to go to any HAL ship and not know at least a few bartenders, cabin stewards, dining stewards, Officers, staff...... It's another of the charms of HAL, IMO

 

One of our last cruises, we were in MDR first night for dinner and our wine steward came to say hello. We had met this person as an Ocean Bar steward on our very first HAL cruise in 1991 or 1992 on Noordam III and have met on and off on one ship or another through the years. It's always lots of hugs and smiles and happy to see each other.

 

DH always got a kick when one remembered 'his drink' and I always smile when a cabin steward remembers my few 'special requests'. They are so much the backbone of what makes HAL to be the HAL I love.

 

Edited by sail7seas
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In 2009 on Liberty we had an assistant waiter named Ransel. He was very good and we remembered him mainly because he knocked over our bottle of wine. In 2012 on Freedom while dining I recognized him from across the dining room. He remembered us because of the wine issue. Although he was not our waiter he came across the room to speak to us every night. And son of a gun there he was again this past January on Independece. My wife and I are booked on Explorer in February, what are the chances ???

 

 

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Yes we have! Had a room steward in September who came up to us and called us by our 1st names on a different ship in February when he saw us the day we got on board. Have also seen other crew members on other ships who remember us and often call us by name. Last cruise our room steward from our cruise two months before saw us and had a big hello- we were not in his section then. Also have seen Maître 'ds!

Crew members usually work 6-8 months on a ship. They never know what their next ship will be and usually don't come back to their last ship.

Edited by Bonnie J.
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We have encountered several crew on different cruises before. Some wait staff, some bartenders, and officers. Of course we have had the same cruise director on several occiasions, they have a tough time remembering you as they meet so many people. We have had the same concierges as well.

 

We enjoyed seeing some crew who have received promotions and gone from bartender to assistant bar manager.

 

We normally take pictures of the bartenders who serve us and share them with the other bartenders when we cruise again. Many times they know many of them and let us know if they are on that particular cruise so we can find them to say hello.

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On NCL, we had the butler who was serving the other side of The Haven on the Jade - and when our butler on the Jade had the day off, he served us. Flash forward 5 years and he was our butler on the Epic and we all recognized each other!

 

In The Epic restaurant, there was a Maitre'd who also recognized us - she was from our second trip on the Jade!

 

I thought that was fantastic.

 

On the Epic, we had a great cabin stewardess who was serving suites for the first time and I hope to see her sometime in the future - in fact, I thought she was so outstanding, I recommended they promote her. So I hope I see her in a promoted position on some future cruise. NCL is lucky to have such a great employee!

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Two cruises 4 years apart same waiter had the largest glass he could find, full of Diet Coke, by the time I got from the door to the table.

 

How many passengers had he seen in the meantime, yet he knew I would want a LOT of ice and would go through a number of BIG glasses.

 

And no I was certainly not a big tipper [coming from an area where tipping isn't common and not knowing some of what I've found out since about how the crew are paid] so that had nothing to do with it.

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We cruised the same ship several times a year for a few years and got to know many of the crew and officers. They are now scattered all over the fleet, so we see ten or more familiar faces no matter what ship we cruise on. Many remember our names and many remember our faces. Same here -- some names have escaped us, but "our kids" still greet us with hugs and warm welcomes.

 

Many of them mention the presents we gave them and some comment that they think of us every time they look at the gifts.

 

We made a cruise on another line and saw some familiar faces there. We matched memories and learned that they had worked on the other cruise line five years ago.

 

It is a small world when you are at sea !!!!

Edited by swedish weave
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We have cruised with our favorite bartender 3 times now. On our last cruise we were not expecting to see him and he saw me and shouted out my name and what a surprise it was to see him! Not only were we excited to see him he was excited to see us.

When we went to have drinks at the bar he was working at he kept telling people how we've known each other for so long, like we were life long friends. it wAs really sweet and can't wait to cruise with him again!

 

 

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