Most Interesting Person You've Met Cruising?

On one of our Carnival cruises, our family of four (with 2 teenagers, 18 & 15) was seated at dinner with a very elderly couple. Man walked very slowly with a cane, woman had breathing problems, very heavy accents & difficult for even me to understand (& I'm a speech therapist!) During our first dinner together, they recited all their medical problems. We mostly spent that dinner slyly rolling our eyes :rolleyes: at each other. I debated whether I should ask to be moved to a different table. Ultimately, we were so glad we didn't! Barring that first dinner, they were the most interesting people we had ever met. Both of them had been in World War II, the woman in a concentration camp and the man had been a member of the resistance, I think in Poland. Both of my children (as well as us adults) were fascinated by their stories. They now lived in New Orleans & owned a famous clothing store where the "stars" shopped. They had met many famous actors & actresses. My 15 year old jockeyed seats around so he could sit by his new friend, Henry. And although they met many people their own age, my kids talked for weeks afterward about the things they had learned from the 2 "old people."

On our recent Coral Princess cruise we were seated at lunch with another couple whom we had seen in our dining room at another table - the lady was obviously very scarred from what we thought might have been a fire. After initial pleasantries, we talked about our employment, and she indicated she was "off work" for an indefinite length of time due to the fact that she was at work in the Pentagon on 9/11 when the aircraft crashed. (I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.) She quietly told us that she was fortunate to be alive, and her husband was in total agreement - said he was happy to have her around to grow old with. They were a wonderful couple, and that particular lunch conversation will remain in our hearts forever.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

That was a great post. As for my wife and myself, I think the crew have been the most interesing people we have met to date and always have a good time talking to the bartenders on every cruise.

The most interesting person we met was very similar to pengu1n's experience. We were waiting in the Explorer's Lounge on the HAL Westerdam for a galley tour to begin. A group of elderly ladies sat down near us and one women, with a very heavy accent, started a conversation with us.

As it turned out she had survived both the Warsaw Getto and internment in Auswitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. She lost her entire family in the Holocaust. She explained how after WWII she met her husband and they came to America and settled in Chicago. Since she recently lost her husband she has been traveling with a group of friends when she is able. She also volunteers to speak to children in her local schools to educate the youth about the horrors of the Holocaust to keep the memories of the past alive.

Many people complain that HAL is "Full of Old People". While the demographics on our cruise were fairly wide spread, I am SO HAPPY that this "Old Person" was on the cruise with us and we were blessed to meet and talk with her.

In 2001 I joined Cruise Critic and had so much fun reading and responding to several of the different threads. I responded to one of the NCL thread where the member was going to be cruising on the "Sea" and asked if anyone had questions for them to check into. I had been on this ship the year before and had really like one of the drinks that they made.....now was my chance to get the recipe. What a wonderful person....they tracked down the recipe for me. For several months we emailed back and forth chatting about this cruise and that cruise. Both of us were scheduled on different cruise....with different people. For one reason or another, our fellow cruisers where canceling out on both of us. Her husband had gone on enough cruises….and I was single female. So we talk and decided to try and cruise together……. The rest they say is history. Some of you women will understand what I’m saying about that special friend that you can share anything and everything with. So when you ask “Who’s the most interesting person you every meet cruising.” It is her! You all know her as “Coka” but I know her as “My Best Friend.”

OceanDreams

Ocean! You are too kind! I am glad that you did not write this response on the wild and crazy post! Just think of all the other interesting people we have met while cruising together! Remember our first cruise all the people asking how long we have known each other and the looks on their faces when we replied that we had just met! Just an example of how cruisecritic can help make lifelong friends!

Coka

A few years ago my best friend and I were cruising on the Dawn Princess out of San Juan on a Southern caribbean cruise. We had Personal Choice dining and met a number of great people from several countries. We ended up having dinner 3 nights with 2 couples from the UK who were old friends with each other. Another night we were seated with a Mexican family. It turned out that he was one of the Ambassadors from Mexico to the United States---he was located at the Mexican Embassy in Chicago. It was a great learning experience. Another night we were seated with 4 long-time friends from San Juan who cruise together frequently. The next year, my friend and I took another cruise out of San Juan and one night we ended up sitting at dinner with the same 4 women from San Juan! What are the chances?

We have met MANY interesting and wonderful people on our cruises. We have several new friends from our cruises that we regularly visit and correspond with.

One of our most interesting table mates was from England, and had worked for Princess Di. She had some intersting stories!

We were on the Legend of the Seas in December

2004. It was the first day at sea and we were just getting

settled in, and it was time for lunch. We were seated

at the table with two ladies who seemed to be

wearing balloon jewelery.

Turns out that the "balloon lady" loves cruising,

and used to take her materials on cruises, just

making balloon animals for fun. Well, apparently

RCCI put her on contract to teach balloon animals

to the other cruisers, along with lots of other fun

things, like simple magic tricks to show to your

grandkids.

Everyone who interacted with these wonderful

ladies had a GREAT time on the cruise! Their

dinner table got into the fun every night

with themed table decorations, all made

from balloons!

Nancy Reagan, the balloon lady:

http://www219.pair.com/swansonr/pics/panama/100_1090.jpg

Us holding balloon "heart" for our anniversary:

http://www219.pair.com/swansonr/pics/panama/100_0527.jpg

Her web page:

http://reiki.com/hypnoticlady/

She also teaches Dendrographology:

http://www.reiki.com/dendro/

We had 3 celebrities on our cruise from NYC to Bermuda in Oct. 2003. We tried to figure out who they were. ONe we finally talked to during the last few minutes on the ship. All he would admit to is that he was in the "motion picture industry". ONe my husband said he saw in a movie, but forgot his name. The 3rd one I never saw. He must have stayed in his cabin.

On my last cruise there was a man in one of the nightclubs who was dressed to the nines in drag. I come from a pretty conservative area where most people would say "Did you see the freak in a dress? That's disgusting." But on this cruise it was "Did you see the guy in drag? How cool is that!" I love that cruisers embrace diversity. That's one of the reasons I like cruising so much, because everyone is so different but we're all there to have fun. :)

Pengu1n,

I think the most interesting person i have ever met on a cruise was actually someone I haent't met, but have seen on three different cruises. He is an older guy, that looks like "crocadile dundee". He is always with a large group of people that seem to be party animals, and every time I see him on the ship he had a drink in his hand. If i ever happen to see him again, I am going to introduce myself and buy him a drink.

Pengu1n,

I think the most interesting person i have ever met on a cruise was actually someone I haent't met, but have seen on three different cruises. He is an older guy, that looks like "crocadile dundee". He is always with a large group of people that seem to be party animals, and every time I see him on the ship he had a drink in his hand. If i ever happen to see him again, I am going to introduce myself and buy him a drink.

Perhaps Mr. Tractor? If you don't know about him, check out

the NCL cruise boards.

We met a husband and wife from Israel. They were hilarious and the most wonderful people ever. We played cards and sat with them on the last night in the casino. Neither one of us won but it was the funnest night!

I actually met Marty Allen and his wife Karon... My father used to talk about Marty Allen being from the Pittsburgh area where he had grown up. I was so excited to hear he was going to headline on the Splendor of the Seas. Anyway, my husband and I were in the terminal waiting to board...a lady sat with us and we struck up a conversation. She asked if I knew who the stars were going to be on the ship and I told her that I had heard it was going to be Marty Allen and I was really hoping it would be. Well, it turned out she was Karon's cousin and told me that if we saw each other on the ship that she would introduce us. We did run into each other a few times and I was invited to lunch with Marty Allen and Karon. It was a memorable moment for me as I had lost my dad only three years earlier...

bobandsandi,

nope, it wasn't Mr. tractor. The person I am talking about had long blond curly hair and really looked like Paul Hogan. I wonder what the chances are that we will se him again? i just know that I am glad I didn't hae to pay his bar tab!! lol!!!!