Seeing crew members from previous cruises?

[Daghis]

I've read many stories about people who've gone on cruises and been served by wait staff that they've known from previous cruises and always thought that was neat, but never really thought much about how the coincidences actually worked out.

 

On our penultimate cruise in October on Monarch of the Seas, our stateroom attendant was a gentleman named Jenin. He was nice enough, although we didn't see much of him that cruise. The cabin was always clean, and he even rescued a pair of shorts for me that I had actually intended to throw away (they had gotten ripped), not realizing that they were in the trash on purpose.

 

We sailed on Independence of the Seas last week. I was a little surprised to see that our stateroom attendant's name was Jenin, but I figured it was merely a coincidence. He then brought up that he had seen us before, remembered the ship and even which cabin we were in on Monarch of the Seas.

 

Even a bit more freaky, this was his first week on a new contract with Royal Caribbean, this time on Independence of the Seas.

 

I never would have imagined we'd get the same stateroom attendant on two cruises on different ships.

[maggieq]

We have 2 great experiences. We had a great waiter on the Empress of the seas. His name is Wilfredo. While talking to him one night, he asked us when our next cruise was. We told him the AOS later that year. He said that he would be transferring there and hoped his son might join him. Fast forward to first night in dining room on AOS. Who does our assistant waiter turn out to be none other than Wilfredos son.....

 

 

Our 2nd time on the Oasis we met a lovely bartender by the name of Francis in the diamond lounge. He told us the story of how he met his wife on a ship in Europe then they married. She was currently working in the pub bar on the ship. We asked a bartender in the concierge lounge, just by chance the first night after this last cruise on the Oasis if they knew of him. Yes, they were both on the ship....what are the odds?

[leaveitallbehind]

Happened with us with a head waiter who was on two seperate ships we were on. We've also sailed with the same captain on different ships. Not the same as you mean but we've been on repeat cruises - not back to back - on the same ship with same crew members we met from the previous sailing who also remembered us.

[Langley Cruisers]

Yes, we met Elizabeth on our Vision to Alaska cruise, and then again on our Explorer Canada cruise. We all remembered each other and wondered how the crew remembers one pair of passengers out of literally thousands! Amazing.

[jebl]

A few years ago on the Navigator, we stopped at the Schooner Bar. The bartender said that I looked familiar, had I sailed on any other ships. Turns out he remembered me from out Alaska cruise on the Serenade.

 

Guess I made some kind of impression!!!

[bbbearden]

We just recently expereinced this also. In 2011 we sailed VOTS out of Venice, Italy and had a GS. We ate breakfast every morning in Portofino's and were waited on by Peter who had been on VOTS for years. He was a very kind man and a great waiter.

 

We just got back from a spring break cruise on NOTS where we booked a GS. We walked into Portofino's that first morning for the suite guests breakfast and there was Peter. We really enjoyed seeing him again and he again gave great service. We ended the week by giving him a nice tip and a WOW card. It was really neat to see him again.

[Nabalab]

Something similar happened to my wife and I. When we were on Allure last year, a casino employee recognized us from when we were on the Serenade six months prior.

[bigfig63]

On the Allure a year ago, deck server Stefania Kathi worked the Solarium and was always very pleasant and one of our favorites. This past March, lol and behold she was our server again on a new contract. She said they like to keep experienced workers on the Allure as it takes too much time for newbees to find their way around.

[sj25]

We've also had this from a bartender from the Diamond Lounge when he came up to us on our next ship I think it was the Freedom to the Voyager we did that.

 

But we've also been on same ship enough times...that we come back and know crew members...we've done that on the Mariner...and still know the one crew member!

[Big_G]

Gemma from Vintages on Allure also worked the Champagne Bar on Oasis. The funny part was DS and DIL also sailed Oasis but not with us. When we sailed Allure together, she remembered all four of us. We also had the same head waiter for our first and second cruise on Grandeur and Enchantment. He too remembered us.

 

 

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[subtchr]

We had a similar experience to the OP's.

 

Our cabin steward on our June 2010 Explorer cruise from Bayonne was Manuel, who was terrific. On our December 2010 Serenade cruise from San Juan, we were surprised to see Manuel as our steward once again! To not only have transferred from one ship to another, sailing from two distant ports, but also to be within his block of cabins, was an amazing coincidence!

[TravelerThom]

You travel enough, you really start seeing the same people. We got off the Indy TransAtlantic 6 Dec 2012, and boarded the Jewel 17 Dec and ran into a crew member we had seen on the previous cruise; we both said "what are you doing here?" We had an Assistant Maitre d' on Celebrity Mercury in 2006, who was our F&B manager on the Azamara Journey [different lines, but they are both owned by RCCL]. in 2010 we were on a river boat on the Danube, and our waiter had waited on us in the Santo Domingo, DR Renaissance Hotel the year before. Then there is the Cruise Director we have had on ten different cruises on four different ships (yes, he remembers me), and many many more.

 

Thom

[Tyler80]

I had always hoped I would see a crew member again, as I've always had wonderful people on all my cruises. This did happen on my last cruise. On Oasis in December I saw a waiter I had on Freedom in 2010. It was really neat and I actually went out of my way to connect with him and say hello after I though I had saw him pass by. I saw him the second to the last day of the cruise and again on the final morning he waved goodbye as I left the dining room from breakfast on my way off the ship. These people don't know how special they really are!

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Gemma from Vintages on Allure also worked the Champagne Bar on Oasis. The funny part was DS and DIL also sailed Oasis but not with us. When we sailed Allure together, she remembered all four of us. We also had the same head waiter for our first and second cruise on Grandeur and Enchantment. He too remembered us.

 

 

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That's a neat story, Gregg!

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

I had always hoped I would see a crew member again, as I've always had wonderful people on all my cruises. This did happen on my last cruise. On Oasis in December I saw a waiter I had on Freedom in 2010. It was really neat and I actually went out of my way to connect with him and say hello after I though I had saw him pass by. I saw him the second to the last day of the cruise and again on the final morning he waved goodbye as I left the dining room from breakfast on my way off the ship. These people don't know how special they really are!

 

They are special, I agree. Amazing memories they have, some of them. We used to sail Majesty several times a year back in the day and really met and got to know some great people who are still friends to this day and who I speak with quite frequently. Most have left the company, retired, etc. by now, but back then it was great fun to return to the ship and be among many friends. We also got to see them on other ships. Life is funny, you just never know who you will see.

[mr walker]

On Rhapsody in 2011 our asst waiter was Robin. On the same ship 1 1/2 years later we ran into him in WJ & he remembered our names!

 

Recently on Radiance a waiter in Schooner bar was Jason from India, the very same guy from Rhapsody in 2011 - we all remembered each other.

[mad-dog74]

We were on Freedom at a show and this bartender walked by and was saying some little jingle that my wife recognized. She said that was our favorite bartender from Sovereign (our honeymoon cruise)... sure enough it was. We both distinctly remembered him.

 

We asked him if he had been on Sovereign and he said yes. He acted just like he knew us. I am sure it was easier for us to remember him v. him remember us. Needless to say, we were well taken care of (and so was he) the rest of the trip... so much so that I don't remember even bidding on a Make A Wish auction to visit the bridge and engine room. My wife tells me it was quite the bidding war.. to the tune of $1100. I do remember the fabulous tour and I remember getting my seapass bill even more. But, hey, it was for a good cause.

 

Alva was the bomb... we got the glasses after he posed for this picture too!

[CntPAcruiser]

On our Oasis cruise in 2011, I enjoyed the classical guitar music played by one of the entertainers, a Filipino man, I believe. He was so expressive, so I would try to find him wherever he was playing on board, often evenings in Central Park. Fast-forward to January 2013 and our cruise on AOS--guess who was on board with his guitar! I was so sure it was him and spoke with him during a break. Sure enough, he'd been on Oasis. One evening they turned the sports bar on AOS into a tapas bar, of sorts, and he was to play there. The four of us in our party went down and listened, with practically the whole place to ourselves. It was fantastic, and he kept playing our requests. Such a gentleman!

[OCruisers]

Great when we have someone from the crew/staff on a cruise we've know from a previous cruise.

 

Amazing thing is they ALWAYS seem to recognize us first! :)

 

LuLu

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[PGHProducer]

On my last cruise (on another cruise line), one of the Cruise Director's staff members remembered me from a previous cruise-- she told me I was the worst volleyball server she had ever seen, and she'd never forget it! :cool:

 

I tried to redeem myself, but the winds were blowing pretty hard, so I was able to keep my title... Ah well.

 

Another story-- not crew but GUEST related-- was that a couple I had never met before in my life was seated at my table on Liberty of the Seas. They swore they knew me, but didn't know how...

 

The next night, they brought their iPad to dinner. They had pictures of me on a cruise on Radiance of the Seas the year before-- during QUEST!!!:eek: (they were VERY incriminating photos).

 

Such a small cruising world...

[JimAOk1945]

On our New England cruise (on another cruiseline) a waitress recognized us from our Alaska Inside Passage cruise the year before. I thought that was pretty awesome!

[Onessa]

June 2002, Radiance OTS - Dizzy was our DDs fav counselor in Adv Ocean

June 2003, Radiance - Dizzy still on board

June 2004, Voyaguer - we stop by AO to be greeted by Dizzy!

[sandravb79]

On our first Adventure OTS cruise, the CD was the one we also had on the Splendour OTS the year before.

And on second Adventure OTS cruise, we recognized quite some people from the firts time.

 

 

Not cruising, but, I go quite often to Disneyland Paris. Some of the waiters at the restaurants not only recognize me/ us, but also remember what I/ we order :D

[akcruz]

We too have come across a staff member that remembered us. When we sailed on Freedom we stopped into the champagne bar for a pre-show martini. The bartender was looking at us kind of weird and we then realized we had met her before. She actually asked us first if we had cruised before. After going through the cruises we had been on we realized she was our waitress at the pub on Mariner a few years before. My DH always gives the wait staff and bartenders a hard time (jokingly of course) and they usually end up remembering him!

[Iluvcruising2]

We had the same MDR waiter twice, and on different ships!

 

1st time was Legend of the Seas June 2011.

2nd time was Voyager of the Seas June 2012.