It's a small world after all

[karpela]

We met a great couple on an Azamara Caribbean cruise a couple of years ago. 

We are from London Uk and they are from Wolverhampton in the North of England.

We stayed in touch and invited them to stay for a weekend at my DH’s brother’s weekend cottage in the Cotswolds.

They arrived and were blown away by the beautiful views of rolling hills and countryside.

She took photos on her phone and posted on Facebook, not saying where she was.

Someone posted, ‘where are you’ in the comments. She said with friends in a tiny 

cotswold village.

He replied, see you tomorrow.........

 

Turns out my BIL’s Cotswold neighbour (also weekend home) had played rugby with our new friend for 40 years. What a hoot when they turned up the next day.

We still can’t get over the coincidence.

What a small world indeed. 

[karpela]

Here’s another.

 

We were on the Connie visiting Hong Kong and queued for an hour to get up to the peak.

Everyone was busy taking photos of the amazing views and I was standing next to 2 couples trying to take a selfie.

I offered to take the photo for them and they recognised my London accent, as they too were Londoners. 

 

We got chatting as you do, and I had grown up in the same area as they lived now. One of the women turned to me and said, is your mom Jean... ? Yes! I replied.

it turned out she had cut my mom’s hair for years and had seen photos of me as shown to her by mom 😂😂

 

Now that’s a really small world.

 

 

[goinsoon]

On Princess Cruise line durng a transatlantic decided to "try" to get a seat at the Chef's Table (diners, total of 12,  are selected via lottery from all who sign up).  We lucked out, got selected.  The dinner starts with a tour of the galley and drinks and appetizers.  I looked at my wife and said "who would of thought a country bunpkin from little "name of town I grew up, Missouri" would be standing here in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.  The lady near by perked up and said "Did you say (name of town) Missouri?".   Her brother lived in this town and her brother knew my sister.  She had visited there many times.  Eleven years later we are still friends with this lady and her husband even though we lived on oppisite coasts of the country.  

[SHIP TRAVELER]

Some years ago, I was discussing our upcoming Alaska cruise on the phone with my Mom.  She said I think your brother is on that cruise.  It was not unusual for Mom to jump to conclusions and I thought it was unlikely that my older brother and his wife would be on the exact cruise out of the many cruises to Alaska every year.  I usually see my brother only a couple of times a year and to tell the truth he does not like to leave Texas and had never been on a cruise. 

 

This was our first and only Holland American cruise but we had been to Alaska before.  I finally called my brother to say that Mom has some crazy idea that we are on the same cruise to Alaska.  Turns out she was correct and they were on a land and sea HAL tour that included our cruise.  They saved the experience for us by leaving their group seating to have dinner with us at our table for four after the originally assigned couple changed dining times.  We had a lot of laughs and have some great pictures of the four of us that bring back the fun.  This came close to being a small world experience because the phone call was only a week before we flew out to Alaska.

[cruisequeen4ever]

This thread is so fun. 

[booklady26]

We sailed on the brand new Horizon on the brand new Celebrity Cruise Line to Bermuda in 1990. Our voyage number was actually 0007. While in Bermuda we went out to a pub one night where there was a guitar player entertaining the crowd and urging singing along. After a few (or more) beers, my husband got up and started singing "You Lost That Loving Feeling" along with the entertainer and then proclaimed he was just like Tom Cruise (in "Top Gun"). 

 

Well, about month later, we were attending a concert at a local venue at home and we heard someone call out "Hey it's Tom Cruise". People around us soon realized it wasn't THE Tom Cruise but some private joke.

 

So it really is a small world. And the next time you're on vacation and someone says "don't worry, you'll never see these people again", don't believe it!!!

[MamaFej]

Not cruise-related, but I think it’s apropos. 
 

Several years ago, our oldest was home from college for Spring Break. We went to Disneyland. While in line for the Buzz Lightyear ride, I saw a woman wearing a sweatshirt from the college our son attended. Mind you, it’s a very small school, with fewer than 900 undergraduates, 1700 miles from SoCal. I asked if she had a student there. “Yeah, me!” said the young woman behind her. As it turns out, she not only knew our son, but had two classes with him. 
“Wow!” I said, “It really is a small world!”

 

Then the lady in front of me in line turned around, pointed over my left shoulder and said, “Nah, that’s over there.” 
 

The two students did end up meeting and taking a photo together. 

[lola2013]

2015...Equinox...my friend and I decided that after many early mornings (travel to the ship, visiting family pre-cruise, embarkation day), we would not set an alarm for our first day on the ship.  It was a sea day...nothing to do; nowhere to be; let's just relax.   At 5am, we were awakened by our next door neighbor standing on her balcony singing "you are my sunshine."  😆.

 

We met up in the hallway a short time later, and a conversation started when her husband noticed my friend and I were both wearing Cub jerseys.  Turns out they were from the town next to me (Northwest suburbs) and used the same travel agent.  Fortunately, Mrs. kept her early morning concerts to the shower.