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Recognizing a very special Crew Member...

northerndynasty

By northerndynasty,
in Princess Cruises

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northerndynasty

northerndynasty

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All:

 

I am trying to spread the word about a very unique, special and talented Crew Member. I'm asking that everyone who reads this takes the time to listen to this Crew Member, recognize his talent, and shares with everyone you know.

 

So much of what we read on here reflects on the negativity of how we feel we have been treated on-board a Ship. We rarely read enough positive stories. Here is one of them:

 

His name is: Hector Catalan Alvarez. He is a Head Waiter, currently serving aboard the beautiful Caribbean Princess, doing Voyages in the Caribbean corridor. Hector, I would say, is probably somewhere in his 50's, but you would never believe it if you heard him.

 

You see, Hector has an incredible talent that is not very well known outside of whatever ship he is serving on. I would liken our fortune of seeing him so often as just sheer luck! Throughout our cruising years, he has been on our particular voyages I would say 50% of the time. And I can tell you, he shines through each and every time!

 

The talent I am referring to is his tremendous singing voice. Hector captivates and amazes the Dining Room guests with serenades that bring tears to your eyes. He exuberates a monstrous amount of passion singing to his guests. He is a caring, kind, loving, respecting, and beautiful person - who believes in making this World just a little bit better by spreading the word of Joy through song.

 

It has been our honor, our pleasure...to have been able to get to know Hector more with each of our cruises, and I can't imagine what a Princess cruise would be like without him.

 

Please take the time to listen to both of these postings. Then, share them...share them with your cruising (and non-cruising) friends!

 

I thank all of you for your time...and wish you all Safe Sailings and Following Seas...

 

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northerndynasty

northerndynasty

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He ain't Frank!

 

...what he is, is a smack-in-the-face to all those passengers who continuously choose to criticize and down-cast the crews on-board these ships.

 

Mr. Catalan Alvarez has a passion for his job, and more-so, a passion to please his guests, from not only tremendous service, but to give back in the form of song.

 

No one ever said he was a Pro, but I have a very good idea that those who rise and show their appreciation to him after he finishes-off think he is pretty darn good and are honored to have him belt out what he can for them. (it might be evident by those wiping tears off their eyes and all who stood in ovation at the end...)...just sayin'...

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Bimmer09 "Live from...." Rare

Bimmer09

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He ain't Frank!

 

It's true that he ain't Frank but I overheard some people say after a Sinatra show "he ain't Hector" when it comes to assigning tables and keeping the service flowing.

 

I was on the CB in January and luckily had my camcorder with me when he started singing at dinner. I wasn't expecting it and was moved by his voice and passion as were the other four people at my table and most of the people in our vicinity. He made what was a good dinner into a memorable dinner.

 

Norris, Hector fan.

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ChiefBoats

ChiefBoats

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Yes Hector has an amazing voice. We had him on the Island on our B2B in 2009. He was our best waiter in the MDR. I have a CD of his music and it is great. We were told on the cruise that he won Mexico's version of America Idol.

_______________________

Island Princess 2008 Alaska

Island Princess 2009 Alaska

Royal Princess (Old) 2010 Alaska

Golden Princess 2011 Alaska

Coral Princess 2012 Panama Canal

Star Princess 2012 Alaska

Island Princess 2013 Alaska

Crown Princess 2013 Western Caribbean

Caribbean Princess 2013 Western Caribbean

Royal Princess 2014 Eastern Caribbean

Edited by ChiefBoats
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northerndynasty

northerndynasty

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...for chiming in. Sometimes I feel like some aspects of our cruising lifestyle are "protected inside", and little is known on the outside. It's stories and people like this that I wish we could spread the word and joy about. Of course, not too much... ;)

 

Again, thank you all...and please continue to share your stories about Hector...it's comforting to read about them when you miss him so much!

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ggprincess2004

ggprincess2004

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Hector is wonderful. We are hoping he will still be on board in late October. He sang at both our Chef's Tables this past August. What a treat - they were the best Chef's Tables ever.....Hector is a very important part of those memories. Simeon had us up for some slow dancing to Hector's singing. It was the perfect 7th inning stretch during dinner.

 

DH and I think there are a lot of very special people on board who contribute to our enjoyment of our cruise experience, each in a unique way. Hector is certainly one of the them, and he CAN sing - amazing.:)

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gertz

gertz

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He is very good. We have not had the pleasure of sailing with him.

 

But also we have run into many wonderful people both crew and passengers on our Princess sailings. Hope we run into a lot more.

 

But also again we have never heard anyone really running a crew person down. Nor would we listen to it. There are better and more effective ways of doing it.

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Cruisin' Chick

Cruisin' Chick

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A big reason why many of us who have had the pleasure of sailing on the Princess Hawaiian cruises talk up Elua. A very talented duo who perform every day when they're on board, led many of the cultural activities, and are nice to talk to in person, to boot. I hope Princess understands what a pair of gems they have in Leialoha and Dave!

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Carpe_Diem

Carpe_Diem

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I have to say that Hector got my attention with his musical renditions.

 

Such a talented person and most importantly he invokes crowd participation and enthusiasm with his voice.

 

I can only hope he is still on the CB in February next year when we sail the Western Caribbean.

 

Happy Sails Everyone!

 

Tom ........../

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northerndynasty

northerndynasty

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I was on Caribbean Princess in December and just happened to get a table in his dining room. I was thoroughly surprised by his singing and managed to get this clip...

 

 

An AWESOME contribution - and thank you!!

 

So incredible to be able to keep the memories alive as if we were just in the Dining Room this evening...

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northerndynasty

northerndynasty

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Thank you for the post. We are doing 30 days on Caribbean in February. Hopefully we will have Hector. What a wonderfully talented man. Truly enjoyed listening to him sing.

 

...and enjoy! Seems we were on part of your cruise (828-9/1), and also had a great time!

 

Thanks for your review!

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Cruisin' Cacky

Cruisin' Cacky

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Thank you for starting this thread Northern Dynasty.

 

I have had the privilege of sailing with Hector several times over the past few years. Not only does he have a marvelous voice, he is also a great person. Professionally, you'll be hard pressed to find a head waiter any better within the fleet. Watch how his team works with him and responds to him. That says a lot about the man. He does his utmost to see that the passengers in the dining room have an enjoyable time at every meal. Personally, he is kind and generous. For me, Hector is no longer a crew member. He is my friend and I am proud of that. I look forward to sailing with him again.

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