Uplifting Cruise Tales Wanted

[Dori Saltzman]

Cruise Critic is looking for uplifting cruise stories to share with the wider world. Did you meet your spouse on a cruise or propose in a way that go the entire ship involved? Did a crew member (or fellow passeger) save your life? Or make your cruise special in a way so far beyond anything you ever expected?

 

We want to hear all your uplifting and heart warming tales! 

 

Thanks!

dori

[SMSACE6]

my first experience on a carnival cruise might not fit your request, but for me it was Carnival Sensation out of Tampa in October 2000.  it was a 7 day western caribbean cruise and was also my first solo cruise.  I had by that time cruised already one before but not solo, but had also done many many trips to many places solo.  But because it was my first solo cruise I was very nervous about going to the dining room for dinner, because I am somewhat an introvert.  I remember at sailaway, debating whether I would go to the dining room or just go to buffet, but felt that i should at least go the first night, and if I did not enjoy my table mates, I would then go the buffet after.  I sucked it up and went.  It was the most wonderful group of people I have ever had the pleasure of dining with.  it turned out that that going to dinner was a highlight of the day, not just because of the good food and service, but because that large group of people, some solos, some couples, some group of friends, were so enjoyable to talk to and discuss plans for shore excursions etc.  Still one of my best cruise ship memories of all time.  Had i caved in to my fears of dining with strangers, I would have still had a good cruise but a much less sociable one.  Looking forward to hearing of others memories.

 

[drsel]

the entertainment team (animators) on Costa neoriviera organised a special wedding anniversary party for us in the grand bar, complete with a cake and candles.
Everyone got in the act and shared our celebration. It was like having our family and friends with us.

The Maitre de on Norwegian spirit gave us complementary cocktails at our first dinner in the Asian restaurant. Also a complimentary birthday cake

[Joanne G.]

Here is my uplifting story, from a cruise  with my sister a few years ago on the Freedom:

 

I have read so many sad stories on these boards of items lost on board, never to be seen again, that I wanted to let people know that there are honest passengers and that the front desk staff is not always unresponsive or uncaring.  On embarkation day, as we were exploring the ship, I, in a totally boneheaded move, took off my ring to put on sunscreen.  I put the ring in my pocket and promptly forgot about it in the excitement of the day.  A couple hours later, I remembered it, put my hand in my pocket, and it was gone.  It was my engagement diamond which I had had reset in a custom design with some added little emeralds after my divorce.   We had been all over the ship by the time I realized it was gone, so there was no way to retrace our steps.  It may have even ended up in the trash, as at one point I had some tissues in my pocket that were later tossed in a trash can.

Expecting nothing, but encouraged by my think-positive sister, I stopped by guest services on that busy embarkation day, told my tale of woe and described the ring. The woman I spoke to said, “Wait just a minute,” and went into a back office. She came back with my ring, carefully wrapped in tissue and labeled with the cabin number of the person who found it. I was amazed that it had been found at all and so grateful that an honest person found it.  I called their cabin to thank them, and I offered them a steak house dinner on me.  She said her 10-year old daughter found it and just wanted to do the right thing.

There is a lesson in this – leave the jewelry on; sunscreen can be cleaned off!

Edited March 28, 2020 by Joanne G.

[crusinpsychRN]

I find it odd some people don't know MDR is part of cruise fare, they think they have to pay more for it so end up eating at the buffet the whole time.

[drsel]

Yes it's funny, they probably think the main dining room is like a specialty restaurant

[cpayne]

I met my spouse on a CCL cruise March 28, 1997.  Sailed Carnival Celebration solo as a single 25 yr old.  Met him the 1st nt at dinner.  I had only been on the ship 30 min due to flt delays.  Was assigned to his table in the MDR. He was 36 and also traveling solo.   Neither of us had ever been married and he more than I was a 110% confirmed bachelor.   Well 5 wks later he proposed, the following week he moved from Dallas to Iowa to be together and we were married 6 months later.  23 yrs later and he’s the only vacation souvenir that’s not eventually ended up in a garage sale!   

[hattack]

following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Carnival moved its brand new Conquest from New Orleans to Houston..our Smooth Jazz charter was cancelled and absorbed into a November regular sailing  (becoming a large group on a regular sailing which required the onboard CD staff to do a great amount of adjustment)

 

once the ship's staff and the regular guests found out several of us were from New Orleans and had been displaced they treated us with so much compassion and support (and offered to buy us drinks ) combined with the music and the calmness of the water was therapy to all of us that were still in shell shock 

[angelsfort]

From our cruise WAAAYYYYY back in 2007:  

 

Just this morning we had to leave our lovely cruise ship... as we were driving away from the port (and watching the ship fading in the rearveiw mirror) I suddenly got this sinking feeling in my tummy.

 

I asked my cabin-mate if she had by any chance picked up my daughters little bear from her bed and put it in one of our bags... her answer? NO!

 

OH CRAP!!! (please note that "crap" is NOT the word / language I was using) I didn't even think to pick it up out of her bed this morning to put it in our luggage.

 

Here's a little background info on "Baby Bear" it's a Ty Beanie Bear, he's Tan with a plaid ribbon around his neck... and she got him from her daddy when she was just a year old. When she was 18 months old, we lost her daddy in a tragic accident. This bear is VERY special to us... its one of only a few items that we've got to remember him by (that he gave to her personally, that is) she sleeps with Baby Bear (and one other stuffed animal, also from her daddy) every night.

 

Okay, after I realized that we had left Baby Bear in our cabin, I did a quick U-turn (probably illegally) and headed back to the ship... I told my friend that we weren't going to tell my daughter what had happened until we knew what the outcome was going to be...

 

I parked in the bus parking and left them in the car as I ran back to the terminal... I got stopped before I could go inside and I had to explain to the lady that my daughter had left her bear in the cabin (I said "my daughter" but I think it was just as much my fault!!) and we were quite upset about it. The lady got on the radio to the lost and found department... she told them that we were looking for a lost BROWN teddy bear that was left on the FLOOR of our cabin... OMG!!! I kept telling the lady "he's tan, not brown and he wasn't on the floor... he was in her bed... he'd be mixed in with the covers!" but that woman wouldn't call the lost and found person back...

 

so then she tells me that I can't wait there, that I have to walk across the road and wait on the other side... and she'll signal me when she finds something out. Okay, so I walk over there shaking my head, just knowing that they aren't going to find our precious little Baby Bear because she gave the wrong information.

 

15 minutes go by... I'm pacing... fretting...

 

FINALLY!! The lady waves me back over... I walk up to her and she says "They found the bear, they are bringing it down now" YIPPEE!! yAHOOO!!!! And what do I do?? I start crying like a baby! geez!!!! I'm sure the people around me were thinking I was some kind of mental person because I was crying about a silly bear...

 

They made me go back across the road to wait again... and after another 5 minutes she calls me over again and hands me our little Baby Bear.

 

I go back to the car and get in and then hand Baby Bear to my daughter... it takes a minute, but then her eyes get great big, and she takes a sudden intake of breath... and says "Momma, did we leave Baby Bear on the ship?" I told her we did and she just hugs him and hugs him.

 

"Momma, he was probably scared when he saw us leaving our room without him... he was probably saying to us "wait, wait, what about me?" but we didn't hear him and then when we didn't come back he probably got very sad thinking we were gone forever" (she's 4 by the way)

 

she got me tearing up again...

 

The rest of the cruise was AWESOME!

[crusinpsychRN]

First day on a TA on the QE (not 2, just QE) the waiter asked me several times if I wanted (unintelligible, unintelligible, unintelligible). I finally said yes and he poured green slime all over my delicious lamb. I backed up from the table and went to my cabin. The waiter came shortly after with an apple and offered to show me around the ship. Great tour and he was a total gentleman.