Interesting people you've met on a cruise or traveling

[Toofarfromthesea]

The thread on Captain's Table got me thinking about some of the interesting people we've met on cruises and other travels, and since things are still pretty slow I thought it might make a good thread topic.

One of our most interesting was a couple where the husband was Iranian and his wife was a Southern Belle.  She met him when she was 16 and he was an exchange student and friend of her brother.  When she met him she told her mother, "I'm going to marry that man.". 4 years later he graduated, they got married and they moved to Iran.  They described pre-revolution Iran as a paradise to live in.  Then the Shah left and the Revolutionary Guard took over and they ended up leaving, and leaving everything behind.  They had a harrowing story of their flight out of Iran, with their 3 young children, complete with the Revolutionary Guard boarding the plane and pulling some passengers off, as they sat there in fear.

They came back to America with virtually nothing.  But he was an engineer and businessman, so it wasn't long before he worked at and then acquired a filling station, and from there he went on to form a business and build a factory.  As his sons grew up they went to school and then joined the business.  His wife, who was a musician, built up a nice career teaching music at a university.  They had a lovely life, in the US, after their travails of their last year in Iran.  And apparently prospered, since we met them in the Yacht Club on MSC Meraviglia.

Truly a memorable couple.

[jocap]

We met an artist who paints pictures to be used in TV programmes- the actor adds a few brush strokes on camera.

He painted a picture of the ship we were on, and added some cartoon characters of incidents we'd laughed over on board.  It's now framed and on my sideboard.

[dolittle]

Was standing on a street corner in Sedona Az. I turn around and right next to me was film maker Ken Burns .It was along wait I said are you the Documentary guy I see on P.B.S. ''Yes I am'' I said I love you shows on Coney Island and the statute of liberty.He says ''wow you are a fan all I ever get is Civil war and Baseball '' . We talked a few minutes and told us he had flown threw the Grand Cannon the day before and asked if we were going (we were the next day). He was a very nice guy very down to earth.

[navybankerteacher]

No one particularly famous --- but since we prefer dining at large tables, we regularly meet people:  many of whom we have found to be interesting -- all  you have to do is listen to. rather than attempt to dominate, the conversation.

 

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by navybankerteacher

[Ashland]

On a flight back from a cruise Curtis Stone sat in the aisle seat across from us. When the FA took our lunch order I ordered the Quesadilla he said sounds good I'll have that too...."Sorry that was the last one" he got a big laugh out of that and told me to "enjoy" ... Very handsome in person !!

[Hlitner]

For us this is an easy question.  Many years ago, while on NCL's Norway during their NBA cruise we met and became friendly with Jim Valvano, his wife, DD, and wonderful neighbors.  Jim was the big guest of honor on that cruise and was recording segments for Bob Costas's Coast to Coast nightly TV show using the onboard NBA players as guests.  We met Jim through our DD who had become a playmate of Jim's daughter.  He had a magnetic personality and it was easy to understand how he was able to recruit some of the best high school players when he coached at NC State.  It was about a year later that Jim shocked the sports world with the news that he had a fatal disease.   But our memory of that man is how gracious and kind he was to everyone on that cruise even when folks were constantly invading his privacy.  

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

I guess you could call it a “cruise” of sorts.

 

Pre-retirement from a long career as a university executive, I spent several summers on the California Maritime Academy’s TS Golden Bear. 
Among the many unusual future “sea stories” I was fortunate enough to experience at CMA was outrunning a typhoon with an unscheduled stop in Saipan. There I found myself invited to a memorial/celebration honoring the remaining survivors of the Battle of Tinian and Saipan. Seated to my left was one of the honorees, a silver-haired gentleman named Paul Tibbits.
 

Now that was a conversation I’ll never forget.

Edited July 27, 2021 by Flatbush Flyer

[PoofCat99]

We once traveled on a European river cruise where we met a former governor of Iowa. 

[winemama]

A few   years ago, we sat for 20 nights with a great table of people, 4 couples, all of us talked and laughed,  One woman was very quite, said very little, but very nice,  Somehow we never got around to talking about jobs till the last night, when everyone complained about going back to work.  On night 20 she anounces she does all the background checks for people appearing on reality TV , Big Brother, Fashion shows,  survivor, and the great race  A hugh hush came over the table, we were like we have been sitting  here for 3 weeks and you are telling us this now!!!!!  She was like " I do have a few stories"

[George C]

Met some famous athletes like Doug Flutie, also lots of hockey players , some actors .

[Mike981]

Have met some wonderful people over the years, I love to hear their stories.
I used to work in the radio business and I usually don't offer that up because it can steer the conversation to just me and I'd rather listen to others.

A couple of years ago late at night we were enjoying another martini and a couple sat down next to us. I can't remember their names anymore, but they were 'A' list actors. They were very kind.

[lenquixote66]

We met a couple on a cruise 11 years ago.They were both Professors at Penn State.He had a distinctive southern accent and she had a NY accent.

He grew up in a small town in Texas that the father of one of my friends on the cruise grew up in.She and I attended the same HS but never knew each other.She was two years older than me.During the course of conversation we discovered that we hung out in many of the same places during our teen years and knew many of the same people.

[Ashland]

We sat behind Lynn Vincent on our way back from an Alaska cruise. She had been up there writing her book on Sarah Palin. She spent the whole flight talking about her to her seat mate....very interesting conversation which was easily overheard....I was very entertained on that long flight....even though I wasn't a fan of Palin's at all.

[DirtyDawg]

I guess the two most interesting people that I have met in my travels were Wayne Gretzky of hockey fame and Kevin O'Leary of Sharks Den fame. I met Kevin when he was young and humble. 😁 

[hurricane0226]

Got to shake President Jimmy Carter's hand when he welcomed the USS Nimitz back from our extended deployment in 1980,  met Jessie Jackson, talked to Andie Macdowell  in the Delta club in New Orleans, was also in the same club a year later, and Nicholas Cage was there. 

[dolittle]

20 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

I guess you could call it a “cruise” of sorts.

 

Pre-retirement from a long career as a university executive, I spent several summers on the California Maritime Academy’s TS Golden Bear. 
Among the many unusual future “sea stories” I was fortunate enough to experience at CMA was outrunning a typhoon with an unscheduled stop in Saipan. There I found myself invited to a memorial/celebration honoring the remaining survivors of the Battle of Tinian and Saipan. Seated to my left was one of the honorees, a silver-haired gentleman named Paul Tibbits.
 

Now that was a conversation I’ll never forget.

Paul  T

[dolittle]

Paul Tippits was always thoughtful and serious person who made the world a better place. Most will not know who he is that may be for the best.

[cruisemom42]

I'm not really good at spotting famous people or celebrities; most of the time I wander around in my own little world, I guess. When we lived in NY and would go into the city my ex-DH would occasionally notice a celebrity and point them out to me -- I would never have picked them out on my own. 

 

On the other hand, since my mind is usually preoccupied with things that happened a couple of millennia ago, I have not only become acquainted with certain historical figures; I feel we're good friends.

 

Both Augustus and Livia have graciously allowed me to visit their homes on the Palatine Hill (I've even been to Livia's country villa.)  I've mourned Julius Caesar both where he was killed at Largo Argentina and where Marc Antony spoke over his body in the Forum.

 

Like me, Hadrian had wanderlust and I've met him nearly everywhere I go -- he's a great travel companion. I've followed Trajan's armies to the dark, misty forests of Dacia (Romania), wandered through the sad remains of Nero's prized palace, the Domus Aurea, and literally walked in Caligula's footsteps in the underground passage on Palatine Hill where he was killed by his own guards.

 

Why, I've even .... oh hang on, I've got an incoming call:

 

[Pyrate13]

11 hours ago, dolittle said:

Paul Tippits was always thoughtful and serious person who made the world a better place. Most will not know who he is that may be for the best.

Used to see, and speak, to General Tibbets when I worked as a volunteer at the Warbird Museum in Kissimmee, FL. He had a reserved parking space there. Great man.

[GrammieK]

Cruisemom42,

 

very clever post, but yours always are!  I enjoy reading them all!

k

[Markanddonna]

Loved Cruise Mom42's post.

 

My most interesting person was a missionary on a transatlantic cruise. He grew up in Siberia and was stationed in the USA for a few years. On the TA, he and his family were onroute to their next position: Vietnam.  He conducted Sunday services and held a Bible study (packed, overflowing room) on sea days.

[bonsai3s]

cruisemom42...thank you as always...for your wonderful post.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Threads will always take their own path, and that is fine.  But for the record, my intent was not to ask about famous people you've met on a cruise, but interesting people.  Like ordinary people who have extraordinary stories.

Carry on.

[ALSPAUGHDOLL]

I don't remember the whole story or how this worked but while on our Hawaiian cruise we sat with a lady at breakfast that our ship picked up on Fanning Island after her sail boat became disabled.  She sailed with us back to Hawaii to pick up the part they needed to make the repairs.   They had been caught in a massive storm and had been stranded at sea for a bit.  She was as calm as all get out explaining their ordeal which sounded absolutely terrifying to me.  I recall her telling us she had to climb the mast as the storm was brewing trying to repair the part.   Her husband had stayed back with the boat while she retrieved the part.  I could have listened to her all day.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

16 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

Threads will always take their own path, and that is fine.  But for the record, my intent was not to ask about famous people you've met on a cruise, but interesting people.  Like ordinary people who have extraordinary stories.

Carry on.

FWIW: In many ways, Paul Tibbits (the fellow I met on Saipan) was just an ordinary person for whom a single life experience was one of the most extraordinary stories ever.