It's a Small World, After All

February 25, 2012 – It’s a Small World, After All

Sometimes coincidence creates unexpected memories for both guests and crew. At that moment you realize exactly how small this world of 7 billion people really is.

Their names are Carl and Jennifer and I met them during a Captain’s Club reception. These events are for repeat guests and begin with the Captain greeting guests at the door of the Sky Lounge, they are then offered a beverage by our crack team of bar servers, and finally they proceed into Sky Lounge along a path lined with every officer who could escape their office for this ten minute ritual. Each guest then performs the ‘chair dash’ making a beeline for their favorite seating area. During the rest of the party they are feted in style with a marvelous buffet and free drinks, while the Captain gives a brief welcome and toast, an award is given to the most frequent cruiser in the room, and then a musical performance is offered before the time runs down. During this time all officers are to disperse among the gathering to individually greet each party.

I like to go to the far forward end of the lounge, farthest from the door, as these people generally get missed. There are wonderful lounge chairs that face to the forward horizon, an amazing place to relax with a drink. When I came across Carl and Jennifer in these chairs, I greeted them telling them they were obviously the smartest people in the lounge having the wisdom to score this prime seating. They were both very gregarious New Yorkers and a rapid conversation commenced. As we talked they began to share a story of their son, Peter, who had just turned 21. I shared that my daughter was about to turn 21. They then shared that their son had just studied abroad in Milan and had returned for the second semester of his junior year at a university in Virginia. I remarked on the coincidence that my daughter also was a junior at a college in Virginia. Okay, so you are way ahead of me now . . .  Yes, both Pete and Dani attend the University of Richmond. Suddenly, we were best friends! When I mentioned that I had left the ship to attend Ring Dance Carl almost fell out of his chair. Their son had been the date of a girl at that same ring dance and they had chosen to fly in and check it out. Carl’s next comment was that he felt he needed to stand up and hug me because we were obviously family!

But the story didn’t end there. That night Carl and Jennifer struck up a conversation with another couple in the Martini Bar. When they shared the story of what happened in the Captain’s Club party, the other couple couldn’t believe it as their son, too, attended UR! That led to a great connection for these two couples for the rest of the cruise.

Remember there are 2900 guests on our ship at full capacity. On the last Caribbean sea day our team has the custom of having lunch al fresco at The Porch outside on Deck 15. It is our tribute to the warm sun which we will miss for the next few days as we sail back to New Jersey. On the last day of this cruise we proceeded to take our late lunch at what was at the moment an empty outdoor restaurant. Halfway through our meal a couple came in and chose to sit at the table right next to ours, even though there were a dozen more to choose from. And who was this mystery couple? Carl and Jennifer? No. It was the other set of Richmond parents! When they recognized me by my name tag, they quickly introduced themselves and we proceeded to bore my co-workers while we sang the praises of the University of Richmond. Go Spiders!

And so I ask you, what are the odds of all that happening?

And the adventure continues . . .