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A CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM JOURNEY

Any excuse to cruise works for us! We enjoy cruising out of Galveston, Texas where you can CRUISE CARNIVAL DREAM! Not in our wildest DREAMS did we imagine when we were planning a 14 night celebratory escape cruise to sunshine in celebration of my husbands FINALLY successful knee healing (after several procedures) that we would have the experience of a life time!!

This particular cruise offered destination stops in Key West (USA), Amber Cove (Dominican Republic), San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Thomas (USVI), St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Maarten (The Netherlands), St. Croix (USVI) and Falmouth (Jamaica). We have visited Key West, Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas and Falmouth prior, but the other stops were new destinations for us! This BIG LOOP of the Caribbean was going to be exciting!

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Psalms 139:16 states that “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

So every step of our lives, every choice that we make, every person we interact with, every location we visit, every everything…was pre-ordained by God prior to each of our births. Think about that! WOW! This Psalm reminds us that we are completely under His care, that He has created us with purpose, that He loves us so much, and that He is always with us. This Scripture affirms that God knows everything about our lives, in advance, with His perfect omniscience.

A CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM JOURNEY

A MEETING BY DIVINE INTERVENTION

Is there any better way to spend your days than meeting new interesting people?

Meet Alen Luzajic, a Senior Assistant Maitre d’/Restaurant Manager on the CARNIVAL DREAM. Alen and his DREAM TEAM provided an unforgettable dining experience catered to our every pleasure. Read along to follow our DREAM JOURNEY and meet the man (that we were so blessed to meet) behind the position of Senior Assistant Maitre d’.

We met Alen by divine intervention on our latest cruise when trying to iron out a snafu on our dining reservation time. Our booking agent had secured our cruise reservation with a 7:45pm late dining time in the Scarlet Dining Room. Our preference had been for an earlier time, but somehow that detail was lost in the reservation booking. The late dining reservation usually means missing a portion of the evening’s scheduled entertainment. This was going to be a big bummer for us. This particular cruise was a “Journey’s Cruise” which we later found out meant a crowd of older (65s-85s) retired people who enjoy dining early. So, you can imagine that the early dining spots are highly coveted and the ship becomes VERY QUIET by 7-8pm. Well, I made every attempt to change this dining schedule mistake to no avail. So, with no ability to switch to the other options of “Our Time Dining” or “Early 5:30pm Dining” we were stuck on night 1. We did attempt various tactics to switch this reservation around with guest services, etc. We even tried the Maitre d’ in the Scarlet Dining Room who did graciously offer us a shared table with other random guests. We tried this solution, and it was awkward. We giggled through the uncomfortable conversations and I promised my husband I would fix this problem that night after dinner. I was on a mission!

On day 2, I went in search of the restaurant Maitre d’ in the Crimson Dining Room to see if I could possibly request a solution or options to this problem. This is where I first met Alen. Our paths crossed for the first time as I proceeded through closed doors into the Crimson Dining room to find him directing staff, while overseeing their setting up the dining room for the evening meal. He immediately jumped to assist me, smiling charmingly. He efficiently and graciously offered me solutions to accommodate my request. He confidently reassured me that he had this problem under control and that I was not to worry. I was ecstatic about a solution to this issue, finally! This was my first exposure to his customer service “massage.” He’s a master…we later discovered, when observing him in action, smoothing over disgruntled patrons later in the cruise when the computer system was glitching. He assured me not to worry anymore about this issue and to return to this dining room at his specified time where he would make everything perfect for us! So, I followed his directions and appeared in the Crimson dining room as he had instructed later that evening. When we arrived as directed, he immediately recognized me from our earlier conversation, and I was greeted warmly and welcomed into the dining room where Alen led us to what we began calling “our table” #349.

A CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM JOURNEY

MEET ALEN’S DREAM TEAM

We all come from somewhere special…

“While we may come from different ships, we are all sailing on the same sea,” encapsulates the idea that despite diverse origins, we share a common human experience and are ultimately connected.

That evening we met Alen’s DREAM TEAM for the first time! What amazing service we received! The head waiter and his support staff under the direct guiding supervision of Alen can be called no less than magnificent. Our every wish was cheerfully and completely, over the top, satisfied quickly. The first night we specified our preferences for a cheese plate to start along with iced teas with lemon wedges and from that night on these items were awaiting our pleasure moments after being seated at our table without asking. We were always warmly greeted by name by EACH staff member and asked about our day, and plans for the next day along with recommendations offered. It was ALWAYS a very personal interaction. WHAT? That’s right! We were spoiled! It was so great!

This routine continued throughout the 14 night journey each evening at dinner. Alen stepped up the service daily making it even more wonderful through assisting us in selecting a bottle of wine on several subsequent nights. As a Sommelier, Alen is a wine expert who curates wine lists, recommends food and wine pairings, and advises guests on wine selections based on their preferences and food choices. He possesses extensive knowledge of wines, vineyards, and the winemaking process. So we asked for wine recommendations depending on the entrée choices several nights to accompany our cheese plates. This became a fun addition to the evening meal. Somewhere along the line I mentioned my love of Martini olives stuffed with blue cheese…sure enough, we enjoyed those olives (we stuffed them from the cheese plate) too while laughing and sipping our selected evening’s wine! We created our own “charcuterie starter” as one was not an option on the menu. After that each evening a dish of Martini olives awaited my pleasure upon being seated as well!

I began to think of ways that we could reciprocate to these fabulous people that were making us feel so special and cared for at such an exquisite level of service. The idea of this blog post to tell their STORY and acknowledge their hard work and our deep appreciation began to formulate.

This level of excellent service has spoiled us for future experiences, I’m sure…unless we are so lucky to have another DREAM TEAM crew trained/directed by Alen on future cruises. His management style surpasses any cruise ship dining room staff service we have ever had the great pleasure of experiencing on a Carnival Cruise. He is a keeper. His highly organized, well-disciplined, respectful staff turned up the charm and personalities to a 5 star level.

We were super spoiled by this staff under his leadership. Alen intrigued me. My curiosity was sparked! I wanted to know so much more about this charismatic, charming Croatian man of highly organized service. What motivated him? How did he land right here in this position at this point in his life right at the same moment that we were here traveling as well? I felt compelled to share his story. What was behind the driving force to this high-level of restaurant service, leadership, kindness, generosity, and charm? I decided to apply myself to find out the answers to these questions, and so here is the story of Alen.

A CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM JOURNEY

THE MAN BEHIND THE MAITRE D’

All have a unique story to tell, listen closely and perhaps you’ll hear another’s tale…

Savi Sharma Quotes, “Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone is a writer, some are written in the books and some are confined to hearts. If two points are destined to touch, the universe will always find a way to make the connection- even when all hope seems to be lost.”

I began to wonder at Alen’s background, leadership, development, life circumstances, service experience that led him here and his personal dreams and goals he had for his future. All of us are influenced, whether we like it or not, by unforeseen life events that shape each of our paths. What were his? What was his story? Over the course of the cruise and shared dinner conversations, we began to glean information from Alen awakening our eyes to him not only as our restaurant Maitre d’, but as an amazing individual with such an interesting personal story to share with others.

We learned that Alen, as a very young boy from the capital city of Croatia, grew up during a time of war. We learned that he would travel with his pregnant mother to visit his father in war zones (this was common). As a boy of 5 or 6, he remembers vividly how his mother loved his father so much that she would venture into danger to see her husband taking Alen along with her. This was his formative example of unselfish love that helped shape and form him beginning at a very early age. As he grew to a young man in Zagreb, Croatia he enrolled in primary, high school, and college in the capital city. He studied Business Management and Hospitality Management. He played very competitive football (soccer) and later in life developed an interest in tennis. He speaks English, Croatian, and Italian fluently. Impressive! I have always wanted the ability to speak Italian…it’s the language of love!

When I asked him how he became interested in hospitality management as a career tract, he spoke of having very early memories as early as 13 or 14 years old of places and people that provided high-end service. These influences impacted him as he grew. He remembers admiring high-end service opportunities as a possible career tract. He would see people working in these positions, and envisioned himself doing the same. As a young man, he was a very dominant player in football (soccer), a scrapper, unafraid of physical dominion and control, and would have pursued that career dream. Many in his community held high expectations that he would be that professional football (soccer) player someday, as he was a standout leader on the field and highly talented; however, circumstances led him to choose a different direction. His naturally inclined passion to serve others in service shined forth altering his life path.

In 2008, college ended for him. From 2008 to 2010, he worked at a few different Croatian restaurants locally until he determined it was time to spread his wings and fly. He stretched himself to something greater.

In 2011, he landed a position with the Seabourn Cruise Line, an ultra luxury, all-inclusive yacht like ship also owned by Carnival Corporation. These ships provided intuitive, personalized service provided by a team passionate about exceeding guests’ expectations. Here Alen received luxury cruise restaurant training by working in a very elegant Thomas Keller Michelin star restaurant. The Grill by Thomas Keller was a restaurant on Seabourn cruise ships, at that time, that served food created by Michelin-starred Chef Thomas Keller. A very high standard of service was taught and expected. He loved this lifestyle. He fell in love with cruise life. This very high level of restaurant training on a cruise ship, set him up with a highly coveted skill and set him apart. A Maitre d’ on a cruise ship oversees and manages the performance of all food and beverage venues, acting as the conductor they will ensure a smooth and seamless food and beverage operation while ensuring the subordinates under their supervision are able to engage and create memorable moments for the guest.

In 2015, Alen accepted another excellent, elegant, career-growing opportunity that led to working for Crystal Cruises. Crystal Cruises offers marketing claims of a “voyage of a lifetime, where days are spent immersed in the world’s most breathtaking destinations and evenings are elegant affairs”…offering opportunities to “Dine at the only restaurant at sea by the award-winning chef, Nobu Matsuhisa. Relax with personal butler service for every guest room and suite – our staff and crew are famous for their naturally intuitive service.” Alen states, this was his favorite company to work for because they were the best. He was treated very well and loved his time working with Crystal Cruises. An unforeseen sequence of events occurred that tested his strong character during his time with Crystal Cruises. Alen remains wired as a man of service, to not only others when working the cruise life, but to his family first. This sense of family loyalty first, led him to return to Croatia, losing his position in contract rotation with Crystal Cruises. His love for his family trumped his love for cruise life. So, when concerns over a health issue with a family member led him back home to Croatia, he embraced it wholeheartedly and promptly returned to assist his family.

In 2016, another opportunity with a different cruise line presented itself with Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity Cruises’ marketing motto seemed like a good match for Alen. “Uniquely offering the intimate feel and thoughtful service of small ships…” Alen went after this opportunity to return to the cruise service lifestyle. To land this opportunity with Celebrity Cruises, Alen initially accepted a Butler position then steadily worked his way up to Maitre d’ once again in the restaurant F&B operations. He stayed with Celebrity Cruises for the next several years enjoying the cruise ship lifestyle. He would work the rotation of four to six month contracts consistently, trying to meet the pressure filled management’s expectations of Celebrity Cruises style of excellence. He had his own leadership and motivational style for his subordinates to bring out the excellence in them, which in return provided successes for his own accomplishments. He talked with pride about his kind, compassionate, respectful motivating leadership style that worked successfully for him in this position.

On the Carnival Dream, Alen’s Dream Team, Amrit from India, Tri from Indonesia, Budiasa “Budi” from Bali, Kadek “Kiki” from Indonesia, and I Nyoman from Indonesia. Each of these gentlemen served us in various ways. We gained a familiarity with them through verbal exchanges that led to friendship. Each touched our hearts in different ways. Amrit charmingly blushes easily, but is clearly the handsome ladies man with the great hair. “Papa” Tri is a seasoned, experienced restaurant leader of great wisdom. Loved his quit wit. He runs a tight ship of efficiency in his leadership skills. Budiasa, my favorite, charms and smiles to genuinely warm your heart as he guides you through the menu. He never let me down on his confident recommendations. He diligently took our care to heart each night, striving to make every detail perfect. Kadek, always happy with the GREAT BIG SMILES, stepped in for Tri when Tri became ill a few nights and led his team admirably with refined great skill. I Nyoman melted my heart, genuinely wearing his heart on his sleeve. He just wanted to please us thoroughly. One of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met. ALL LOVELY HUMANS THAT WE DEEPLY APPRECIATED AND WILL SORELY MISS!

A CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM JOURNEY

PERSONAL COSTS OF THE CRUISE LIFE

Choices are sacrifices…

“Choices are sacrifices and, inevitably, that means giving up something that you want, for something that you want more.” Jones (“As You Were”, White Collar)

Ultimately, Alen left Celebrity Cruises and accepted a contract with Carnival Cruise Line in December 2024, and is currently serving on the Carnival Dream. Intermittently during breaks in his contracts, he mentioned that it is his pleasure to return to Zagreb, Croatia and assist his brother Antonio’s business Cafe Bar X. Family Members are involved in this restaurant effort. They pitch in making it successful, and he is very proud of his family and enjoys helping there.

I couldn’t help but deeply contemplate the personal cost this life path extracts. The time commitment and constant moving location of this demanding career choice makes relationships with women very difficult to maintain. Alen’s family support is paramount to him. He calls home almost daily to nurture his family connections and share his love to his mother. His family is very supportive of one another, and you can feel the respect and admiration that he shows for them when he smiles, talks, and reminisces about them. Such an admirable trait. It really touched my heart. He stressed when speaking that his parents have always unfailingly supported his career decisions and selflessly encouraged him to chase his personal dreams…to be his own man. I can relate to this sacrifice as a parent. That is true unselfish love to encourage your child’s pursuit of what makes them the happiest, even if it means leaving you behind for gaps of time.

In retrospect, I asked him who one of the most influential people from his past, someone that had a major hand in his career development, might be? I wondered what specific influence they provided. His answer was easy and simple. His parents and the constant support they provided him clearly turned him into a highly motivated self-made man. When one pushes oneself to grow, surrounding themselves with highly successful people, they can’t help but become highly self-motivated and rise to that level of achievement, just as those amongst them. A large amount of hard work and self-discipline are required too.

I asked him if he had any regrets about the career choices he’s made. He immediately replied, “No!” He said, “I wouldn’t be the man I am today if my choices had been different.” He is very grateful for his career and the places it has taken him. He is also excited for his future endeavors.

I decided to throw him a curveball. I asked him what advice a 40-year-old Alen wished he could have given to his 20-year-old self. He smiled sheepishly and admitted that like all 20-year-olds, he was girl-crazy, indulgent, and partied way too much. He admitted that all men are visual creatures. Sometimes acting before thinking actions thoroughly to completion. His solemnly confident, mature epiphany, after deeper thought and contemplation on this question, was that those immature actions of a young man do not define one’s life. He opened up to me with honest, heartfelt truths, and shyly, contemplatively admitted that each time in life, when he felt he had failed at something, the lessons that were learned from those moments helped shape him into the man he is today. Sure he has regrets. Don’t we all? All we can do is the best we can offer others. So, he truly would not change a thing. Where he finds himself today is as a result of those decisions. He is proud of the man he sees in the mirror. He is proud of his lifestyle, conduct, leadership, and character. Alen remains quite excited working towards his future goals.

A CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM JOURNEY

RAPID FIRE FUN FACTS

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I ask?

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

I asked Alen a series of short questions:

Question: What is the best experience or memory you have from this job? What is the worst experience you have had from this job? What advice would you give a new young Croatian entering this industry, would you recommend this cruise lifestyle or not?

Answer: “Traveling, meeting new different people…those are all good things. Choose to be happy. Look for joy. Work hard. Stay away from negative management styles that tear people down, instead choose positive management styles that build people up. A worst experience was working with a company that had a negative management style. Always, I look forward to the end of the contract to go back to my family. Usually, time goes fast. Maintain solid contact with the good people you have at home supporting you. Yes, work hard, learn your trade well. Be respectful always. Take contracts with various different cruise lines to determine what’s the best match for you? Don’t stay in one place if you are unhappy. You’ll find a good experience. Then you’ll know the best match to make you happiest.”

QUESTION: Favorite cruising port?

ANSWER: Spain, St. Maarten, San Juan, Puerto Rico

QUESTION: Favorite restaurant location at a port?

ANSWER: Bilbao, Spain, St. Petersburg, Russia.

QUESTION: Favorite beach at a port?

ANSWER: St. Maarten & Barbados

QUESTION: Favorite bar club at a port?

ANSWER: St. Petersburg, Spain, Rio. La Casita, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The people make the place a favorite.

QUESTION: What is your signature cocktail?

ANSWER: White Wine a Sauvignon Blanc. Or a Mojito made with dark rum from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

QUESTION: Guilty pleasure?

ANSWER: Sitting still watching football (soccer). Being around my niece watching TV. UFC fighting.

A CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM JOURNEY

THE REST OF THE STORY

What’s next?

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” — Andrew Carnegie.

Focused, hard work is the real key to success. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. Alen’s future goals are undetermined. On today’s cruise ships, in addition to the Captain being in charge, there are a handful of senior officers that manage the ship’s operations and report to the Captain. These jobs include Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Hotel Director, Cruise Director, Doctor, Food and Beverage Manager, and Staff Engineer. Alen’s working goal remains to ultimately be promoted to Food and Beverage Manager under the Captain. He takes it one 4-to-6 month contract rotation at a time. He knows that this will take time and dedication to the company. He goes where they send him depending on the staffing needs of the cruise line.

Alen did share with me that once cruise ship life ends for him at some point in his far undetermined future, his dreams (should the right property, in the right location, present itself with an unbelievable price) include that he’d like the opportunity of opening a boutique restaurant in Croatia or some kind of sports management opportunity, possibly. He is so proud of his heritage, culture, and people. Alen is very connected to his country. As we all are, right? Alen is very talented at selling an experience, anticipating the whims of the client, meeting very high expectations with charm and strong character, and problem solving while presenting multiple solution options. He is well respected by his staff and leads assuredly in a positive motivating way that makes those under him strive to please him continually. He will surely succeed with single minded determination to achieve whatever goal he commits himself to complete.

A CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM JOURNEY

Author’s Take Away

What did I learn from this human interest story?

“The Story. A human interest story puts people at the heart of the events. Doing this brings a two-fold benefit. It gives the reader someone to relate to and taps into our natural curiosity in the lives of others.”

So what is my final take away from this experience? This story is at the core of our experience as humans. Story is how we explain to ourselves, and others, who we are and why we’re here. Story helps us recognize our purpose and we can be strengthened and healed by examining and understanding our personal narratives. Our time on earth in the grand measure of all humanity is a blink of time. Don’t waste a minute of it. Live, learn, love. Be fulfilled. Spend your time wisely surrounding yourself with positivity. Seek tranquility and reflection in all. Serve others. Tell their stories. Make time for what’s important. Grow in your daily walk with God giving thanks.

WATCH THE SUNRISE…my favorite time of the day while cruising! There is no more peaceful moment that I can begin to explain than this exact moment. Do you enjoy a SUNRISE or SUNSET? Complete tranquility! So amazingly great! These precious early morning moments are priceless to me. It provides me with those stolen chunks of time to feed my need for INNER STILLNESS. It becomes much needed in the midst of our busy lifestyles, Travel, if you can. We enjoy cruising. I can list 10 REASONS TO CRUISE ON YOUR VACATION.

GO SNORKELING! Crystal clear, turquoise blue, refreshingly soothing, salt water, calmness, tranquility, buoyancy…so many thoughts come to mind when considering snorkeling. Exploring under the surface of the water to find God’s inspiration in all creation! It’s fascinating. Antigua, Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, Belize, Cozumel, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Maarten, St. Kitt & Nevis, St. John, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Roatan, Jamaica, Hawaii to name a few, each snorkel destination holds different adventures and underwater microcosm. Make sure to pack your SNORKEL & FINS to ensure a great snorkeling experience. The freedom afforded the underwater explorer provides extensive opportunities to experience nature in many new ways. Like the photos? Try this WATERPROOF CAMERA on your next snorkeling adventure! Don’t forget an UNDERWATER VALUABLES POUCH to secure your phone & wallets too!

Every relationship requires time and attention to thrive. My husband is my best friend. We are separately very busy people that encourage each other to find joy in our individual daily pursuits. We require time away from the stress of daily life to reconnect and do try to make that a priority. We try to “date” weekly and keep our marriage growing each day. A cruise is a great opportunity to really focus on each other and spend time in each other’s company!

Life can be hectic! We all need “our person” to feel whole. God intended for husband and wives to be two halves that when together make a whole for fulfillment. My husband and I work at nurturing that promise that we made together many years ago when we said, “I do!” Cruising is a great way to spend quality time with your loved one. Carve out that special time with special people to escape to sunshine for an experience with the CARNIVAL DREAM TEAM! It is worth it!

Leave a reply comment below on how you feel about cruising. Where are the ports that you’d like to discover? What are your favorites on a cruise? Have you taken a cruise out of Galveston, Texas? Do you have details of excursions that you recommend to share? Comment below so we can learn from your experiences too!

I look forward to hearing from you! Please comment below. I promise to respond.

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Inspirationally Yours,

Barbara

BIO: https://www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com/about-us/

About Me

A 1993 graduate of Michigan State University, Barbara earned a BS in Social Science Pre-Law. She is a Business Manager/HR Director. Her passion is travel, discovering new places, experiences, cuisine, cultures while enjoying temperate climates. Barbara is a newly transitioning empty-nester who became a travel blogger. She’s a great photographer, talented writer, and has a great adventures to highlight in her blog posts.

WEBSITE: www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com

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