There's been an unexpected development in my life!
With over 150 million views to my videos on YouTube...
And over 135 thousand subscribers to my YouTube channel...
I'm now starting to get recognized when I'm on a cruise ship!
Over the previous years there were a few times... maybe three over the last ten years...
When I've been on a cruise ship and someone has recognized me from...
My web site, or from my posts on Cruise Critic, or from one of my YouTube videos, but...
On my recent cruise on the Carnival Vista, I actually had three different encounters with people that knew me from YouTube.
It was pretty cool!
Now, the first one, I didn't catch on camera, unfortunately.
It actually happened on the very first day of the cruise, within about an hour of boarding the ship.
My wife and I were in a busy area of the ship and a woman walked up to me and said:
You're Jim Zim, and I've seen your videos!
(Laughing)
We had a nice little chat, and...
It turned out that she was a Havana passenger and I was a Havana passenger...
So, we ran into each other a day or two later at the Havana pool and had a nice long chat there, too.
Now, my second encounter with a YouTube subscriber was on a snorkeling excursion in Aruba.
We were on this really cool 115 foot sailing schooner on the way to a snorkeling spot.
And I was walking around with my video camera shooting video.
And the guy in the red t-shirt there recognized me. He said he knew me from YouTube.
I think he said he's from the Seattle area, if I remember correctly.
Anyway, we had a real nice chat there on the sailboat.
And then the third time I got recognized... This was the one that really made me laugh and smile!
And this is the one I've been telling all my friends about, because...
I like to say how I was chased down by two girls... one of them in a bikini!
It makes me sound way cooler than I really am!
Well, here's what happened...
I had taken my camera to the pool at the back end of the Lido deck.
I wanted to get a video showing how on a warm sea day people like to hang out in the pool and socialize.
Now see those people right there? Watch them!
One of them saw me shooting video of the pool and said something like "that's Jim Zim!" to the three people she was with.
And then her friend started waving and then they all started waving!
I wasn't really paying any attention to the people in the pool. I was just trying to get the shot.
So, I didn't realize that they had recognized me, at that point.
I did notice that somebody was waving to the camera, but...
I thought it was just somebody playing to the camera when they saw one pointed their way. A ham.
Well, I got the video shot that I wanted and headed over to a stairway that led up to the next deck...
So I could get another similar shot of the pool but from a higher position.
But I didn't realize that the girls had gotten out of the pool to chase after me and say hello.
The husbands, of course... They're not about to get out of the pool just to chase some guy from YouTube!
So, as I was shooting the video of the pool from one deck above...
The first girl caught up with me, and if you listen, you can hear what she said.
I've watched your vlogs. You're the reason I went on the (unknown)
Jim: Ta-Da! It's a fan! Girl: It is a fan! Jim: That's three this cruise!
I only got her and her friend on video for those few brief seconds before I stopped my camera.
I regret that now! If I had been thinking clearly...
I would have left the camera rolling to capture my whole encounter with them.
My YouTube idol, Casey Neistat, certainly does that when he encounters a fan unexpectedly...
Casey: Hi!
Girl: I'm literally obsessed with you! Casey: What's your name?
Clearly, I'm no Casey Neistat! I'll be working on that, though!
Well, let's just watch it again... Because that was so AWESOME!
I've watched your vlogs. You're the reason I went on the (unknown)
Jim: Ta-Da! It's a fan! Girl: It is a fan! Jim: That's three this cruise!
Anyway, I had a nice chat with those two girls.
And I was really glad that they had chased me up to the upper deck. They made my day!
So, 4 people out of 4600 passengers recognized me...
(Laughing)
I'm not exactly a big deal, but maybe someday!
To all of my viewers who I met on this cruise... all four of you!
I just want to say that I really enjoyed meeting each of you, and you really made me smile.
I haven't gotten used to being recognized yet. But...
I kind of like it! (laughing)