A Disney Adventure Chef Met His Childhood Disney Dream Server Again on His First Day
Hinata was 11 when a server named Lucio looked after his family on the Disney Dream. Twelve years later, arriving as a teppanyaki chef on the Disney Adventure's opening team, he found Lucio welcoming the new crew.
Hinata first met Lucio as an 11-year-old guest on the Disney Dream, where Lucio served his family at dinner. Twelve years later, Hinata stepped off the new hire bus as a teppanyaki chef for the Disney Adventure and found Lucio there to welcome the new crew.
Key Details
- Who: Hinata, a teppanyaki chef, and Lucio, the server who looked after his family
- Where they met: Disney Dream
- Where they reunited: The Disney Adventure's opening team
- The ship: Disney Adventure is Disney Cruise Line's eighth ship and the first to homeport in Asia
A family cruise from Japan and a server who did magic tricks
The crew, more than the ice cream or the beach days, is what stayed with Hinata's family after the Disney Dream.
- The first trip. Hinata's family came from Japan for the Disney Cruise Line vacation.
- Dinner as the highlight. He and his brother couldn't wait for the dining room, where servers performed little magic tricks and told jokes.
- The inspiration. When it came time to look for a career, he remembered how he felt on the ship and wanted to recreate that for others.
- The photo album. Hinata kept an album from the trip at home and says he looked at it almost every day.
From EPCOT's Japan Pavilion to a chef's job
Hinata started at Walt Disney World and picked up a profession he had not studied at university.
- First Disney job. He joined EPCOT's Japan Pavilion through the Disney Cultural Representative Program, part of Disney's international programs.
- A new direction. With mentors and fellow Disney Programs participants cheering him on, he applied to become a teppanyaki chef.
Cooking was not part of his university studies, and Hinata says trying it turned into a passion.
"This is my dream job. I wanted to try something new. Being a chef seemed like something exciting to try, to make people happy, and I was thankful to have the opportunity, and now, I love it."
Twelve years later, the same server at the new hire bus
Hinata joined the Disney Adventure to be closer to home and found a familiar face among the people welcoming new crew.
- Opening team. Hinata landed a place as a teppanyaki chef, which brought him closer to home and family.
- Quick recognition. The album is why it didn't take him long to recognize Lucio after 12 years.
- A second welcome. When the ship sailed into Japan on its way to Singapore, Lucio greeted Hinata's family back aboard, this time as his colleague.
The photos brought the memory back for Lucio too.
"As soon as I saw that picture, I remembered the brothers had their suit jackets and shorts, with such style, it felt like yesterday. This was proof of how long those Disney Cruise Line memories and the magic can last for a family."