What's the strangest thing you've ever seen on a cruise?

[Tiggertastic]

A dog - a tiny dog - being carried around everywhere by its owner - classed apparently as a requirements under disability for the owner

 

A group of Israeli travel agents taking a tour around the ship whilst in port - picking up food in the buffet by hand and putting it back down and a chef whacking their hands with a spoon! priceless

 

The same group then lighting up cigarettes and the security guard chasing them out to the non smoking area

[Treven]

On the Sea Princess, early June to Alaska, there was this little old lady who had a toilet plunger on the bottom of her cane. Every time she picked up the bottom of her cane, when she took a step on the tile flooring, it would make a sound.

[CruiseScrooge]

one guy was almost always in the shallow end of the pool and drinking heavily during the day. he had the worse sunburn i've seen and on the 6 inches of his legs always in the water it wasn't pinky red but a deep cherry red. we tried to warn him but he'd just laugh and stab his ankle with something and say it doesn't hurt. the last 2 days of the 7 day cruise he wasn't seen.

[blackpool belle]

At the Captains cocktail party seeing the Headmaster of the school where I worked dancing with the Head of the Infant department.( both married to other people) I had no idea he was going on this cruise and obviously he didn't know I was either. I don't know who was the most embarrassed

Edited July 6, 2012 by blackpool belle

[mabones]

Was on Brilliance of the Seas in Aruba about 2006. We weren't leaving until 11pm. After dinner my DH & I went to our room to change and I was on Balcony & saw small speedboat stop were anchor was. We watched as 4 teenagers climbed the ropes to the ship. I called Security, and you could see them running down the gangway as well as the Port Authority speeding onto the Dock. It was quite the site. One of the kids actually got onto the ship. They were all rounded up and handcuffed and made to sit under a streetlamp until they decided what to do with them. Meanwhile, our group was waiting for us in the Casino and didn't believe us until I showed them pic's.

[Smokeyham]

Was on Brilliance of the Seas in Aruba about 2006. We weren't leaving until 11pm. After dinner my DH & I went to our room to change and I was on Balcony & saw small speedboat stop were anchor was. We watched as 4 teenagers climbed the ropes to the ship. I called Security, and you could see them running down the gangway as well as the Port Authority speeding onto the Dock. It was quite the site. One of the kids actually got onto the ship. They were all rounded up and handcuffed and made to sit under a streetlamp until they decided what to do with them. Meanwhile, our group was waiting for us in the Casino and didn't believe us until I showed them pic's.

 

Good for you for calling that in! I wonder what the kids had planned if they had been succesful. Probably hadn't thought that far ahead!

[MilliesMom]

On the Carnival Spirit we had a guy with a blow up doll (life size). "They" went to the shows, dinner, the pool etc. They were inseparable. He was traveling with others (real people ... LOL), so I think it was done as a joke. The others seemed to be couples, so I always wondered if he brought the doll as a joke so he had a date too ... then "she" became such a conversation piece that "she" went everywhere with him. It was all in good fun I'm sure.

 

One cruise a very large group charted a huge percentage of the ship. Late seating was 90% their group. One night a few of them came to dinner in bathrobes. Some of the group was obnoxious, but others very nice. All in their 20s. Word got around quickly that their company had paid for their tips on the ship board accounts. The way it had been done, they could go in and remove them and pocket the money. A number were bragging that they had done this to buy more booze while on board. When their superiors found out, did they get in trouble. Our understanding was that the company paid the tips again, and the money the person spent was going to be taken out of their paychecks.

 

Interesting thread. I've read it through from the beginning.

[Galveston Cruiser]

On the MSC Orchestra maiden voyage to the U.S. in December 2008, we docked at Red Hook in St. Thomas. Passengers had been advised several times the ship was going to pull away from the dock and turn around at 6pm. (We were not leaving until 2 AM).

As we sat at a cay side restaurant and watched the ship pull away from the dock, a good dozen passengers went running down the dock, screaming for the ship not to leave them:eek:

We had a good laugh at the disconcerted passengers left at the dock as we watched her pull away, turn around then dock again:D

[triplett]

A 400lb guy in a speedo.

 

How could you see the speedo?

[triplett]

My daughter (who was eleven) and I were cruising several years ago, and we kept noticing this man who was at a nearby table. He looked to be in his early to mid fifties, and he was seated with six or seven attractive women who looked to be in their early twenties. This guy showed up at dinner each night in a great mood, talking very loudly and holding a beer. The ladies who were his tablemates did not appear charmed in the least, but he didn't seem to notice. One night my daughter and I were observing his boisterous behavior and he did the oddest thing...... He took the bread off his plate, wiped the food off his mouth then bit the bread....... yes, he used the bread for a napkin!!!!! He continued to do this through the rest of the meal. I was appalled and tickled at the same time.

[mitsugirly]

These guys were the funniest we seen on our Pearl cruise back in March. (And not in a bad way). They were hilarious and we looked forward to seeing what type of outfits they would show up in every day (not to mention just how high their heels could be and still be able to walk in them...yes, I did witnessed the taller guy turn his ankle in them once and he just giggled silly about it). Everyone on the ship was going up and taking pictures with them. They loved the attention. :D

 

[Lady Chew]

How could you see the speedo?

 

Eeewwwwwwwwww!

[corpkid]

I saw a poor woman trip down the stairs during a muster drill crowd and it was pretty much a domino effect for 1/2 a flight of stairs. Luckily everyone was OK it seemed.

[Kay19]

About 3 years ago, on my first Carnival cruise....we had just docked in Mexico, but were delayed being able to debark...I look out our stateroom door and there are all these men and women standing side by side (employees) in uniform...they call a some "code" over the PA system...I was thinking to myself something is going on they are calling our deck and they were telling us to stay inside...come to find out they had an elderly woman pass away :( Very sad to see, whom I am believing was her husband, follow behind the stretcher as they were taking her out of the room.

 

Also, last year on RCI we were in the atrium during one of the late night comedy shows....the lights are dim and everyone is intently watching the cruise director on stage...when all of a sudden this man just FALLS down the stairs! Face first in front of us! Scarey thing is...he was NOT responding. Before the CD realized what was happening they were calling another "code" asking for the staff etc to come to the front of the ship. The CD was like..."hey that's us, that's in here"...come to find out the guy was drinking but also had some issue with pressure in the ears etc....to beat it all though his girlfriend/wife/friend whatever...refused to put down her drink to see what was wrong...she was just walking around behind them all drinking away....crazy!

 

Here's to hoping this year we are free from seeing any crazy medical issues!!

[margretha]

This is a great thread. A couple of years ago on an NCL cruise from Boston to Bermuda: a man in a suit with a briefcase, just being on the ship by himself, sitting alone, walking by the pool, always with a suit and a briefcase. And this was enroute to and at Bermuda. One of our tablemates had been unable to contain herself and so next time he was alone in a chair, she and her husband had casually sat down near him and tried to engage him in conversation. He seemed happy to talk with them. Finally she said something like how precious the contents of his briefcase must be since it seemed like a heavy thing to carry around. He asked if she'd like to see what was in it. They said sure. It was filled with hundreds of snapshots of his two cats. And he began taking the pictures out, one at a time, describing where it was taken, what the cats were doing, why the cats were doing what they were doing, what the cats might have been thinking about while they were doing what they were doing, the date the picture was taken.... and they were stuck. He got through about 20 of them by her quick count when her husband made an excuse and thanked him and they fled. And from that point on, whenever he saw them he'd come over to see if they wanted to see more of the pictures. A case of no good deed going unpunished or what you get for asking....:eek: margretha

[SuiteEscape]

Enjoying a sea day a few years ago on the upper deck (away from the pool). My husband points out a topless woman a bit down from me (she has a big floppy hat and I can't see her face)....then we notice her male companion laying next to her on his stomach.....going....commando. Got even more interesting when he rolls over a covers himself with a tiny white washcloth from the cabins....

 

Best part....wait for it....they are our table mates. We were so freaked out we ate at the specialty restaurants for a few nights...

Ya know, I had the same thing happen to me and my wife on a cruise. Strange! :p

[chengkp75]

I've had several service dogs on cruises that I've worked. All were very well behaved. We did have one who was trained only to do his business on kitty litter, and we had set up the potty containment with shredded newspaper. Poor dog had a hard time for a day or so until we could get the proper litter (booking office failed to notify us of the special requirement).

 

We also had a woman who had a service monkey. It was a little capuchin monkey wearing a diaper, that perched on her shoulder. Apparently, she had a condition that required medication, but one of the symptoms was that you forgot to take your medication. So, whenever her condition manifested iteself in ways that the monkey alone could detect, he would start poking her, and she would remember to take the medication.

[fishycomics]

A middle aged very drunk woman. Travelling alone, came to dinner very drunk, she was loud and rude. Then all of a sudden she went quiet. She was choking on a peice of meat. She began to turn blue and pass out. I jumped up and did the himlich maneuver on her. The meat was dislodged as her airway cleared. ( she puked on her plate.) The others at her table left in disgust and she asked to see the dessert menu. No kidding. The waiters served her. Can you believe it??

 

 

Did you get permission ....................:rolleyes:

[SadieN]

Thank you for resurrecting this thread.

 

We take short three day cruises, usually the same weeks every year.

Past few years we have had the priviledge of sailing with a bunch of different bluegrass groups. They play all over the ship (after hours in the buffet in empty lounges, etc) some are very good.

One of them brings an honest-to-goodness washtub bass.

 

When we sailed over another weekend we sailed with the "Sticker Ladies".

These gals had boxes of labels printed with some nice and mostly naughty sayings. They would stick everyone, no one was safe.

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

There was a group of about 6 service dogs on one of our cruises. They let them play everyday in a designated place at a set time on deck that they had roped off. When we asked about the dogs, they told us that we could go and play with them, so we did!

[denlishen]

In 2011 we were sailing out of Port Canaveral on the Freedom of the Seas, well we were just a little ways out and there was a small boat just ahead with a man and woman on board, they were completely distracted - she was reading or looking down at something and he was just looking around in every direction except the one with the GIANT SHIP :eek: Anyway, the side/front bow of the Freedom of the Seas actually bumped/rubbed by their small boat and they got knocked back significantly. Almost immediately there was police boats out there pulling them aside to talk to them and then we had like 6 boats around ours to guide us out. (People were cheering and waving to the boats and they waved back lol) The couple looked soo shocked (but not hurt at all thankfully) The thing that was kinda funny was they were pointing angrily and waving there arms after the contact between boats - it was as if they were thinking we were sooooo rude for getting in their way, like we should have moved lol. At least that's the impression my mind put to the situation. Their reaction was a little bit comical because they were ok, although I hope their boat wasn't damaged and realistically it could have been a serious incident, but thankfully it wasn't.

[hancock]

Getting off the ship in Tobago, observed a man leaving proudly wearing his tighty whiteys and nothing else.

 

We had a crane as a stowaway on the back deck traveling between Bermuda and Tortola on the Horizon.

[ducklite]

In 2011 we were sailing out of Port Canaveral on the Freedom of the Seas, well we were just a little ways out and there was a small boat just ahead with a man and woman on board, they were completely distracted - she was reading or looking down at something and he was just looking around in every direction except the one with the GIANT SHIP :eek: Anyway, the side/front bow of the Freedom of the Seas actually bumped/rubbed by their small boat and they got knocked back significantly. Almost immediately there was police boats out there pulling them aside to talk to them and then we had like 6 boats around ours to guide us out. (People were cheering and waving to the boats and they waved back lol) The couple looked soo shocked (but not hurt at all thankfully) The thing that was kinda funny was they were pointing angrily and waving there arms after the contact between boats - it was as if they were thinking we were sooooo rude for getting in their way, like we should have moved lol. At least that's the impression my mind put to the situation. Their reaction was a little bit comical because they were ok, although I hope their boat wasn't damaged and realistically it could have been a serious incident, but thankfully it wasn't.

 

Freedom was wrong. While they had the right of way, they also had a duty to avoid the collision and should have sounded her horns to advise of her approach.

[Laurie S.]

By all marine laws, the small boat was wrong. And, maybe Freedom was blowing the horn, the OP didn't say. It sounds like the captain knew they would miss them since they were pushed aside. And, I hope they faced a big fine after doing something that stupid. Only a sailboat would have the right-of-way.

[ducklite]

By all marine laws, the small boat was wrong. And, maybe Freedom was blowing the horn, the OP didn't say. It sounds like the captain knew they would miss them since they were pushed aside. And, I hope they faced a big fine after doing something that stupid. Only a sailboat would have the right-of-way.

 

Like I said, Freedom had the right of way, but they also had the obligation to do everything possible to avoid the collision, including turning and blowing the horn.