Heard aboard our cruise

[Bobblsc]

While being shown, with a group, the navigation and other features on a Celebrity ship's bridge, I asked the young Greek officer conducting the tour "Did you start as a waiter and then were promoted up through the ranks?" :D He replied that Greece has six merchant marine training academies, and he had graduated from one. :)

 

That was a relief. ;):D

 

Bob :cool:

[4774Papa]

And I was disappointed when I saw the Mona Lisa in Paris. It was so small! I remember thinking: "And this is what all the fuss is about?'

I hated that it had a thick glass covering it, making it hard to see very well.

[emcee207]

There was some kind of mix up with a woman's room and the room steward was trying to arrange for her to move to a different one. He asked, "Would you like an inside cabin or an outside cabin?" She replied, "Well, it looks like it might rain today. Can I have an inside cabin?"

 

I thought was a great answer :D

 

Whether she was serious or just joking with the guy this one is one of the all time best!!!:D:D

[mferranti]

Aboard VOS, I overheard a woman ask the bartender, "What temperature do you keep the ice cubes at?"

What's the problem? Sounds like a reasonable question to me. :confused:

[ariawoman]

When I was younger (teens) I remember learning that if you were to throw a penny off of the Empire State Building in NYC the penny could gain so much velocity that it could really hurt someone if it hit them. I said "what if you spit off the top??" to which my friend promptly stated "well, that would be like rain".

 

LOL

 

I felt like a moron and have never forgotten that little story.

[Taxguy77]

And, if the cruise was terminating in a port in Australia or New Zealand, she would have been correct!

 

Possibly in California or Florida, too.

[Anubi]

And, if the cruise was terminating in a port in Australia or New Zealand, she would have been correct!

 

They do sniff for fruit. I was in line (I can't remember where) and the dog stopped at a man near us who had an apple (not a Mac!)

 

Actually' date=' the woman was correct - there ARE dogs that are used to sniff for prohibited food items.

 

Then there are drug sniffing dogs.[/quote']

 

Seriously??? :eek: Oh, my bad. :o:o DH and I have been getting a laugh out of that since 1989!!! I guess we owe that woman an apology. :);)

[ariawoman]

Possibly in California or Florida, too.

 

NJ too. I've seen them in Newark airport. Well there were dogs sniffin' for something lol.

 

My boyfriend got stopped I think in Japan once. He had been there on business and he had a backpack and one day on his trip he put a banana in his backpack and ate it later. Well the next day the scent of the banana was apparently still on the backpack because the dog sniffed it out. LOL. Good noses on those dogs.

[boogs]

Got nabbed by a cute beagle at Kennedy after arriving from Cairo about twenty years ago. I had brought an orange - Egyptian oranges are very tasty - to eat on the plane and forgot about it. Still had it in my carry on when we approached customs.

 

The beagle was sniffing all bags of everyone in line, and when it got to mine, politely sat down. "OH, OH", I thought. "What the heck am I in trouble for this time?" The handler asked if he could check my bag. No way was I going to say "NO" - what choice did I have? As we walked over to a table I noticed that everyone in the line was watching so they wouldn't miss the excitement of the cops hauling my butt to jail.

 

The officer reached in my bag and pulled out that offending orange, gave me a stern look as if saying "What they h**l were you thinking?", tossed the orange into a secured trash can, and abruptly motioned me on my way.

 

I let out a sigh of relief. The observers in line let out a groan of disappointment. And we all went on our merry way.

[momofmeg]

I was so disappointed when I saw the divers in Acapulco. I envisioned something so much more!

 

You know I do believe 99% of enjoyment of trips is the anticipation. I have learned to accept things are usually not as good as I dreamed. It only means it is time to plan another adventure.

[momofmeg]

And I was disappointed when I saw the Mona Lisa in Paris. It was so small! I remember thinking: "And this is what all the fuss is about?'

 

LOL Me too! I could not believe we had to stand a good 20 feet away and look at it behind a glass. It is easier to see more of it on TV. After that several other paintings looked familiar and I told hubby I must have seen them on a TV documentary or in a magazine. He said, "No they were on loan to the Atlanta High Museum of Art a few years back, we HAVE seen them." that was a big letdown. LOL!

[celle]

Seriously??? :eek: Oh, my bad. :o:o DH and I have been getting a laugh out of that since 1989!!! I guess we owe that woman an apology. :);)

 

Fruit is a really serious issue for some countries (and California, I hear).

 

This week, in one of the suburbs of Auckland (NZ) one Australian fruit fly was discovered in one of the traps that are put in strategic areas.

 

If any more are discovered, it can have a devastating effect on NZ's fruit exports - with a possible cost of over $80 million in lost export revenue.

 

Meanwhile, residents of Auckland have been asked not to take fruit off their own properties, and not to put out any food waste for refuse collection.

 

If more fruit flies are discovered, it will mean heavy-duty eradication measures, including poison traps, and possible aerial spraying of affected areas in Auckland. The last time that happened, some residents suffered chest and breathing problems.

 

So, the next time someone feels that NZ is nitpicking or reacting over-the-top in imposing an instant fine for bringing "just one apple" off a flight or a ship, please remember that protecting our agriculture is a serious matter.

[MrJulius]

And I was disappointed when I saw the Mona Lisa in Paris. It was so small! I remember thinking: "And this is what all the fuss is about?'

 

You should see Plymouth Rock...I thought that we were going to be able to see it for miles heading to the harbor. I just about tripped over it. :)

[boogs]

If more fruit flies are discovered, it will mean heavy-duty eradication measures, including poison traps, and possible aerial spraying of affected areas in Auckland. The last time that happened, some residents suffered chest and breathing problems.

 

We suffered through Mediterranean Fruit Fly eradication efforts in Northern California in the early 1980s. Malathion was the chemical of choice. Days of spraying eventually eradicated this pest.

 

Certain days and times were chosen for rows of helicopters to fly over effected areas spraying this chemical much like a line of crop duster would. All area residents were instructed to stay inside, bring in their pets, close all windows, and minimize air circulation from the outside during the spraying and for a few hours afterwards. Cars left outside were sometimes affected by the chemical, with paint surfaces taking the most damage. All fruit bearing trees had to be stripped and the fruit destroyed. Some people suffered health issues and had to be hospitalized. It eventually worked, but the inconvenience to area residents was severe.

 

I don't ever want to go through that again!!!

[Coralc]

Fruit is a really serious issue for some countries (and California, I hear).

 

This week, in one of the suburbs of Auckland (NZ) one Australian fruit fly was discovered in one of the traps that are put in strategic areas.

 

If any more are discovered, it can have a devastating effect on NZ's fruit exports - with a possible cost of over $80 million in lost export revenue.

 

Meanwhile, residents of Auckland have been asked not to take fruit off their own properties, and not to put out any food waste for refuse collection.

 

If more fruit flies are discovered, it will mean heavy-duty eradication measures, including poison traps, and possible aerial spraying of affected areas in Auckland. The last time that happened, some residents suffered chest and breathing problems.

 

So, the next time someone feels that NZ is nitpicking or reacting over-the-top in imposing an instant fine for bringing "just one apple" off a flight or a ship, please remember that protecting our agriculture is a serious matter.

 

Pretty much that's what we do in California. :D I'm an agriculture inspector. Your beagle brigade stories are funny! :D;)

[celle]

We suffered through Mediterranean Fruit Fly eradication efforts in Northern California in the early 1980s. Malathion was the chemical of choice. Days of spraying eventually eradicated this pest.

 

Certain days and times were chosen for rows of helicopters to fly over effected areas spraying this chemical much like a line of crop duster would. All area residents were instructed to stay inside, bring in their pets, close all windows, and minimize air circulation from the outside during the spraying and for a few hours afterwards. Cars left outside were sometimes affected by the chemical, with paint surfaces taking the most damage. All fruit bearing trees had to be stripped and the fruit destroyed. Some people suffered health issues and had to be hospitalized. It eventually worked, but the inconvenience to area residents was severe.

 

I don't ever want to go through that again!!!

 

Yes, it's not a joke! I don't think people who want to bring food off a cruise ship realise the possible consequences.

 

Thank heavens (and the trainers and handlers) for our drug-sniffing and fruit-sniffing dogs!

[Coralc]

We suffered through Mediterranean Fruit Fly eradication efforts in Northern California in the early 1980s. Malathion was the chemical of choice. Days of spraying eventually eradicated this pest.

 

Certain days and times were chosen for rows of helicopters to fly over effected areas spraying this chemical much like a line of crop duster would. All area residents were instructed to stay inside, bring in their pets, close all windows, and minimize air circulation from the outside during the spraying and for a few hours afterwards. Cars left outside were sometimes affected by the chemical, with paint surfaces taking the most damage. All fruit bearing trees had to be stripped and the fruit destroyed. Some people suffered health issues and had to be hospitalized. It eventually worked, but the inconvenience to area residents was severe.

 

I don't ever want to go through that again!!!

 

Now we generally do sterile release of flies (MedFly & MexFly) along with ground spraying. I do remember the helicopter eradication, but they are a little more sensitive now if they can get on an infestation sooner rather than later. :)

 

It can jeopordize very expensive exports though. California and other countries are very serious about smuggling, unitentional or not. Thank you for your cooperation. :D

[americandream]

On our recent 15 night Eastbound Panama Canal cruise aboard Infinity, my wife, our two friends and I were definitely among the youngest passengers on the sailing. We range in age from 35 to 38. I can't count how many times when I was off somewhere on my own I was asked "Are you part of the crew?" or "Do you work here?" I so wanted to respond "Yes ma'am, how may I help you?" and just ride it out from there...