HAL Characters

[TiogaCruiser]

Maybe I'm confusing people but wasn't or isn't there a lady who brings a Teddy bear to dinner? Not even sure she is or was a HAL cruiser. As I vaguely remember the stories she would bring a Teddy bear to dinner and have a place set for the bear. Might even have carried on conversations with the bear. Really not sure and this might be nothing more than my foggy memory. :o

 

Like someone said there may be several, but there was a (former) friend/business associate of my folks that did that several cruises, and everywhere she used to go. Even fancy restaurants. She dressed the bear, Thaddeus, and got him a high hair and ordered dessert for him. It was more than eccentric.

[OlsSalt]

Like someone said there may be several, but there was a (former) friend/business associate of my folks that did that several cruises, and everywhere she used to go. Even fancy restaurants. She dressed the bear, Thaddeus, and got him a high hair and ordered dessert for him. It was more than eccentric.

 

 

I remember a woman in a swank SF hotel cafe once who enviously looked like Lauren Bacall and dressed with such expensive style. But then she took out a little bear from her purse, set it up primly in front of her luncheon order and proceeded to start feeding it and talking to it. Wonder if it was the same one. I also thought, well she has figured out dining alone.

[Ineke]

Oh yes, the tarp man, whonas it turned out also dressed in tuxedo at times, and the teddy bear lady. On one cruise there were actually 2 of them.

[TiogaCruiser]

I remember a woman in a swank SF hotel cafe once who enviously looked like Lauren Bacall and dressed with such expensive style. But then she took out a little bear from her purse, set it up primly in front of her luncheon order and proceeded to start feeding it and talking to it. Wonder if it was the same one. I also thought, well she has figured out dining alone.

 

Thaddeus was a large Steif bear- about the size of a 14-16 month old, IRRC. He went places in her arms (she carried him like a child). This went on for the several years we knew them. Her husband was not eccentric like that (actually quite logical and warm). He just went along with it..........

[ellieanne]

Oh yes, the tarp man, whonas it turned out also dressed in tuxedo at times, and the teddy bear lady. On one cruise there were actually 2 of them.

 

I was on a cruise with the Tarp Guy. I only ever saw him dressed in actual clothes once, on the last day, boarding the bus to the airport. The other 14 days of the cruise, he was in different colored tarps -- red was for formal nights, blue for sea days, and green for port days. Having shared an elevator with him, I can report that tarps DO NOT BREATHE!

 

We overheard the crew talking to another passenger about him in line for a tender. They said he is a professor in a English University and a HAL regular. (I wonder if that is true, and if he wears tarps around the campus.) They also said have had complaints from other passengers about the unusual choice of "clothing" and the unique aroma, but there is really nothing they can do about it.

[37harbar70]

We met Susan on our holiday cruise last Christmas on the Maasdam. We really enjoyed our time with her. She always said ''toodledo'' and soon we were saying it back whenever she gave announcements . Hope all is well with her.

 

We met a lady on the Prinsendam who shared our table, she was from Texas and her name was Abby. She was known by the staff and crew. Did anyone ever have the chance to meet her?

 

 

Hi

 

I met her an a Hawaii cruise on the Zaandam. She was sitting in the Crows Nest by herself and singing. As a solo cruiser I inquired if I could come and join her. She invited to Dinner in the and insisted we have a formal picture taken together, along with discussing how the Spurs were doing in the playoffs. She even invited me to join her on VOV and offered to pay for me. Due to work requirements, I was unable to take her up her offer. Really enjoyed her company and wishing I would run into her again.

 

 

I met another very different lady. She had a small dog with her which she insisted was to keep her blood pressure down. She would dress him up and put in baby stroller. She even brought him to dinner and the waiters would go crazy and fix him a special treat. The people that complained were a couple with a four year old who kept running the ship unsupervised. I wonder if she is still cruising.

 

Bill

[realnurse2]

I remember the tarp guy from several years ago but he only wore a blue one then! Nice to know he's alive and as eccentric as ever. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

There was talk here about two different Susan's: a front office Susan for the public and a back office Susan for the staff. I believe she was asked to pitch in with more non-public duties and she said no, bye. The word prima donna was uttered. Must be in the CC archives.

 

 

Yes, Susan Wood was asked to do other duties other than being a CD.

[Halfmoonfan]

I understood that Susan went to Silversea and may or may not have retired from there.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1661278

[FRANKIEDNYC]

:) I remember being on a couple cruises with the slipper people. They brought a different pair of slippers for each day of the cruise. They had the big huge fluffy dog, cat, bear etc slippers. The cruises we met them on were all over 30 days. That's a lot of slippers. They wore them 24/7. They even wore them on formal nites with a tux and evening gown. I believe that it was reported here on cruise critic that one of them had passed away. I haven't seen them since.

[OlsSalt]

On a recent Oosterdam NZ cruise there was a woman of a certain age wearing what looked like her wedding gown, heavy lace veil, a bit dated but very dramatic.

 

I thought it was just a tribute to an anniversary cruise and what a fun idea to do it up with her original gown, but then each night she showed up in another "costume" is the best description. They were elaborately made as if for theatrical productions. We saw Elizabethan, and Spanish señorita etc.

 

Then on one of our NZ stops (I think it was Akaroa) we saw a shore excursion to an eccentric local museum type house of a local artist and I always wondered if that was run by the woman in the costumes, who was taking the full cruise herself. And enjoying her costume wardrobe immensely.

[bcscot]

One of the crew who stands out in our minds, was Sammy. As a waiter, he was so cheeky to the passengers, but got away with it. He would say things like,"Come aboard, come aboard, we have American junk food on here," as you boarded. Another favourite was, "only 4 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes and praise be to God, we will get rid of you!" The passengers loved him though and seemed to enjoy his constant banter. Next time we saw him, he had been promoted to one of the dining room managers. He was a character.

[OlsSalt]

Never met him, but many enjoyed the dining room services of steward "Hunky Dory".

[Jemery]

DW reminds me that we had lunch with the slipper couple on a Panama Canal cruise several years ago (our first of two, so far, HAL cruises).

[sapper1]

:) I remember being on a couple cruises with the slipper people. They brought a different pair of slippers for each day of the cruise. They had the big huge fluffy dog, cat, bear etc slippers. The cruises we met them on were all over 30 days. That's a lot of slippers. They wore them 24/7. They even wore them on formal nites with a tux and evening gown. I believe that it was reported here on cruise critic that one of them had passed away. I haven't seen them since.

 

That would be Jim and Ruth, and Ruth died a while back.

[momatibm]

I remember Jim and Ruth, while they were the slipper folks they were wonderful folks and pleasant to everyone.

[ookpik]

Just back from the Ryndam s. Caribbean where we saw Mama Lou AND the older gentleman in full dress whites(Including hat).He turned a few heads!

[sppunk]

Not a character in the negative sense, Jeff definitely has a dedicated crew loyalty and his own embroidered aft pool lounger on a few ships. :)

[Copper10-8]

Mama Lou as guest of honor during the Indonesian Independence Day ceremony on Volendam on 17 AUG 11

[sheba5]

We have met Mama Lou on several cruises. Also met the lady with the little dog in the babystroller. She had him sitting on a barstool whenever she was having a cocktail. I am sure that she had a doctor's letter in order to bring him aboard.