24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick

Many of you are asking what in the world is a "24 Kt Gold Plated Plastic Ship On A Stick". For those of you who have cruised on Carnival, it needs no explanation. For those of you who have never seen the world's most coveted prize, let me explain. The "24 Kt Gold Plated Plastic Ship On A Stick" is given to Carnival guests who win various activities aboard ship. These activities can be trivia (our favorite), contests, games, etc.

Here is a 24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick from the Carnival Fascination.

The "24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick" has become a coveted award in our household. It is a must have gift from Carnival. If we do not win a "24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick", then we have had a miserable cruise and had no fun at all. When we cruise, it is important for us to win our ship on a stick. The pressure is on until we have this beautiful "24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick". Winning second place and getting a medallion is just no substitute for the "24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick". But I'll take it any day I can win it!

Now some of you are probably saying that we must be crazy and only losers want a "24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick". Well, let me tell you that I may be crazy, but that is beside the point. We are not the only ones who must have this "24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick". Once we have one, then we can relax as the pressure is off.

So here is our count of "24 Kt Gold Plastic Ships On A Stick":

You will note that we did not realize how important these 24 Kt Gold Plastic Ships On A Stick were in the early days. Once we got our first one, then we were hooked! We never failed to win at least one each cruise after our first.

• 1998 - Carnival Destiny - Eastern Caribbean - none
• 2001 - Carnival Victory - Canada Cruise - none
• 2005 - Carnival Fascination - Nassau - none
• 2006 - Carnival Victory - Exotic W. Caribbean - none
• 2007 - Carnival Triumph - Eastern Caribbean - none
• 2007 - Carnival Fascination - Nassau - 1 only
• 2007 - Carnival Fascination - Key West & Calica - 1 only
• 2009 - Carnival Glory - Eastern Caribbean - 1 only
• 2010 - Carnival Sensation - Nassau - 1 only
• 2010 - Carnival Splendor - Mexican Riviera - 1 only
• 2010 - Carnival Miracle - Exotic S. Caribbean - 2 each
• 2010 - Carnival Liberty - Western Caribbean  - 3 each
• 2011 - Carnival Imagination - Key West & Cozumel - 1 only
• 2011 - Carnival Elation (back to back cruises) - Western Caribbean - 3 each

Some where along the one, we have also won 5 medallions.  These are usually given for second place. The medallion I am most proud of was for a version of the game called The Game Show, which is usually played in the auditorium in front of a huge crowd. The way this works, is that they ask a question about a song and then play parts of it as a clue. You have to hit a button first before you could answer the question. If the person who rang in first was wrong, then the other two contestants could ring in and give the correct answer. Each question is worth 100 points and the first person to 500 points wins the coveted 24 Kt Gold  Plastic Ship On A Stick. I really wanted this, because it would be my first 24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick that I would win on my own without Rexie's help. I needed this to show my superiority over Rexie, which I can't always do.

On the Carnival Elation, I was picked to be one of the three contestants. I wasn't doing well at all and the woman (I'll call her Cruella De Vil) next to me seemed to know all the answers or was faster at hitting the button. Even when Cruella (for short) was wrong, I sat like a bump on a log not knowing the answer. Actually, the bump on the log probably had more fun.

So, I figured I had to at least make my family proud or I never would hear the end of it. They are like that. See the blog about Fish Had My name On It story to see how my family treats me. I finally decided that I had to take some chances and hit the button earlier. I started doing better which surprised even me. There are three questions that stick in my mind even though I came in second.

I was beginning to feel my oats and was getting some points. They asked a question about where did the person in the song get their thrill. Without even waiting for the music, I hit the button and came up with "on blueberry hill" which was correct. I was on a roll. I impressed everybody in the audience. Even Chuck Berry would have been proud.

The man on the end, I'll call him Larry (from the Larry, Larry, and Larry fame - draw your own conclusions) was doing awful. He had not gotten a question correct. So the MC gave him a question that only he should know, or so we thought he would know. This way, he would at least have some points before the game ended. The question they asked was what did Larry have for breakfast? How would I know? This is the first time I have ever seen him and how would I know what Larry likes to eat for breakfast. So, we wait for Larry to buzz in. Nothing. So we wait some more and still we wait some more. Finally, I hit my button. What in the world was I doing? I guess I just couldn't stand the silence.

Everybody laughed, including the audience, because I now was suppose to answer what Larry had for breakfast. So, I took a deep breath and answered eggs. Seemed like a good choice to me. They asked Larry if he had eggs for breakfast. He hesitates and then says yes he did, but he just couldn't remember until I mentioned them. I was on cloud nine. Everyone in the audience laughed again as I realized I had just answered a question I wasn't even suppose to know. What a hoot!


Now I am tied with Cruella at 400 points. The next correct answer will win the game. They ask the question about who wrote the next song. The song "Piano Man" begins playing and immediately I knew it was either Billy Joel or Elton John. In a second I would have the correct answer in my mind finalized and I was going to win this.  But out of the corner of my eye I see Cruella's hand moving.I didn't have a second! Being a piano player myself, my faster then the speed of lightning reflexes hit the button first. I answered Elton John and immediately heard the groan from the audience as I realized I had given the wrong answer. If I had only had my extra second and I would have gotten it correct.  The 24 Kt Gold Plastic Stick On A Ship was not to be mine! Woe is me. So, after the greatest comeback ever, all I got out of it was a medallion. Rexie and Diva Queen (my granddaughter) were already making fun of me as I got back to my seat. I was holding my head in shame but I had a medal for second place around my neck.

To make it worse, the next morning as we are eating breakfast someone at the breakfast table asked me if I was the one on stage last night. I said I was and the "pregnant pause" at the table said it all. I was a marked man and would never live it down. Then Diva Queen begins telling the Fish Had My Name On It story and laughed at Grandpa. Oh, how embarrassing. Again, see the blog for more about this issue.


I probably should point out that only Carnival has the "24 Kt Gold Plastic Ship On A Stick". And now you know the real story of the most coveted award to be given aboard the Carnival Cruise Lines.