Buoy, Oh Buoy

I’m working on a large cruise ship in guest relations. A married couple approaches, and the guy asks a few questions about the ship, culminating in:

Man Guest: “So, if the engines stop working, will the ship sink?”

Woman Guest: “Oh my God! Are you seriously asking that?!”

Man Guest: “What? It’s a perfectly valid question! Planes crash when their engines stop!”

Me: “You know what, that’s fair? No, sir, the ship doesn’t sink when the engines stop. The ship remains naturally buoyant.”

Man Guest: “Oh, good! My next question: can you turn off the engines at night and just… coast? They’re awfully loud when I’m trying to sleep!”

I figured trying to explain to the man how a 230,000 gross ton vessel can’t simply ‘coast’ along the ocean on momentum, but based on his need to ask the previous question, I simply said ‘no’ and offered him some complimentary earplugs.