Entertainment during a flight delay is yours for the watching

When I travel, people-watching is one of my fave things to do. A whole new world of quirky people are yours for the meeting. Toss in an unexpected event - like sitting on the runway for 3 hours - and it's like throwing a spotlight on the beautiful idiosyncrasies that make up our world.

San Juan recently, a computer glitch dragged out for hours on the runway. At one point we were told it was fixed, but then the problem reappeared and they sent us back to the gate.

That's when the fun began. Ripples of panic and worry ensued as cell phones clicked on and seatbelts clicked off. Meet some of the people who kept me entertained while I waited...

Mr. Napoleon - He whipped out his phone like a weapon, calling his travel agent, then her cell, her husband's cell and finally her bosses cell. Then he called everyone in his family to let them know about the situation and that he was on it.

Grandma - Everyone loves the woman whose purse also doubles as a pantry. She had enough food in that bag to fortify everyone in her row and then some - licorice, chocolate, pretzels. This is the woman we all want to sit beside in an emergency.

Mr. Know-It-All - While panic ensues, he compares his cruise to everyone around him. He doled out advice on which islands to enjoy and which to skip. He told me to skip Dominica. "It's one of the poorest islands in the Caribbean and there's nothing to do there."

Dominica is the island I'm most looking forward to visit because of our 8-hour adventure.

The Teeny Bopper - She's all about the impromptu party. The aisles are her dance floor as she saunters through the cabin, looking for friends. They traveled in packs on this flight.

Mr. Safety - He's quiet, reserved and seems to take it all in stride. Until they announce after 3 hours and many false starts, that they've fixed the problem and we're ready to leave. "Do you think this is safe? What if the problem pops up again while we're in there air? What then?"

And  then there's me, the I'm-going-on-a-cruise-and-I-don't-care. We built in the possibility for flight delays when we planned out our cruise. Three hours on the runway isn't how I pictured my vacation starting, but it's not a catastrophe.

Now, if the Caribbean Princess announces they're fresh out margaritas, that's worth raising a stink about. Right?

We'd love to hear what people you've met in your travels. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or drop us a comment below.