Ship in Bottle - help!

Hiya, this is the first time I've posted although I've been a lurker for sometime! I hope someone can help me please.
I have the ship in a bottle quests and I have completed 4 but three are really stumping me.

Strong rear - look in lab
Fair winds to you sailor - look in African room
Rescue operation in open waters - profs robots

I must have played bothe the lab and African room 20+ times each and nothing.
Plus it's taking forever to collect oil cans to banish the profs robots, but I must have banished at least 10 of these and nothing.

Any tips?
Should I be looking in a specific room before the lab or African room?
Do i need either room in a specific mode.

I'm getting bored and ready to give up as I've been on these for what seems like forever!!

Any help much appreciated
Cheers!
MrsD x

Can you refresh my memory? Are these quests for assembling the brig?

Ooh yeah I think so, if that's what the ship in the bottle on the top left hand side of my screen is then yep!

Yes it is the brig, pirate ship, pain in the butt! It has many names

I can really remember all of the quests, but all of the pieces can be gifted from friends. Even the ones with quests attached to it will be completed when gifted.

It's the actual blue prints I'm trying to get to make the ship. Don't think friends can gift me those as you only get one when you complete the quest. I got the first four within a week. The last three just don't seem to be dropping even when running a turtle and taking a friend with me! Grrrr!! It must have been at least a month I've been constantly playing and I'm getting bored now :-(

Hmmm...... Have you read the exact instructions for them? Sometimes you have to search one room then another for item to drop.

Yeah, nothing obvious in the text. To be honest I think I've probably tried most rooms before the lab anyway. Grrr, might just concentrate on the other quests and forget the brig now :-(
Thanks for trying to help though x

I feel for you! Actually I lost my temper waiting for the blueprints and paid my way out.....precisely what they wanted.

Oh and don't get me started on those oil cans!!!

Ask yr friends to gift you whatever they can, and other times I think you have the right idea, just forget about it. Don't get obsessed bashing out room searches, and focus on something else for a bit, like filling collection slots. They'll come along in their own sweet time (easier said than done, I'm the worst for getting all obsessed and WANT IT NOW).

If its any consolation, it's rubbish in the brig, still searching for the same old crap....and you run out of entry items almost immediately.

Sorry I can't give you any practical advise, but just feeling your pain out loud.

I ended up buying the last 3 with synthesized diamonds just before the last update and then came across the 45 of each material quest. So if you don't have 150 and 199 friends you will be stuck

Thanks guys! Perfect, I'm just not going to bother! Especially with what is happening with MM and the updates. I'll just keep plodding along and playing the games and the other quests and see what happens.
Glad its not just me, although I'd rather it was none of us :-s