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Wanting to book a cruise but unsure on if it is safe or not? This post will go over your most asked questions leaving you a pro at cruise safety knowing what to do and more importantly, what not to do.
With the power of the internet and everyone having a camera on their phone they’re walking around with 24/7, nowadays we see some crazy stuff.
You may have seen cruise ships crashing into each other at a dock, causing damage.
Other videos of people sitting on balcony railings or even reports of some failing overboard.
You could’ve also seen the Carnival ship that caught on fire.
You might be wondering if the port stops are safe for you to get off at and venture out into.
All of this and more may have you thinking, are cruises safe?
In this post you will find the answer to the top questions first time cruisers have about the safety on a cruise ship.
This post is all about if cruises are safe.
Click here for the top cruise essentials list for your next vacation
Are cruises safe?
The short answer is, YES. Of course cruises are safe.
Cruises have countless ways to keep you safe. If there is a problem from A to Z they have thought of a plan of action to keep passengers safe.
However, this does not mean you can act recklessly on a cruise and expect to still be safe. You need to be careful on a vessel of this size.
A good example would be to think about what you would do back home.
Would you let your children go anywhere by themselves?
Are you someone who would leave your wallet on a table and walk away?
Would you climb up the side of something knowing you could fall off?
You need to use common sense (which unfortunately not everyone has) to make the right decisions to keep yourself safe while on a cruise vacation.
How to stay safe on a cruise:
Pay attention at your muster drill
Completing your muster drill and finding your muster station before departing for a cruise is mandatory. Although, a lot of people will just go through the motions and may not pay attention as well as they need to to remember all of the information they tell you.
A muster drill is very important and is something you shouldn’t just breeze through. You should commit the steps in case of an emergency to memory, maybe even take some notes.
Another tip is to learn what the emergency signal is. Your ship will most likely blow the horn to alert passengers of an emergency.
For example, on my latest Royal Caribbean cruise they let us know they would be blowing the horn 7 times to inform us that is the emergency signal we would need to be aware of in case something happened.
Don’t climb on anything
We have all seen those videos of children sitting on the edge of their balcony while they ship is docked in port.
This is extremely dangerous and should never be done. It’s so dangerous in fact that if the cruise line catches you doing this and/or you’re identified in a video like that you will not only be kicked off of the ship for the rest of the cruise but you’ll also be ban from that cruise line for life.
It is never a good idea to climb up on anything by the edge of the ship. There have been countless news stories of people losing their life to doing something like this and I’m sure not all of them did it on purpose.
The only thing you should be climbing on a cruise ship is the rock wall if they have one. Even then you should only do it during the hours of operation, have the help of a crew member and be strapped into the safety cord correctly.
Be cautious with people you just met
There are certain things you should not do on a cruise.
If a crew member invites you into the crew area you should say no. You could get in trouble doing this and you don’t really know the person very well to be able to trust them.
Another thing you should be cautious when inviting people you don’t know into your stateroom. Most people will be harmless but you never know when someone you just met doesn’t have the right intensions.
Keep a close eye on your possessions
The one item you want to keep on you throughout the duration of your cruise and not lose is your seapass card.
This card is important because it’s potentially linked to your credit card, it is your room key and more.
Don’t leave this just lying around and don’t trust another passenger you don’t know with it.
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Other frequently asked questions:
Is there a safe in my room?
Yes! If you are worried about certain valuables such as jewelry, your passport, etc. Be sure to locate the safe in your room, set a new passcode and leave your possessions in the safe when not using them.
Is there security on the ship?
Yes!
Cruise lines do have officers on the ship. Cruises also have a holding cell like a jail that they can put you in if you are causing harm so it is important to make the right choices while on your vacation.
Are ports safe?
Generally speaking, yes.
However, there are some places that you might want to do research on before your cruise. Check travel advisory websites to see if you need to be cautious at any of your port stops.
Most of the time there are not any issues at the ports of call your cruise will go. Cruises bring tons of money into the area and a lot of countries will not want to mess that up by causing harm to the passengers.
Although this is the case most places you still need to be smart.
If you are worried about a port stop there are a few things you can do.
- You can stay in the guarded port area and not leave.
- Booking an excursion with the cruise line and not venturing off on your own or through a third party website would be a good way to keep you safer.
- Don’t wear a lot of expensive jewelry off the ship in port.
- Keep your valuables in your front pockets or close at hand so they are not stolen from you by people walking by.
Are there enough life boats on a cruise?
Yes!
After the titanic cruise lines are required to have enough life boats for ALL passengers in case of an emergency.
Will I get sick on a cruise?
There is always a possibility you will get sick while on vacation. Especially with thousands of people in one place.
Common illnesses to look out for on cruise ships are norovirus, the common cold, the flu, covid, etc.
Cruises have several common areas such as the buffets that are high touch areas. These will spread the most germs.
If you’re trying to avoid getting sick I would advise a few things:
- Wash your hands frequently. Some cruise lines will have a crew member at the front of the buffet saying things like “washy washy before yummy yummy”. This is very important to help you not become ill.
- Carry hand sanitizer with you in your pocket. I personally attach a small one to my phone case. Some cruises will have stations around the ship, sometimes close to the elevator but I would bring your own and use it after touching common areas.
- Drink lots of water and get some rest.
- Bring vitamins with you to keep your immune system high.
What happens if there is bad weather?
This cruise line does it’s best to avoid storms.
They have staff members who will be watching the weather patterns. It is not uncommon on a cruise for you to be rerouted to avoid bad weather.
Some people may get upset about missing a port stop but it is better to be safe than sorry. You will not get refunded for this though more than potentially just your port fees. It is part of taking a cruise that you might not be able to go to one or more of the destinations.
They also might close off certain decks of the ship or drain the pools if you are sailing in rough waters.
The bottom line is if you’re looking to go on a cruise and curious if you’ll be safe or not, rest asured you should be just fine!
This post was all about the question “are cruises safe?”
