Cruise Ship Facts: You Should Book A Cruise
The majority of first-time cruisers are hooked for life and would recommend it as a vacation option for friends and family. It is the best of all worlds. Its relaxation and adventure, fun and exploration, family time and more food than you can imagine available day and night.
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Feel free to discuss this topic and all things cruise at our new boards. A place where readers can ask questions, help their fellow cruisers and general cruise discussions on cruise lines and ports.
How Do You Get Your Loved One Home
The biggest concern many loved ones face is how to bring the body home from the ship for burial. Whether the body must be immediately repatriated from a foreign port or can stay onboard depends on a number of factors, including where the ship is at the time, which ports it’s visiting and what the Flag State of the ship is .
According to the Cruise Lines International Association, the latter two can have requirements that necessitate the off-loading of anyone who’s died, or preclude the line from being able to offload a body. Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires that any ship that calls or homeports at a U.S port must immediately report any deaths onboard.
Bodies can be stored in shipboard morgues as needed, though not for much longer than a week. Each oceangoing cruise ship is required to carry body bags and maintain a morgue. Separate from food storage areas, most morgues are small, with room for three to six bodies.
On standard Caribbean sailings, remains are often kept in the cruise ship morgue until the vessel returns to the United States, where a death certificate can be issued by the local medical examiner’s office. However, as stated above, port authorities in any of the ports visited by the cruise have the right to require an examination of anyone who’s died, as well as the off-loading of the body.
But when the ship is far from its homeport or doesn’t have a homeport, the body must be repatriated from somewhere.
Largest Cruise Ship Is 228081 Gross Tons
Royal Carribean Cruise line believes size matters and owns some of the worlds largest and most luxurious ships in the world today.
Symphony of the Seas was launched for her maiden voyage in 2018 and is a massive 1,188 ft long and 215 ft wide. This ship can handle more than 6,600 passengers at a time.
It took the title of the largest cruise ship from another Royal Carribean ship, Harmony of the Seas, which is a formidable 226,963-tons.
Symphony of the Seas has more than 20 restaurants, 40+ bars, and lounges, stores, theatres, and even has a 10-story high slide located aft. There are over 20 pools, whirlpools, and waterslides for guests to enjoy as well as a zipline that is over nine stories high.
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Safety Equipment Once Ironically Took Down An Entire Ship
Following the tragedy of the Titanic, more safety equipment was required on all ships. Ironically, this caused disaster aboard the SS Eastland, a cruise ship going through the Great Lakes in 1915, which was loaded with extra lifeboats, rafts, and life jackets for the 2,570 passengers. All the weight from the extra equipment led the ship to roll over and capsize, leading to the deaths of 844 people.
Covid Cases Detected On Cruise Ship Jordan Jails Hospital Chief Over Covid Deaths
Amman: A Jordanian court on Sunday sentenced to three years in jail the director of a state hospital over the deaths of 10 patients at the facility which treated coronavirus patients.
Abdel Razak al-Khashman and four aides were convicted of “causing the deaths” at the Salt state hospital where the patients died after it ran out of oxygen. The verdict can be appealed within 10 days, an AFP correspondent at the court said.
The deaths in March sparked public anger in Jordan and led to the resignation of health minister Nazir Obeidat. After the tragedy King Abdullah II visited the state hospital where hundreds of people rallied outside to vent their wrath.
Meanwhile, ten Covid-19 cases have been detected among crew members and passengers on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship returning to New Orleans on Sunday with thousands on board, a US health authority said.
“The Norwegian Breakaway departed from New Orleans on Nov. 28 and stopped in Belize, Honduras and Mexico on its voyage,” the Louisiana Department of Health tweeted Saturday. “There are more than 3,200 individuals onboard.” The health department said every individual aboard would be tested for Covid prior to disembarking.
“Those who test positive for Covid-19 will either travel by personal vehicle directly to their personal residence or self-isolate according to current guidelines in accommodations provided by NCL,” the health department tweeted.
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Ships Have Padded Cells For Problem Passengers And Other Confessions Of A Cruise Security Officer
A cruise is a vacation full of fun and frivolity under the sun. But if you step out of line , youll have to deal with cruise ship security officers. Theyre often a courteous and helpful bunch, but they also have the power to confine you to quarters, lock you up, and, in some circumstances, escort you off the ship to sit in a foreign jail. Cruise ship troublemakers, beware: What you gonna do when cruise ship security comes for you?
Vincent McNally knows all about the life of a cruise ship officer. After a 30-year career in the FBI and a stint as an instructor for Iraqi police in Baghdad, McNally decided a work-vacation was in order: He became a security officer for Holland America Line.
Being a cruise ship security officer is a tough job, but somebodys gotta do it!
What made McNally choose a life at sea after leaving the FBI? My wife and I went on my first cruise, he remembers. He says he enjoyed it a lot. “I said to my wife, Id like to go and work on this. This looks good and you can travel the world. And thats exactly what we did.
McNally worked as a Holland America cruise ship security officer for five years. “The security officer does everything, McNally tells Yahoo Travel. I usually had a staff of seven or eight people, depending on how big the ship is. It could be more for bigger ships. He says his job involves checking people on board, training, and assisting in port security at ports of call.
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Cruise Ship Travel During Covid
CDC has temporarily extended the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order until January 15, 2022, with minor modifications. Learn more at CDC COVID-19 Orders for Cruise Ships.
CDC has temporarily extended the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order through January 15, 2022, with minor modifications. The CSO, as modified, applies only to foreign-flagged cruise ships operating or seeking to operate in U.S. waters. U.S.-flagged cruise ships previously covered by the CSO may continue to participate voluntarily. Passenger operations have now resumed on cruise ships. The CSO as modified aligns with current public health considerations and other factors onboard cruise ships.
As of July 23, 2021, the CSO and accompanying measures, such as technical instructions, are nonbinding recommendations for cruise ships arriving in, located within, or departing from a port in Florida. CDC is continuing to operate the CSO as a voluntary program for such ships that choose to follow the CSO measures voluntarily.
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Not Always Smooth Sailing
You might be in the middle of an endless ocean, but that doesn’t mean you can escape the law if you behave badly – in fact, it’s even stricter than on land.
Most of the time crew will keep a guest locked in their cabin if they’ve had a row with someone else, or got too drunk.
However, things could get more serious – each large cruise ship actually has an on-board jail, which is usually a couple of steel rooms near the security office known as the brig, for when things escalate.
Speaking to The Sun Online, Cruise Critic editor Kerry Spencer says: In general, it will have to be a pretty significant issue to find your way there, but depending on the severity, you might even be arrested at the next port of call.
“If you are at sea without a port stop, you could be returned to your cabin to remain there until the end of the cruise.”
Was The Movie Poseidon Based On A True Story
The Sea Fox was capsized by a large squall in the Caribbean, leaving four of its crew inside a hull compartment for three days. Upon reading this true sea story, it reminded me so much of the 1972 disaster movie, The Poseidon Adventure, I just had to share. The movie was based on Paul Gallicos 1969 eponymous novel.
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Are Guests Entitled To Compensation If A Passenger Falls Overboard
Guests whose cruise is disrupted by a man overboard incident arent usually entitled to any form of compensation. Cruise lines do have councilors on board to speak to guests about the incident if required.
Its very common for a cruise itinerary to change and it happens for a number of reasons.
To find out more about why your itinerary might be changed, and to find out how travel insurance could give you a cash sum in the event of an itinerary change, check out this post: Do You Get Compensation For Missed Cruise Ports?
Can A Cruise Ship Survive A Hurricane
Typically, it’s still safe for cruise ships to depart the home port while a hurricane is occurring in the Caribbean, as long as the hurricane is not impacting the embarkation port â and if the home port is impacted, a cruise departure may only be delayed by a day or two rather than being canceled. via
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Hidden Decks Morgues And Private Bars 7 Secrets Of Cruise Ships
Whether you have taken a dozen cruises or never stepped foot on a gangway, you may be surprised by some of the secrets hidden onboard. Some of these secrets are places youre not allowed to visit others are policies the cruise lines dont typically share. Read on and let us know what surprised you:
1. Theres a whole other world you cant see.Yep, youre really only seeing half of your cruise ship. Many of the things that you have access to on a cruise ship a cabin, dining hall, bars, sun decks, gyms have separate versions on a lower deck for the crew to use. These areas are off-limits to guests.
2.There is a morgue. Most large ships have a designated morgue in case a passenger passes away during a sailing. They also have body bags and, if death occurs, theyre prepared to hold a body or bodies there until the ship reaches a port large enough for arrangements to be made to return the deceased home. While the cruise lines dont really like to discuss the issue, deaths at sea are most common on lines that carry a large percentage of elderly passengers.
Always be kind to your cruise ship waiter he might not get a day off!
3. Crew members dont just work hard they often work every day.Many crew members work seven days a week during the time theyre onboard, and for more hours a day than the typical American works. They then get a few shifts off. The result? Theyre traveling around the world, but they dont often get time to see the ports.
Fees For Select Menu Items In The Free Dining Room
One of the hallmarks of cruising is that theres always a free meal available somewhere on a ship. All but the smallest vessels usually have a main dining room that is included in the fare as well as a buffet eatery where you can count on getting complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner.
But in recent years some lines have started sneaking some extra charges into these free eateries. Carnival and Royal Caribbean now charge extra for filet mignon, lobster or a surf-and-turf combination entree in their main restaurants. The prices range from around $17 to well over $30 a plate. Princess sometimes turns its free buffet area into a crab shack experience serving such items as snow crab, jumbo shrimp, clams and mussels for a hefty fee.
The way to avoid this: Order the chicken.
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Has Anyone Ever Fell Overboard On A Cruise Ship
There are a few examples where unexplained accidents have happened such as a lady who fell off the Pacific Dawn in 2018. She had reportedly gone onto her balcony to be sick due to the bad weather than the ship was experiencing when she fell overboard. In total 26 people went overboard from cruise ships in 2019.
Do Cruises Resume In 2021
The cruise line will return with new health measures in 2021. Update 6: It was announced by the destination-focused cruise operated that cruises wont resume until Spring 2021, here are the details. Update 7: The small cruise line that is owned by Royal Caribbean has suspended all operations through April 30, 2021.
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Do Cruise Ships Have Armories
So regardless how you feel about the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the cruise ships by and large don’t have armed security guards. … Some cruise ships go as far as to install razor wire around the rails and position logs to be dropped on the pirates below if they run their skiffs up to the cruise ship.
The Food On Cruise Ships Is Actually Incredible Each Night Basically Feels Like A Five
If you’ve never been on a cruise before then you might not believe me, but I promise that the sit-down dining meals are incredible.
You can pick your poison at the buffets for any meal, but cruises also offer sit-down dining for breakfasts, most lunches, and dinners, which are all included in your ticket price. They also have specialty restaurants on board if you ever want to venture from the pack, but those cost extra.
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Which Cruise Lines Allow Smoking
Cruise line smoking policies have become fairly uniform in recent years. Below, we outline what’s allowed by each of eight major brands.
Note that specific locations where smoking is permitted vary from ship to ship within each cruise line’s fleet, and unless otherwise noted, the rules apply to cigarettes, tobacco pipes, cigars, vaporizers and electronic cigarettes.
Carnival
Carnival Cruise Line limits the smoking to its casinos and casino bars, nightclubs and select outdoor spaces. In fact, it’s one of the only lines to permit nightclub smoking at all.
Cigars and tobacco pipes are limited to certain outdoor spaces only, and smoking of any kind is not allowed in cabins or on cabin balconies.
Here is a full list of Carnival’s designated smoking areas.
Celebrity
Celebrity Cruises maintains a non-smoking environment across its fleet, with the exception of designated areas. Contact Celebrity for specific locations on each ship.
Unlike other cruise lines, Celebrity does not allow smoking in its ships’ casinos, and smoking is not allowed in staterooms or on verandas. Violators face fines of up to $250 and other consequences.
You can read more under Celebrity’s smoking policy.
Disney
Disney does not allow smoking in any public areas or passenger rooms. It is also banned on stateroom balconies. Violators face fines of $250.
Disney does not have casinos on its ships, which effectively eliminates smoking there.
Holland America
See more in MSC’s onboard FAQs.
Norwegian
Princess
Room Service Convenience Fees
Complimentary room service used to be a standard on cruise ships. But a growing number of lines are charging extra for it. The worlds biggest cruise line by passenger capacity, Royal Caribbean, for instance, now levies a $7.95 per order convenience fee for room service even if all you order is a single side of hash browns. They also and this could really drive you nuts add an 18% gratuity fee on top of the convenience fee for good measure. For the record, we find that fee-on-top-of-a-fee structure absurd. Just say youre going to charge us $9.38.
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Other lines that have started charging for room service include Norwegian, which now has a $9.95 convenience charge for room service. Celebrity Cruises and Carnival both charge for room service delivered late at night.
The way around these fees is simple: Dont order room service. On many ships, there is no-extra-charge food available nearly around-the-clock from multiple outlets, from casual buffet eateries to grab-and-go pizza stands. All it takes is a short walk from your cabin to grab it.
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Do Cruise Ships Have Jails
Cruises are like floating cities. They’ve got their own housing, entertainment, stores, restaurants, spas and swimming pools, among other amenities that allow them to sustain life at sea. So, it’s only logical that you might be wondering if cruise ships have brigs.
The answer is yes, they do. “But wait,” you’re thinking. “What is a bring on a cruise ship?”
A brig is the name for a jail on a vessel. They usually consist of just one small room that can be locked from the outside to prevent an unruly passenger from escaping in the event that he or she is too intoxicated or dangerous to be out and about.
Although brigs are standard on cruise ships, we’re told that they’re rarely used. Instead, passengers are often confined to their rooms, with a security guard posted just outside the door.
This method can be employed in many instances, whether a passenger needs to sleep off a night of drinking, recover from a contagious illness like norovirus or is awaiting disembarkation for a serious infraction when the ship reaches its next port.
But, again, you might be thinking “Hold on a second. Can you get kicked off a cruise ship?”
The answer to this one is also yes.
If you’re wondering how to get kicked off a cruise ship, we’ve compiled a list. Beware: Some of these could cause you to face criminal prosecution in addition to having your vacation cut short: