Safety at Sea
The world that we live is not always safe no matter where you are, including your own home. I must tell you that I am not the bravest soul on the planet, and that is one of the reasons I love cruising so much. I am able to see different parts of the world with the ability to get back onboard a beautiful, clean ship where the food is familiar and the water is safe to drink. I know that the only people on the ship have cleared security as have their suitcases and purchases from the beautiful ports the ship visits. I have traveled with my children when they were teenagers and yes I watched them, but I was comfortable allowing them some freedom to explore the ship and run with their newly met friends. Common sense guidelines were given to them – don’t go into anyone else’s cabin, stay together, check-in with me hourly and report anything that seems wrong either to me or to a security officer.
Of course I have read the news about cruise ships in regards to fires, sexual assaults, kidnapping and murder, and have done some internet research on my own because I know that the press has a way of embellishing and omitting some very important facts. What I found, was that cruise ships have great safety records and yes, fires have occurred onboard ships, but no one was seriously injured. Each cruise lines have highly trained fire fighters onboard and the rest of the crew members are also trained in the basics of fighting a fire.
In addition, while I am sure that sexual assaults do happen on ships, it is my understanding that the passenger who was assaulted didn’t use common sense. Bad choices included inviting strangers to their cabin, leaving their travel companions to go to someone else’s cabin and excessive of drinking. No one deserves to be assaulted and it is shame that they may have put themselves in the position to experience this unfortunate crime.
As for the rumors of kidnapping and murder, I was unable to find any confirmed reports. It is believed that the passenger chose to disappear, fell overboard due to bad choices or jumped overboard on purpose. While my heart goes out to the love ones who don’t have answers to what happen to their family member, I do not believe that foul play was involved.
Now, when you get off the ship in the different ports of calls, beware of pick pockets, stay in the well traveled and lighted areas and stay with your traveling companion. Dress appropriately, leave your valuables back on the ship in the safe and be aware of your surroundings. Our children were never permitted to leave the ship without my husband or myself. We enjoyed each port, but we followed the steps mentioned above.
In closing, I love cruising and feel very safe knowing that cruise lines have taken many steps over the years to ensure the safety of their passengers, including adding safety officers, security guards, security cameras and strict rules have been put in place for the crew about fraternizing with passengers in only acceptable ways. But please remember, to ensure your safety while on vacation, it is important to use common sense and make good choices about what you do on and off the ship.
