To Cruise or Not to Cruise
By Darla Isackson
Ahh! The bliss of it! Exquisite food available at all hours of the day and night without lifting a finger to prepare it or clean up afterward… Multiple destinations without having to pack and unpack… A moving picture of gorgeous scenery, coupled with options for play at all hours of the day and night to suit every preference. No wonder cruising has seemed like a dream vacation to most of us since we first saw Love Boat on TV. (Come on, now, admit you are also old enough to remember that show!)
Ask almost any person about a cruise. Those who haven’t gone yet probably have it high on their wish list. Cruise veterans say they want to go again.
Recently, however, some cruise mishaps earned bad press. Many of us became concerned. What if it happened to us? What if we embarked on our dream vacation, only to have it turn into a nightmare?
The Good News on Cruise Safety
All it takes to be reassured about cruising is a bit of research, which I’ve done! Cruising is still one of the safest, most affordable, and enjoyable vacation experiences available. With a relentless focus on passenger safety and comfort, the cruise industry continually reviews and improves implementation of the best safety practices: their business depends on it! They are also constantly developing innovative technologies to further strengthen their safety record.
In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard inspects all cruise ships in the U.S. to certify compliance with applicable international and U.S. laws and regulations. Every officer, both for navigation and engineering, must hold a Certificate of Competency. All seafarers in the deck and engine departments must hold a Certificate of Proficiency, stating they have met relevant requirements of training for seagoing service. And every crewmember is required to receive training in emergency procedures, safety, security, and first aid and to participate in an abandon ship drill and a fire drill once every month. Also, it is now customary to have a safety drill with all passengers before the ship ever sets sail.
Need more convincing? An average cruise ship of approximately 97,000 gross tons carrying approximately 2700 passengers and 800 crew members typically has five firefighting teams whose main members have advanced shipboard firefighting training, 4,000 smoke detectors, 500 fire extinguishers, 16 miles of sprinkler piping, 5,000 sprinkler heads, and 6 miles of fire hose. Sprinklers and smoke detectors, as required by international regulation, are located throughout the ship.
The cruise industry makes it a point to learn from mishaps to determine how to keep them from ever happening again. For instance, in addition to the precaution mentioned above, wires are now placed in fireproof conduits in the floor, making damage to the wires by fire highly unlikely. To avoid ship-wide epidemics, passengers are asked to sign a paper verifying they have not experienced any symptoms of illness prior to boarding, or even being asked to postpone your time of passage. On board, you now find antibiotic hand cleaner everywhere, as well as people who spray your hands with hand sanitizer as you go into the dining room or any buffet area. These practices make it unlikely that you will ever get a virus on board a ship.
The Odds of Onboard Mishaps Are Incredibly Low
A record 20 million-plus global passengers cruised in 2012. Statistics are really in favor of safety; those who found their vacations interrupted by the mishaps that made headlines all over the world represent only a tiny percentage of those 20 million. How many of us have been able to avoid all negative outcomes with automobile travel? In contrast, if the statistics of all those who chose travel by automobile but ended up inconvenienced, frustrated, or involved in accidents or mishaps over the same period of time could be reported en masse, imagine the headlines we would see.
The fact is you are much more likely to get in an auto accident than to have any difficulty on a cruise ship. Cruising is safer! Even if you went on a cruise every few months, even one negative outcome is highly unlikely. Not only are the risks low, but cruising is also a whole lot more fun than driving!
After carefully reviewing the facts, all indicators still point to cruising as one of the safest, most affordable, and enjoyable vacation experiences available. Don’t let unfounded fears rob you of great memories and lots of fun. Make your dream come true. Go ahead and book that cruise today.