Orientation on Cruise Ships

Many people are still new to cruise ships, with prior ideas coming from the old Love Boat TV Show. This is true for many things, but the modern cruise environment is different and people can avoid problems by being prepared.

The ship's master is the captain. When at sea, a captain enforces International Law as well as the rules of the company. Law at sea is fairly straightforward, but if a crime occurs, it may have to be referred to the law at the port of origin.

The staff captain and Chief of Security document incidents, write a report. and refer such incidents to local authorities, if necessary.

Victims of assault, rapes and theft may have to be referred to a lawyer to assist with the case once the cruise is over.

The Chief radio officer helps with navigation and communication which in this modern age is straightforward. The chief purser and hotel manager manage their staff to look after the needs of the passengers, much like a hotel would.

Many employees are hard working and honest but sometimes altercations occur between staff and passengers. Most of the time, they are started by passengers, but usually the crew will be blamed and in some cases, even sent home.

As in many land situations, petty and serious crimes occur at sea. Security forces are stretched and do not offer the complete protection people may expect.

Cruise travellers are recommended to be prudent-to not flash jewellery or money and keep personal safety in mind. Many cruise lines have shifted to a moneyless plastic card so passengers need not carry money.

While deterring theft, this too has the disadvantage of unexpected spending

People have compared the safety at see to be less than being in a regular city. However true statistics are hard to come by and whenever there are opportunities crime can occur.

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) publishes the “Green Sheet”- a report on the health and safety of cruise ships and may be accessed here: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/cruiships.htm#cruise_travelers . Travelers may look up information about the ships they plan to board.