When a Passenger Dies at Sea: What You Need to Know
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A woman from Florida, along with her family, pursued legal action against the cruise line, alleging the improper handling and storage of her late husband’s body. Instead of utilizing the cruise ship morgue, it was claimed the body was inappropriately placed in the ship’s cooler following his passing on the cruise. The concept of a morgue on a cruise ship might raise eyebrows, but they are not as elaborate as their counterparts on land. While regular morgues are built to conduct autopsies and house multiple bodies for longer periods, cruise ship morgues are simpler and primarily designed for temporary storage.
Princess Cruises Teams Up to Offer Easy Transportation to Florida Ports
Falls from great heights, choking, drowning, suicide, and even murder are all incidents that can occur during your sea voyage. Yes, cruise ships have medical facilities that can handle minor surgeries like wound suturing. Hospital beds, a small surgical suite, and ICU or isolation rooms are available if needed.
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Passenger dies on Royal Caribbean's 9-month world cruise - Royal Caribbean Blog
Passenger dies on Royal Caribbean's 9-month world cruise.
Posted: Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
What is the Code for Death on a Cruise Ship?
If the passenger is traveling alone, the cruise line will need to notify the emergency contact named by the deceased passenger. In some cases, cruise lines will have ministers and small chapels for religious people to use and perform final rites according to the passenger’s faith. It contains refrigerators used to store bodies and medical supplies such as gloves and masks used by staff when handling deceased passengers or crew members.
Do Cruise Ships Have Morgues Onboard? (Why & where?)
Prior to arriving at the next port, the ship’s staff will contact relevant authorities such as customs officials and the local morgue to arrange for body disembarkation. The morgue is usually located out of the way from main passenger areas, often on one of the lower decks of the ship without windows. This provides privacy and reduces the chance of passengers accidentally encountering the morgue. While cruise ship deaths are tracked by federal governments, they may not publicize the statistics. However, if you are concerned about crime on cruise ships, these stats are published and nominal.
You won’t be buried at sea
When you think some of the largest cruise ships have a capacity of 4000 to 6000 passengers, many of them in their older years, it’s no surprise there are deaths. The existence of morgues on cruise ships may seem surprising or even unsettling, but it is a testament to the thorough planning and adherence to international regulations within the cruise industry. The process involves cooperation with local authorities, embassies, and funeral services to arrange for the repatriation of the deceased. This complex coordination ensures that the family of the deceased can make necessary arrangements in their home country. The presence of a morgue serves as a reminder that even amidst the grandeur and fun of a sea voyage, practicalities and unexpected events are accounted for. So, as you set sail on your next adventure, you can do so with a little more knowledge about the comprehensive services that cruise ships offer.
Jail Cells? Morgues? Your Cruise Ship Has Some Surprises for You. - The New York Times
Jail Cells? Morgues? Your Cruise Ship Has Some Surprises for You..
Posted: Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Norwegian Cruise Line Reminds Guests of Delayed Embarkation
Add to that exotic ports of call and shore excursions that strike all fancies, from beach bums to adrenaline junkies. Cruise lines understand the emotional toll that a death onboard can have on family members and friends of the deceased. They provide support and assistance to those affected, offering guidance and helping them navigate the necessary procedures and arrangements. As the demographic of cruise passengers tends to skew towards older individuals, who are more likely to book longer journeys, the likelihood of deaths due to natural causes increases. While planning your dream vacation on a luxurious cruise ship, the last thing on your mind is probably what happens in the unfortunate event of a death onboard. One option for families who wish to scatter their loved one’s ashes at sea is to book a cruise and bring a biodegradable urn.
Shore Excursions
From there, the family of the deceased was able to coordinate with the cruise line's port agent to send the body back to the United States. The vast majority of deaths on cruise ships are natural, with most the result of heart attacks. But even when death is not entirely unexpected, such as when someone with advanced-staged cancer chooses to cruise, it's shocking to family and friends, whether they're on the cruise ship or on land. In most cases, a morgue’s located in a hospital, but on a cruise ship, the morgue is typically located at the bottom of the ship, on the lower decks, and away from passengers.
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Most large cruise ships have a small morgue or mortuary on board. The purpose of the morgue is to temporarily store bodies in the unfortunate event that a passenger dies during a cruise. It's true that major cruise lines have morgues on board, and that's for good reason.
The captain will then pass orders for the next of kin to be contacted and arrangements for the body to be transported back to shore. The location of the morgue is not usually shown on the ship’s deck plans. A morgue is a room or building where dead people’s bodies are kept before burial or cremation. Knowing there is a place for those who pass away on the ship can give peace of mind to these passengers and their traveling companions. As many of these passengers are in retirement, some choose to go on cruises for months.
When a crew member dies onboard a cruise ship, the repatriation process is initiated by the company. Grief counseling is provided for the crew, and the company covers the cost of repatriation. Cruise ships have morgues, and body bags, and it would be a very exceptional case where more people passed away than the ship could accommodate. They would have backup plans in place that likely wouldn’t involve using food storage spaces. It’s not surprising that many people die on cruise ships every year, as the elderly demographic make up a large percentage of passengers. While most deaths onboard cruise ships are from natural causes, there are occasional accidents, suicides, and murders.
You’d also need to make sure that the ashes were brought on board in a biodegradable urn that is completely sealed. If the cruise has a religious leader such as a priest on board, they may also be involved to offer support. Once an appropriate port is found, the body will usually be disembarked from the ship in the early hours of the morning, one of the first things to happen once the ship has docked. This is to minimise the number of guests that see the body and potentially be upset. Any small disruptions are handled sensitively by the well-trained crew.
So let’s step inside this rarely-seen part of a cruise ship’s anatomy. Cruise ships have carefully planned procedures to handle these sensitive situations with discretion and respect. They, along with local authorities, can help the family make a plan for the remains. They can also be a provisional conservator for the estate if no one else is available. Any death-related costs incurred should be covered by travel insurance but make sure any cover includes repatriation. Sometimes, the ship may be required to question passengers as witnesses.
For example, 50 non-sailing guests can take part in weddings aboard Carnival Cruise Line ships before the cruise sails from the port of embarkation. While a morgue may seem like a grim necessity, it’s a vital facility that allows cruise lines to operate in a safe and lawful manner. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention additionally requires each ship that calls or does a homeport while at a United States port to report any deaths immediately. In a high profile example of one such incident, in September 2013, British journalist Sir David Frost died aboard the Cunard cruise liner the Queen Elizabeth, on which he was booked as a speaker. A source told The Telegraph that the ship's guests "were mostly British and took the sad news without emotion."
Authorities in third-world infrastructures can refuse to allow the remains off a ship. The Telegraph further reported that an estimated 200 people die every year on cruise ships — "actually remarkably few given the 21.7 million people worldwide that cruise each year." 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. 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.
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