Cruise ships have extensive safety protocols in place, focusing on passenger safety in areas such as overboard incidents, onboard fires, illness outbreaks, and large-scale ship disasters. Accidents and incidents can happen, however, and traveling on cruise ships is not without risk.
The most important thing you can do on a cruise is recognize you are essentially on board a small floating hotel city with hundreds or thousands of other people. Take the same safety precautions as you would when traveling to a place that is foreign to you.
There is safety in numbers while exploring a cruise ship. Use the buddy system, and have plans to meet at certain places and times. If you are cruising alone and don’t have a buddy, be aware of your surroundings, don’t advertise that you are traveling alone, and don’t say your cabin number around strangers.
During the safety drill before departure, the crew will instruct you on the ship’s safety features and procedures to follow in an emergency. You’ll learn the location of your specific muster station, where you will bring your life jacket and meet in the event of a shipwide emergency. Take this experience seriously, and ensure you understand the information for your voyage. Don’t hesitate to ask a crew member if you have any questions.
The back of your cabin door should have a placard showing emergency escape routes from your room to your designated muster station. There is often a primary and a secondary route in case water, smoke, or any other obstruction blocks the primary route. Take the time to walk these routes before an emergency occurs rather than having your first time be during an adverse circumstance.
If you see someone fall off the ship, immediately call out that there is a person overboard. Throw a life ring or suitable buoyant object toward the person in the water, and then find a crew member while continuing to call out. If others are nearby, send someone else to retrieve the life ring or get help while you remain in your position.
Maintain visual contact with the person in the water if you can, and keep your arm extended and pointing at them or where you saw them enter the water. If you lose sight of them, your arm provides a much narrower visual search area, and you or someone else may be able to spot them.
Following these practices will help keep you and others safe during your cruise.
© Penyelam Siaga – Q2 2025
