wikipedia

A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience. Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry, with millions of passengers each year. The industry's rapid growth has seen nine or more newly built ships catering to a North American clientele added every year since 2001, as well as others servicing European clientele. Smaller markets such as the Asia-Pacific region are generally serviced by older tonnage displaced by new ships introduced into the high growth areas. Cruise ships operate mostly on routes that return passengers to their originating port. In contrast, dedicated transport oriented ocean liners do "line voyages" and typically transport passengers from one point to another, rather than on round trips. Some liners also engage in longer trips which may not lead back to the same port for many months.^[1]

Traditionally, an ocean liner for the transoceanic trade will be built to a higher standard than a typical cruise ship, including stronger plating to withstand ocean voyages, most commonly crossing the North Atlantic. The only dedicated transatlantic ocean liner in operation as a liner, as of December 2008, was the Queen Mary 2 of the Cunard fleet. The liner Queen Mary is in service as a hotel in Long Beach, USA, the Queen Elizabeth 2 is slated for similar duty in Dubai, and the United States is currently stored in Philadelphia, USA, with long-standing plans to return it to service, although this appears increasingly unlikely given its age and condition.

type of cruise ships accidents

Weather-Related Accidents

Poor weather creates rough seas that can lead to accidents. While crew members and officers make every attempt to avoid bad weather, high winds, choppy waves, and rain increase accident risks. To minimize these risks:

• Wear rubber-soled shoes on deck that can grip a wet surface.
• Close doors firmly to prevent a wind gust slamming them open and potentially causing injury.
• Avoid being on upper decks or near the ship’s bow during extreme weather.
• Use handrails for additional balance in rough seas.
• Secure all cabinets and closets in your cabin to prevent items falling or flying about in rough weather.
• If the ship loses power, stay in your cabin or current location until given instructions.

Engineering Accidents

Engineering cruise ship accidents are completely out of passengers’ control. These incidents result from crew errors or performance problems with the ship and include fires, malfunctioning stabilizers, and faulty engines. Because of these factors, ships may run aground, be forced to slow down, or be delayed arriving at or departing from ports of call. While passengers cannot prevent these types of accidents, they can keep disruptions to a minimum by:

• Knowing where their muster station is.
• Following crew directions immediately during a crisis.
• Not asking repetitive questions until the problem is resolved.
• Providing detailed information if asked to make a statement.

Shore Excursion Accidents

While exploring ports of call through various shore exurcusion, it is possible that passengers will be involved in accidents. Those accidents may be a result of passenger negligence or the hazards of the tour, but problems can be minimized by:

• Following directions of tour operators carefully and asking for clarification if necessary.
• Being honest about abilities and prior experience on tours such as horseback riding, diving, or other physical activities.
• Behaving properly and responsibly to avoid causing potential problems.
• Wearing proper restraints on tour buses and taxis, including using car seats for young children.

Recent Cruise Ship Accidents

Each month, there are several reported cruise ship accidents, but most are minor and never make the nightly news. Recent sensational stories have included…

• In March 2006, the Star Princess of Princess Cruise caught fire while bound for Jamaica and the resulting blaze damaged 100 cabins on four decks. One passenger died of a heart attack while several others had minor injuries including bruises, abrasions, and smoke inhalation problems. The fire was reportedly caused by an untended cigarette in a passenger cabin.
• In July 2005, a honeymooning groom was believed to be overboard on cruise. The man’s death may have been the result of foul play.
• In April 2005, Norwegian Dawn was struck by a 70-foot rogue wave caused by bad weather. Windows were broken in several forward cabins and approximately 60 cabins were flooded. Several passengers sustained minor injuries during the event.

While most cruise accidents do not rate top story status, other types of incidents include:

• Fires in contained areas that do not affect passenger cabins or public areas. Usually these are in the galley or engineering areas of the ship.
• Running aground in shallow waters, a particularly prominent hazard for river cruise or ships sailing along the Amazon.
• Collisions with piers in different ports of call that cause minor damage to hulls or stabilizer fins. These incidents may cause delays or missed destination.

How Passengers are Compensated

When cruise ship accidents occur, cruise lines make every effort to help passengers continue to enjoy their vacation through various compensations, such as:

• Relocating passengers to unaffected cabins.
• Offering full or prorated refunds.
• Offering credits and discounts on future cruises.
• Providing vouchers for free drinks, photographs, or souvenirs.
• Providing alternative transportation if relocation is unavailable.

The type and amount of compensation is entirely up the cruise line’s discretion, and judgments are often made based on the type of incident, the magnitude of the passengers’ disruption, and the ability to make immediate restitution.

What if an Accident Happens on my Cruise?

The first thing to remember if an accident happens on your cruise vacation is not to panic. Seek help from crew members if necessary, and follow instructions carefully. Report to your assigned muster station if required, and try to avoid causing additional problems or delays with excessive questions or noncompliance.

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No one anticipates an accident disrupting their vacation, and the truth is cruise ship accidents are exceedingly rare when compared to the hundreds of sailings that offer fabulous getaways to thousands of passengers each month. With common sense precautions, most accidents can be avoided and disruptions kept to a minimum so that everyone can enjoy their vacation.

cruise ships travel tips

This is the tips for cruise ships travel.

• First, find a booking agent be absolutely certain that, wherever you book, they have a real, live contact person available for you, to deal with any problems or questions that come up. Some of the on-line booking services deal only through e-mail. If you don’t get answers to your e-mail, what do you do then?

• After that, there are two essential questions to ask your travel agent BEFORE you book: The first is: Do they honor price drops?.....If your cruise is offered at a lower price, after you have made deposit, will they give you the lower price? Not all do.

• The second essential question is: Do they charge a cancellation penalty of their own?....All cruise lines charge cancellation penalties if you cancel after the final payment date.

• BUT some travel agents charge an additional penalty of their own, for cancellation at any time. This can be as much as seventy-five dollars, per person. That's a hefty bite when multiplied by two persons in a cabin, or worse, a family of four.

• Additionally, some travel agents have other fees that you need to know about up front. Some charge for making changes of any kind, to your booking.

• If you can’t talk to a real person, and if they don’t honor price drops, or if they charge their own cancellation penalty, stop right there, and find a new TA.

• When booking your cruise, never book cabin category lower than one in which you will be happy. Sure, you’ve heard of people getting those complementary upgrades, but the vast majority of all cruisers get exactly the cabin they booked. Upgrades occur rarely, and most amount to nothing more than a shift from one to another, with the cabin being basically the same.

• Once you’ve chosen and booked your cruise the very next thing you need to do is to buy the travel insurance. A quick look at the web page insuremytrip.com will give you a dozen reasons to buy the insurance. While most cruise deposits are fully refundable prior to the penalty phase, you never know when an unforeseen life event will require you to cancel your trip in those last few weeks, (illness, job loss, death in the family, etc.) While the loss of that two or three thousand dollars, (or more) may not be enough break your budget, the costs of a canceled or interrupted cruise can amount to a lot more than your up-front costs. Emergency medical care or medical evacuation can cost a fortune.

• There are many other potential events that can ruin your cruise, and cost you plenty. Items like: lost or delayed luggage, or a missed plane or ship, requiring last minute airfare or an additional hotel for the interim time. Not to mention weather related interruptions or cancellations.

• The official, Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 through November 30. To maximize vacation protection from storms and hurricanes, travelers should buy insurance when they make their travel plans, and before a storm or hurricane is announced. Once the National Weather Service issues a waring for a storm or hurricane, it is considered a foreseeable event. Policies purchased on or after the warning date, do not cover loses related to that event.

• One last note, if you have any pre-existing medical conditions, you need to purchase the insurance immediately after booking the cruise. Most policies require purchase within one or two weeks of deposit, if you want it to cover pre-existing conditions.

• While we're talking trip insurance, don't forget that if you book your air fare separate from the cruise, you must buy trip insurance separately also. Insurance purchased from the cruise line will only cover the portions of your vacation that you've purchsed from the cruise line. Also, when requesting an insurance quote, be sure to include all your trip costs when stating how much you are spending, so that your whole vacation is covered.

• That's all of my travel tips. so, enjoy your vacation.