Cruises are an excellent way to see the world, and thousands of people take advantage of the opportunity every year. And no wonder. Cruise lines provide your room, most food, entertainment, and transportation, all rolled into one. The vast majority of cruisers have a wonderful time, but, unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong.
Accidents
- Bad things can happen anywhere, but when people are on a cruise, they often try things they would not ordinarily have the opportunity to do, such as snorkeling or diving in the ocean. Most people enjoy the beauty of the underwater worlds they discover. However, between 2000 and 2008, CruiseBruise.com reports 19 dive-related deaths in the Caribbean region alone.
Epidemics
- We hear about distant epidemics and food poisoning outbreaks on the news, but on a cruise ship, illness can strike hard and fast, and infect hundreds of people in a confined space. In 2009, CruiseBruise.com reported a total of 1,513 people who contracted a norovirus on cruise ships. Other reported problems range from salmonella to infestation by parasites, bedbugs, as well as serious conditions like Legionnaires' disease.
Piracy
- Cruise ships have weathered some unique problems during the past decade, including piracy. Fortunately, for those of us in the U.S., most of those incidents have happened in other areas of the world.