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However, it’s essential to be informed about the procedures and facilities available, such as the presence of a cruise ship morgue. When scattering ashes on a cruise, there are some ceremony regulations and ash scattering restrictions to consider. The guest services team typically carries out the ceremony, but the captain provides the coordinates of the designated location. Religious customs and cultural traditions may dictate the handling of a deceased passenger’s body. It’s important for cruise lines to respect and accommodate these beliefs while still fulfilling their duties.
Shore Excursions
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.
What Are the Protocols Surrounding a Death?
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Why Do Cruise Ships Have Morgues?
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Repatriation for a Passenger Who Died on a Cruise Ship
A Widow Said Her Husband Was Left in a Drinks Cooler After Dying on a Cruise - The New York Times
A Widow Said Her Husband Was Left in a Drinks Cooler After Dying on a Cruise.
Posted: Sat, 22 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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.
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."
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.
For comparison, the annual death rate in the general US population is about 8 in 1,000 people. The deceased’s family will be notified, usually via the emergency contact info provided when booking. It’s important to be prepared for all eventualities when planning your vacation, and knowing what to do in the event of a death is one of them.
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