Summary

The author recounts their contrasting experiences on a luxurious honeymoon cruise and a subsequent budget cruise, which was marred by an incident resulting in a passenger's unexpected departure, and later learns of the ship's collision with a tanker.

Abstract

The author shares a personal narrative about their two vastly different cruise experiences. The first cruise, taken as a honeymoon, was luxurious and enjoyable, creating fond memories and a desire to cruise again. However, the second cruise, which was significantly cheaper and less luxurious, was overshadowed by a mysterious medical emergency that led to a passenger's abrupt disembarkation. The incident left the author and fellow passengers concerned and curious. After the cruise, the author learned that the ship had been involved in a collision with a tanker, raising further safety concerns. Despite the initial appeal of cruising as a way to see multiple destinations conveniently, the author has decided to avoid cruises for the time being, citing health risks, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now prefers caravanning holidays in the UK.

Opinions

The author has a clear preference for luxury cruises over budget cruises, emphasizing the superior quality and safety of the former.
There is a sense of disappointment and concern regarding the lack of transparency from the cruise staff about the passenger's medical emergency.
The author believes that cruises, due to their nature of confining many people in a limited space, are particularly risky during a pandemic.
The author values the safety and health benefits of caravanning holidays in the UK, which offer a contrast to the potential hazards of cruising.
The author implies that the budget cruise company may have compromised on safety and quality in order to offer lower prices.
The incident involving the ship's collision with a tanker further solidifies the author's decision to avoid cruising, suggesting a lack of trust in the safety standards of the cruise industry.

I Went on a Cruise & There Were Casualties

I’ve decided to give cruises a miss for the time being

The first time I went on a cruise it was a late discounted booking for our honeymoon and it was dreamy, luxurious, and left us wanting more. We enjoyed a full programme of entertainment, amazing weather, great destinations, and we visited four different countries. I wanted to do another one, and so, a few years later, we did.

The second time we went on a cruise however, it wasn’t discounted — it was just a cheap cruise, with a bargain basement travel company. I think that’s where the problems began.

It was a Mediterranean cruise and it was nice to call in at various tourism hotspots on the coasts of Spain, the Canary Islands, Portugal, Gibraltar, and Morocco. The food, the company and entertainment were all good, if a bit tacky. The whole thing felt a bit cheap and cheerful compared to the glorious experience of our luxury honeymoon cruise, but it didn’t really matter.

The restaurant was more like a school canteen than a luxury dining experience. It was cramped, crowded, noisy, with queues for the cafeteria. We dined on the same table as the people in adjacent cabins and got to know our neighbours a little bit. They were nice. We had things in common. We caught up with what each other had been up to at dinner every evening.

Then late one night when we were in bed, we heard a crash in the cabin next door. We went out to see if anyone needed assistance, but they were quiet. I didn’t like to intrude.

At dinner the next day, we found out that the lady from that cabin was no longer on the ship. She’d disembarked when we stopped at Malaga and she never rejoined the cruise. The ship left without her.

The staff wouldn’t tell us anything about what had happened — everything was hush, hush. But it seemed clear that there had been a medical emergency and we suspected that one of the bunk beds (supposed to be securely stowed away against the wall) had fallen down and banged her on the head, leaving her with a nasty head injury.

We spent the rest of the holiday wondering what had become of our co-passenger, which I have to admit, took the edge off the experience a bit.

I haven’t been on another cruise since that memorable experience, primarily because we’ve been travelling around the UK writing for caravanning magazines. One thing I would say however, is there is no comparison between a luxury cruise and a cheap cruise. The luxury cruise was so much nicer — and apparently, less hazardous!

I do think cruises are a good way to see different parts of the world. In a single holiday you can visit many different destinations, in many different countries and on different continents. It’s a great way to explore, with the luxury and security of a ship to return to at the end of the day.

But the trouble with cruises, especially during a pandemic, is they bring lots of people together in confined spaces, and as such, they’re ideally suited to the spread of disease.

Before covid, I thought we might book another cruise at some point, but as they’re renowed for outbreaks of covid, ebola, and norovirus, I’m feeling less inclined to do another cruise right now. I prefer to look after my health and do something where there are fewer people.

At the moment, we don’t have passports, so we’ll probably continue to take our holidays in the UK. A self-contained caravan is a great way to immerse yourself in the countryside and relax. We take long walks around lakes, along rivers, and up mountains. We spend less time travelling and are less likely to be exposed to disease than on a cruise.

You can read more about how I became a travel writer here…

How I Became A Successful Travel Writer

Tips for aspiring travel writers, pros and cons, and how Covid-19 killed my client base!

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A collision!

Incidentally, a couple of years after our cruise, the ship collided with a tanker out at sea, as it was leaving Gibraltar. Both ships were damaged in the collision and both parties were deemed to be at fault by investigators.

The cruise ship struck the tanker’s hull, causing a lot of damage. The bow of the cruise ship was damaged too, and the crew were forced to return to Gibraltar where an investigation was launched.

The accident report said that if the ship had been damaged below the waterline, it could have capsized, like the Herald of Free Enterprise accident, near the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, which killed 193 people.

Fortunately, it wasn’t damaged below the waterline. Nonetheless, according to the Somerset County Gazette, “The ship was sailing at an ‘unsafe speed of 14 knots’ in dense fog at the time of the collision which occurred in a bay heavily congested with shipping. The investigation team found that both ships broke a number of International Collision Rules.”

The vessel was repaired, went on more cruises. In 2022 the ship was retired to a breakers’ yard in Pakistan.

I’m glad there were no accidents of that nature while we were on board!