Cruises are usually a very safe way to take a vacation. While occasional mishaps do occur, the number of people who have trouble on cruise ships is remarkably small considering the millions of passengers who sail on them. The cruise lines follow rigorous regulations and rules to make the ships safe for passengers, but there are still a few things you can do to optimize your safety while aboard, including the following:
Listen to the safety briefing.
All cruise ships must provide important safety information, including how to find life jackets and lifeboats, before they leave port. However, if you don’t pay attention, these instructions won’t do you any good. Do your part to protect yourself by taking the safety briefing seriously.
Be conscientious about your health.
Cruise ships are enclosed environments containing many people, and like any such environment, they can expose you to illness from your fellow passengers. Luckily, you can do a lot to take care of your own health. Wash your hands frequently, use the hand sanitizer ubiquitous on many ships, and opt for the restrooms in your cabin rather than public ones.
Treat the cruise like any other vacation.
If you were traveling on land, you’d take certain safety precautions, like locking up valuables in your room’s safe, avoiding carrying large amounts of cash, and being careful about interacting with strangers. You should continue to use these common-sense precautions while on a cruise ship.
Don’t overdo the drinking.
Having too much to drink makes you more likely to be a victim of certain crimes. Even though alcohol tends to flow freely on a cruise ship, you should be cautious about imbibing too much.
Get to know people.
You can make yourself safer and improve your cruising experience by making friends onboard. Get familiar with your cabin steward and he or she can do a better job of looking after you. It’s also a good idea to make plans to meet regularly with friends so someone will know to check on you if you miss an event.