Cruising
10 things you didn’t know about cruise ships
Everyone loves a trip away, especially when that trip away involves eating, swimming and relaxing to your heart’s content on board a cruise ship. However, there are many misconceptions when it comes to this popular method of travel. Here are 10 facts you might not have known about cruise ships, and they might make you see your next holiday in a new light.
- Just like many hotels don’t have a 13th floor, many cruise ships don’t have a 13th deck due to superstitious beliefs surrounding the “unlucky” number.
- Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas uses more than 9,000 litres of fuel every hour.
- Cruise ships don’t have any blood stored in the event of an emergency. Instead, they rely on blood donations from the passengers and crew.
- After spending $30 million on a resort in the Bahamas, Disney had to abandon it because there wasn’t enough room for cruise ships to come close enough to land.
- Almost 200 people have disappeared from cruise ships since 2000.
- On older cruise shops (like the Titanic) the fourth chimney doesn’t actually have a function – it’s just to add an air of prestige.
- The average cruise ship crew consists of around 64 different nationalities.
- Each cruise ship usually has a morgue with enough room for one to three bodies.
- Vessels that operate in the Indian Ocean have high-pressure hoses and extra-loud cannons onboard to deter pirates.
- When the cruise ship Oceanos sunk off South Africa, the crew abandoned ship and it was up to entertainer Moss Hills to lead the rescue effort.
What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve learnt about cruise ships? Share it with us in the comments below!
Related links:
5 items to never bring on a cruise (and what to pack instead)
5 things you didn’t know about the Queen Mary 2
5 juicy confessions from cruise crewmembers