How safe are you on board …………………..

So this morning, although Spring has not yet fully sprung, I did notice the morning that bit brighter when I was out walking the dog before work. I still wore my Hi Vis jacket as I would trust all the drivers to be wide awake on these country roads. The last few months have been a struggle getting up and heading out before work. The dark, dreary, cold and windy mornings make me want to dive for the snooze button and not reach for the dog lead. Even taking a torch and the trusty hi vis jacket you are still very aware not everyone may spot you and you cant help but being apprehensive when out walking by yourself. We all feel the need to be more careful in winter time and people are always saying keep your eyes open, stay observant, don’t be listening to your Ipod, etc etc etc

This topic has brought me back to a conversation I had over the weekend with a couple who were planning their first cruise with their young family. They had every brochure under the sun and knew the kids programmes inside out – but the one area they wanted information on and were really concerned about could not be found in great detail in any glossy brochure – crime levels on board Ships. They just wanted reassurance that they would all be safe on board. I told them about the fantastic security crew and that all ships have tight and strict regulations – but they wanted facts and figures to put their mind at ease.

We know crime rates on ships are low, but where do we go to find the vital statistics – and do we even really want to know them???? If you are planning a trip to New York or London would you concern yourself with local crime rates and the types of crimes that are top of the list? Well, not really, but you are not going to be spending so much time with the same people and on, really what is similar to, an Island.

So off I went to my best friend Google to see if I could find some crime statistics on her three chosen cruise lines; Carnival Cruises (Part of the larger Carnival Group), NCL and Royal Caribbean. They were actually surprisingly easy to find. The US Coast Guard now compiles reports every quarter that details crimes reported on board and if committed by passenger or crew member. The potential cruisers wanted me to focus on April to June 2017 as this was within their timeframe of travel for this year. Below are the findings for the three Cruise lines:

(Carnival cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard, P&O)

• One missing US National from the ship
• Four assault with serious bodily injury (by passenger)
• Ten cases of sexual assault (Nine by passengers, one by crew members)

We know that these things can happen at any time, any place and to anyone, and of course it is shocking and sad that these people left for their holiday not knowing what was in front of them. However, it is also worth remembering that the Carnival Group had 6.7 million passengers on ships throughout its cruise lines in those 3 months and that is a crime rate any city or country would be delighted with. In the same travel period NCL had 365,000 passengers and Royal Caribbean 835,000 passengers – still exceedingly low crime incidents in such a large group of people.

So what can we do to stay safe both on cruise ships and when in port. Well to be honest just the everyday things we do here in the UK to keep ourselves safe. I have compiled a top ten list of small things you can do every day to ensure you have a crime free, safe and fantastic cruise:

1. Stay vigilant – don’t be letting your guard down too much just because you are on holiday
2. Watch your alcohol intake – Alcohol can cloud your judgement and to be honest I find it hard enough to find my cabin most of the times during the day never mind after the shows and dancing when I have had a few cocktails
3. Be Careful with Gambling – Gambling and trying to win that big jackpot are all par for the course in enjoying your evenings on board the ships – but every casino be in on land or sea, you will always find a few casino vultures hovering around to see who is winning big.
4. Use the on board safe – Put standard valuables in your small room safe but for any large cash amounts or  items of expensive jewellery use the ships safes. You can speak with someone on the purser’s desk about utilising these safes. They do have a customer one that is in a secure location on the ship but it is not generally advertised for obvious reasons
5. Report suspicious behaviour – With so many crew and passengers mulling around the on board security team will not see everything, every time. If you do see something suspicious then do report it. If you don’t and it turns out to be something you will be kicking yourself for not telling
6. Crew members are not permitted to socialise with guests beyond their professional duties and are not allowed in guest cabins unless they are carrying out a duty. You need to make sure you stick to these rules, just as much as they do. Do not become over friendly with the crew – it prevents any problems from occurring
7. When in port book excursions through the cruise line rather than locally. It is the only way you know the staff have been vetted and that they will get you back safely on board for departure time.
8. Do not carry anything for another customer back onto the ship from a port. Don’t open yourself up to trouble by being naïve – we have all seen Bridget Jones and it took Mr Darcy ages to get her out of prison!!
9. Do not leave your children in the cabin on their own. Not only is it against ship regulations but it is an awfully silly thing to do. Children are naturally inquisitive and could wake up and wander out into the corridor and get lost extremely easily – it happens to adults all of the time so think how scary it would be for children.
10. When up enjoying the pool with your children be careful of leaving your belongings laying around. Don’t be lazing in the water whilst your Kindle, Ipod and Camera are laying on your sun lounger or on top of your bag – we have all done it!! Purses and the likes should be locked in your cabin safe and not at the side of your towels were an opportunistic thief could be tempted – you don’t need cash on board for exactly this reason. Find a safe place for your other bits and bobs or leave them with someone else in your party and not the random person lying next to you

But most of all you need to remember not to let any of this to put you off cruising. All of the points above can easily be used on a land based holiday and you can be sure there will be more than 5 incidents of crime in 6.7 million passengers. Cruising is a great way to relax and I can guarantee you will have a fantastic time. Just keep these points to the fore front of your mind and don’t let your guard down completely, just enough to have a safe, holiday of a lifetime.