CRUISES mostly involve relaxing, eating and exploring new ports of call, but not all holidays on cruise ships pass smoothly. A cruise ship doctor reveals one thing to always look out for and staff will always know the truth, writes Harriet Mallinson for an article published in Express.co.uk.
Fakes out at sea?
Cruise ship holidays spend a fair bit of time out at sea which, if you suffer from travel sickness, could prove tricky.
A cruise ship doctor, however, has revealed how often people pretend to be sea sick to avoid admitting the real problem.
Medical expert Ben Macfarlane explained what he was told during his time on a cruise ship in his book Cruise Ship SOS. A colleague warned him to look out for “fakes” while out at sea.
What to lookout for?
Ben says that people who suffer the most are the ones who were in the bar knocking back mojitos at 2am the previous night. Though these people never have hangovers, they come with sore heads in the morning because they’re prone to ‘migraines’.
“They feel sick when they wake up because of the air-conditioning in the staterooms, not because of all the vintage port they consumed at midnight.”
Legendary cure for seasickness
The doctor reveals his unusual cures for those actually suffering from seasickness. “Fried garlic and pork… the stuff of maritime legend. A time-honoured cure for sea-sickness,” he said.
Macfarlane’s book also explained a “cruise ship code” word used during bad weather at sea.
He revealed that when the captain forecasts bad weather and says it is going to be “a little bit boisterous”, it’s a euphemism for awful.
Do not miss Muster drill
Cruise passengers should always make sure they attend the muster drill when they first arrive on the ship to find out what to do if something does actually go wrong.
The muster drill is “a mandatory safety exercise with the objective to familiarise all guests and crew with the location (muster station) where they are to assemble in the unlikely event of an emergency,” explained cruise line Royal Caribbean’s website
It’s absolutely obligatory that guests attend the drill, no matter how many times they have been on a cruise or which cruise line they are sailing with.
Things not to be done onboard
They are also various things that cruise ship passengers should be sure not to do onboard.
Having sex on your cabin balcony is just one no-no. Cruise ship balconies may well be visible from surrounding balconies, and, if you’re in port, from land. It’s entirely possible you’ll end up with an audience.
Another much more serious reason why you should steer clear of an al fresco romp is that it could be very dangerous. On one occasion a couple fell into the sea during an alleged steamy balcony scene.
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Source: Express.co.uk
