Cruise-Safety-and-Health-report

Relax...Cruising Is Incredibly Safe

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) member cruise lines comply with all international, flag and port state standards and regulations to ensure the safety and security of passengers. As an international industry, we are proud of our safety record and long-standing relationship with law enforcement agencies around the world.

All cruise ships have sufficient lifeboats, life rafts and life preservers for every person on board. Lifeboats are capable of being loaded, launched and maneuvered from the ship within 30 minutes of the Master's signal to abandon ship.

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The Safety Factor

"A sad accident has occurred in travel recently; a cruise ship hit a reef and three people died. It is a tragedy that has left many wondering if they should cruise. It strikes fearful memories of the Titanic into the hearts of virgin cruisers and a tiny voice enters even those experienced cruisers minds.

So how likely is it that your ship will hit a reef, an iceberg, or another ship? Not very likely; there are 16-18 million people who set sail and return safely, for 2011 there were only 22 deaths aboard cruiseships: Five of those were heart attacks, 11 were deamed suicide jumpers, one was non-industry related murder in Mexico of a cruiseline employee and a few were possible drug related, and several were noted as unresolved man-overboard deaths. Only one was from a virus that was contracted on the ship. There were a few dozen assault and theft crimes reported.

Ok so how about wrecks, well technically there are several a year. However take in to account, one was a ship with only 11 crew that was wrecked by a hurricane, another merely hit by a 70 foot wave that only got passengers wet and both of those are listed in the 9 worst wrecks of Cruising that goes back to the Titanic. Statistically, the chances of a devastating wreck really are extremely slim. Wait... I thought there were two just very recently that hit reefs. Yes there were. Investigators are still unsure as to why two ships have hit reefs within one week, It is still safe to assume it is a rare occurrence. Modern technology has given us radar, and depth finders and all sorts of safety devices- inevitably human error cannot be avoided and is most often the underlaying cause of accidents.

Before a ship can leave its initial port, safety procedures have to be gone through so everyone on board not just the staff has a sense of what will happen if an emergency does occur. You will get your life vest and be directed to a meeting point; you will then be given instructions on how to get to your life boat. Since the sinking of the Titanic each vessel is require to have enough life boats to get all passengers and cruise off a ship at any time.

Bottom line, cruising like flying get a bad name because when something does occur it hits the major headlines fast, you don't hear about each mugging or person murdered while on land vacations because they happen more often you hear about incidents with cruise ships and airplanes because they are rare"

Revised from original post by H. Weather at http://goodweatherstravels.blogspot.com/

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Commitment to Providing a Healthy Ship Environment & Medical Care

The cruise industry is committed to providing a safe, healthful environment for all passengers at sea. The cruise industry voluntarily works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a division of the U.S. Public Health Service, which oversees health and sanitary conditions on all passenger vessels visiting U.S. ports.

CLIA adopted the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) guidelines regarding emergency care and health care maintenance for passengers and crew on board cruiseships.

The cruise industry works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program to ensure cruise ships are in compliance with strict international and federal sanitation standards that are effective in mitigating illness aboard cruise ships.

All ocean-going cruise ships have medical facilities on board and are staffed by trained and licensed medical professionals with at least three years of clinical experience, including minor surgery and emergency care. All doctors and nurses are fluent in English.

Each CLIA member cruise line has a plan for the prevention and containment of gastrointestinal illnesses (GI), which include norovirus. In the uncommon event of an outbreak, CLIA member cruise lines follow the Outbreak Prevention and Response Plan (OPRP).

Norovirus, the most prevalent illness behind the common cold, is uncommon in cruise ships due to extensive sanitation procedures. Approximately 9 million passengers embarked on a CLIA cruise ship from a U.S. port in 2008. There were 15 outbreaks reported that year to the CDC, involving a total of 1,737 ill passengers (according to CDC website), which represents approximately one one-hundredth of one percent of passengers (0.0193%). If you add in cases which did not rise to the two percent threshold of an outbreak, say another 5,000 illnesses, this still represents far less than 1% of passengers.

CLIA ships regularly exceed the CDC's minimum sanitation inspection score of 85. In fact, most CLIA cruise lines score about 95. Scores are available to the public through the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp.