What happens if you stow away on a cruise ship?

If you're caught while still out at sea–within 3 and 12 miles–the Coast Guard can come and pick you up. But if you're far out at sea, you can be apprehended by onboard cruise police and put in the brig where you'll be held until you're released to authorities at the nearest port.



People Also Ask

How many people are rescued after falling off a cruise ship? Of the 212 listed as overboard between 2009 and 2019, only 48 people were rescued. But miracles do happen.

MORE DETAILS

If your ship is docked, you'll be able to simply walk off the vessel directly onto dry land via a movable ramp called a gangway. If it's anchored, you'll have to take a tender -- a small boat that ferries passengers ashore in groups.

MORE DETAILS

Approximately 30 feet (9 meters) of the average large cruise ship sits underwater, but as you'll see below, there are more understandable ways to measure this.

MORE DETAILS

The back of the ship tends to be considered the next best cabin position after midships. Whilst the front of the ship gets the most movement the back also does get some. Whilst it's nowhere near as bad as the front of the ship, you may still notice some movement in rough seas.

MORE DETAILS

Cruise ships can and have tipped over, but it is extremely rare. One of the most notable incidents was the capsizing of the Costa Concordia in 2012, which resulted in the deaths of 32 people. The accident was attributed to human error and resulted in many changes within the industry, particularly in bridge management.

MORE DETAILS

Cruise ships very rarely sink, and when they do it is often when they don't have passengers on board. Just over one cruise ship every 5 years has sunk in the last 100 years. Regarding sinking with casualties, that's only one every 7 years.

MORE DETAILS