Are too many or too few dying on a World Cruise?

[pb82]

l hope that we have an actuary among us. Here is an excerpt, posted today, from a QE2 World Cruise blog (http://sweeetttoooth1.spaces.live.com/) that I have been following:

 

"Day 95 - cruising ... Interesting fact - throughout this blog you have heard me make many references about the age of the passengers. Well, I haven't been kidding about how old some of these people are. Each year, several people die while doing the world cruise. Most die from old age. Some people die from illness because people have the bad habit of waiting until the last minute before doing things. You know, the doctor says you only have 6 months to live, so people start running around doing things that they should have done years ago - like take a world cruise. Unfortunately, some of them have waited too long. Today I found out that 12 people died last year on the cruise. Our cruise is not even over yet and as of today, the death toll is 14."

 

If the lady's figures are accurate (please holler if you know they are not), my first reaction was that 12 or 14 to die on a World Cruise was a lot. But, if one third of the nearly 1800 passengers are seventy years old or older, that works out to about 6% of that age group dying per year. And that seems about right, or maybe even a little low, to my amateur reading of the Actuarial Life Tables.

 

Anyone have better information or a more informed opinion?

Thanks, Paul

[ocngypz]

Well, considering the length of the WC, I'd say 12-14 pax making their final embarkation is probably less than average.

 

I say that because on a mere 7 night Alaska sailing (Celebrity) we lost two, 15 night Canal, 3.....

 

I can't think of a better place to be when called home.

[Wadadli1]

l hope that we have an actuary among us. Here is an excerpt, posted today, from a QE2 World Cruise blog (http://sweeetttoooth1.spaces.live.com/) that I have been following:

 

"Day 95 - cruising ... Interesting fact - throughout this blog you have heard me make many references about the age of the passengers. Well, I haven't been kidding about how old some of these people are. Each year, several people die while doing the world cruise. Most die from old age. Some people die from illness because people have the bad habit of waiting until the last minute before doing things. You know, the doctor says you only have 6 months to live, so people start running around doing things that they should have done years ago - like take a world cruise. Unfortunately, some of them have waited too long. Today I found out that 12 people died last year on the cruise. Our cruise is not even over yet and as of today, the death toll is 14."

 

If the lady's figures are accurate (please holler if you know they are not), my first reaction was that 12 or 14 to die on a World Cruise was a lot. But, if one third of the nearly 1800 passengers are seventy years old or older, that works out to about 6% of that age group dying per year. And that seems about right, or maybe even a little low, to my amateur reading of the Actuarial Life Tables.

 

Anyone have better information or a more informed opinion?

Thanks, Paul

 

Sounds like a lot, but perhaps it's just one of those years?

 

We had a 91 year old guy die on our trip on the Oceania Regatta over Christmas. The consensus was that's the way everyone wants to die, so even if the lady's numbers are fudged a bit, I would expect her suggested reasons are spot on.

 

Now...we knew this had happened because a) they were just down the hall from us and my husband saw the commotion and b) the man's wife was part of our smoking group, and so a lot of them found out about it and shared. How does this lady know about all these deaths?

[FranKes2000]

There are deaths on TAs, 6 day cruises.

I have relatives in Southampton and they say that there is a hearse or an ambulance waiting for every cuise, sometimes both.

[pb82]

There are deaths on TAs, 6 day cruises.

I have relatives in Southampton and they say that there is a hearse or an ambulance waiting for every cuise, sometimes both.

Granted, people die all the time, wherever they are at the time. But, given the age distribution of Cunard passengers (which only Cunard knows, I guess), are the World Cruise numbers good news or bad?

Paul

[travel-to-go]

Granted, people die all the time, wherever they are at the time. But, given the age distribution of Cunard passengers (which only Cunard knows, I guess), are the World Cruise numbers good news or bad?

Paul

 

I guess it depends on if you are one of the people who died, or was left behind!

 

I always say when people speak of the odds of someone dying or whatever. All the odds in the world don't matter if you are the one in however many!

 

Karie,

who has so far, beat the odds of dying. I imagine sooner or later, I will not beat the odds!

[kryos]

Well, considering the length of the WC, I'd say 12-14 pax making their final embarkation is probably less than average.

 

I say that because on a mere 7 night Alaska sailing (Celebrity) we lost two, 15 night Canal, 3.....

 

I can't think of a better place to be when called home.

From what I understand, two folks died on the Veendam TransAlantic last month ... from Tampa to Venice ... 18 days. So, since Holland America attracts an older set of passengers ... just as the QE2 does ... I would assume a dozen or so dying on a World Voyage would be perfectly normal ... in fact, a bit on the conservative side.

 

I agree ... can't think of a better place to check out than on the QE2 ... or aboard any elegant seagoing vessel.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[pb82]

Looks like there aren't any acturaries among us. Not surprising, since I've been told that an actuary is an accountant that has lost his sense of humor.

 

So, by my calculations (caution: I'm an old software engineer who spent most of his life calculating in binary, octal, and hex (speaking of hex, too bad that Jack Benny never enjoyed that 57 (decimal) is 39 (hexidecimal)) about ten of 600 passengers aged 70 to 85 (44% male, 56% female) should have been expected to die during a cruise of approximately four months duration.

 

Obviously, any excess deaths must have been caused by excess enjoyment. As others have observed, a good way to go.

 

Paul

[PennyAgain]

My Lady Boss was told when she booked the April 21 TA on the QE2 that there WOULD be a room for her as there were always sudden cancellations. Sudden as in 'someone dies' either on the ship or before joining the ship.

 

Cunard knows the percentages and makes back up bookings on that assumption.

 

My Lady Boss did get her room on the ship.

 

Now, how can I book my final crossing for some unknown time in future? I can't thik of a better place to launch into eternity.

[songanddance]

 

Now, how can I book my final crossing for some unknown time in future? I can't thik of a better place to launch into eternity.

 

You can always just move in as the QE2 lady has done. That pretty much assures where you will be on passing.

[bobby1119]

 

I agree ... can't think of a better place to check out than on the QE2 ... or aboard any elegant seagoing vessel.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

I am in agreement with you! I was on the medical staff's table in Caronia for most of 2007 QE2 WC and believe there were no deaths aboard or considerably fewer than last year. I do know that 2 who were disembarked died in hospitals.

 

Somewhere, beyond the sea...

 

bobby

[travel-to-go]

I was on the medical staff's table in Caronia

bobby

Bobby,

I'm glad you clarified that as being on their table in Caronia and not their table in the infirmary!

 

Karie,

who is being silly this Sunday afternoon!

[pnhmrk]

You can always just move in as the QE2 lady has done. That pretty much assures where you will be on passing.

 

Only if you intend to "pass" quite quickly. In a few years it'll be the QE2 that's gone:(

[pb82]

Only if you intend to "pass" quite quickly. In a few years it'll be the QE2 that's gone:(

Tell me, are the bookmakers over there quoting odds on the QE2 still sailing after 2010? If so, I'll be willing to bet a few of my depreciated dollars that she will be.

Paul

[PennyAgain]

Only if you intend to "pass" quite quickly. In a few years it'll be the QE2 that's gone:(

 

I understand the philosophy of the QE2 Lady. There are some who just about live aboard Crystal ships. A good friend of mine lives in a luxury retirement apartment building for the wealthy. It would be less expensive to stay on the QE2.

 

Perhaps we should form a club.

[Louise D]

During the 2005 World Cruise there were a lot of deaths on board because a severe respiratory virus struck and it seemed to cause death easily to older people. There was a rumour that the florist's cool store was used to house the overflow of bodies, but I do not know if it was more than a rumour.

 

I do know of one lady who does the World Cruise every year, and she caught that virus and spent half the cruise confined to her cabin, with daily visits to the ship's doctor.

 

Even in 2006 there was quite an outbreak of a respiratory virus, and several were too sick to leave their cabins for a long time. A lady at my table at dinner was travelling from the US to Hong Kong and she disappeared with the virus in Sydney, and did not emerge until Hong Kong.

 

Regards, Louise

[kryos]

Unfortunately, some of them have waited too long. Today I found out that 12 people died last year on the cruise. Our cruise is not even over yet and as of today, the death toll is 14."

 

If the lady's figures are accurate (please holler if you know they are not), my first reaction was that 12 or 14 to die on a World Cruise was a lot. But, if one third of the nearly 1800 passengers are seventy years old or older, that works out to about 6% of that age group dying per year. And that seems about right, or maybe even a little low, to my amateur reading of the Actuarial Life Tables.

I wouldn't necessarily dispute those figures. There were a lot of extremely elderly people on the crossing at the tail end of the World Cruise. The only observation I would like to make regarding why so many people wait so long to take a World Cruise is that some people simply can't afford one before they reach their later years. They have neither the time nor the money for such a voyage while they are still "young" ... and there are many, many other demands made on their finances to even think about forking over the money for such a trip. I know that if I had my way, I would be on a World Cruise next year. Unfortunately, however, at 51 years of age, I am still in the workforce and there is no practical way I can take over three months off for such a journey. Even if I could get the time without pay, how would I pay my bills with no paycheck coming in for three months? I also would need to be able to tap into the IRA or the 401K to finance the trip, and to do that I have to be at least 59-1/2 in order to avoid the somewhat hefty penalties associated with taking money from those accounts prematurely.

 

So, I can well understand why it is mostly elderly folks you see on these voyages. Often there is simply no way to make one happen while you are still young ... unless, of course, you have tons of disposable income at hand ... and, realistically ... how many of us are in that position?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[calikak]

My FIL is a cardiologist here in Seattle, and he says he knows when the Alaska cruise season has started because they start seeing lots of old people being medevac-ed in from cruise ships (Alaska also being traditionally an "older" market, although not as "old" as a world cruise).

 

I would imagine that the "old people" going on a world cruise wouldn't necessarily be of worse health than the average "old person." Since many old people are also ill enough to require nursing care, and those people most likely aren't going on a cruise, my guess would be that the health of the older folks on a world cruise is probably slightly better on average than the health of the average old person.

 

There is a woman who lives aboard the new Royal Princess in one of the very nice aft suites--in fact, she was just named as the ship's godmother a few weeks back. Before that, she lived aboard Sea Princess, and before that, I believe she lived aboard the previous Royal Princess (or was it the previous Crown Princess?). She's on the ship about 10 months of the year, and keeps her cabin the other two months even though she's not aboard, so it really is her home. I would LOVE to live that way, but DH thinks he'd feel too rootless.

[FranKes2000]

I met a gentleman on a Trans Atlantic, he was trvelling with a male nurse, he could not fly to Europe but he wanted to get to a reunion and did not think he could make it. His nurse had never been to Europe, both were excited to be on the cruise.

[pb82]

I met a gentleman on a Trans Atlantic, he was trvelling with a male nurse, he could not fly to Europe but he wanted to get to a reunion and did not think he could make it. His nurse had never been to Europe, both were excited to be on the cruise.

And did they both make it?

[Wadadli1]

And did they both make it?

 

I was wondering the same thing. Hope so!

[travel-to-go]

She's on the ship about 10 months of the year, and keeps her cabin the other two months even though she's not aboard, so it really is her home. I would LOVE to live that way, but DH thinks he'd feel too rootless.

Too restless??!

Gosh, he'd be going new places nearly every day!

 

Karie,

who could live with restless!

[scottjeanne]

My first QE2 cruise was a crossing in June,1995. We were seated at a table of 8 next to a another table of two older women. One evening, I noticed one of the women choking. I mentioned it to my husband. The waiter also saw her distress. Soon, she had fallen out of her chair. The wait staff took table cloths and held them up to form a curtain to shield her from view. We heard the announcement for the the ships medical staff-code red if I remember right. They had a difibulator sp? even back then and they worked on her for a while and then brought in a stretcher to move her.

 

The next morning, the table next to us was empty. I asked the wait staff about her condition and they said that she had had a heart attack, but she had survived. She remained in the "hospital" on the ship and she would be moved the next day, as we were docking then. the rest of my party of 8 at may table asked what I was referring to. I told them about the lady from the previous evening. No one else had noticed! the staff was that subtle and efficient. If this had occured in Mc Donald's on land, she would not have survived because help would not have arrived as quickly as it did on the QE2.

 

The ill woman's companion came to breakfast the next morning-after an absence of one full day. She said that her friend was resting comforatably, sitting up and eating her own breakfast. Amazing.

 

Moral is, if you are not in the best of health and want a last hurrah, the QE2 is a great choice.

[FranKes2000]

And did they both make it?

 

Yes, they both made it to England. After that I have no idea but I hope they had a good time at the reunion.

[calikak]

Too restless??!

Gosh, he'd be going new places nearly every day!

 

Karie,

who could live with restless!

 

No, too rOOtless--I'm the one who's too restless! :) When I first heard about Residensea, I said to DH, "That's what we're doing if we win the lottery" and he said, "No thanks!" He also says he'd keep working if he won the lottery. :rolleyes: I'm the "resign by postcard from Moorea" type. :D