Deaths on a Cruise Ship

[not2soon2cruiseagain]

DH and I were on a cruise with 4 friends out of Norfolk, VA in the fall of 2008. Our first port was Nassau and we were at least 2 hours late in being let off of the ship. CD kept telling us that it was a customs thing.

 

Next day our friends were at breakfast and they found out that someone had died the night before and the body was taken off of the ship. That's why it took so long to disembark at the port. The deceased's family were still on board (which I found strange) and they were the ones talking at breakfast.

 

When we got back into port we found out (from a friend who works with the harbor pilots) that someone had indeed passed away. Turns out the cruise line had to inform them that they came back with one less passenger.

[truffles2]

On one of our cruises a 39 year old female passed away due to alcohol poisoning.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I don't understand why they put them off at the next stop. Then someone has to pay to have the body shipped home, it seems it would be easier to hand them over to family at the end of the cruise...since they have facilities on the ships.

Like Matt said - dealing with paper work and making arragments is not what you want to be doing when you have a loved one die.

 

 

If there is still a lot of time left in the cruise, maybe it is better to try to get home. I wouldn't want to spend a week or more on a ship just marking time until someone I traveled with who died could be unloaded at a home port.

 

Yes, I do recognize that the paperwork must be just horrible in a foreign country. I have a friend whose husband died in South America while on a land excursion. He actually fell over dead right in the tour bus!

 

That country would not allow her to return to the HAL ship. She had to go through all the paperwork required to send him by air back to the US. She flew on that same plane. What an ordeal! Luckily her insurance was excellent.

 

I was so impressed with HAL. We took her to meet the ship when it came back to the US. Crew had packed up all her stuff and liquor. They even got her jewelry out of the safe and all of it was there...nothing missing!! If you have to die on a cruise, die on a HAL cruise. They were wonderful to the widow.

[Steamboatin]

We were on a Med cruise docked in Rhodes when it was announced during dinner over the PA that a crew member had died during his sleep. They announced that we would not be leaving port for several more hours until all the paperwork with the local authorities had been completed and arrangements had been finalized to ship his body to his home town in India.

[debshomespun]

While on our HAL Ryndam cruise last month, we did a tour of the storage area in the crew area. It was the refrigerators for the fruits/vegetables and perishables, storage room for the dry/canned goods, refrigerators for the beer/alcohol, and they also had a door that was the "coffin store" When I asked how man it held, they told me "4". The florist uses it for the fresh flowers, until there isn't room. The ship carries approx. 1200 passengers, plus the crew.

 

Here is a picture of the door. Not sure if you can make out the wording.

[Schplinky]

I happen to be in the infirmary on our last cruise when they were helping a man whose wife had died. I was very struck by the compassion with which everyone dealt with the man. He got off in that port with his wife's body and they flew home. The local coroner and police (a formality) came onboard and they were also very kind.

[hoytarchery999]

While on our HAL Ryndam cruise last month, we did a tour of the storage area in the crew area. It was the refrigerators for the fruits/vegetables and perishables, storage room for the dry/canned goods, refrigerators for the beer/alcohol, and they also had a door that was the "coffin store" When I asked how man it held, they told me "4". The florist uses it for the fresh flowers, until there isn't room. The ship carries approx. 1200 passengers, plus the crew.

 

Here is a picture of the door. Not sure if you can make out the wording.

 

thats nice to see right before i go to sleep:p

[Schplinky]

I don't understand why they put them off at the next stop. Then someone has to pay to have the body shipped home, it seems it would be easier to hand them over to family at the end of the cruise...since they have facilities on the ships.

Like Matt said - dealing with paper work and making arragments is not what you want to be doing when you have a loved one die.

 

 

 

 

I believe there are legalities involved and I suppose the body would have to be embalmed. The local police and coroner have to be assured that foul play was not an issue. I suspect that embalming and the perceived cruelty of having someone on a ship in the deepest of grief with all sorts of holiday-makers around them are the key factors. I imagine travel insurance covers this and I surely would not want to wait out the rest of a vacation if my beloved had died.

[NJGRANNY]

On our very first cruise (Alaska), a man who had been sitting at a table next to us passed away. They lowered him over the side in a covered stretcher (I saw this, but didn't realize what it was at the time) and into a small boat and took him ashore. What I thought was very poignant was that the people who were with him thought to leave their tips for the waiter. They gave it to someone to give to him. I always think of this when I hear about people who stiff the waiters. These people made sure their tips were paid even in their grief.