Hi my lovely readers!

I hope all of you are doing well!

When I took my first cruise, many surprises were waiting for me. Some of them really pleasant and interesting, others a bit on the weird side I must say.

Today, I want to talk about the weird, curious and interesting facts about cruising that you might have not heard of yet.

So let’s dive right in!

18 Curious and interesting things you didn’t know about cruise ships

1. THERE’S A MORGUE ON BOARD

All cruise ships have a morgue on board. It’s said to say, but it does occasionally happen that people pass away during their cruise.

If this happens, the body is kept in the morgue until the ship reaches the next port.

2. THE CREW HAVE THEIR OWN BARS AND EATING VENUES

Cruise staff have their cabin on the lower decks and this is where they sleep, eat and also party.

They have bars where they can go to have a drink just like us guests do and some cruise ships even have pools for their staff. You can sometimes spot the pool on the very front of the ship.

3. DON’T BOTHER BRINGING AN IRON OR STEAMER ON BOARD

I understand you want to have a wrinkle free shirt or dress, but irons and steamers are prohibited items to take on a cruise ship.

Related post: Things You Don’t Need To Pack For Your Cruise

This has to do with fire safety as fires are the number one reason why cruise ships can sink. This is also the reason why you can only smoke in designated areas on the ships and not on your balcony cabin for instance.

4. SOME CRUISE SHIPS HAVE KENNELS ON BAORD

Some cruise ships have kennels, which allows you to travel with your pooch. Some Hurtigruten ships and the Queen Mary 2 from Cunard make this possible.

However, spaces are limited so if this is something you would consider, make sure to book the kennel space sooner rather than later. Best to inquire about it from the start.

5. THERE’S NO DECK 13

The famous and unlucky number 13 isn’t just missing in hotels, but also on cruise ships due to superstition.

You will be in the elevator and pass deck 11, 12 and then jump right to 14.

6. PEOPLE DECORATE THEIR CABINS

Well, it has never crossed my mind to decorate my hotel room when on holiday yet alone a cruise cabin.

But there are many people that do so for various reasons. Some will celebrate a special occasion, others will want to make the cabin their own and more personal for the duration of their cruise and others will want to express themeselves.

It’s really not uncommon to see decorations on cruise cabin doors and I think it’s entertaining to see what people have.

7. THE WATER IN THE POOL IS SALT WATER

The first time I jumped into the pool I got a nasty surprise, burning eyes. Because the water in the pool is salt water. Who would have thought?

Looking back it makes sense of course as you are surrounded by the ocean mostly and the cruise ships get all the water they use on board from the sea. The water is filtered of course, it’s clean and safe to swim in, but just not fresh water.

8. THERE’S A JAIL ON BOARD

Yes, people can get out of line during their cruise and sometimes ships can transport criminals as well. Hence, there’s a jail on board.

9. CRUISE SHIPS HAVE A CHRISTENING CEREMONY AND A GODMOTHER

The launch of a new cruise ship is always a spectacle. Ships get their own christening ceremony where the godmother attends.

This is an old naval tradition to bring good luck to the ship and protect it. Some famous godmothers are the Queen and Oprah Winfrey.

10. AN AVERAGE OF 100 TONNES OF FOOD AND DRINKS IS CONSUMED DURING A 7 DAY CRUISE

It’s almost a given to eat a lot during a cruise. Food is everywhere and it’s super delicious. There’s so much variety and you will be tempted to eat more that you normally would and drink more, too.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that us cruisers go through 100 tonnes of food and drinks during a 7 days cruise. That’s 100,000 kg of food every week!

11. CRUISE SHIPS HAVE THEIR OWN TREATMENT/FILTRATION PLANT

Cruise ships are like floating resorts and operate like small cities.

They have their own water treatment and filtration plants on board so water can be used for taking a shower, flushing the toilets, cooking, cleaning etc.

12. THE DOCTOR ON BOARD IS SORT OF LIKE A GP

Of course there’s medical staff on board, a doctor and a nurse, that can help with small treatments like seasickness, colds, a sprained ankle, that sort of thing.

However, they’re just there to help with minor injuries and illnesses. If you all of a sudden need a dentist, need an operation for some reason, you will be taken to the nearest hospital depending on where the ship is.

If you are at sea, normally the ship will try to reach the next island/land or if it’s very serious and the ship is close to land, a helicopter might come to take you to the nearest hospital.

13. YOU WILL GAIN AN AVERAGE OF HALF A KG A DAY

Yep, you can easily gain a few kg during a cruise. I always gain weight as there is just so much food choice. Food is everywhere, it’s accessible 24/7 and it’s just so darn tasty.

However, there are a few ways to stay on top of the weight gain. I would recommend the tips in my post How To Stay Fit While Cruising, such as taking the stairs or participating in dance classes just to name a few.

14. MOST CABINS TECHNICALLY COME WITH TWIN BEDS

When you book a cruise you can mostly select the bed arrangements. You will see twin beds or queen/king bed.

What a lot of people don’t know though is that actually the twin beds moved together form the queen or king beds. This is very handy to allow for more flexibility.

The twin beds are moved together and a mattress topper is placed on top to get so to speak one mattress, that you don’t get the gap in the middle.

15. THE ICED TEA IS UNSWEETENED

Another surprise if you don’t know about it is the iced tea.

The iced tea is normally free, but it really is what it says it is. Tea that is cold. It’s not like the Lipton peach or lemon iced tea at all.

16. SOME PEOPLE LIVE ON CRUISE SHIPS

Some people love cruising so much, they decide to make it their permanent home. Can you imagine waking up every day in a new place?

Some stay on cruise ships of those cruise lines that we know well such as Princesses Cruises, Royal Caribbean etc and just pay the cruise fare.

But there’s a cruise ship called The World, where you actually buy a cruise cabin like you buy an apartment for a certain period of time. The owners can also decide where they want to go and how long they want to stay in a port. They have the ability to create their own itinerary.

17. YOU CAN GO ON A ROLLERCOASTER AT SEA

Cruise ships are getting bigger, better and offer more and more cool things to do on board to keep us entertained and coming back for more.

Some offer ice skating and rock climbing, some have mini golf and surfing simulators and the newest Carnival ship Mardi Gras has the first rollercoaster at sea.

A rollercoaster at sea! How cool is that?

18. INTERNET AT SEA IS SO AND SO

We’re so used to having internet everywhere we go and people often forget that, yes there’s internet on cruise ships, of course there is, but you’re not on land. You’re in open waters.

There’re no poles for better connectivity close by and internet speed is nothing like the one you get on land.

When you buy data on a cruise ship, this is really just for checking emails and sending the occasional WhatsApp message. it’s not for streaming or downloading/uploading large files.

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Did you know about any of these curious and interesting things? What do you make of them?

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