While cruise lines have been phasing out libraries, cigar rooms, and chapels, there’s one room that will probably never be removed from ship plans — the morgue. Cruises aren’t dangerous, and although you aren’t very likely to have any issues, deaths do happen onboard. According to the International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health, there were 623 deaths across 78 cruise lines between 2000 and 2019. Considering some cruises last for months and can have thousands of people on them at a time, it’s not so unusual that occasionally, a passenger or crew member dies while they’re on a cruise ship.
When someone dies onboard a cruise from a U.S. line, the first thing that happens is that the ship’s medical professional confirms that the person has died. Then, their emergency contact is notified, the death is officially recorded, and the crew reports the death to the CDC. If there’s anything that implies the death wasn’t from natural causes, they will also report it to the FBI and local law enforcement. As disturbing as it may be to think about, it’s worth knowing that the cost of dealing with your body and returning it home falls on your loved ones, not the cruise line. While it’s not exactly something anyone plans for, this is one situation where travel or cruise insurance is definitely worth it — specifically policies with accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
What is a cruise ship’s morgue actually like
There may be some unsettling reasons you may want to avoid taking a cruise, but the presence of a morgue should not be one of them. As disturbing as it might sound, there usually aren’t any bodies in the morgue at all, and the space is not particularly intimidating. Typically, if a person dies onboard a cruise, their body is kept onboard while the cruise continues on its scheduled route until it reaches a port where local authorities can create a death certificate. Sometimes, that means waiting until the ship is back where it started. The morgue is a safe place to store the body; however, it’s not particularly big or unsettling.
If you’re imagining a large, ominous room with autopsies being performed, think again. Usually, cruise ship morgues are only equipped to deal with just a few bodies at a time, and all they do is keep them safe and cool. In many cases, it’s not really a room at all. It looks more like a large metal fridge built into the wall. Inside, there are three metal shelves where bodies could be stored.
