“Cruise ships, once they return to the port the cruise originated from, remove any dead bodies before the passengers even wake up in the morning, which is why when the ship returns to port it is so early in the morning. Cruise ship companies don’t want their passengers to see dead bodies being removed from the ship, even if the ship isn’t at fault for the death, because who wants to explain to the passengers where the body is kept, how long the body has been in the lower part of the ship, how the person died.”     –Jane Ericksen, answering “How do Cruise Ships Handle Death At Sea” Quroa.com

  John McDonald loved to cruise on the sea. John and Ruth cruised several times a year. When Ruth died, John was determined to continue on the voyages they loved.

  John decided to cruise alone. He certainly was experienced and the cruise line knew him. On his last journey, the eighty-plus-year-old didn’t feel well and told the staff he was going to nap that afternoon. The next morning the house cleaning crew found him dead, still in his day clothes.

  We were called by the insurance company representing the cruise line’s insurance. John was taken by their contracted funeral home from the ship and the cruise line’s insurance would pay all transportation costs to have him returned. John had purchased travel protection insurance through the cruise line.

  The contracted funeral home had informed me that John’s post mortem condition was problematic. I asked why. The representative did not know specifically but said that he died in the early evening, was not discovered until late the next morning and was probably left in the room until later when they could discreetly remove his remains. The preservation was good but the presentation was disappointing as he was slightly swollen and skin-slip was present due to the delay before embalming.

  I had just seen John at church (as many had) right before he embarked on his cruise. It was a great disappointment to present him in a less than ideal manner. I do believe the contracted funeral home performed their technical tasks the best they could.

  John was one of the approximately 200 people who die each year on a cruise. Most deaths are of natural causes, but accidents, suicides and murders do happen on these voyages.

  Thousands cruise each year. The average age is 49, yet many cruise lines cater to the retired (obviously older) crowd (average age 75) and deaths can be expected.

  Two announcements made on the public address system can alert the knowing to what is happening. “Operation Bright Star” indicates a serious medical situation. “Operation Rising Star” indicates a death.

  The cruise lines are mandated to carry body bags and have refrigeration morgues for those who perish during the voyage. The ships sailing shorter excursions may have 3 to 6 body coolers and those with longer passages may have 6 to 8 body capacity in their morgues.

  What governing authority the passenger expires in is very crucial to their repatriation to their home country and state. The cruise lines wish to disembark a deceased cruise passenger at the nearest port. If it is a remote area or not well established governmentally, this could be a logistical and diplomatic nightmare for the family. The cruise lines may advise the family to keep the deceased passenger in the morgue while they leave the ship, fly home and begin the funeral process. A friendlier port will be more advantageous to the family in receiving their loved one back without the tumult of a smaller authority.

  The Naples News relates a story about David and Martha Fitzgerald aboard a 16-day cruise. David, 76, contracted the Norwalk virus which attacked many other passengers. He died days later. His wife was advised to disembark in Portugal and catch a flight home to be with her family and begin funeral preparations. David’s remains would continue on the ship as the arduousness of the paperwork and delays were unreasonable. He would continue on to a friendlier port for repatriation. His wife toasted him at a Portugal bar after she had to leave him behind on the ship.

  “It was awful thinking of him on that ship,” stated his daughter when told of the situation.

  The cruise lines are not accountable for the negligence of their doctors. The physicians are contracted employees. They are assumed to be competent medical practitioners and that is the extent of the employer’s liability.

  The question is who pays for the return of the lost passenger to his hometown; the family. You may purchase insurance for this event, but many do not as they do not foresee this catastrophe occurring.

  As mentioned, there are other manners of death that do occur on the seas. Falls on or from the ship occur. A 21 year old climbed up in a restricted area by the radar dish. The radar turned and he fell to his death on a jogging trail on a lower deck. Falls over the railings occur through suicide, but mostly from intoxicated passengers involving horseplay or those who vomit over a railing and lose their balance. Other meet their death when the ship shifts suddenly when hit by heavy waves, causing them to lose balance in precarious places onboard. There is the occasional murder that is handled immediately with outside law enforcement agencies.

  Cruise lines are experienced in handling these deaths. They have “Care Team Members” who are assigned to those who have lost someone special and assist them through their remaining time on that ship. There are Catholic, Protestant and Jewish chaplains who are experienced in comforting families of a cruise ship mortality.

  Cruisecritic.com relates a story of a passenger who died on a small island in the South Pacific when they went ashore. His remains were taken back aboard ship, then transported to a larger hospital, then sent to Tahiti, where the family could arrange his body to be shipped home.

  Jane Archer, writing for UK’s The Telegraph chronicles the account of an 87 year old woman who died on the 86th day of a 114 day voyage. The son was travelling with her. He was able to deal with the paperwork, have her cremated and complete the tour with the company of his mother in her urn.

  Cruise reviewers advise two major points to avoid seeing the ship’s morgue. Be moderate in alcohol consumption. This can avoid a number of recoverable injuries and fatal falls, fights and fits that can happen. Also be honest with yourself, the travel agent and cruise lines about your health. Should you be travelling? If you decide to go anyway, get the extra insurance so you can get home horizontally, if the worst happens.

  “It’s more likely that you’ll die traveling to the port than you will on the actual cruise, and death by cruise ship can be avoided pretty easily.”     –themedicalbag.com