How to stay safe on a cruise
Cruise safety tips:
Keep it simple: From luggage to wristwatches, avoid expensive-looking accessories that could make you a target for theft. Some 75 percent (30 of 53) of passenger theft reports involved stolen jewelry. Usually, jewelry was reported missing from cabins, but in more than a third of the cases it was taken from bags or luggage. Eleven percent of theft reports involved electronics, and another 11 percent involved cash.
Keep it in sight: If you bring valuables on a cruise, make sure you have photographs or other documentation. Don't leave valuables unattended. Use your cabin safe or carry them with you.
Watch the alcohol: In addition to your own intake, pay attention to how much people around you are drinking. Alcohol was noted as a factor in almost half of the sex assaults (16 of 33) and sexual incidents (31 of 70) reported by guests. Alcohol was also mentioned in about a third of the assault cases (35 of 108) reported by passengers. Never accept drinks from people you do not know. Get drinks directly from a bartender, and watch them being poured. Do not leave drinks unattended or entrust them to others.
Watch your children: While victim ages weren't always listed in the reports, about one in four passenger sexual assault (eight of 34) and sexual incident (19 of 70) reports described the victims as minors, teen-agers or children. Of those cases, about half involved alcohol – sometimes alcohol had been consumed by youngsters, and sometimes drunken adults made lewd comments, gestures or inappropriately touched the youngsters.
Traveling companions: If you don't get along with your spouse or traveling companion on land, being in close quarters on a cruise ship won't improve the situation. More than a third (42 of 108) of the passenger assault cases involved family violence, and about 40 percent (17 of 42) of those cases also involved alcohol.
Use common sense: Do not wander the ship alone or allow your children to roam unattended. In ports, stay with tour groups or people you know. Don't flaunt cash or onshore purchases. Take important phone numbers with you on the cruise, including contact information for your credit card companies, the cruise line and the FBI's Miami office, (305) 944-9101 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (305) 944-9101 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
If you are injured or believe you are a victim of crime while on a cruise:
Immediately report the incident to ship security. Make the report in writing and get a copy. Collect the names of all onboard security personnel you deal with. Contact the FBI at the nearest port.
Take photographs of the scene of the incident as soon as possible. If the incident involves a sexual assault or suspicious death, the scene should immediately be sealed off for law enforcement.
If there are witnesses to the incident, write down their names, addresses, and telephone numbers.
If you have been physically injured, go to the ship doctor for treatment.
If you are the victim of sexual assault or rape, insist on a full sexual assault medical examination as soon as possible in the shipboard infirmary to ensure forensic evidence is preserved. Do not eat, drink, shower, bathe, brush teeth or go to the bathroom before the exam is done by a physician. Blood samples and photographs should be part of the exam. If necessary, go to an onshore doctor at the next port.
