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A cruise ship worker, who regularly shares crew secrets on her YouTube channel, has spoken out about what happens when a passenger passes away midway through a journey – and exactly how staff handle it
A woman has revealed what happens when somebody dies aboard a cruise ship – and it’s not all plain sailing.
Cruises have become one of the rising vacation alternatives in recent years. These gigantic vessels offer many possibilities to passengers, whether they want maximum relaxation or a more active tourism experience, visiting several cities while having guaranteed entertainment every night.
These majestic ships are like floating cities where you can go to the gym, dine at various restaurants, get a massage, or visit the hairdresser. You can even catch live performances onboard while enjoying some delicious drinks.
There are other lesser-known services that all cruises have, which are far less glamorous but necessary on board a ship. One such service is the provision for the possibility of a passenger dying onboard.
On the YouTube channel ‘Cruising as Crew’, Anisha, a young woman who has been working as part of the crew for four years, was recently interviewed. She shares that her job is not all smooth sailing and involves facing challenging situations.
“The biggest challenge is dealing with death onboard,” she said, adding that before joining a cruise ship, she “had never had any experience” with someone close passing away – not even a family member. She recalls difficult moments such as when, after the pandemic, she had to face very delicate situations and deaths on each of the cruises she worked on over four weeks.
Anisha added that “no one is prepared for it because you don’t know what to do or say.” However, she admits that she ended up needing a lot of therapy and training to better handle these moments and learn how to “cope with death and fully support affected passengers.”
One thing she now has to do during these difficult times is set aside her feelings to act with a clear head. This allows her to manage situations like asking for doctors’ names or how family members want to organise the body’s return home and suggesting funeral homes. For her, the challenge is being able to “empathise” during these moments while maintaining professionalism.
“It’s very difficult the first time,” Anisha admitted. She emphasised that due to her experience, she is now “completely prepared” to handle such situations. And it’s not just death she has to face, it’s illness, too. “This is when our professional skills come out,” she continued.
