On the prohibitions on cruise ships: logical, not very clear, and very strange
The phrase “maritime order” is not just a figure of speech. Over the centuries-long history of navigation, a certain set of rules of conduct at sea has developed; these rules also apply to cruise ships …
Some of these rules and prohibitions are quite logical and understandable even to the “land” guest of a sea vessel, others look strange, and some may even seem absurd. But be that as it may, they are dictated by the concern for the safety, health and comfort of tourists and crew, and from the moment you are on board the ship, you have to obey them.
So far it’s clear …
Some prohibitions simply duplicate similar ones existing in ordinary hotels. For example, a ban on taking “towels” and other items that are provided for the duration of the cruise from the cabin. Or make notes and drawings on the walls (in the sea “bulkheads”) of the cabins. Fans of breaking such bans will always be found both on land and at sea, but in general they are understandable to most tourists. Like the ban on smoking during the flight everywhere, except in specially designated places. True, some cruise companies allow smoking on the balconies of cabins (but in no case in the cabins themselves!).
A fire on a ship in the open sea is much more dangerous than on the shore, so it should be understood that fire safety rules on liners are very stringent. You will not be allowed to iron your clothes in the cabin, or use a hairdryer in the bathroom (most often there are no outlets). And on the liners of the cruise company CARNIVAL, you can even take the hairdryer away until the end of the trip. It’s tough, but logical: the ship’s power supply is autonomous, the power plant is relatively low-power, and many electrical appliances can be short-circuited at the same time.
… not so much further
Dress codes of various cruise companies, including the ban on wearing jeans that caused a lot of noise on the Web, are difficult to explain with some objective necessity. However, such a ban applies to cruise liners Azamara Club Cruises and some other companies. In the dining area and restaurants, tourists are prohibited from appearing in jeans, as well as in shorts, slippers (and barefoot), t-shirts, beach hats and baseball caps. The dress code instructs tourists to wear trousers, shirts and dresses covering their legs before eating. We are not talking about ties, tuxedos and tailcoats …
Concerned about the threats of terrorism, drug trafficking, as well as the spread of infectious diseases, cruise companies seek to limit as much as possible personal contacts between passengers and the liner service personnel. Such contacts should not go beyond purely official relations. Crystal Cruises moved farthest in this direction, even prohibiting handshakes between passengers and crew.
Of the same category, they are not very clear – the ban on Disney Cruise Line passengers to take certain video game systems with them on board. That is, the gaming gadgets themselves can be taken on a trip, the ban is imposed only on connecting them to the TV …
When logic is powerless
And finally, about the ban, which has no logical explanation at all, even in the form of a hypothesis. Children under eight years of age are not allowed on the Windstar Cruises cruise ships, and each passenger under the age of 21 must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 25 years old. Thus, the travel ban applies to people who themselves can already have children, to serve in the army and vote.
All of these prohibitions, even without a logical explanation, on a cruise ship have the status of law. They can be indignant, they can be laughed at, but it’s wiser to go to the cruise company’s website and get acquainted with its policy even at the stage of travel planning. It is possible that other surprises are prepared for you there, it is better to know about them in advance.
