Is there really a morgue on the ship?

I heard that all ships have a morgue. Is this true? Not to be morbid at all, but I also heard that they take out the meat from the freezer and put the body in it:confused: Don't take this the wrong way, just curious!

Don't know about the use of the meat locker but, yes, the cruise lines frequently have to handle the remains of passengers who have died. (I would think that health regulations wouldn't allow the passenger's body to be stored in the kitchens). I read recently that during one world cruise, 14 passengers died during the voyage -- primarily because it is usually only retired (or very weathy) folks who have that much time and because people who know they won't be around much longer because of illness decide to take the voyage they have always been putting off for "someday." It is a lesson to us all that we live life to the fullest, now. I may sound morbid, but yesterday just went to the funeral of a friend who died far too young.

Go and have fun and don't worry about ending up in the meat locker.

Yes. There is a place for bodies on every ship. We've had a chance to tour the 'below decks' area on a few ships and it is quite amazing what is down below. The staging area for luggage, the separate refrigeration room for meat which must be kept separate from chicken which must be kept separate from fish. The storage of all the fruit and veggies. The storage for non-perishables. If you ever have the chance to see all this, jump at the chance. It is so interesting.

BTW.....there is also a Brig!

That's what we were told on the Grand in 99. The cruise we were on was very early in the Caribbean season. One of the asst. cruise directors that we were having drinks with one night was telling us about the "behind the scenes" areas. She said they had 2 people die on the crossing a few weeks earlier, and she also mentioned the brig.

That must have been very interesting to tour those areas.

I heard that all ships have a morgue. Is this true? Not to be morbid at all, but I also heard that they take out the meat from the freezer and put the body in it:confused: Don't take this the wrong way, just curious!

Health laws would not allow food that is consumable with a corpse or any biological waste. Now a seperate area in the meat locker with a door that could be possible but not just an open area with the hot dogs and porterhouses.

Health laws would not allow food that is consumable with a corpse or any biological waste. Now a seperate area in the meat locker with a door that could be possible but not just an open area with the hot dogs and porterhouses.

LOL, I figured that couldn't be true!

Yes. There is a place for bodies on every ship. We've had a chance to tour the 'below decks' area on a few ships and it is quite amazing what is down below. The staging area for luggage, the separate refrigeration room for meat which must be kept separate from chicken which must be kept separate from fish. The storage of all the fruit and veggies. The storage for non-perishables. If you ever have the chance to see all this, jump at the chance. It is so interesting.

 

BTW.....there is also a Brig!

 

Wow, I would love to see that. Hope I get to go on a tour too:D

Back in the mid-90's, I was the on-board florist aboard several Holland America ships during lengthy deployments--World Cruise, Europe season (6+ months). I would receive very large shipments of flowers from the Aalsmeer auction in Holland every 7-10 days, and of course needed substantial, reliable cold storage for my inventory. Well, the 3 drawer morgue fit the bill well, except for those rare occasions when I would show up at my 'shop' and be warned off by a note from the F & B mgr to not open the refrigerator, as we had to move the flowers to accomodate a 'lodger'.

I think the body in the meat locker rumour might be a navy story, not a cruise ship story.

Yes. There is a place for bodies on every ship. We've had a chance to tour the 'below decks' area on a few ships and it is quite amazing what is down below. The staging area for luggage, the separate refrigeration room for meat which must be kept separate from chicken which must be kept separate from fish. The storage of all the fruit and veggies. The storage for non-perishables. If you ever have the chance to see all this, jump at the chance. It is so interesting.

 

BTW.....there is also a Brig!

 

Also, the grey water area and the black water area; and the separate places for different types of refuse -- some very smelly, some not as bad. Fascinating; the things we don't think about while we're enjoying life on the upper decks.

Check out this recent article from our local paper, paying attention to the next to last paragraph: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Oct/31/br/br9214680735.html

Also, check out this discussion on the Celebrity forum:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=653907

In post #20 they talk about how you wouldn't want to freeze the body, only keep it chilled.

Check out this recent article from our local paper, paying attention to the next to last paragraph: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Oct/31/br/br9214680735.html

 

Also, check out this discussion on the Celebrity forum:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=653907

 

In post #20 they talk about how you wouldn't want to freeze the body, only keep it chilled.

Thanks for the post. I didnt know if anyone heard of this and now I know Im not the only one. Kind of creepy.

Wow, i did not know that! I guess when they say they accomodate for everybody, they are right.

I for one know all too well that there are morgues on ships. Back in May of 1993, on the first and only cruise my parents ever took together, my dad passed away. Unfortunately it was only the 3rd day of a 12-day cruise onboard the Queen Elizabeth 2. As they came into port in Barbados, apparently the ship had to report how many live bodies and how many corpses they had. When it was discovered that there was a corpse on board, Barbados authorities came onto the ship and took his body off. No one explained to my mom what was going on, and Cunard was not the slightest bit apologetic, sympathetic, or helpful. She spent the day on the ship and then decided she had better get off of it because the ship was leaving port. So - she packed up all her belongings and those of my dad, and got off the ship. I imagine she took a taxi to a hotel, where my sister from Indiana flew down to be with her. The body was not ready for burial until Thursday and my dad died on Saturday, so my mom and sister did some sightseeing in Barbados for a few days! They all flew home to Philadelphia together on Thursday and we had the funeral service/burial on Saturday. It was a very surreal experience for everyone, and the expense of it all was astronomical. (Ship-to-shore phone calls were $10/minute or so and my siblings all had $200+ phone bills!) SO - this is my first cruise with my hubby coming up (Nov. 24- Dec. 1, 2007) and you better bet we bought insurance! I don't know if my mom and dad had it or not, but I would imagine they didn't know enough to get it. The one thing they always say is, Dad would have loved to brag that he "went first class - on the QE2!"

By the way - he had a heart attack in the pool as he was bragging that he and Mom were having dinner with the captain. They had won a contest for having the most grandchildren of any of the passengers, and their prize was dinner with the captain. Mom was in the laundromat ironing Dad's shirts for dinner and they couldn't find her for several hours after the incident.

I for one know all too well that there are morgues on ships. Back in May of 1993, on the first and only cruise my parents ever took together, my dad passed away. Unfortunately it was only the 3rd day of a 12-day cruise onboard the Queen Elizabeth 2. As they came into port in Barbados, apparently the ship had to report how many live bodies and how many corpses they had. When it was discovered that there was a corpse on board, Barbados authorities came onto the ship and took his body off. No one explained to my mom what was going on, and Cunard was not the slightest bit apologetic, sympathetic, or helpful. She spent the day on the ship and then decided she had better get off of it because the ship was leaving port. So - she packed up all her belongings and those of my dad, and got off the ship. I imagine she took a taxi to a hotel, where my sister from Indiana flew down to be with her. The body was not ready for burial until Thursday and my dad died on Saturday, so my mom and sister did some sightseeing in Barbados for a few days! They all flew home to Philadelphia together on Thursday and we had the funeral service/burial on Saturday. It was a very surreal experience for everyone, and the expense of it all was astronomical. (Ship-to-shore phone calls were $10/minute or so and my siblings all had $200+ phone bills!) SO - this is my first cruise with my hubby coming up (Nov. 24- Dec. 1, 2007) and you better bet we bought insurance! I don't know if my mom and dad had it or not, but I would imagine they didn't know enough to get it. The one thing they always say is, Dad would have loved to brag that he "went first class - on the QE2!"

 

By the way - he had a heart attack in the pool as he was bragging that he and Mom were having dinner with the captain. They had won a contest for having the most grandchildren of any of the passengers, and their prize was dinner with the captain. Mom was in the laundromat ironing Dad's shirts for dinner and they couldn't find her for several hours after the incident.

I am so sorry. I never expected a post like yours. Thank you for sharing this and God Bless. Have a Great cruise.:)

It was told to us that many of the longer routes and Alaska have the highest death rates. Hawaii and Panama being there with the longer routes. Typically they have a more higher average age. Unfortunatley a herse was waiting for the cruise ship when we got to Costa Rica on our Panama Canal cruise. There was someone airlifted off our Hawaii cruise and also on a caribean cruise we were on. One thing they did say when we toured the bridge on our Panama Canal cruise was that you medical response was only 2-3 minutes max which is great!

Itype4dox - so sorry to hear about your dad. Debbie

Yes. There is a place for bodies on every ship. We've had a chance to tour the 'below decks' area on a few ships and it is quite amazing what is down below....

BTW.....there is also a Brig!

 

Combine the brig and morgue spaces, and you'll shape up the behavior of some passengers pretty fast. :)

We've had a chance to tour the 'below decks' area on a few ships and it is quite amazing what is down below.

 

If you ever have the chance to see all this, jump at the chance. It is so interesting.

 

How did you get to tour the ship? This sounds like fun, but I've never seen that offered. Is it for frequent cruisers only?

Wow, i did not know that! I guess when they say they accomodate for everybody, they are right.

sad but very funny:o

Yes there is a morgue on the ships. We have been on quite a few cruises when a passenger or 2 died. It is much easier to bring the body back to the port of embarkation rather than fill out all the paper work and then making expensive transportation for body and anyone else accompany it.

We were on the Rotterdam a few years ago when a stow-away was put in the brig.

I did see a couple of years ago that the Q.E. 2 has 28 coffins on board for her 'round the world cruise'. Why pick 28, and where they are stored, when filled, was not mentioned.

john

I would think body bags might be more likely. I wouldn't have thought they'd have 'boxes'.

What a gruesome subject.

Let's get this lightened up. :)

I heard that all ships have a morgue. Is this true? Not to be morbid at all, but I also heard that they take out the meat from the freezer and put the body in it:confused: Don't take this the wrong way, just curious!

Yes there is a morgue but the rest is a joke, it came from comdeians on a cruiseship I am sure. The one I heard that is why HAL serves so much icecream-(they tend to attract a well over 65 crowd) another HAL joke is the son who took his father on a cruise and the son was 80!

but the bodies actually only stay in the morgue until the ship is in port.

Our last cruise a man died of a stroke while we were in port, his body was taken off ship and his wife chose to leave too as she did not want to leave his body in France to fly back to the US without her. I was told by their friends(we ate breakfast with them) that their sons flew there to be with her but still she was alone as we sailed out of the port, as her sons could not arrive until the next morning.