Is it really "scattering" of ashes at sea?

[RayJacki]

My husband and I loved to cruise together and, since I lost him 6 months ago, I've planned a cruise with some dear friends where we'll be doing a memorial burial at sea for him as he wished. I've done my homework on the airline website about transporting his ashes and on the Carnival website about arranging the service (death certificate and cremation certificate required for both). But nothing that I have found in my research actually addresses whether Carnival's ceremony MUST be done in a biodegradeable urn or if is actually a "scattering" of the ashes from a lower crew deck. Does anyone know for sure from personal experience ?

[psbtrvlr]

Sorry for your loss.

 

It was in 2010 when we did this but they told us that we had to have a biodegradable urn. It was dropped from an opening on a crew deck below. Officers attended and were very respectful.

[RayJacki]

Thanks for your response.

[bigman01]

I've done this twice in the last 4 years - once for my dad in 2013 and once for my mom last year. Both times, I had a biodegradable urn and we simply threw (dropped) it into the sea. It can be very windy, so I'm not sure I'd want to actually "scatter" the ashes. With that being said, last October when we did it for my mother, we were waiting in the lobby at the chosen time. The environmental officer approached me and said he was waiting on word from the bridge as to wind speed and direction. Then he noticed I was holding the urn, and said "Since you have an urn, wind speed/direction doesn't matter, so if you're ready, let's go." That told me that "scattering" of the ashes is possible, but again, I'm not sure I'd want to do that.

 

If you have any questions about the process, feel free to email me (jamesloyd at gmail dot com). And, I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

James

[SadieN]

We just did this on our HI cruise in October for friends. We used biodegradable paper urns that were tossed into the sea.

On the Miracle we were on deck 3 aft, behind the upper lever dining room.

 

Only issue we had was going thru security in Long Beach. The gal had never seen them before. Delayed us all of 15 seconds.

 

The first day we went to Guest Services to notify them. We had to wait a few days because of weather. We met an environmental officer and a security officer at GS and were escorted to the location.

 

Here is a thread from the Princess board, our experience was similar on Carnival. Distributing Ashes at Sea; Our Experience

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1343418

 

We used this type of urn

http://www.passagesinternational.com/biodegradable-urns/water-urns/journey-earthurns

The mortuary placed the ashes in the urns for us.

Edited February 1, 2017 by SadieN

[RayJacki]

Thank you for your responses and your sympathies.

[johno1234]

It never occurred to me that you might be able to do this on a cruise. I've always thought I should be buried at sea in some way - I think from a cruise is a nice option.

[SadieN]

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1132/kw/Cremation

[mississauga]

We attended a ceremony for a friend on the Vista. Her sister had her ashes in a bag and scattered them.

 

Seas were rough the first few days of the cruise so it was delayed until the seas were calmer. We went down to deck 0 with an environmental officer, security and a GS rep . The sister and daughters scattered our friends ashes over the side of the ship

Edited February 1, 2017 by mississauga

[BlondieB]

We did this several years ago for a friend's mom. The environmental officer let us know when we could do it and then we met at a designated place and were led down to a lower crew deck. The ashes were actually scattered which then some promptly blew back in on us :eek:. So, my recommendation would definitely be a biodegradable bag. Carnival then provided her with a certificate of the coordinates where they were scattered.

[A&Jfamily]

We did this is December 2015 for my MIL. We were on the Conquest, and as it was Christmas the last sea day, we asked to do this as early in the cruise as possible. Because we were flying, we did the biodegradable paper box like urn (you carry it on); you transfer the ashes to the bag which in turn goes into the box with the tags. I believe we did the ceremony on the first sea day, and we met at the Customer Service Desk in the Lobby. We were accompanied by a Guest Services Officer, and Environmental Officer and one other. We were taken to the lowest Deck, 1, at the rear of the ship; we were in fact in a "crew only" area. The Carnival Staff stood respectfully by the door to the hall and we went to the far back and told we could take a much time as we needed. It is a bit noisy due to the engines, so I am sure they could not hear a thing we said. I had prepared some prayers from the Episcopal Prayer book that are used when interning ashes. My husband threw her remains into the wake and we watched for 30 seconds to a minute before they were out of sight. We were escorted back above deck. In the coming days my husband was provided with a memorial certificate signed by the Captain as well as a ships photo. It was a very lovely and peaceful experience.

 

As others have noted, "scattering" could be an issue with the wind, even on a lower deck. I recommend using the urn. My condolences and may you find Peace during this time.

[sanmarcosman]

During our scattering the winds were moderate and yes there was a touch of blow back but our dear uncle was a fan of the movie " The Big Lebowski " and would have laughed as heartily as we did that day.

 

Sorry for your loss and do know that the Carnival staff will serve you both courteously and professionally.

[yogibear]

I have already told my hubby that, when I die, cremate me and take me on a cruise for burial. Spread my ashes on my favorite islands!

 

Karen

[bunchesofun]

Not to be disrespectful (my parents were both cremated) but I asked my PVP about scattering my two dogs ashes. We keep moving so don't want to scatter them where we live. All he could tell me was I needed a death certificate and certificate of cremation! I pointed out that you don't get a death certificate or cremation certificate for pets but I could tell he was basically shrugging his shoulders to my request. If anyone knows any more about it, or who specifically I could contact I would be most appreciative.

[swodog94]

Having done many burials at sea in the Navy, I highly recommend not scattering the ashes. As mentioned, there is a high probability that some of the ashes will blow back on you (or other folks). A biodegradeble urn or container is a good idea. In the Navy I had only witnessed scattering of the ashes and inevitably the burial detail wound up covered in ashes. The last time I participated in a burial ceremony one of the sets of cremains came in a biodegradable container that was tossed into the water. It had pre-cut holes and sank quickly. I though it was a great idea. I did not know Carnival could accommodate burials...good to know.