Alone on deck, is it safe?

[gonnago]

GJustice says<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>OR, if you're like me, you're only in the cabin to sleep, and spend the rest of your time out on desk, then you can see EVERYTHING. I saw some of the most spectacular scenery between 3 and 4 am while everyone else was sleeping. The serenity of quietly gliding through the water past miles of pristene beauty is beyond words.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
My question: is it safe for a person (woman) to be alone on deck during these hours? DH will be in bed asleep and I know I'll want to be out and see the scenery more.

[I]"...First-time cruiser who is very, very excited....thanks to all of you!"[/I]

[cjh]

I don't know any other place you would be safer. If you have a balcony go out and sit on it first thing in the morning. I got up a few mornings at 4:00 went on the balcony and watched the whales.

Star Princess 7/03(Alaska)

[Mezzaluna]

Wouldn't it also be daylight at that time in summer?

Stella Solaris '80
Carnival Celebration '92
RCCL Majesty of the Seas '01
Coral Princess '04

[Coral]

I have never felt unsafe on any of my cruises at anytime.

I wouldn't hesitate to go out on decks at 4 am alone.

[pam512]

I have been on 14 cruises and I've never been afraid to be anywhere on the ship at night. There are always crew members (usually officers) who roam the ship at all hours of the night. I think that part of their duty is to ensure that the passengers are safe at all times. With it being easy to get drunk on a cruise (because you don't have to drive), it would be extremely easy for someone to fall overboard. How often does that happen? Never, I hope.

Bottom line, enjoy yourself, with or without your better half!

[gonnago]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> With it being easy to get drunk on a cruise (because you don't have to drive), it would be extremely easy for someone to fall overboard. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Pam512, that's a good one! Hadn't thought about that 'danger'. I plan to be stone-cold sober and just enjoying the quiet and solitude while taking in all the scenery.

The next cruise we take, I would like to be on the Lower Promenade Deck so I can just step right outside my door. This time I'll just have to walk up the stairs one flight.

[I]"...First-time cruiser who is very, very excited....thanks to all of you!"[/I]

[AMichelle]

[url="http://www.wesh.com/news/1287292/detail.html"]http://www.wesh.com/news/1287292/detail.html[/url]
[url="http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0%2C1%2C3151%2C00.html"]http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0%2C1%2C3151%2C00.html[/url]

I don't know if the above links will work without cutting and pasting them into your browser window. They are to a couple of articles where people fell off cruiseships. Still, unless you plan on imitating Kate Winslet's pose in Titanic, I would think falling off a cruise ship is pretty hard to do. I have worried about my kids though. When we were on our cruise in Greece, I didn't let them go much of anywhere on deck. They're older now, but I still watch them pretty closely.

I went out on deck on our Carnival cruise last summer and though there were people here and there, it was pretty lonely and I felt kind of creeped out. But then, I don't even like going out to my own mailbox at night. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[Budget Queen]

I am out on deck all the time at all hours. BUT there is no reason to be out in the dark- with NO Northern Lights for me. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] Always be aware of your surroundings- ships are not completely and always safe. Keep walking and head indoors if someone gives you the skeeves. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[hooked-on-travel]

To answer Mezzaluna's question:
Wouldn't it also be daylight at that time in summer?

It depends. The farther north you go the longer sunset and sunrise take. At some point dusk and dawn run together and it's not totally dark, but it's not totally light. At night you don't see the sun, but once you're far enough north, it won't get dark enough for the stars.

[Mezzaluna]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>but once you're far enough north, it won't get dark enough for the stars. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

One of the things I hope to see but haven't seen on any of the ships I've sailed on is a good look at the night sky. There are always lights on the ship obscuring most of the starry sky, and it is a real disappointment for me! I even asked on one of the ships if they ever turned off the lights but they told me "No, we never turn them off."

However, since this is my first Princess cruise, I still harbor hope- at least in the southernmost part of the cruise (July 10-17, Coral Princess).

Stella Solaris '80
Carnival Celebration '92
RCCL Majesty of the Seas '01
Coral Princess '04

[tadjr]

Unfortunately one of my coworkers disappeared off a cruise ship about 4 years ago and was never found. However, she was traveling with her boyfriend (also an ex coworker) and had moved into separate quarters earlier on in the cruise. No one is sure exactly what happened since no one reported her missing until the ship was back in port.
If I were staggering drunk, which I dont get since I drink very little, I would stay off of an open deck, however, there are still places you can go outside to see the stars and get the fresh air without going on an outside open deck (lower pool decks). I think laying on a chair at night listening to the water is one of the most relaxing things to do on the cruise.

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=191970&cdt=2004;5;3;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
Ryndam Pacific Coastal May 3

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=191970&cdt=2004;5;17;21;30;00&timezone=GMT-1000[/img]
Dawn Princess Alaska May 17

[pam512]

I've got to wonder if a lot of people do fall overboard on cruises. If so, why isn't it posted in the news more? I know that a crew member was recently lost, but it's hard to remember any passengers going overboard. I guess that if it's a local person, the local news would carry it. It does bring up an interesting point, though, doesn't it. I do get a little creeped out looking over the railing at the water after dark when we're out at sea. I actually had an officer walk by and ask if I planned on jumping! Maybe he wasn't joking like I thought he was. Maybe all those people they have to keep paging after we get back aren't really hard of hearing or don't speak English. Maybe they fell overboard! Eeekkk! Now I'm scaring myself. And less than three weeks to my cruise.

[Budget Queen]

To really see a DARK night sky- probably the only ships really allowing this now is the Sun and Dawn Princess. Most other ships are just too light. The place to be on these two ships is the forward Aloha Deck- under the bridge. total Darkness and supurb Northern Lights viewing I had. No place else comes close. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[garycarla]

You should be fine, but if you have concerns, I am sure you can find a few other people that are out and just stand near them.

Alaska via Spirit 6/2/04

[Treven]

Earlier this year, March, I was on the NCL Star through the Hawaiian Islands, down to Fanning (1k miles South of Hawaii) and then back up. We left Hilo about 2:30 Monday afternoon and arrived at Fanning about 7:00 Wednesday morning. During that cruise time, the nearest land mass was hundreds of miles away.

If someone jumped overboard (damned near impossible to "fall" overboard given the height of the railings along the Promenade deck) they wouldn't be missed for several days - assuming they were traveling alone. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

'be a real student and take chances. live on the edge. teeter on the brink...skip on the tightrope. and if you fall, enjoy the wind on your smiling face.' -- paul lester

NCL Star - Hawaii (AtlantisEvents.com) 03.07.04
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Celebrity Infinity (AtlantisEvents.com) 08.21.05
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