15 Cruise Ship Facts You Might Not Know
Some cruise ship facts are more surprising than you might expect. Ships can move sideways into port, make fresh water from seawater, and carry more people than some small towns.
Here are 15 things passengers may not know about how cruise ships work and what happens behind the scenes.
How Cruise Ships Move and Operate
1. Cruise Ships Can Move Sideways
It is fascinating to watch a gigantic cruise ship, built to move forward, slide sideways into place. In the featured photo at the top of this post, the ship on the right is doing exactly that as it pulls away from the pier in Alaska.
Thrusters near the front and back of the ship help push it toward or away from the dock. Some newer ships also have propulsion systems that can turn in different directions, giving the bridge team more control in tight ports.
2. Cruise Ship Stabilizers Do Not Stop All Movement
Cruise ships have stabilizers that help reduce the side-to-side rocking you may feel at sea. But they do not keep the ship completely still.
You can still feel movement during rough weather, even on a large ship. Stabilizers make the ride more comfortable, but they cannot stop the ocean from moving the ship.
3. Harbor Pilots Board Cruise Ships From Small Boats
That small boat pulling alongside a cruise ship is often carrying a harbor pilot. They come onboard to help guide the ship through local channels, currents, and busy ports.
Harbor pilots are the example cruisers are most likely to see, but they are not the only people who board this way. During our Alaska cruises, National Park Service rangers came aboard by small boat before we entered Glacier Bay and spent the day sharing information about the park, glaciers, and wildlife.
4. Cruise Ships Usually Do Not Drop Anchor at the Pier
When a cruise ship is docked, it is usually held in place by thick mooring lines tied to the pier, not by the anchor you see hanging from the front of the ship.
Anchors are more likely to be used when the ship needs to stay offshore. In ports like Bermuda, where we stayed docked for several days, those heavy lines were what kept the ship secured the entire time.
5. Cruise Ships Can Make Fresh Water From Seawater
With thousands of passengers and crew onboard, a cruise ship goes through a lot of water each day. What may be surprising is that many ships can make fresh water while they are sailing.
Seawater is processed to remove the salt and then treated before it enters the ship’s water supply. Ships can also take on fresh water in port, so they are not carrying every gallon needed for the entire cruise from day one.
6. Cruise Ships Generate Their Own Electricity
Think about everything running on a cruise ship at once, from the cabin lights and elevators to the kitchens, air conditioning, and water systems. The ship uses onboard engines and generators to produce the electricity needed to keep it all running.
Some ships can connect to shore power while docked, but only when both the ship and port are equipped for it. Otherwise, the ship continues making its own electricity even while sitting at the pier.
7. Cruise Ship Horn Blasts Have Different Meanings
The ship’s horn is not only used for sail-away. Different combinations of short and long blasts can signal that the ship is maneuvering, warn another vessel, or make its presence known when visibility is poor.
Disney Cruise Line has some fun with its horns, too. Its ships can play familiar Disney melodies, which is very different from the traditional blast you hear on most cruise ships.
The Surprising Scale of Cruise Ships
8. Some Cruise Ships Carry Nearly 10,000 People
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas can carry up to 7,600 guests, along with about 2,350 crew members. At full capacity, that’s nearly 10,000 people on one cruise ship, more than the population of some small towns.
9. Cruise Ships Prepare Thousands of Meals in a Single Day
With thousands of passengers and crew onboard, the ship’s galleys are cooking almost around the clock. Between the buffet, main dining rooms, specialty restaurants, room service, and crew dining areas, some cruise ships prepare more than 10,000 meals and snacks in a single day.
Cruise Ship Details Passengers May Not Know
10. Cruise Cabin Walls Are Often Magnetic
Cruise cabin walls may look like regular hotel walls, but they are actually part of a modular steel structure. Modern cruise ships are built in sections, and the interior cabin “pods” are prefabricated units inserted into the ship’s steel framework during construction. As a result, many interior walls have metal backing or steel components beneath the decorative panels.
That is why magnets often stick to the walls and cabin doors, which is why we bring magnetic hooks on every cruise. We use them for hats, bags, lanyards, and anything else we do not want taking up counter space. Not every surface will hold a magnet, but first-time cruisers are usually surprised by how many do.
Cruise Ship Details Passengers May Not Know
11. Cruise Ship Toilets Use a Vacuum System
That loud whoosh when you flush the cabin toilet comes from a vacuum system, similar to what you hear on an airplane. It uses much less water than a regular toilet and allows waste pipes to run through the ship without relying only on gravity. Don’t worry, your bum is not going to get sucked in either—that’s just the sound of the system doing its job.
12. Some Cruise Ships Skip Deck 13
On some cruise ships, the elevator buttons jump from Deck 12 straight to Deck 14. The ship is not missing a deck. The cruise line simply skips the number 13 because it is considered unlucky.
Spaces and Systems Passengers Rarely See
13. Some Cruise Ships Have a Holding Cell
A jail is probably not one of the spaces you expect to find on a cruise ship, but some have a secure holding cell, sometimes called the brig. It can be used when a passenger becomes a serious safety or security risk and needs to be detained until the ship reaches port.
Not every ship has a dedicated cell. Depending on the ship and the situation, a passenger may instead be confined to their cabin with security nearby.
14. Cruise Ships Have a Morgue
It is not something passengers like to think about, but cruise ships are prepared in case someone dies during a sailing. Ships have a refrigerated morgue where the person can remain until arrangements are made to bring them ashore. The exact size varies by ship, and it is typically designed to hold only a limited number of bodies.
Most passengers will never see it or even know where it is. Still, with thousands of passengers and crew onboard, the ship has to be prepared for situations no one wants to think about.
15. Cruise Ships Have Their Own Version of a Black Box
Like airplanes, cruise ships have a black box. On a ship, it is called a voyage data recorder, or VDR, and it records information from the bridge, including the ship’s position, movement, and equipment data.
If there is an accident, investigators can use those records to help determine what happened. It is not something passengers would normally see, but it is recording in the background throughout the cruise.
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Kathy Ava
Meet Kathy Ava, a food, travel, and cruise writer based in Los Angeles/Pasadena, and the owner and main writer of Tasty Itinerary. With over 20 years of experience planning trips and logistics at her full-time job and for herself, she's become a pro at crafting unforgettable tasty itineraries. She's always on the hunt for delicious, fun travel destinations and cruise itineraries. She firmly believes that life is short and we must make the most of it, so always say yes to dessert.