Nobody goes on a cruise thinking they will be a victim of a crime. And that’s for good reason. While crime does occur on cruise ships, given the millions of people that sail each year, it’s still relatively rare. Your chances of being a victim are low, no matter which cruise line you sail.
However, while crimes are reported across all the major lines, there is one cruise line that has had the most publicly reported offenses. It also happens to be one of the largest and most loved lines on the planet.
How to See Major Crimes Alleged on Cruise Ships
Many people don’t realize it, but cruise ships sailing from the United States are required to report certain crimes that are reported onboard.
Not every crime that occurs on a cruise ship is publicly recorded. However, more serious issues are investigated and the counts made public.
Cruise lines sailing from the United States come under the rules of the Cruise Vessel Security & Safety Act (CVSSA). This law requires a number of steps be taken on ships regarding safety, including regular reporting of alleged crimes onboard.
These crimes include only major incidents. Alleged crimes that are required to be reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation include assault with serious injury, suspicious death, homicides, kidnapping, sexual assault and more.
The full list of crimes reported include:
- Assault with serious bodily injury
- Suspicious death
- Firing/tampering with the vessel
- Homicide
- Kidnapping
- Missing U.S. National
- Sexual Assault
- Sexual Assault – Rape
- Theft > $10,000
These crime reports are broken down by cruise line and whether they were committed by a crew member or a passenger. Every quarter the reports are uploaded to the U.S. Department of Transportation website for public viewing.
Most Offenses Occur in Two Similar Categories
In total during the past four quarterly reports cruise ships have seen a total of 177 crimes reported in these nine categories.
By far the most common offenses occur in the sexual assault categories. While there are two different categories here, we tend to think of them as similar in nature. Combined, there were 135 offenses between the two designations. That’s roughly 76% of all the crimes included in the reports.
There are also dramatic differences between cruise lines. These figures tend to reflect the size of the cruise line more than anything, although the correlation isn’t perfect.
As a general rule, however, the bigger the cruise line the more people sailing, and therefore the more crimes likely to be reported.
The Largest Lines Report the Most Incidents
It shouldn’t be surprising that the bigger lines report more offenses.
MSC Cruises reported 19 alleged offenses in the past four quarterly reports. Norwegian Cruise Line saw 21 offenses.
Stepping up some, Carnival was the second-most active line in the reports with a total of 40 offenses.
But the cruise line reporting the most alleged crimes on their ships in the past four quarters was Royal Caribbean, with 57 offenses.
Those crimes reported for Royal Caribbean during the past year include:
- Missing U.S. National: 4 instances
- Sexual Assault: 19 instances
- Sexual Assault – Rape: 26 instances
- Theft >$10,000: 8 instances
You can see a comparison of each line below:
Crime Is Rare, But Common Sense Reduces Risk
Unfortunately, the number of passengers carried on ships sailing from the United States for each cruise line isn’t available. Therefore, we can’t compare each of these figures on a per-passenger basis.
However, given that Royal Caribbean’s largest ships can carry up to 7,600 passengers at full capacity — and that’s just one cruise on one ship — the number of offenses appears relatively low given the amount of people.
Still, no one wants to be a victim of a crime, especially when on a vacation.
That’s why still using some common sense while having a good time is important, no matter where you sail.
For example, use the cabin safe to store valuables. Don’t flaunt jewelry or cash. If you decide to drink on the ship, do so in moderation or with someone you trust to keep an eye on each other.
Avoid doing risky activities like going to the cabin of someone you just met (or inviting them to your room).
And above all, trust your instincts. If you are in a situation that doesn’t feel right, get out.
In general, however, we don’t feel you have much to worry about. Be aware, but don’t let it stop you from having a great cruise.
