Cruises.com.au Blog

Words and Pictures by John Pond, Editor at Sea. A couple of days ago I was giving a lecture on cruising to a group of self-funded retirees, most of whom were avid cruisers.  My talk which was supposed to last 20 minutes went on for an hour at the audience’s request.  No problem, I can talk about cruise ships all day.

When it came to question time I was amazed that the first question was about Dianne Brimble.  “Was it still safe to sail and what about the yahoo element on board?”.  Let me say, security on board cruise ships has been greatly enhanced. We no longer have the tired and cheap ships sailing from our ports that we did several years ago.  A downmarket group were attracted to these  by very cheap fares.  Their expectation of cruising was to drink as much as possible and enjoy “the good life”.  This is no longer the case.

I cruise many times a year with most being in Australian waters and I have yet to see any problems.  Don’t forget a ship is a small community and things happen on ships as they do in any community, it’s just that they attract greater publicity.  I feel very very safe on board every ship sailing from Australia.  I reiterate my mantra “make sure you purchase your ticket from a qualified cruise specialist and ask them for their advice”.  They will give you some of the subtle differences between ships.  If you check into a Four Seasons or an InterContinental Hotel, you would expect superior service and an upmarket clientele.  If you were to book into a cheap fleabag or a $20 per night backpacker hostel, your fellow guests may not be to your liking.

John.

PS: I believe you are safer on a ship than on dry land.

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