Travelling onboard a luxury cruise ship can be quite an experience, but what many don’t know is that it sometimes comes with an unusual “threat.”
In fact, it has recently been reveled by a passenger on the Cunard Queen Anne ship, which is embarking on an 111-night ‘maiden World voyage’ from Hamburg, Germany – visiting sights such as New York, Sydney, Hawaii, Penang and Cape Town, alongside passing through the Sulu-Celebs sea – that the passengers were warned to shut off lights and draw curtains.
In the TikTok video, which has over 8 million views, the captain warns the nearly 3,000 travellers onboard the cruise ship of a ‘heightened level of security alertness’ as a result of traveling through piracy-prone areas.
The external promenade decks shuttering overnight would reduce the ship’s visibility, the person who shared the captain’s announcement on TikTok explained.
As expected, the video attracted the attention of many who said they were unaware of such dangers.
“Well, that sounds terrifying,” one person commented.
“Not really, it’s just safety precautions, the risk is very low,” the TikToker who posted the video answered.
Another said, “Idk why but every time I hear about real life pirates I’m always shocked/amazed that they really exist.”
A third added, “I used to work on a cruise ship and there are a few areas where you get piracy. We used to get a special security company that used to come onboard with g*ns when we go past Somalia. You’re safe.”
Someone else added: “To be honest, if a cruise or passenger ship was attacked by Pirates, the response from naval vessels would be swift and sudden, moreso than if it was a regular merchant vessel.”
Speaking to the Business Insider, a representative for Cunard said: “As part of standard maritime procedures, our Captains may make precautionary announcements when sailing through certain regions.
“There was no specific threat to the ship or its guests, and our onboard experience remained uninterrupted.”
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