Written by 5:54 pm Celebrity, News, Virgin Voyages

Rescues are just part of a cruise ship captain’s job

Virgin Scarlet Lady cruise ship docked

It’s not something most people think about when heading out on a cruise ship vacation, but more often than you would think, cruise ships from all of the major lines are rescuing small boats of people at sea.

Already this year, the Celebrity Beyond and the Virgin Scarlet Lady spotted and rescued small boats full of Cuban refugees. Once a boat that seems to be at distress is spotted, the cruise ships move closer to be sure the people need rescued.

Once onboard, the refugees are given warm blankets and food. They are then turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard. This does result in a detour of your trip, but it’s usually so small that the ship captains can make up for it, and get you to your next port on time.

The Captain of the Celebrity Beyond, Capt. Kate McCue, documented their rescue on her TikTok account. Take a look:

But it’s not just Cuban refugees in the Caribbean that are rescued. The cruise lines all investigate anything they see that may give them cause for concern.

During my sailing on the maiden voyage of the Carnival Mardi Gras cruise ship in August 2021, crew members spotted something floating in the water. So the ship circled around to investigate and shined spotlights on what looked to be a sunken ship. With no signs of life, the ship was reported to the Coast Guard and the Mardi Gras sailed on. Take a look:

Have you ever been on a cruise ship during any sort of rescue? Let us know in the comments below.

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