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A tough feat: falling overboard on a cruise
By this time, some may wonder: just how hard is it to fall off a cruise ship?
“It is so hard to fall overboard that when someone does go over the side, it’s either because, sadly, it’s a suicide attempt or it’s because they’re being incredibly foolish,” said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of the Web site CruiseCritic.com, told the AP
But three people have gone overboard on cruise ships in the past two weeks.
Thirty-five-year-old Michael Mankamyer, 35, went over the Carnival Glory off Florida’s coast earlier this month. He was rescued eight hours later. He said he had been drinking and that “alcohol took over with my medication.”
Also this month, a 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman went overboard off The Grand Princess. They were found four hours later, 150 miles off Galveston, Texas. Neither was seriously injured, and they asked the cruise line to keep their names and the circumstances private.
Some observers cited Spring Break and drinking as possible causes.
Douglas Stallings, editor of “Fodor’s Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises,” said:
“You never hear of a child falling off a balcony. That’s because the balcony dividers are quite high. Many of these incidents involve the excessive use of alcohol.”
Cruise ship railings are required to measure 39.5 inches high (one meter), according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). While cruise lines determine their own alcohol policies, the drinking age on most North American itineraries is 21.
According to CLIA, 12 million people a year take cruises, and “in 2006, cruise lines provided Congress with data that showed that less than one per one million cruise passengers went missing over a three-year period.”
Soon after the latest rescue, CruiseCritic.com asked readers, “Is it possible to accidentally fall overboard?”
Sixty percent of the 2,200 people who responded to the online survey said, “Yes, if you’re drunk and stupid.”
Report by David Wilkening
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