Cruise: Deaths do happen on the ships - especially ones which carry older passengers. According to the cruise experts at Cruise Critic, a cruise line insider claimed up to three people die per week on cruises worldwide.
The majority of these deaths on cruises are natural, with heart attack being the most common cause.
So what happens when someone dies? When a death occurs, on certain cruise lines, the announcement “Operation Bright Star” is made, which alerts the crew to the death of a passenger.
The body of the deceased passenger is then zipped up in a body bag and put in the ship’s morgue. There is usually space for three or four bodies on board.
Someone we knew died on a cruise. He wasn't that old so it was a shock to hear the news - but he died happy.
A terrible shock for his wife, though, and family back home.