Was the morgue used on Fantasy Feb. 6-13?

[onesam319]

I read in a facebook group for our cruise that someone passed away on our cruise and the morgue was used for the first time. Can anyone else verify that?

 

[wdw_monster]

Mmm... This is interesting

 

[squirk]

Did you hear any cryptic announcements like "Bright Star" while on board?

 

[gatordoc]

I can confirm that an ambulance pulled up to the ship just before we left Cozumel, and again when we returned to Port Canaveral. Couldn't tell whether anyone was taken in or out though.

 

[squirk]

If someone died, they would have headed straight back to PC, and skipped Grand Cayman, CC and all the days at sea, no?

Isn't this the same cruise with the rumored "man overboard"?

 

[C6PT7]

If someone died, they would have headed straight back to PC, and skipped Grand Cayman, CC and all the days at sea, no?

Isn't this the same cruise with the rumored "man overboard"?

Wasn't that the magic?
Why would they return straight back to port canaveral? If and when someone expires on a ship, they get placed in the morgue until they are either repatriated from an island at the relatives request or when the ship returns to home port. There is no need to cancel the rest of the cruise for everyone else? The relatives may wish to disembark at the next port in order to fly home and make arrangements, but the cruise wouldn't be cancelled.

 

[tinkerone]

If someone died, they would have headed straight back to PC, and skipped Grand Cayman, CC and all the days at sea, no?

Isn't this the same cruise with the rumored "man overboard"?

C6PT7 is correct in that they do not head back to PC. you would be surprised at the number of people who expire while at sea. not so much on Disney ships, other cruise lines though. i'm also not sure it would be the first time the morgue was used. wasn't the drowning at cc from the fantasy?

was the man overboard ever confirmed? I heard it may or may not have happened then didn't hear anything else. anyone know?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Wasn't that the magic?
Why would they return straight back to port canaveral? If and when someone expires on a ship, they get placed in the morgue until they are either repatriated from an island at the relatives request or when the ship returns to home port. There is no need to cancel the rest of the cruise for everyone else? The relatives may wish to disembark at the next port in order to fly home and make arrangements, but the cruise wouldn't be cancelled.

You are correct that it was the Magic that had the suspected MOB. And I agree that they do not cancel the rest of the cruise if there is a passenger death. They either utilize the morgue on board or the deceased passenger is taken off at the next port.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

C6PT7 is correct in that they do not head back to PC. you would be surprised at the number of people who expire while at sea. not so much on Disney ships, other cruise lines though. i'm also not sure it would be the first time the morgue was used. wasn't the drowning at cc from the fantasy?

was the man overboard ever confirmed? I heard it may or may not have happened then didn't hear anything else. anyone know?

They were able to confirm that all passengers and crew were still aboard the Magic. I read that there was some debris in the water that someone mistook for a person, but I'm not sure if that's official or not.

I would be very surprised if the morgue on the Fantasy had not been used previously. I believe there have been a couple drownings at CC. One I know the man was still alive and was airlifted from the island with his family. He died later at a hospital in the US. I'm not sure which ship was at CC when the other drowning occurred or whether the deceased was placed in the morgue or airlifted back to the US.

 

[squirk]

Wasn't that the magic?
Why would they return straight back to port canaveral? If and when someone expires on a ship, they get placed in the morgue until they are either repatriated from an island at the relatives request or when the ship returns to home port. There is no need to cancel the rest of the cruise for everyone else? The relatives may wish to disembark at the next port in order to fly home and make arrangements, but the cruise wouldn't be cancelled.

I did not mean to suggest they should cancel the cruise. I just meant that if the family had no other choice but to return the body via the Fantasy, could DCL possibly alter the itinerary and run hard to get the decedent back to the States ASAP, and then turn right around and hopefully get back to GC and CC in time.

I grant that it might put a wrinkle in some folks' vacation planning, but y'know, someone died. Just seems odd to continue on our merry cruise as if nothing happened and make the family wait several days before they can get their loved one home.

 

[tinkerone]

I did not mean to suggest they should cancel the cruise. I just meant that if the family had no other choice but to return the body via the Fantasy, could DCL possibly alter the itinerary and run hard to get the decedent back to the States ASAP, and then turn right around and hopefully get back to GC and CC in time.

I grant that it might put a wrinkle in some folks' vacation planning, but y'know, someone died.

the ship would not be able to go fast enough to do that. add to that the cost of fuel which would be in the thousands, I would expect high high thousands.
unfortunately, as much as it would be nice, it would not be possible.

 

[C6PT7]

I did not mean to suggest they should cancel the cruise. I just meant that if the family had no other choice but to return the body via the Fantasy, could DCL possibly alter the itinerary and run hard to get the decedent back to the States ASAP, and then turn right around and hopefully get back to GC and CC in time.

I grant that it might put a wrinkle in some folks' vacation planning, but y'know, someone died. Just seems odd to continue on our merry cruise as if nothing happened and make the family wait several days before they can get their loved one home.

Most cruise ships travel at around 16-21 knots 18-24mph to get to islands that are not nearby. Nassau would be an example of nearby. 24 knots is around the average large cruise ship top speed, 27 mph.
So if the death occurred within maybe 100/150 miles they may return to port, otherwise the body remains on board in the morgue until the next port or the home port.
Port canaveral to grand cayman is around 800 nautical miles so at constant speed of 21 knots will take 39 hours and the ship needs to slow down to enter ports. No way for the vessel to make up that time returning to port.
As sad as it is for a person to pass away, it happens and life goes on. Your merry cruise as a pax of maybe 4000 cannot be interrupted just because one person passes. If they are dangerously ill, then the ship will detour or make its way to a port, but people die and life goes on.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

The marine morgues I have seen include sealed body bags, and a freezer/ reefer unit. How cold they would keep the body would depend how long before they reached the port where the body would be taken off the vessel.

The family if they wished to get the body home fast, they could just have the body flown to the US/home country.

AKK

 

[Prose]

It as definitely not the first time the morgue has been used on the Fantasy. On our Western cruise in 2014 we had a 'Bright Star' call the first day at sea. Just before all aboard at Cozumel, a covered stretcher was taken away in an ambulance, followed by a large family and all their luggage, escorted by ship's officers. Very sad.

 

[lorimay]

I've been on at least 3 cruises where "Bright Star" was called and on at least 1 someone past away on the first full day, we didn't return to port, the ship continued on and I felt so bad for family members and wondered what they did to cope while on a ship like that. My guess was that they probably debarked on our first port day. I felt bad the entire cruise.

 

[squirk]

I've been on at least 3 cruises where "Bright Star" was called and on at least 1 someone past away on the first full day, we didn't return to port, the ship continued on and I felt so bad for family members and wondered what they did to cope while on a ship like that. My guess was that they probably debarked on our first port day. I felt bad the entire cruise.

Yeah, that's where I was going with my line of thought - how awful it must be for the family to lose someone and then have to bide time on a cruise ship until they (and their loved one) can get off. Yes, I know life goes on for the other passengers, but still, that must make the ordeal much harder for the family.

I (thankfully) have no idea what's involved with transporting a body back to the U.S. in cases like this. Setting aside economic reasons, are there any circumstances where the body can't be flown back and must come back with the ship?

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Yeah, that's where I was going with my line of thought - how awful it must be for the family to lose someone and then have to bide time on a cruise ship until they (and their loved one) can get off. Yes, I know life goes on for the other passengers, but still, that must make the ordeal much harder for the family.

I (thankfully) have no idea what's involved with transporting a body back to the U.S. in cases like this. Setting aside economic reasons, are there any circumstances where the body can't be flown back and must come back with the ship?

The only reasons I could see, not to permit the Body to be returned home......is a question on the cause of death and disease.

AKK

 

[jrabbit]

I thought that I read somewhere on the internet lately (therefore its TRUE!!!) that about 200 people per year pass away while on a cruise.

With the number of people that cruise each year that number seems low, but the very old and very sick will not be cruising.... and if you are traveling, you are probably in OK or better health.

 

[elphie101]

It as definitely not the first time the morgue has been used on the Fantasy. On our Western cruise in 2014 we had a 'Bright Star' call the first day at sea. Just before all aboard at Cozumel, a covered stretcher was taken away in an ambulance, followed by a large family and all their luggage, escorted by ship's officers. Very sad.

I think I was actually about to post this story - was your cruise in October? We cruised the Eastern in October 2014 and the bartender in Meridian told us the exact same story, that the cruise immediately prior a man had suffered a heart attack on board and passed - even mentioned the family disembarked in Cozumel.

 

[persimmondeb]

I thought that I read somewhere on the internet lately (therefore its TRUE!!!) that about 200 people per year pass away while on a cruise.

With the number of people that cruise each year that number seems low, but the very old and very sick will not be cruising.... and if you are traveling, you are probably in OK or better health.

Cruise passengers on the whole are probably sicker/older than those on many other kinds of transportation (although maybe not on Disney, because it's so family-oriented). We've taken my Dad recently, who's in his late eighties and unable to fly anymore, and we've definitely had conversations with other people for whom it is the very last way they go places.