Cruise safety stories have been regularly hitting the headlines since the Costa Concordia tragedy last January but it doesn’t seem to be discouraging British cruisers from setting sail.

And more surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to be making them pay more attention to safety procedures on board ship, with over half of cruisers saying they don’t bother familiarising themselves with safety notices when they board the cruise ship.

The survey, which was conducted by independent cruise agency Bonvoyage.com, asked almost 1300 Brits who had been on a cruise in the last 2 years whether they familiarise themselves with the safety procedures when cruising, 51% said no.

When asked why, 32% said they wouldn’t remember the procedures in an emergency anyway, 20% thought it wasn’t necessary, 15% said they’d rely on other people to tell them what to do in the event of an emergency and 27% seem to stick their head in the sand, admitting that reading about safety procedures would just make them worried.

The fact that the number of British holiday makers choosing a cruise holiday is still growing each year, as well as their lack of concern for safety could be a result of the cruise industry’s quick moves to improve procedures on-board and reassure customers about safety after the Concordia tragedy.

Safety improvements that have been implemented worldwide include:

• A requirement to carry extra lifejackets. Every cruise ship will now have to carry more than one life jacket per customer.
• Restricting access to the bridge. Passengers will no longer be allowed onto the bridge whilst complicated manoeuvres are being carried out. Bridge tours will still be allowed to go ahead at other times.
• More careful planning of a ship’s passage. Every ship’s passage plan will now need to be drafted by a designated officer, approved by a master and briefed to every member of the bridge in advance.
• Requirement for lifeboats to be fully loaded and launched at least once every 6 months for crew training purposes.

If you are planning a cruise holiday, it’s important to get the right travel insurance, including cover for emergency medical treatment on-board ship, as well as the cost of being airlifted to a hospital on land if it is necessary.

You should also remember to declare any pre-existing medical conditions when you buy your travel insurance so that you are properly covered in case you fall ill and need medical treatment on holiday.

Travel insurance from Goodtogoinsurance.com can cover all types of medical conditions and includes cover for cruise holidays as standard.

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