When you book a cruise vacation, you’re thinking about tropical ports, poolside drinks, and endless buffets. You’re probably not thinking about what happens if someone dies on board. But with thousands of passengers sailing every day, deaths at sea are more common than you’d think. A recent wrongful death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean has pulled back the curtain on how cruise ships deal with deceased passengers, and the reality is both sobering and well organized.

• Cruise ships are required to have morgues on board, typically located on the lowest decks and capable of storing between three to six bodies.
• When a passenger dies, crew members use coded language like “Operation Rising Star” to communicate without alarming other guests.
• A recent Royal Caribbean lawsuit revealed that Michael Virgil’s body was stored in refrigeration for three days while the ship continued its scheduled voyage.

Deaths at Sea Happen More Often Than You Think

Deaths on cruise ships happen more often than cruise lines like to advertise. With many cruisers being older adults and tens of millions of people traveling each year, a small number will die while at sea. Cruise ships are floating cities with thousands of passengers and crew members, making natural deaths inevitable.

Royal Caribbean stands accused of negligence after allegedly serving passenger Michael Virgil 33 alcoholic drinks before his death, then storing his body in a refrigerator until the ship returned to port during a December 2024 voyage from Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico. Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, saying Virgil died from the combined effects of mechanical asphyxia, obesity, an enlarged heart and alcohol intoxication.

What Cruise Ship Morgues Actually Look Like

Large cruise ships have morgues hidden on the lower decks. Cold rooms lined with shelving, kept far from passenger spaces, and designed to hold bodies until the vessel reaches a port equipped to manage them. The cruise ship morgue is usually a stainless steel refrigerated room found on the ship’s lowest deck, along the ship-wide corridor known as the I-95. Smaller cruise lines accommodate 2-3 bodies while larger ships can sometimes store up to 10 bodies.

Most cruise ship morgues can hold between 3-6 bodies and maintain proper storage conditions for up to one week. Morgue compartments stay at temperatures between 36°F and 39°F. Ships also stock body bags and follow strict internal procedures. Think of it like any city the size of Indianapolis would need proper facilities for handling deaths. Cruise ships work the same way.

Coded Language Keeps Passengers Calm

Cruise lines don’t want to freak out passengers who are trying to enjoy their vacation, so they’ve developed coded language to communicate about deaths. Cruise staff uses specific codes like “Operation Rising Star” and “Operation Bright Star” to discreetly communicate about a death on board without alarming other passengers. Code language helps maintain calm and prevents panic.

Different cruise lines may use their own emergency codes, but the goal stays the same: handle the situation professionally without disrupting everyone else’s vacation.

The Process After Someone Dies

When a passenger dies on a cruise ship, the medical team responds immediately. They assess the passenger, provide emergency care if possible, and confirm the death. Cruise ships have certified healthcare professionals and onboard medical centers equipped to handle medical emergencies, including issuing death certificates when needed.

Once the death is confirmed, crew members discreetly place the body in a body bag and move it to the ship’s morgue. Remains are kept in the morgue until the ship reaches the United States, then a death certificate gets formally issued by a local medical examiner’s office.

A trained crisis team helps the deceased’s companions make decisions regarding the logistics of returning the person’s body to the home country so it can be buried. Cost generally falls on the deceased’s family members. Travel insurance with repatriation coverage matters for cruise passengers.

Maritime Law Gets Complicated Fast

Deaths at sea involve complicated legal factors. Where the ship was at the time of death, the port being visited, and the ship’s Flag State (where the cruise ship is registered) all matter. Each location has requirements regarding off-loading a dead body that may prevent the cruise line’s ability to offload.

Under the U.S. Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, suspicious deaths involving Americans must be reported to the FBI. Agents board the ship on its return, seal the cabin, and begin evidence collection while the medical examiner conducts the autopsy. Maritime law experts point out that cruise companies operate under limited obligations to disclose information about passenger deaths and incidents. Florida-based attorney Keith Brais indicates that cruise lines face no requirements to release the findings of their internal investigations, a regulatory gap allowing cruise companies to potentially downplay incidents.

Should You Still Take That Cruise?

Cruise ships are generally safe. A study by John Foy & Associates found that Carnival Cruise Line accounted for the majority of reported cruise deaths between 2000 and 2019, with Royal Caribbean Cruises having the second most. But with millions of passengers every year, deaths are going to happen.

Cruise lines have established systems to handle these situations professionally. Those systems don’t always work perfectly, as the Virgil case demonstrates. The lawsuit will determine whether Royal Caribbean mishandled Virgil’s death, but once a ship leaves shore, the systems in place for emergencies are mostly invisible to the passengers living above them.

If you’re planning a cruise, make sure you have travel insurance that covers repatriation. Nobody wants to think about dying on vacation, but having coverage means your family won’t be stuck with massive bills to get your body home. And maybe go easy on that drink package.