Importance Score: 35 / 100 🔵
A TikTok user, relatively unseasoned in the world of cruise ships, shared how a single word sparked reactions ranging from discomfort to astonishment among his fellow passengers and the ship’s staff. The forbidden term, it turns out, is a major maritime faux pas.
The Unspoken Rule of the Sea: Why You Shouldn’t Mention the Titanic on a Cruise
@marcsebastianf, boasting 1.9 million followers on TikTok, recounted from his cabin last year how a casual remark during lunch on a world cruise ignited a wave of unease.
He explained that the unsettling silence followed his observation that the cruise liner was merely ‘100ft longer than the Titanic.’
The passenger, aboard what he jokingly called a ‘floating retirement home with a cheesecake factory attached’ for a nine-month voyage, confessed, ‘You’re not supposed to talk about the Titanic. Who knew that? I didn’t!’
The Moment of Silence
Recounting the instant he mentioned the ill-fated liner, which met its end in the Atlantic on April 14, 1912, he described: ‘Utensils dropped, waiters gasped… it’s dead silent.’
His companion, Nadine, quickly cautioned him, whispering, ‘You’re not allowed to talk about that.’
Other users affirmed this unwritten rule, with one commenting, ‘When I went on a cruise, my mom told me saying Titanic was equivalent to screaming “bomb” at an airport.’
Many corroborated the taboo of mentioning the tragic vessel to fellow travelers or crew while at sea.
The Superstition Behind the Silence
The Titanic disaster remains one of history’s most significant maritime tragedies. Mentioning it on the open ocean is considered bad luck, a superstition suggesting it could doom the current voyage.
The RMS Titanic foundered in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
The tragedy claimed over 1,500 lives out of the 2,224 passengers and crew, then under the command of Captain Edward Smith.
The ship carried some of the world’s wealthiest individuals, including John Jacob Astor IV, a real estate magnate and great-grandson of Waldorf Astoria Hotel founder John Jacob Astor.
Millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim, heir to his family’s mining fortune, also perished, along with Isidor Straus, the German-born co-owner of Macy’s department store.
At the time, the Titanic was the largest ship afloat. Its design was intended to make it ‘unsinkable’.
It featured amenities such as a gym, libraries, a swimming pool, multiple restaurants, and luxurious first-class cabins.
Due to outdated maritime safety regulations, there weren’t enough lifeboats onboard for all passengers and crew.
Secret Cruise Ship Codes
Beyond unspoken rules, cruise ship crews utilize a series of secret codes to communicate discreetly.
Cody Candee, CEO of Bounce.com and a travel expert, highlights five key codes tourists should be aware of: Oscar, Charlie Charlie Charlie, Operation Rising Star, Red Party/Bravo, and Echo, Echo, Echo.
Decoding the Messages
- ‘Oscar’ indicates that someone has fallen overboard. A coordinated search-and-rescue operation is immediately initiated, involving lifeboats and onboard safety protocols to locate the individual.
- ‘Charlie Charlie Charlie’ signals severe weather conditions or a security threat. This could be an approaching storm or other hazards.
- ‘Operation Rising Star’ is used when a death or serious medical emergency occurs onboard.
- ‘Red Party’ or ‘Bravo’ indicates a fire or another hazardous incident onboard.
- ‘Echo, Echo, Echo’, typically repeated three times, means ‘brace for collision’, potentially with another vessel, land, or due to strong winds.