Passengers enjoying a luxurious cruising break were abruptly told of a dangerous zone the ship would be crossing -banning guests from going outside over a series of hours
Cruise passengers enjoying the luxury of sailing were abruptly warned of a dangerous zone they were crossing in a terrifying announcement.
Guests on the cruise ship named the Queen Anne were told in a now viral TikTok video it would be operating a “heightened level of security alertness”. The video was posted by the account, lillydapink, a self-proclaimed cruise and travel influencer. It started off fairly normal, documenting the deck and sharing a basic warning about the trip hazard of the fire hoses.
It says: “Please be careful when walking around the promenade deck as these poles are trip hazards and must be stepped over carefully.” The announcement continues on as normal before taking an abrupt turn.
Lillydapink suddenly begins documenting from the interior of a cabin, with the overhead speaker sharing the following warning: “This area is known for piracy threats as reported in the world media. Therefore we will be operating at a heightened level of security alertness during this period.”
The warning continues on: “The external promenade deck will be closed on both sides from 9pm to 5am overnight between the night of the March 14 and 15. And no guests will be allowed access during these times for the duration of the transit.”
The foreboding announcement is accompanied by video of passengers peering intently out at sea through binoculars. Lillydapink captures footage of a cruise ship worker doing the same.
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The video has already been viewed over two million times and was followed by more TikTok videos capturing the subsequent safety announcements on the ship – amounting to over 20 million views in total.
In a subsequent video, a follow up message said: “During the hour of darkness, only essential deck lights will be on to reduce the ship’s external lighting. “n the unlikely event of an emergency a broadcast will be made by the bridge with the following instructions: ‘Guests are to proceed to their stage rooms. Guests with a window or balcony should proceed to the corridor outside their stage room, ensuring the stage room door remains closed.’”
Lillydapink shares that this specific message was shared as the ship crossed from Darwin to Manila. While the safety messages are lengthy and repeated, Lillydapink shared in her captions that they don’t feel particularly scared.
In one TikTok video documenting the warning, they wrote: “I am not worried at all. In fact, it’s quite an interesting experience.” They continued: “The ship is safe and well protected, so I will sleep well tonight. Unless the pirate alarm goes off, of course.”
Some viewers in the comment section said they were not as blasé about the messages. “After watching captain Philips… I don’t fancy this,” wrote one viewer. Another commented: “another reason why I will never go on a cruise”.
Others took the message quite light-heartedly, with a few making Pirates of the Caribbean references. “I’d be disappointed if I didn’t see jack sparrow and the black pearl,” wrote one user. Another said: “I guess suggesting a Pirates Of the Caribbean theme night for a cruise ship is in poor taste”.
One commenter identifying as a former Cunard employee wrote: “I worked for Cunard for many years. [The security message] is for prevention and ALWAYS happens when sailing through pirate waters. Trust me it’s a different story if they were actually in convoy with pirates!”