Fascinatingly and horrifyingly, pirates—despite what many think—still pose a real threat in certain parts of the world. A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise learned that the hard way when a disembodied voice came over the loudspeaker.
In a TikTok video watched over 13.5 million times, viewers hear the voice giving instructions. It tells passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s “Anthem of the Seas” that the ship “will be operating at a heightened level of security.”
Travelers are instructed to stay off the external promenade deck and told to turn off stateroom lights when not needed. They are also asked to close their stateroom window or balcony curtains and told that the ship will be dark.
“During the hour of darkness, only the essential open deck lights will be on to reduce the ship’s external lighting,” the announcement says.
The voice on the intercom remains utterly calm and offers some comfort. It says, “In the unlikely event of an emergency, a broadcast will be made by the bridge [with instructions].”
Sent Shivering To Bed
The TikToker who posted the video, @allcruising, added in the text overlay, “I’m scared.” Viewers responded with some compassion and some snark.
“Excuse me what!!!!” one viewer said. “I didn’t ask to play Pirates of the Caribbean, the ticket said ROYAL!”
“Does turning out the lights make the pirates think no one is home?” another quipped.
Another called the announcement “ominous.”
Several commenters made the point that pirates are still active on the high seas.
“Pirates, some people think they don’t exist anymore but YES, they still there,” a fourth pointed out.
Another said, “I did anti piracy security back in 2011/2012 people still look at me like I’m crazy talking about it. YES PIRATES ARE STILL A PROBLEM.
Should I Be Worried About Pirates On My Cruise?
According to Cruise Critic, cargo vessels and oil tankers are typically the targets for pirates this day and age.
While incidents of pirates attacking cruise ships are rare, they have happened in the past.
The site Cruise Mummy notes that the most recent confirmed attack on a cruise ship was back in 2012. Approached by several small pirate boats off of the coast of Oman, the Azamara Journey “took evasive [maneuvers] and fired off several warning flares, which were enough to put the pirates off their attack.”
The short answer, however, remains no. You should not be worried about pirates attacking your cruise ship. And in the rare event that pirates do decide to target your cruise ship, don’t fret. Cruises are well-equipped to deal with such attacks, per the Cruise Critic.
BroBible reached out to allcruising via TikTok and Instagram direct message and to Royal Caribbean via its media contact portal.