Jayestravellingadventures

Everyone is aware of superstitions ashore such as, walking under a ladder, seeing a black cat cross your path, or stepping on three drains. No matter how silly them seem we always seem to salute the magpies. However, not many people are aware of the strange superstitions when it comes to cruising. How many do you do?

1. Whistling onboard;

Whistling comes naturally to most people, especially my dad when he’s in the checkout line in Tesco’s. It is considered bad luck to whilst whilst onboard a cruise ship. Even in some of the shows whistling is incorporated. The reason why it is considered bad luck is because, it is believed to cause the wind to change and generate a storm. Some people have different views where it only counts if you whistle on the bridge however, most people expand it to the whole ship.

There isn’t an exact point of where this has come from, but people say that it dates all the way back to the 1700’s when the mutiny on HMS Bounty occurred. The crew members onboard took over from the captain to steer the ship causing 19 others as well as the captain to be left adrift in the ocean. This was apparently caused by whistling.

2. Deck 13;

You might notice on most cruise ships there isn’t a deck 13, this is because it is considered an unlucky number and is in many cultures. Cruise lines decided to remove deck 13 and replace it with deck 14, so people aren’t put off booking that deck. This doesn’t mean all cruise lines don’t have deck 13, there are some that do have this, even if they are part of a fleet.

For example; On board P&O’s Aurora there is a deck 13 which is called the Sun Deck and has no cabins but, all other ships across the fleet do not have deck 13. Majority of Royal Caribbean Oasis-Class don’t have deck 13 but, the Quantum-Class cruise ships do. Royal Caribbean have also gone one step further on their largest ship Icon of the Seas, by having no deck 13 as well as, they have no cabins which end in number 13 too.

MSC have a different number which they miss out which is number 17, as this is considered unlucky in the Italian culture. Number 17 is written as XVII in Roman Numerals. The anagram is written as VIXI and in Latin it translates to ‘I have lived’, this is implying death.

3. Renaming a ship;

There is a lot of excitement when it comes to naming ceremonies of brand new cruise ships. The naming ceremonies are watch by many people and are believed to bring good fortune to the new ship. It isn’t a new celebration as, it has gone back to when shipbuilding does, and is said to be extremely bad luck to rename a ship after the ceremony. People do believe that when a ship is named she takes on that personality, and may be ‘Tricking the Gods’.

If the ship needs re-naming then there is a special de-naming ceremony that can be performed. This includes, the original name being written on a piece of paper and placed into a box and then burnt. Then a naming ceremony of the new name can be performed without the bad luck. Many cruise ships are sold to different cruise lines who change their names. Norwegian Sky use to be Pride of Aloha and the British cruise line Marella has brought many ships from other cruise companies. So there is quite a few unlucky cruise ships out there.

Legend has it that the God of the Sea (Neptune), keeps a ledger for all ships. If you change the name without informing Neptune it can cause them to unleash their wrath. Naming ceremonies have changed massively as, Vikings use to offer human sacrifices to ensure the good luck.

4. Step with your right;

Some people believe that in order to have an enjoyable and safe cruise, you must always step onto the ship with your right foot. So in order to comply with this superstition, you will need to compose your excitement when boarding. This doesn’t just apply to boarding a cruise ship, it also applies to, stepping off a plane, getting out of bed, leaving the house, and many more.

There is a Latin word ‘Sinister’ which has a meaning of to the left. It is a very unique superstition which can be implied anywhere. It also can be a fun game where you can watch people boarding, and see if they place their right foot down or their left foot when boarding. However, always watch where you are going, as some gangways can be very steep and slippery depending on the port and the weather.

5. Hide from red heads;

The legend has it that even before boarding it was considered bad luck to bump into a red head, unless you spoke to them first. This dates back to the Middle Ages as, those who had red hair were often accused of being a witch. The hair was believed to be stolen from the fires of hell. As well as the Greeks believed that when a red head died, they would then become a vampire.

Thankfully those with head hair aren’t seen as such in todays society, and its more rare to see a red head. So if I see anyone hiding from me on embarkation day, then I know its not personal and just a superstition.

6. Stones into the sea;

Throwing anything into the sea can be seen as bad luck due to pollution and disrespectful towards the sea, especially throwing a stone. It is believed the sea with retaliate by generating a storm and, if a stone is thrown into the sea when leaving the port then its believed the cruise ship will never return.

Always be careful with what goes over the ships side as it could cause danger or damage to the ship, or anyone in the decks below. Most cruise lines are hot on throwing stuff like rubbish or cigarette buts off of balconies, and if caught can cause you to be in told off by staff. This is one I wouldn’t argue or not follow.

7. Bananas;

It is crazy to believe that having bananas on any ship or boat is deemed bad luck, going back hundreds of years some people still follow this today. Followed by fisherman mostly they still wont accept anything remotely banana related such as, dried bananas, banana muffins etc. In an article in the New York Times, a man who owned a boat cut off part of a logo which had the word banana on one of his guests t-shirts.

Bananas are considered to be bad luck if the ship sink as, bananas are known to float on the surface and were often float above ship wrecks. This was then implied the ship sank due tot he bananas being onboard. These delicious yellow fruits can be home to spiders as well as other small creatures, which can be transported on to the boats, causing the crew and passengers to become ill. If you are into your fruit you may know that bananas can cause other fruits to go bad quicker than normal., so it can also cost the cruise line more money.