Cruise secrets: Former crew reveals what you SHOULD be worried about on a cruise ship

“An electrical panel might burn up or a fire may spread a little from the onboard incinerator.”

However, the cruise ship worker cautioned there have been incidents of huge fires spreading when the fire for out of control.

For instance, in 2006, the Star princess caught fire after what was believed to be a cigarette was left burning.

“It quickly spread and took seven hours to contain,” said Herring. “One passenger died and 11 suffered from smoke inhalation while 79 cabins were destroyed and another 204 were damaged.”

The air pollution on cruise ships has recently become a topic of hot debate, with one study revealing concentrations of particulate matter (PM) measured were “comparable to concentrations measured in polluted cities, including Beijing and Santiago.” 

This means that despite being on open water and in the open air, “vacationers and cruise ship staff may be exposed to elevated concentrations of PM,” said Ryan Kennedy, author of the report and an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, in his report.

”It’s dangerous, it’s not a healthy thing for us to be exposed to,“ Kennedy told CNN.