A former cruise ship singer has disclosed a morbid secret behind complimentary ice cream parties on board, claiming they are often held when the ship's morgue is full and bodies need to be stored in freezers.
Dara Tucker, who worked as a singer on cruise ships about a decade ago, shared the revelation in a TikTok video that has garnered over 2.2 million views. Responding to a viewer's comment linking increased ice cream availability to freezer space for bodies, Tucker said: 'This is unfortunately often true.'
According to Tucker, the morgue on her ship could hold about seven bodies. When more than seven deaths occurred during a voyage, crew members would move bodies to the freezer, necessitating the removal of ice cream and other frozen goods. The surplus ice cream was then offered to passengers as a 'free ice cream party.'
Tucker estimated that on a typical cruise with 25,000 to 30,000 passengers, four to ten people die per voyage. She noted that while she did not directly handle such situations, she was friends with crew members who did.
The video sparked reactions from viewers, including a self-identified cruise ship medic who confirmed the correlation. Others expressed shock that deaths on board do not prompt the ship to turn back, and that morgues exist on cruise ships at all.
According to the Martine Injury Guide, cruise lines use specific emergency codes, including 'Operation Bright Star' for serious medical issues and 'Operation Rising Star' for a death on board. These codes are consistent across most cruise lines for sensitive matters.
