Former cruise ship employee Joshua Kinser has revealed the reason behind a persistent smell that passengers will always encounter on board. In his book, Chronicles of a Cruise Ship Worker, Kinser describes the "wonderful fragrance of wet industrial-grade paint" that permeates the vessels.
He explains that cruise ships require constant painting due to the harsh maritime environment. "Keeping the ship well painted is a religious activity for the cult known as cruise ship crew members," Kinser writes. "By the time a painting crew has coated the ship from back to front, the back of the ship is ready for more paint again, so the painting crew just start over." This continuous cycle ensures the ship always harbours the aroma of fresh, wet paint.
Kinser also recounts some of the more unusual questions from passengers, including one who asked: "If the ship sinks, will there be an ice cream machine on the lifeboat?" He notes that crew members need "a high tolerance for seasickness and the stupid questions that passengers ask."
In a separate incident, cruise ship passengers in Venice were left terrified after the MSC Opera crashed into a dock. The ship lost control, hit a smaller boat, and continued into the dock, injuring five people. Two towboats attempted to stop the vessel but a tow cable broke during the collision.
