Cruise ship worker reveals ‘secret code’ used by crew that could mean something as terrifying as death
A cruise ship worker has revealed a secret code that could mean someone onboard has passed away.
Now, those who regularly enjoy a cruise will know that the crew use a series of different codes over the ship tannoys to alert the relevant staff discreetly.
These range from signalling a fire, severe weather, or even in worst cases, a man overboard situation or health emergency.
And now Amber Olivia, a travel TikToker who works on cruise ships and boasts more than 100,000 followers, has shared a particular code you'd hope to never hear.
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In a video, she explained: "So, if you've ever cruised before, you will know that, sometimes over the tannoy, we have loads of different codes that get announced that basically have names different from the names of what the thing actually means."
She explained that this is because the crew don't want to 'panic' the guests, however, it sometimes can cause 'a lot of gossip and confusion' instead.
The TikToker went on to list a few common codes, including Code Alpha, Code Victoria, and Code X-Ray, among others, and revealed that they can be different depending on which cruise line you're on.
Lifting the lid on what Code Alpha means, the cruise worker explained: "So, Code Alpha means it's something to do with medical. It's a medical emergency, somebody needs medical assistance.
"So if you work on a ship and you hear Code Alpha, that is usually for the medical crew."
Amber explained that as part of the entertainment team, she personally would not have to answer that call, but she still knows what it means.
She continued: "It could be something as little as someone's fallen over and hurt their leg but it also could be something as big as death."
The cruise worker went on to reveal how you can usually tell whether it's the worst case scenario.
Amber said: "Usually, if it's Code Alpha and then it's a few bits after you hear them asking for a stretcher team and it's going to a cabin, and it happens in the middle of the night, usually that might be...not always...but sometimes that does mean that somebody unfortunately has passed away."
Speaking to MailOnline, Amber elaborated on what would happen in this situation.
She told the publication: "If you're high at sea, you have a hospital on board, and they will then step in and take care of that.
"The authorities will be notified, and then they will be at the pier side when you arrive, and will take over from there.
"The captain is informed immediately, he will make the phone calls, so does the hotel manager, you kind of hand over as directed by them, and because it has to go through the proper authorities."
She reportedly admitted that passengers dying on cruise ships is actually a 'frequent thing'.
'It's really sad that people do pass away on ships, because things happen," she added.
Madison Burgess