The World's Worst Travel Disasters

Pirates

The Scenario: You’re enjoying the views over the Suez Canal from the deck of your luxury cruise liner, when suddenly you hear gunfire. Then comes the captain’s loudspeaker announcement telling all passengers to get below deck.

The Location: The Gulf of Aden, in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia.

The Information: First, keep in mind that pirates have yet to successfully board a cruise ship (despite a spate of recent attempts, their main targets are cargo boats). Crew members are trained to handle a potential pirate attack, but most probably they’ll simply crank up the engines (to upward of 20 knots, or 23 miles per hour) and outrun any possible danger, then perhaps put in at the next port of call. If you’re super-nervous about this happening, though, check out this map that the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre keeps track of recent attack locations before booking your cruise.