Why should a pirate blackout leave cruisegoers at sea?

When the 1,900 passengers boarded the Sea Princess cruise ship in Sydney for a 104-day luxury cruise around the world, they were looking forward to months of care-free hedonism. So their displeasure was palpable when, not long after setting sail, they were ordered to obey a blackout.

From dusk to dawn for the 10 days of cruising through the piracy-prone Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal, lights were to be dimmed or switched off, curtains drawn and, most tiresome of all, all passengers had to take part in mustering drills in readiness for an attack. There were to be “no deck parties, no movies under the stars, no

People who have paid £30,000 shouldn’t have their fun spoiled in dangerous waters

late-night outdoor bar-hopping or pool-dipping”, as one holidaymaker put it. Midnight pool-dipping may or may not be a mandatory ingredient for a good time at sea, but it is certainly a grievous state of affairs when fear of murderous pirates means people who have paid £30,000 for a cruise have to curtail their fun. Instead of making the passengers cower, or keep vigil (as, apparently, they ended up doing, and not without excitement), cruise ships passing through these dangerous waters should employ a decent security detail, with armed guards or an entourage of smaller boats keeping watch, leaving cruisers free to have their open-air cinemas.

Still, there are upsides to 10 days of early nights. It is deeply tiring spending days lounging in the sun swigging champagne, dipping into Jacuzzis and scarfing more grub than is decent. The order to sleep it all off might be quite a healthy one, while going to bed after dusk is more in tune with nature. Isn’t that right, matey?