These are the code words you never want to hear on a cruise

CRUISE workers have a secret language they use on ships — so that guests don’t know when something goes wrong.

CRUISE workers have a secret language they use on ships — so that guests don’t know when something goes wrong.

There are several words they use for everything from a person overboard to a pile of vomit — and it’s bad news if your name happens to be Oscar, The Sun reports.

Travel expert Brandon Presser revealed some of the phrases to listen out for — and their hidden meanings — to Bloomberg.

He said: “A ‘30-30’ means the crew is asking maintenance to clean up a mess.

“Three times during my stint [as cruise director on a large ship] I called in a “PVI” (public vomiting incident).”

If you hear the word ‘Oscar’ on a board a ship, it’s definitely a cause for concern.

“An ‘Alpha’ is a medical emergency, a ‘Bravo’ is a fire, and ‘Kilo’ is a request for all personnel to report to their emergency posts — in the event of, say, a necessary evacuation.”

Meanwhile “Echo” is slightly scary — as it means the ship is “starting to drift”.

But perhaps the most menacing of the secret words is “Oscar”, as it means someone has gone overboard.

Sun Online Travel previously revealed that taking a cruise is good for you health (as long as you don’t accidentally do an Oscar, or get gastro thus leading to quite a lot of PVIs).

It has now been proven that cruises can have long-term health benefits that can last for up to six months.

Secret codes allow the crew to communicate situations quickly to one another — and nobody wants a PVI in the pool. Picture: Jay Town

A study by the University of China has found that cruises improve three areas of your life: emotional, thinking and relational.

Yes, that’s right — they can actually make you cleverer.

The thinking part of your brain is thought to benefit from the stimulation of seeing multiple new places when you’re cruising.

They are also found to benefit the relationship part of your brain, as you’re constantly meeting new people and making new friends on-board.

Meanwhile, the emotional part of your mind benefits from the experience of the entire trip.

Researchers have found that these benefits are specific to cruises and continue for up to six months after you’re home.

All that lazing about on a cruise has been found to be scientifically good for you. Picture: Vicki Douch

The researchers’ findings came from 317 people who were invited to take a questionnaire after having gone on a cruise.

They also quizzed 295 people who had been on a cruise six months earlier.

In the short term, people were made happy by meeting new people and relaxing.

Long term happiness was influenced by the thinking part of the brain which processes the experience of visiting new places.

Jiaying Lyu from the Department of Tourism Management at the University of China said: “Travel is a meaningful activity by which individuals gain something important and valuable in life.

“It affirms self worth and price, facilitates self growth and self motivation and searches for inspiration and creation.”

This article was originally published by The Sun and is reproduced here with permission.