Picture this: You’re on a dream cruise, the open sea stretching out beyond the boat endlessly. Suddenly, an announcement echoes all through the cruise ship: a surprise “free ice cream party.” While passengers rush to indulge, seasoned cruise-goers exchange uneasy glances. Why? Because they know this isn’t just about dessert—it’s a silent signal that something much graver has occurred.

Former cruise ship performer Dara Starr Tucker broke the news to her social media followers, revealing the chilling truth behind these spontaneous celebrations. “If the crew suddenly makes a bunch of ice cream available to passengers, ‘Free ice cream party,’ it is often because more people have died on the ship than they have room for in the morgue,” Tucker explained.

Cruise ships are legally required to have morgues, usually equipped to hold about seven bodies. But on larger boats carrying 2,500 to 3,000 passengers, deaths are more common than many realize. Tucker shared, “Maybe four to 10 people die every cruise. There are a lot of older people on ships.”

When morgue space runs out, the staff must get creative. Tucker recounted how her friends in the crew would handle these situations. “They would have to take out a lot of the ice cream and other frozen goods in order to make room for the extra bodies,” she said. And when that happens, passengers enjoy a “free ice cream party.”

Cruise ship ‘ice cream party’ and passenger death myth may be true

The correlation between ice cream parties and passenger deaths has been echoed by others in the industry. A commenter on Tucker’s video, claiming to be a cruise ship medic, wrote, “Cruise ship medic here. Can confirm the morgue and ice cream correlation.” Another commenter, a former sailor, added, “Yes, it is accurate. Sometimes space needs to be made in the freezer.”

The idea of continuing a cruise after someone’s passing may seem strange. But cruises rarely turn back after a death. As one commenter noted, “Wait, so if people die on ship, they don’t turn back out of respect for the loved ones? We all just keep partying while Nana is dead in the freezer?”

The truth is that cruise lines will help family “repatriate” a body, or ship it back home if a loved one dies on a very long cruise. But in most cases, the best option will be to keep the body on the boat.

Another former employee, Lauren, highlighted the eerie realities of life on board. “There’s a morgue on board and there’s a jail on board,” she said. While she didn’t handle deceased passengers directly, she admitted seeing a body being wheeled out was “so creepy.”

Death at sea comes with unique challenges. From makeshift morgues to freezers doubling as storage, cruise ship staff are prepared for the worst. But for passengers, the next time you hear about a free ice cream party, the truth might be more chilling than you think.