I cruise quite often (in double figures). I've always said it doesn't suit everyone, but it combines my wife's enjoyment of relaxation with my low boredom threshold if I stay in one place too long and the better providers run seminars, which suits me. For example, I did a short astronomy course on my last trip. On another I took part in a performance of Pirates of Penzance that took several hours of rehearsal a day; very enjoyable, thank you!

There is really quite a wide range of style depending on the provider - some I find horribly glitzy, others are much more visually and environmentally pleasant. I've sailed with perhaps six companies, but not Costa. All have been good with the safety musters, but the same can't be said for the passengers. Too many don't pay attention: I admit to being rather inattentive on planes myself, as I suspect many people are. Passengers on cruise ships seem more attentive to these talks than airline passengers, but not by very much.

As for the comments on age: yes, there are far more older passengers as a proportion than the general population, but there are probably rather more under 30s than many might expect, even on child-free ships.

Will this accident will put us off? No.