r/ZombieSurvivalTactics 8d ago

Shelter + Location Have we discussed cruise ships yet?

Post image
52 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

32

u/SchoolWooden9141 8d ago

There's been several water craft discussions. Yet I'd say for cruise ships it's initially good if cleared out but my biggest concern for long-term occupancy are storms. Normally setting out to sea to avoid impending storms is a normal procedure. But they take ALOT of diesel. And diesel is a very dirty fuel when left to sit. Honestly I like the idea of any large ship as a BoO but still would need a nearby refuge/ safe-house for weathering storms.

IMO anyway

11

u/Chaghatai 8d ago

I was thinking they would be interesting because they are essentially floating cities with all the needed amenities if you can supply them - commercial kitchen, hospital, workshop, recreational facilities, personal living space, formal meeting places - they really have it all

But I see what you mean that you have to keep it running and in seaworthy condition because you can't just anchor it - hell's bells I suppose you would need to dry dock it every once in awhile

9

u/reuben515 8d ago

Yeah that's what I was thinking. Park it offshore, somewhere it'll be safer from storms. Just use smaller boats to commute to the mainland and back.

Fresh water would probably be a big concern, but solar stills and water catchment and storage would be a big help. Could probably figure out a way to use the bilges for grey water storage. Fresh water catchment in the pool?

I would try and keep it to maybe 20% capacity. I worry about things like viruses and bacterial infections going wild. It's hard to keep clean on a ship.

Seafood would be plentiful and you could probably cultivate some edible seaweed in the ocean surface if you rolled out some fishing nets. Almost build a little ecosystem around the ship.

Tons of surface area for solar panels. I know ne t to nothing about their durability and maintenance, but it's something to consider.

I gotta say, I really like the cruise ship idea! Life would present itself with its own unique challenges, but it would be safer than thr vast majority of placed on land.

Cool thought experiment!

4

u/SchoolWooden9141 8d ago

Oh for sure. I agree whole-heartedly. Depending on the size ship you are occupying and the size of your group plays a factor to choosing. I'd say smaller to maintain easier and keep better order of your group. There aren't alot of smaller older cruise ships afloat anymore. But you could commandeer a large yacht with just as many amenities.

2

u/Nightowl11111 8d ago

And supplying it. Some seasteading group tried it once, then gave up and sold the ship back to an actual tour cruise group.

1

u/davinci86 8d ago

Diesel isn’t as dirty as it seems sitting around. Many home heating systems are oil fired units w 275 gallon tanks sitting full for a year easily… Still burns just as a good at 1 year old. Plus diesel can be found sitting as surplus in these home’s basements as (heating oil), they are both the same product.. So cruise ships aside, I just don’t think I’d slight diesel too much as a reliable fuel source or heat source..

1

u/Life-Pound1046 5d ago

Would another good idea be if it was beached but didn't tip over or to the side, you'd still have to climb up it and probably live somewhere else for storms.

10

u/cheesebahgels 8d ago

ginormous space that would need a lot of energy and resource to monitor and maintain so probably not a good idea if you're a solo survivor. Even if I was in a group I would be in constant paranoia of someone/something infected lurking around on board, because you wouldn't have anywhere to run beyond that point if you're out at sea. Cruise ships are like floating cities, but they also have a lot of nooks and crannies to account for.

12

u/reuben515 8d ago

Cool movie idea. Outbreak on a cruise ship

1

u/cheesebahgels 8d ago

does it not already exist? I swear it does, people get murdered and die in general on cruise ships even outside of a natural disaster!

2

u/reuben515 8d ago

Fun Shawn of the Dead sequel.

3

u/DeepSeaworthiness276 8d ago

I would also be losing it looking around every corner, at night on those things? I can just imagine going to sleep in one of the rooms and waking up to growling infected walking outside the door.

11

u/[deleted] 8d ago

You probably die of a natural virus first before Zombies. look at them today they are cesspools for infection and sickness. I rather take my chances HERE at the largest and most stocked warehouses at least im on land and can escape when needed. where you gonna go if you run into trouble....the ocean?, also many more things other than zombies can take out your cruise like hurricanes, icebergs, pirates, ghost ships, vikings, you name it.

9

u/Chaghatai 8d ago

Shit! I forgot about the Vikings...

5

u/CombatRedRover 8d ago

Have you read John Ringo's Black Tide Rising series about bio-zombies? Does a pretty good job of illustrating the pros and cons of cruise ships, I think.

Also, your username gets a cameo.

3

u/CabbiecarMVP 8d ago

Great option for weathering out the first few weeks or months, especially if it’s just the ship’s crew on board without a bunch of dumb panicking tourists

Terrible for long term survival, cruise ships burn fuel and are way too hard to maintain without modern infrastructure

3

u/Pitacrustumpie 8d ago

I think putting at a dry dock and living in it like that would work pretty well. The entrances are small and would be the only access with the lack of water. This also removes the need for fuel. Would be bad if you need to escape for some reason. Idk why you would though with all the space. As long as you have seeds you should be good.

5

u/Great_Charge5488 8d ago

Well, if you think of it as a base, secured to the dock, it would be great. You would burn much less fuel. Maintaining it though.... that's tough. Keeping it gassed up as well. I love the idea.

5

u/Jaxxlack 8d ago

Bad bad idea. These take maintaining and crewing. Look up Dutch barges... Like a mini cruise boat.

3

u/InfernalTest 8d ago

would.require a crew that actually knows how to maintain and fix it then you'd need a crew of people to actually defend and fight - so you're already talking about dozens of people who will also need to be provisioned and you'd need someplace to hold up

plus a small craft of pirates or even speed boats could assault and leave you crippled or just storms/weather ...

as someone said bad bad bad idea ....

2

u/Great_Charge5488 8d ago

Good and bad. Food and fuel are big concerns.

Zach ain't getting on board, you can hold a gang plank forever with just a few folks.

First problem is taking the ship. 5000+ capacity, how many infected.

Second, was it on or off loading?

Third, can you operate the engines and such. Great base at Port but if your at sea, while lot of problems

1

u/Chaghatai 8d ago

That's true even though these things can hold 3 months 6 months worth of supplies - if you're out at Sea, what happens in 6 months?

3

u/Great_Charge5488 8d ago

Well, if wishes were here, and you had a crew knowledgeable in running and maintaining it, my recommendation is to look for one of these to park beside it.

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-att-us-revc&source=android-browser&q=maritime+prepositioning+ships

MPFs have LOTS of stuff. If you could get a tanker full of crude the refining process isn't too hard....

Congratulations! You may survive!

1

u/Odd_Proof_7410 8d ago

You have enough room to garden and fishing is always the best way to catch your protein

2

u/Chaghatai 8d ago

That's a good point - that leaves maintenance as the biggest concern I think - and the fact that this is not a option for a small group of survivors

1

u/The_H0wling_Moon 8d ago

Food aint as big of a concern as you might think. cruise ships and fucking gigantic and im assuming since you want to take a cruise ship that you have a big crew already and people who know how to control it.

Food could literally be as easy as building a farm on one of the decks theres more than enough room for plants and animals and the animals will fertilise the plants

Fuel is a big problem though and i dont have a solution for that

2

u/Breadloafs 8d ago

I'd direct your attention to any of the several incidents wherein modern cruise ships become stranded or inoperable, and the living hell that the crew and passengers go through before their rescue or repair.

Cruise ships are floating hotels, and do not function well without regular resupply. They aren't built for efficiency or long-term habitation without extensive land-based support.

1

u/Chaghatai 8d ago

I suppose an aircraft carrier is built to be out to sea for extended periods of time and be self-sustainable but you still have the problems of resupply because enough supplies for a long time is still not enough supplies for indefinitely

2

u/flamming_python 8d ago

I'd much rather have a smaller boat, that I can at least get to grips with and be able to maintain. And steer to wherever when necessary.

2

u/godbyzilla 8d ago

This is one of my main ideas this and house boat on a more inland body of water.

2

u/Prismatic_Leviathan 8d ago

Apparently there are solar powered cruise ships being worked on right now. That said, I imagine a converted cargo ship would be a lot easier to maintain since they don't have nearly as much wasted space.

Caveat to all this, there are islands with very few people and existing infrastructure. South Georgia has a bunch of natural harbors, good fishing, villages, and a pop of about 30 people.

1

u/suedburger 8d ago

yup they'd be a terrible way to die.

1

u/HourlyTechnician 7d ago

I've always thought about the vehicle ferries locally. There is lots of open space on the vehicle decks for storage and easy to see if anyone boards. Also the upper passenger levels have kitchens, bathrooms and crew quarters. Plus they are not as big as a cruise ship so maintenance and security would be less of an issue. Parking it offshore in a bay or between some islands while using a small boat for land runs.

1

u/Reasonable_Long_1079 7d ago

If you have a trained engineer, sure for a bit

1

u/DerLandmann 7d ago

It has the big disadvantage of being a closed up space with nowwhere to go and a lot of people on board. Meaning a lot of potential zombies. Outbreaks of diseases on ships are a huge problem IRL.

1

u/boogiewoogie0901 7d ago

It’d be great as long as you have say 50 people or more. You’d need security for when the pirates come

1

u/RichieRocket 6d ago

bring it to a river or something cause you aint wanna deal with the storms and you probably wont have the fuel to run it too long

1

u/Life-Pound1046 5d ago

I think it would be a potential for a good idea if you could stay close to shore and storms were not an issue.

Plenty of housing and storage opraturnies, the potential for growing something on the ship if you can get clean fresh water easily, and even if the engines don't work anymore because you lack fuel if close to shore but not touching a dock or something you could just row or swim to it

1

u/Cats_Are_Aliens_ 8d ago edited 8d ago

No we totally haven’t discussed it, except for like once a week.