HOW BIG IS A CRUISE SHIP PORTHOLE?

There are basically two places on a cruise ship you will find a porthole. One is in your stateroom, if you have opted for an outside cabin. These portholes are usually quite small, maybe 16″ to 24″ in diameter, much the size of a basic residential bathroom window.

The second place is anywhere on the outer hull on decks that are above water. Duh! These portholes tend to be bigger than their stateroom cousins.

We can begin to get a little perspective, and an idea of size, as we consider the above window seat porthole. We can get further insight by visiting the Cadillac Lounge: An imaginatively themed piano lounge where a talented performer will entertain you as you enjoy a cocktail and relax in one of the comfortable club chairs, possibly next to a porthole:

These images all-but answer our question as to the size of an outer-hull porthole. But let’s look at two more pictures to seal the deal. First, we have Captain Mickey posing beside one such porthole:

There’s one of those window seat portholes again! But the Captain might be just a little far away to make a definite call on the actual size, so…

… let’s revisit the first image in this post, but this time, with me in the picture for conclusive measurement. Now I am a little over 6′ tall, but let’s agree on an even 6′ for ease of calculation. I would estimate, as I didn’t have a measuring tape with me on the day this picture was taken, that the outer-hull portholes would be about… 5′ in diameter!

Whew! It took a while, but we got there.

So if you have to abandon ship, we have established that you will not be able to squeeze through the porthole in your stateroom, or cabin. But we have also established that you could fit through an outer-hull porthole. However, you would have to break glass which is strong enough to resist ocean waves… so if you don’t have a bazooka with you, going out through an outer-hull porthole probably won’t be an option either!

So what to do in case of an emergency? Attend the pre-launch instruction seminar to learn what you should do and where you should go. Listen! And remember which life boat you are assigned to.

Because any seasoned cruiser knows that you can’t break through an outer-hull porthole with a designer flip-flop!