Once you book your tickets, study the location of various exits, life jackets, and rescue boats. Do so either on the ship’s website or request the information from your travel agent or directly from the cruise line. And be sure to locate where your cabin is on the ship – its proximity to life boats, main decks, medical and emergency centers, etc.

REUTERS/Paul Hanna
A firefighter helicopter flies over the Costa Concordia cruise ship after it ran aground off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island Jan. 19, 2012. No deadline has been set for ending the search for missing people on the wreck of the Italian cruise liner that capsized off the Tuscan island, the chief spokesman of the firefighters said on Thursday.