Cruise ship lawyer reveals the 'most dangerous' thing you could do onboard

A lawyer who makes a living from suing cruise ships has revealed the most dangerous thing you could do while on a cruise, and how you can protect yourself against the dangers.

Spencer Aronfeld, the self-confessed cruise ship lawyer, regularly investigates cases in which passengers have been injured - and there's one cause that comes up time and time again.

Taking to TikTok, he stressed the importance of not leaving your balcony door open when you leave your cabin, as it could lead to catastrophic consequences.

"One of the most dangerous things you can do on a cruise is leave that balcony door open and then leave the cabin," he told his followers, "because when you return, you're going to find what's called the wind tunnel effect."

It's important to note that the wind tunnel effect is caused when the cabin door is then opened. Think about what happens in your home if the back door is open and then the front door is opened; a gush of wind will travel through the house causing one of the doors to slam.

Aronfeld compared leaving a ship balcony door open to leaving a window open on a skyscraper 20 stories above the street, 'but you're at sea with winds and waves.'

"That wind will cause a sucking, powerful wind tunnel effect that can cause that balcony door to come slamming shut," he explained.

There are hundreds of videos on TikTok showing passengers fighting to open their cabin door, battling against strong suctioning winds, after leaving their balcony door open.

Aronfeld went on to reveal he was worked with dozens of clients who seriously injured themselves due to balcony doors being left open, leading to fingers and even hands being cut off in the impact of slamming doors. He also said he'd dealt with cases involving permanent brain and shoulder injuries, proving these balcony doors are not to be messed with.

So, what can you do if you want to keep hold of all your fingers? Keep your balcony door shut, of course.

"Close that balcony door when you're not in the cabin and when you're out on the balcony, close the door, in case one of your cabin mates decides to open up that cabin door creating that wind tunnel effect," Aronfeld concluded.

Some cruise passengers and crew were quick to comment that they like sleeping with the balcony door open and that's okay, as long as no one will be coming in and out of the cabin door while the balcony door is open.