'Cruise ship smell' explained as travel expert reveals grim cause

Cruising is definitely a lifestyle, and most people will say once you've been on an incredible cruise, you'll never want to go on any other type of holiday again.

But while most cruise lovers will say they've had a near-perfect experience, there is one complaint that comes up again and again: the cruise ship smell.

If you've ever been on a cruise, you'll know there are a number of smells you don't want to inhale while on board, but does anyone know what it actually is?

According to the regular cruisers over on the Cruise Critic forum, there are several different things you could be breathing in.

Don't worry if you have a cruise booked, the fortunate thing about cruise ships being so big is that you can move around if you find yourself overwhelmed by scent.

A number of cruise passengers report a 'cruise ship smell' (Getty Stock Images)

One rather grim reality is that you could find yourself being able to smell smoke, despite cigarette smoking being banned inside the ship.

The truth is, a lot of people still choose to flout the rules and smoke on their balconies, which means the smoke can find itself drifting into the cabins and being absorbed into the fabrics.

This is a big issue for cruise liners, which is why many of them implement fines to cover cleaning fees if passengers are caught smoking outside of designated areas.

Another strong fragrance you might be able to smell is cleaning products. Cruises hold themselves to the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene, so if there are any incidents on board, such as someone getting sick, the likelihood is you'd be able to smell the cleaning products rather than the vomit itself.

Cruises are held to the highest standard of cleanliness. (Getty Stock Images)

As well as keeping things super clean, cruise staff are also constantly keeping on top of ship maintenance, which means there's almost certainly always something being painted.

Of course, many people quite like the smell of paint, but it can be particularly strong when indoors.

Meanwhile, depending on the way the wind is blowing, the smell of fuel can often make its way into the ship, particularly if cabin balconies are open.

If you do experience this, reception staff will usually be happy to provide a fan to recycle the air out the cabin to try and remove the smell.

There are a number of other possible smells, including chlorine from the pool or the scent of sanitiser on reusable dishware, but unless you have a particularly sensitive sense of smell, the chances are most of these aromas will go unnoticed.

When people refer to the 'cruise ship smell,' it's likely they're referring to a combination of all of these smells, but the good news is the majority of cruising is odour free and one of the magical things about being on a cruise is that people will only be too happy to help you if you do have any concerns.