After the terrible accident to the Costa Concordia in Italy, a lot of people have become nervous about the idea of a cruise - I certainly know people who were planning to take one but are now having second thoughts. Comparisons are even being made with the Titanic - after all, 100 years ago everyone was told that ship was unsinkable, so when you hear how safe modern cruise ships are you may be a bit sceptical!

But there seems no doubt now that the Concordia was, thankfully, a very unusual case. It now looks as if the captain's carelessness, not a fault in the ship, was mainly to blame. Also, the first safety drill always takes place within the first 24 hours, but this ship had only just started its voyage and there had been no drill. Normally, after the first day the passengers would have some idea what to do in an emergency.

So yes, it's probably safe - but the sea is a dangerous place and safety can never be guaranteed.