A routine night aboard Cunard’s Queen Anne cruise ship took an unexpected turn when guests were asked to lower their lights and draw their curtains. The announcement came at the midpoint of a dreamy 111-night voyage.
The vessel was sailing between Darwin and Manila when TikTok user @lillydapink captured a tense message over the loudspeaker. The mood onboard instantly shifted.
As the ship entered the Sulu-Celebes Sea, the captain alerted passengers that the area was known for “piracy threats.” He explained that the ship would be “operating at a heightened level of security alertness during this period,” requesting everyone to “turn off your stateroom lights when not needed, and close the curtains of your stateroom window or balcony.”
Passengers were further reassured: “I assure you that measures to prevent any unlikely incident have been well planned and the likelihood of this happening on a big ship like Queen Anne is absolutely minimal.” Despite the calm tone, many passengers admitted feeling unnerved.
The TikTok clip quickly went viral, drawing reactions such as, “Idk why but every time I hear about real-life pirates I’m always shocked / amazed that they really exist.” One passenger later praised the crew: “The security did an amazing job keeping watch over the ship last night. Well done guys.”
Though rare, such precautions reflect standard protocol when passing through historically risky maritime zones. The waters between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines have seen piracy and kidnappings in the past, but no abductions have been reported since early 2020 and the threat level was downgraded to “low” in early 2025.
Cunard clarified that the order wasn’t prompted by an imminent danger. “As part of standard maritime procedures, our Captains may make precautionary announcements when sailing through certain regions,” the company said. “There was no specific threat to the ship or its guests, and our onboard experience remained uninterrupted.”
The 1,058-foot-long Queen Anne, carrying nearly 3,000 guests and over 1,200 crew, resumed its global itinerary in relative calm.
The dimmed lights and closed curtains weren’t signs of alarm. They were an exercise in caution, letting the Queen Anne glide quietly through history-marked waters while guests wondered at the reality of piracy in the modern age.
