Knowing how high these cruise ships are above the waterline, if you're at the rail and you end up about level with the sea, then that ship is in a lot of trouble!

Here's a question for any members who have practiced abandoning ship in the service might have any insight into--can you jump 20 or more feet into the water without the force of the water ripping your floation vest off? I'm talking about the big, padded type that your typical cruise ship passenger has. With your typical feet-first jump, I could easily imagine many people just squirting out from their vest when they hit the water if the straps aren't tight or else the straps themselves ripping out at the seams.