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The 30-year-old man and 27-year-old woman were reported missing when the Carnival Cruise ship Spirit docked in Sydney on Thursday morning, CNN affiliate Seven Network reported. The first clue came when they didn’t claim their luggage.

Maritime officers reviewed surveillance video from the ship and determined that Paul Rossington and Kristen Schroder went overboard Wednesday night. Authorities believe the couple fell about 150 kilometers (93 miles) off Foster, New South Wales.

“We believe that they were up mid-deck, which is halfway up the side of the ship, which is quite a way to fall,” said Detective Superintendent Mark Hutchings of the New South Wales Police Marine Area Command.

Read more: Carnival cruise line in more troubled waters

Late Friday afternoon, New South Wales police said they called off the search after finding no sign of the couple. The search, involving an Australian navy ship, the police force’s marine unit and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, covered 1,360 square nautical miles, they said.

The couple was sharing a cabin and traveling with family and friends on a 10-day Pacific Island cruise. Police said they are investigating the fall.

Schroder’s family issued a statement thanking “everyone involved in the search for both Paul and Kristen.”

“We would appreciate privacy and understanding while we come to terms with our beautiful girl’s tragic accident,” the family said.

Carnival has been plagued by a series of high-profile incidents recently.

In February, an engine room fire left the Carnival Triumph adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, with passengers reporting overflowing toilets and human waste running down the walls in some parts of the ship.

On a March cruise, the Carnival Dream lost power, and some toilets stopped working.

CNN’s Tina Burnside, Ric Ward and Alden Mahler Levine contributed to this report.

Condon composts when he’s at home in Boulder, Colorado. He eats local, organic and fair-trade food and drives a Honda CR-Z hybrid sports car.

You might call him green.

Except he’s not so green when he travels for his work at an education nonprofit and stays in a hotel, which happens about 10 weeks per year. There, he uses a new towel every day. And don’t try to bribe him with a drink or dessert coupon to get him to reuse the same one.

“I could care less about rewards for environmentally conscious behavior unless it’s miles,” Condon wrote in an e-mail.

If hotels can’t convince a hybrid-driving recycling enthusiast like Condon to go green while traveling, how can they possibly convince everyone else?

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That’s the problem of hotels trying to “green” your hotel stay. After guests have paid a pretty penny for a night at the inn, even the most environmental guests may want to treat themselves to fresh towels every day and those little bottles of sweet-smelling shampoo.

Despite the fact that most people describe themselves in surveys as environmentally conscious and as preferring green products, there’s a big gap between consumer attitudes and consumer behaviors when it comes to going green, said Michael Giebelhausen, a marketing professor at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.

“It can be nice to have fresh towels, and not doing so is a sacrifice,” said Giebelhausen, whose current research focuses on the impact of hotel sustainability programs on guest satisfaction. “Participating requires some effort, and there’s some cost to be incurred on the part of the consumer.”

Guests who go green are happy

Nearly 90% of hotel guests are offered the chance to do something sustainable during their stays, and about two-thirds will participate, according to Giebelhausen’s analysis of 2011 data from the J.D. Power and Associates North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study.

Those guests who participate in a hotel’s green programs report that they are more satisfied with their stays than guests who do not participate. Participating in a hotel’s sustainability program provides “a feeling that it was good to be green, it made them feel good about themselves, and that translated to the service provider,” Giebelhausen said.

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“These guests, who are ostensibly receiving a lower level of service, report being more satisfied overall with their stay.”

There’s just one catch: Guests who don’t participate in voluntary sustainability programs reported the lowest levels of satisfaction with their hotel stays. “One explanation for these findings is that when people don’t live up to their ideals, and vice versa, this affects how satisfied they are with the entity that presented them this ‘moral dilemma,’” Giebelhausen said.

Sustainability is becoming the norm

It makes business sense for hotels to go green: Increasing sewage rates, stricter water use requirements and more recycling options are all convincing hotels to reduce their water and energy costs, said hotel industry veteran Pat Maher, an environmental consultant and “green guru” for the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

More than 75% of U.S. hotels have linen and towel reuse programs, 59% have guest or internal recycling programs, and 46% have a water-saving program, according to a 2012 American Hotel & Lodging Association survey of its members.

They also have “back of the house” programs that include low-flow shower heads, faucets and toilets; energy-efficient light bulbs, high-efficiency appliances and other efforts. Some are required by local governments; others just make business sense.

That translates into real dollars: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found that hotels and other lodging facilities use more than 510 trillion BTU of energy annually at a cost of more than $7.4 billion. That energy use generates 54 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equal to the emissions from more than 11 million passenger vehicles, according to the agency.

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The EPA reports that the lodging industry could save $745 million annually by reducing energy use by 10%. That translates to 60 cents more revenue per room night at limited-service hotels and $2 at full-service hotels.

Annoyed that the hotel’s bottom line benefits from your sacrifice? Some hotels are trying to make water-saving behavior pay for their guests. Participating Sheraton Hotels & Resorts gives guests a $5 food and drink voucher or 500 Starwood points for every day they decline housekeeping’s services (except departure day).

Part of the Kimpton culture

Some hotels are making green cool.

It seems to be an easier sell for hip, higher-end chains like Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group’s properties, which cultivate an edgier base of customers. About 85% of hotel guests participate in the chain’s towel and sheet reuse program, said Mike DeFrino, Kimpton’s executive vice president of hotel operations.

Bill Kimpton started the boutique hotel chain by rehabbing older buildings and turning them into hotels. Although Kimpton died in 2001, the company that bears his name still has the reputation he cultivated. Most locations welcome guests to mingle at a lobby cocktail hour, lounge in their animal-print robes and bring their pets on their stay. And many locations will lend guests a goldfish as part of the Guppy Love program.

“I think our guests expect us to push the envelope and try things that are different than what the mass-appeal hotels are doing,” DeFrino said.

DeFrino’s convinced that some guests don’t actually mean to ask for new towels but are much like his teenage daughter, who tosses her towels on the floor at home for no good reason. “Once it’s on the floor, you’re going to get a clean towel,” he said. (Hotel guests, not his daughter.)

The pressure on a mid-priced chain

It’s trickier for other hotel chains, where sustainability isn’t necessarily part of the appeal to the customer.

The mid-priced chains are competing for a more price-sensitive business and leisure traveler. Hampton Inn, which offers a hot breakfast at its nearly 1,900 company-owned and franchise locations across the country, has two environmentally friendly options for disposable plates, bowls and cutlery: 100% biodegradable Enviroware or Taterware, a resin material made from potato starch.

The chain’s takeout coffee cup sleeves are made from 100% recycled fiber, and the towel reuse program simply asks customers using a door hanger to “reuse or replace” towels. No big deal either way, the sign suggests.

“We’re delivering these messages in a light-hearted way. … It’s not preachy or paternalistic,” said Jennifer Silberman, vice president of corporate responsibility for Hilton Worldwide, which owns Hampton.

More happens behind the scenes at Hampton, which benefits from LightStay, Hilton’s company-wide sustainability system that tracks the sustainability of 200 operational practices at nearly 3,900 properties around the world. Hilton has saved more than $147 million since 2008 through efficiency projects, including reporting through LightStay, Silberman said.

Satisfying the luxury guest

You’d think environmental sustainability programs would hit a roadblock with luxury guests, who want the best of everything. Not so, said Sue Stephenson, vice president of Ritz-Carlton’s Community Footprints, the chain’s social and environmental responsibility program.

“It in no way diminishes the luxury experience,” Stephenson said. “We still have the best towels, linens and amenities.”

Many Ritz-Carlton guests now use the same sheets two nights in a row (introduced in 2011) and hang up their towels to use another day (introduced in 2009).

“We’ve not had a single negative guest comment but have certainly had positive guest comments,” Stephenson said. “Guests want to see we’re doing the right thing.”

It helps that the onus is really on the business to be responsible in its construction, hotel operations, food service and landscaping, she said. “The majority of what can be done for the environment is what we can do as a business,” Stephenson said.

No matter the price point, no hotelier can afford to lose a guest because he or she doesn’t like the way a hotel communicates its message.

Even Kimpton’s DeFrino said the boutique chain won’t roll out an environmental initiative if tests show that customers don’t like it. But in Kimpton’s case, DeFrino found that guests approve of their efforts.

“Our guest satisfaction has improved since our green initiatives were introduced, and it’s given us confidence that efforts have not deteriorated the guest experience,” he said.

The tide may be turning

It’s possible that younger people used to recycling and saving water will bring those attitudes into their hotel stays as they age. Ritz-Carlton’s Stephenson sees children leading their parents into caring about the environment on their hotel stays.

Betting that more and more consumers want to choose environmentally friendly hotels right now, travel website TripAdvisor is launching its GreenLeaders program this year to let travelers know which hotels have sustainable practices.

About 71% of travelers reported that they planned to choose hotels based on sustainability over the next year, compared with 65% in the previous survey, according to an April 2012 Trip Advisor survey.

Yet while 81% of hotels have some green programs, almost a quarter don’t communicate that fact to their guests, said TripAdvisor spokeswoman Alison Croyle.

The website is accepting applications from hotels to qualify for a “GreenLeader” or “GreenPartner” label on the TripAdvisor site based on their sustainable practices. The program will rely on traveler feedback, and any discrepancies could trigger an independent audit of the hotel.

That’s information that Genevieve Hein, 33, who always hangs up her towels at hotels to reuse them the next day, would enjoy having.

“Trying to limit my impact on the environment makes me feel good,” said Hein, assistant director of residence life at Sarah Lawrence College in New York.

“When I go against my green principles for the sake of convenience or to go with the flow, I feel bad about myself and guilty. I can’t imagine how those feelings would enhance my vacation, which is supposed to be all about feeling good.”

Do you like to participate in a hotel’s sustainable programs, or do they irritate you? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Who are the language police, and what do they really do?

Inhabitants of Quebec, Canada’s largest French-speaking province, pride themselves on being different from their neighbors, and that sentiment extends from the language they speak to the food on their plates, and beyond. If there’s anything that unites all Quebecers, it’s their joie de vivre: Quebec is a place where fun is taken seriously.

Consider these truths for a better understanding of the province:

Forget golden sands and swaying palms — the reality of solitude is different as these terrifyingly distant landfalls demonstrate.

Tristan da Cunha

1,750 miles from South Africa

The British island group of Tristan da Cunha stands profoundly alone in the South Atlantic. The nearest landfall is South Africa, 1,750 miles east, and to the west, South America is more than 2,000 miles.

It’s the world’s most remote inhabited island chain — so precariously occupied that when a volcanic vent erupted in 1961, the whole population was evacuated to England.

Reaching Tristan da Cunha: This is no easygoing excursion.

To quote the official website, “There are no package tours for independent travelers, no hotels, no airport, no holiday reps, no night clubs, no restaurants, no jet skis nor safe sea swimming.”

All visitors need to clear their arrivals in advance through the Island Council, and they also need to obtain a police certificate. (A 40-day wait is typical.)

There are around 10 sailings a year from Cape Town, South Africa, and Namibia, each taking five to six days to reach the islands; it costs $800-$1,500 for a round trip. A list of available ships can be found on the official website: www.tristandc.com.

Bear Island

400 miles off Europe’s north coast

Bjornoya, better known as Bear Island, is the southernmost island in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, 400 miles north of mainland Europe — but only on paper, given that it’s almost 150 miles south of the Norwegian island chain with which it’s lumped.

It’s been a nature reserve since 2002 and has a lively history of failed occupation — hard to believe for a place of barren cliffs, near-zero precipitation and risk of leaks of radioactive material from the nearby wreck of a nuclear submarine.

Reaching Bear Island: Getting to the heart of Svalbard is a relatively simple matter — there are daily flights from Oslo and Tromso to Svalbard’s capital, Longyearbyen, on the west coast of Spitsbergen.

Now it gets tricky. Research vessels infrequently call on Bear Island (the Norwegian Polar Institute makes an occasional appearance), while individually chartered boats and the occasional adventure cruise (such as this one from Polar Quest) haul in the remaining visitors.

Bouvet

1,000 miles from Antarctica

Tristan da Cunha is the remotest inhabited island in the world — now, welcome to its uninhabited, far bleaker counterpart.

Its cliffs are sheer. It’s almost entirely covered by a glacier. In winter, its seas are pack ice.

And its nearest neighbor is Antarctica, 1,000 miles to the south. In short, idyllic.

Reaching Bouvet: The entire island is a nature reserve — so unless you can make a compelling case for visiting, you’ll be blocked by Norwegian authorities.

Get permission, and it’s now a simple matter of finding a research vessel, quickly mastering a valuable skill such as arctic geological surveying or marine biology and then getting someone to land you via helicopter. (There are no ports or harbors.)

If all else fails, try becoming an amateur radio enthusiast: In 1990, a multinational expedition of operators spent 16 days on the island.

Bishop Rock

30 miles from England

Regarded by Guinness as the world’s smallest island with a building on it, Bishop Rock stands at the end of Britain’s Isles of Scilly, where coastal waters give way to the fury of the Atlantic.

In 1847, engineers started building an iron lighthouse there — and it washed away in a storm. Its extraordinary successor, first lit in 1858, stands to this day.

Reaching Bishop Rock: Visiting the most southwesterly point in Britain is surprisingly easy — the St. Mary’s Boatsmen’s Association runs day trips.

But as Martin Hesp notes, even on a “calm” day you’re in for serious chop.

Boreray

60 miles off mainland Scotland

Love the Scottish islands, but want something with a little more bite? Head west of the Outer Hebrides, and you’ll find the archipelago of St. Kilda, 40 miles into the Atlantic.

It’s one of Scotland’s five World Heritage sites, with a main island that was abandoned in the 1930s when crops failed. Imagine the surprise of archaeologists when they found that one of the least hospitable islands, Boreray, was occupied in prehistoric times.

Reaching Boreray: Since Boreray comes under the protection of the National Trust for Scotland, you need its permission to visit.

Then? Lots of time and lots of luck — with a rugged shoreline and savage sea swell, this isn’t an island built for landings.

According to one guide, more people have reached the summit of Everest than have landed at Boreray since the National Trust took ownership in 1957.

North Sentinel Island

400 miles from Myanmar

North Sentinel is one of the 572 islands making up the Andaman chain in the Indian Ocean’s Bay of Bengal.

It’s surrounded by dangerous reefs, but North Sentinel is intimidating because of its inhabitants. The Sentinelese want nothing to do with the modern world and have repeatedly rebuffed attempts to make peaceful contact.

Reaching North Sentinel Island: You’re kidding, right? If the above description didn’t put you off, this article about a pair of fishermen who strayed onto the island certainly should.

Rockall

270 miles from Ireland

If you think Boreray sounds forbidding, try sailing 187 miles west of it. Rockall is the tip of an extinct volcano reaching 20 meters (about 65 feet) above sea level, in seas with waves recorded as high as 29 meters (95 feet).

In 1955, the British Empire, in its final territorial acquisition, seized Rockall – allegedly due to fears the Soviets would build a missile battery on it.

Reaching Rockall: In the words of the recently minted Rockall Club, “visiting Rockall is difficult, completely weather dependent and not cheap.”

Your best bet is contacting Kilda Cruises and arranging a tailor-made excursion. Or you could sail there, lash yourself to the rock and claim it as your very own micronation — but you wouldn’t be the first.

“Mad Men,” the AMC series that Rolling Stone called “the greatest TV drama of all time,” is back for a new season on Sunday. And though it’s filmed primarily in Los Angeles, the show is set in New York, and notable locations across the city turn up in the script as liberally as a heap of pastrami on rye.

In preparation for the season six premiere, we offer you this guide to the NYC haunts of ad exec Draper and his endlessly entertaining cohorts at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

‘Mad Men’ and the other 1960s

EAT

On an episode titled “Red in the Face,” bosses-on-the-loose Draper and Roger Sterling spend their lunch — and expense accounts — taking full advantage of the eats and drinks at the venerable Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, some of which later embarrassingly ended up on the carpet at the feet of a group of potential clients. Hopefully you’ll have more restraint when you visit this 100-year-old seafood establishment on the lower level of Grand Central Station, where tourists mingle with commuters over martinis and platters of freshly shucked oysters and other fishy delights. 89 E. 42nd St., www.oysterbarny.com

Another celebration featuring our Mad Men stars, this time Draper and the lusty wife of an insult comic, took place at legendary restaurant Sardi’s. Even the framed celebrity caricatures on its walls were re-created for the scene. Located in the heart of the Theater District, Sardi’s has been a favorite with the Broadway crowd for more than 85 years (the Tony Awards were thought up here), and you’ll feel like a star just for having eaten here. 234 W. 44th St., www.sardis.com

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DRINK

The Roosevelt Hotel has been featured in a couple of “Mad Men” scenes, including one in which Draper retreats here after being kicked out of the house by his wife, Betty. A stay at this landmark hotel will have you feeling like a part of the show, especially since its decor gives it the appearance of an elaborate “Mad Men” set piece, but the place to really connect with the show is just past the lobby in the Madison Club Lounge.

On April 7, to coincide with the season premiere, the lounge will host a viewing party with complimentary whiskey tastings and a “Best ‘Mad Men’ Attire” contest. The festivities will continue with themed cocktails and an invitation for patrons to dress in their ’60s best each Sunday the show airs. 45 E. 45th St., www.theroosevelthotel.com

Remember Peggy and her colleagues doing the Twist at a local watering hole after she nailed the Belle Jolie presentation in season one? The site was P.J. Clarke’s, one of the oldest bars in New York. Truly a Big Apple institution and a popular hangout among ad execs in the 1960s, P.J. Clarke’s was once described by one of its beloved barmen as “the Vatican of saloons.” 915 Third Ave., www.pjclarkes.com

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STAY

When Draper and friends started their own agency at the end of season three, they set up shop, at least temporarily, in a suite at the Pierre hotel. The fabled lodging, which overlooks Central Park, was renovated and modernized a few years back, so your room might not ooze nostalgia. But if you close your eyes tight enough, you might just be able to imagine Joan typing away in the corner or Pete squawking on the phone with a client. 2 E. 61st St., www.tajhotels.com/pierre

Given that the Hotel Elysée in Midtown Manhattan is the scene of a lunchtime tryst between copywriter Peggy and a fellow named Duck from a rival agency, it’s only appropriate that the prestigious property is offering a special “Mad Men” package for fans of the show. It includes accommodations in one of its luxurious suites, which will be stocked with a dozen roses, strawberries and a box of chocolates, as well as two free cocktails either at the Monkey Bar or brought to your room. The package starts at $425 for a regular suite and $1,450 for a presidential suite. 60 E. 54th St., www.elyseehotel.com

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SHOP

In season one, Pete Campbell was caught returning a wedding gift at Bloomingdale’s, one of the city’s most legendary department stores, where stylish lads and ladies have been filling the brand’s signature Little Brown Bags with luxury goods since 1886. The doorman there to open the cab door for you only adds to the allure. 1000 Third Ave., www.bloomingdales.com

WORK

The pitchmen of Sterling Cooper officed at an address on Madison Avenue that doesn’t actually exist in real life, but a number of big-time ad agencies can be found along this historic avenue. Take a stroll down its sidewalks, and you’ll rub elbows with the idea men and women who churn out award-winning copy for powerhouse firms like DDB and TBWA and smaller boutique agencies like StrawberryFrog and MacDonald Media. Madison Avenue, primarily between 26th and 52nd Streets

Buzz abounds for the return of ‘Mad Men’

TOUR

If these classic “Mad Men” sights leave you wanting more, consider signing up for “The World of Mad Men: NYC During the Early 1960s” excursion from NYC Discovery Walking Tours. In addition to stops at spots like the ones noted above that have been mentioned on the show, you’ll visit iconic locations representative of the era, including the Pan Am Building and Lever House. Tours are scheduled for April 6 and 7, May 5 and June 22; tickets are $20. For reservations, call 212-465-3331.

The annual Washington festival started Wednesday, the first day of spring, and runs through April 14. The peak bloom time for the cherry trees is expected in early April.

Arabella Bowen, executive editorial director for Fodor’s Travel, recommends these seven ways to experience the more than 3,000 cherry trees in bloom:

Arrival of spring deserves its own parade

The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade runs along Constitution Avenue (from 7th to 17th streets N.W.) from 10 a.m. to noon April 13. The parade will feature celebrity performances, giant helium balloons, colorful floats and marching bands from across the country. Grandstand seating can be purchased for $20, and there is no cost for viewing along the parade route.

Celebrate the culture of Japan

Also on April 13, Sakura Matsuri, a Japanese street festival, runs nearly a mile through downtown Washington and features traditional and Japanese pop musical performances, an arts and culture section, martial arts demonstrations and Japanese products, plus more than two dozen food vendors and two Kirin Ichiban beer gardens. These events make a nice addition to a day spent enjoying the blossoming trees, which were a gift from Tokyo more than 100 years ago.

Cruise the blooms

Relax and tour the cherry blossoms by boat on the Potomac River. Enjoy a lunch cruise for $57 or a dinner cruise for $107 with Spirit Cruises, or just go for a 45-minute sightseeing cruise on the Capital Elite yacht for $26.

Capture the perfect shot

Take your best shot with a cherry blossom photo safari. Washington Photo Safari offers sunrise and afternoon tours at the Tidal Basin for $69. The sunrise tours meet at 6:15 a.m., but “remember that great art is only produced through suffering,” the company’s website says. Washington Photo Safari also offers a photo excursion that includes a boat tour along the Washington Channel into the Potomac River for $89.

Stroll under the blossoms

Take a walking tour of your own around the Tidal Basin as signs along the way highlight facts and history of the trees. Use the Tidal Basin Cherry Tree Location Map as a guide, with names and descriptions of the tree types.

Fly a kite

The Blossom Kite Festival, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 30 on the Washington Monument grounds, showcases kite ballets and demonstrations by pros, but it also gives kids and families a chance to build and fly their own kites. Check out the Hot Tricks Showdown and the Rokkaku Battle on the competition field or learn to fly your own kite at noon on the family field.

Cherry-pick a hotel that’s also in bloom

Many hotel operators have blossom-themed packages. Kimpton Hotels’ “Blossoms & Bubbles” package offers blossom-inspired perks such as handcrafted cherry blossom soap, a $30 credit per day for dining or parking, and bubbles at check-in for kids. Plus, guests can sip complimentary sake at the evening wine hour from 5 to 6 p.m. The package is available at Kimpton’s 11 Washington and northern Virginia hotels. Starting rates range from $135 to $185 per night.

Washington’s Willard InterContinental is known for its live cherry blossom display during the festival. The Willard’s Very Cherry Blossom Package for two is available through April 14, and includes valet parking, breakfast for two and two Old Town Trolley tour tickets. The package price per room starts at $409 per night, based upon availability.

“But I’m not into organized religion,” you might say. You don’t have to be religious to appreciate a visit to a place others consider sacred. Even if you’re not specifically seeking the religious aspect of worship, there’s something special about thoughtfully witnessing and observing someone else’s faith in action. So why not get a spiritual boost by checking out houses of worship when you’re on the road?

“A lot of the richness in life comes from getting outside your own skin and experiencing the world beyond what you know and understand. If you open yourself up, you can have such experiences,” says Stuart M. Matlins, co-editor with Arthur J. Magida of “How to Be a Perfect Stranger: The Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook.” The book shares easy-to-understand background on faith traditions ranging from Baptist to Buddhist, Jewish to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists to Sikhs.

“Typically, the way you are received depends on the way you behave,” says Matlins, who also is the founder of Jewish Lights Publishing and SkyLight Paths Publishing. He and wife, Antoinette, co-founded a Reform synagogue in Woodstock, Vermont, where Matlins served as lay spiritual leader for 19 years.

“I’ve never found a place where I was not welcome. The larger the place, the more likely they are to be welcoming of strangers, whether it’s a mosque, a synagogue or a church. That’s why I did this book — if you know the basics of what’s going to happen during the worship or the ritual, you’re less fearful of embarrassing yourself and intruding in the space of others.”

When I’m traveling abroad — but also when I’m visiting American cities — I often get up on Sunday mornings and attend some Christian service. I enjoy the religious aspect of worship, but it’s also about savoring local culture in one of its most authentic forms. And when you’re on the road alone, as I often am, these communal experiences offer the solo traveler a sense of belonging for an hour or two.

When previous reporting jobs took me to Manhattan, I’d go uptown to Harlem to visit Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of the nation’s oldest African-American Baptist congregations. And I was hardly alone. Every week, groups of tourists from around the world do the same — but in such huge numbers that the church specifically addresses first-time visitors by making clear its worship “is not a gospel performance or entertainment of any kind.”

Abyssinian now has a tourist entry point where folks must queue for first-come, first-served seats at its 11 a.m. service only. And tourist or not, tank tops, flip-flops and shorts are not allowed.

What’s most important to remember, says Matlins, is that even though you’re a tourist, visiting a functioning house of worship is not just like walking through a museum.

Regardless of the place’s faith tradition, he says, “You’re sharing a very special moment with people, and be aware of that. The key thing is to open yourself to the experience so you are not just an observer, even though you are not a participant. You enter a space where you’re not participant or tourist, but as one might say, you’re in the moment.”

But how do you know if worshippers at, say, a Muslim mosque or a Buddhist or Hindu temple will welcome you?

Francis X. Clooney, the director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard, has found Hindu temples to be fluid places where “smaller and larger rites” take place during the day, not always according to a fixed schedule. But if one is welcomed in, usually one is welcomed for the worship that is in progress.”

When in doubt, he suggests “checking in advance, or at least at the door before entering.”

Adds Matlins: “If you know people who live in that place, ask them if they can take you to their house of worship, or where they know you would be welcome. I did that in Lahore, Pakistan. I had the same concerns, but we were meeting with someone who was a very religiously involved Muslim.

“I told him of my interest in attending service at a mosque. He said he would be happy to take me.” But Matlins has also wandered alone into a Hindu temple in Singapore and Buddhist temples in Japan, which many tourists do.

Of course, it never hurts to do some research before you go, checking out books and websites that offer insight into the cultures and faith traditions you hope to see up close.

For folks seeking out Christian experiences close to home or on the other side of the world, the Mystery Worshipper website offers about 2,000 candid, sometimes tongue-in-cheek reviews of church services around the globe. Its volunteer mystery worshippers drop in and serve up details on everything from sermon length to the comfort of the pews to the warmth of members’ welcome.

And it’s the friendliness-factor details that give travelers a measure of comfort and behind-the-scenes intel when visiting these places, from massive St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Fiji.

Curious, open-minded travelers also shouldn’t let their lack of a personal faith stop them from dropping into houses of worship.

“They don’t have to be a gourmet to appreciate a good meal,” Matlins reasons. “And you don’t have to be a person of faith to appreciate the beauty and passion of a religious experience. It is in a way like theater — part of the experience is to suspend disbelief, literally.”

Thinking about stopping into a living, breathing house of worship on your next trip? Matlins and Clooney suggest keeping these things in mind, regardless of the place’s faith tradition:

Be respectful. “You are in a place that is special and holy to other people,” Matlins says. “Dress and behave appropriately so you do not disturb their sense of the specialness and holiness of the place.”

Pay attention. You want to “be sensitive to what is expected of the visitor — either to hold back, or to participate more fully,” says Clooney. “Being too forward or too passive may both be offensive.” Also, “be careful to note where and how far into the space one is welcome. Some areas are more sacred than others.”

Follow along. Observe “the customs of the community — removing shoes, covering heads, the segregation of men and women, talking or not, taking photos or not, in accord with custom,” says Clooney.

Listen with your “third ear.” “You may not understand the language,” says Matlins, “but you can hear the feelings if you open yourself up to them.”

Sit in the back. Not only does it keep you from appearing intrusive, but it can minimize any innocent missteps. Suggests Matlins: “Do what you see other people do, unless it violates the tenets of your own faith.”

Who knows, perhaps through these spiritual experiences you’ll discover what so many travelers find: Despite people’s very real differences across nationalities, cultures and faiths, it’s what they share in common that matters.

Former religion reporter Maureen Jenkins is a freelance travel, food and lifestyles writer who’s visited nearly 35 countries and territories. She lives in Chicago and blogs at UrbanTravelGirl.com.

Editor’s note: Bud Darr is senior vice president of technical and regulatory affairs at Cruise Lines International Association Inc.

Essentially every aspect of the cruise industry is heavily regulated and monitored under national and international maritime laws for many purposes, the most important of which is to protect the safety of passengers and crew.

A U.N. agency — the International Maritime Organization — mandates global standards for the safe operation of cruise ships through its 170-member governments, including the United States. These regulations are extensive and wide-ranging. They start with the design and construction of the ship and extend to the operation of the vessel, the emergency equipment on board, and scenarios for emergency situations, including the evacuation of a ship.

Regulation of the cruise industry involves many levels of enforcement — the international; the flag state or the flag of the country that the ship is registered in; and the port state (the country a ship is visiting.)

For example, cruise ships that operate from U.S. ports are subject to strict U.S oversight and enforcement of international laws and regulations as well as all applicable federal laws of the United States. This oversight enforcement is carried out primarily by the U.S. Coast Guard.

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Most significantly, this means that any ship entering a U.S. port, no matter what country’s flag it sails under, is subject to U.S. Coast Guard examination for compliance with international and applicable U.S. regulatory standards, especially those related to safety.

The coast safety regulation enforcement of the U.S. Coast Guard begins at the concept or design stage for new cruise ships and continues throughout the ship’s entire time of service. At any time, the responsible Coast Guard captain of a port can prevent any cruise ship from departing if a serious violation of any regulation is found or any dangerous condition exists.

Contrary to what the op-ed’s author says, significant fires on board ships are rare. The global cruise industry has robust regulatory measures to protect passengers and crew. Fire safety regulations are continuously enhanced and have reduced the frequency and severity of fires. The last major overhaul of fire safety regulations entered into force in 2010, and those regulations remain the subject of continuous review and updating.

Every oceangoing ship in the Cruise Line International Association fleet must carry firefighting teams made up of crew members. They receive formal firefighting training and regular drills to ensure a rapid response in the unlikely event of a fire. The average oceangoing cruise ship has about 4,000 smoke detectors, 500 fire extinguishers, 16 miles of sprinkler piping, 5,000 sprinkler heads and six miles of fire hose.

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Jobs in the cruise industry are highly sought after, and crew members have opportunities for career advancement. The industry offers opportunities not available for many crew members in their home countries, allowing them to support families, pay for college and even start their own businesses.

Beyond wages, crew members are provided free room and board in a clean, well-maintained environment. They receive cruise-line sponsored medical care at no cost. And the cruise industry maintains strict workplace standards set by the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization — both U.N. agencies.

The cruise industry also takes steps to prevent its people from bringing norovirus, which causes gastrointestinal illness, on board. About 10.3 million passengers embarked on Cruise Lines International Association ships from a U.S. port in 2012. There were 16 cases of cruise ship norovirus outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year, involving about 2,600 passengers out of those 10.3 million. To put this in perspective, the CDC reports norovirus causes about 20 million cases of gastroenteritis a year.

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The cruise industry is subject to strict international regulation and oversight and fully promotes policies and practices that foster a safe, secure and healthy cruise ship environment. There’s no doubt that cruising is one of the safest, affordable and enjoyable vacation experiences available today, which explains why a record 20.6 million passengers worldwide enjoyed a cruise vacation in 2011.

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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bud Darr.