( CNN ) -- The possibility of sinking is the last thing you want to think about when booking a carefree vacation at sea . Yet colorful ads depicting people having the time of their lives on cruise ships are now competing with frightening footage of Costa Concordia passengers , some still elegantly dressed for dinner , on a desperate quest to escape the ship . The vessel struck rocks off the western Italian coast Friday night and rolled onto its side , leaving at least 11 people dead . `` This is n't some tugboat off Italy . This is a very modern cruise ship , very similar to ships that are currently in the Caribbean , '' said Fran Golden , a cruise expert and contributor for Budget Travel . `` I do n't think anybody could predict that a modern , beautiful cruise ship only six years old would hit a rock and sink , '' she told CNN 's Early Start . So it 's no wonder some travelers may be questioning just how safe cruising is . `` It sure does frighten me , a longtime cruiser , '' wrote Carolyn Spencer Brown , editor-in-chief of CruiseCritic.com , about how quickly things went wrong on the Concordia . `` This was a systemic failure that should rock the cruise line to its core . '' But the cruise industry says there 's very little to worry about , despite the incident . About 16 million people took a vacation at sea last year , according to the Cruise Lines International Association , which represents 26 major cruise lines . The group called Friday 's incident a terrible tragedy , but asked travelers to keep it in perspective . `` Accidents such as this one are an extremely rare occurrence in the cruise industry , and cruising continues to be one of the safest means of travel among all types of vacationing , '' the association said on its website . Modern cruise ships have sophisticated equipment designed to keep them on course , steer them away from bad weather and keep them steady in rough seas . Still , accidents and unpredictable acts of nature do happen . Overheard on CNN.com : Worst-case scenario . Some recent examples include the Louis Majesty , part of the Greece-based Louis Cruise Lines . In 2010 , two passengers were killed and 14 were injured when 26-foot waves crashed into the ship off northeast Spain . In 2007 , the Sea Diamond , a Greek cruise ship that was carrying 1,156 passengers and 391 crew members , sank off the Aegean island of Santorini after slamming into a volcanic reef . Two passengers were reported missing after the incident and were never found . To know how to survive an emergency , cruise passengers are required by law to attend a safety briefing within 24 hours of embarkation . Costa Cruises says most passengers on board the Costa Concordia took part in an evacuation drill . During a typical muster drill , the ship sounds the signals that would call people to their lifeboat stations so they know what to do if there is something wrong . But passenger Benji Smith said the safety briefing was more of a `` sales pitch '' for shore excursions . Others , who embarked at Civitavecchia , about an hour 's train ride from Rome , had yet to have the briefing . Nancy Lofaro , a passenger from New Rochelle , New York , said the drill was scheduled for Saturday , a day after the disaster . Lofaro also said it appeared the crew did n't really know what to do during the emergency . The confusion may have been caused in part by communication problems , Golden said . Unlike ships cruising in the Caribbean , Costa gets passengers from many countries and thus passengers speak different languages . `` I can only imagine the chaos of trying to communicate to passengers from , maybe , eight different languages how to get off the ship , '' Golden said . What caused the cruise ship disaster ? The incident underscores the importance of safety drills and paying attention to them , she added . `` People go on a cruise , and they think they 're in this protected wonderland , and the reality is you always need to have safety in the forefront of your thinking , '' Golden said . `` I 've seen passengers go to the life boat drills and the crew do honest efforts to have you learn how to put on your life vest , and meanwhile , people are trying to get drinks and take photos . '' Crew training in emergency response also is key . A lot of the training is done by the cruise lines themselves based on international maritime standards , Golden said . The Coast Guard inspects foreign-flagged cruise ships in U.S. waters twice a year , studying the competency of the crew during fire and abandon-ship drills , said Cmdr . Buddy Reams , chief of the U.S. Coast Guard 's Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise . Still , no matter how many safety and training protocols are in place , the image of a submerged Costa Concordia will stay burned in people 's minds when they decide if they 're going to take a cruise , said Jonathan Bricker , a psychologist at the University of Washington . To prevent any decline in bookings , the cruise industry will have to communicate how safe cruising actually is , he added . That said , `` The vast majority of people who are planning to take a cruise are probably still going to take the cruise . And they 're going to be fine , '' Bricker said . CNN 's Katia Hetter and Marnie Hunter contributed to this report .
` ` It sure does frighten me , a longtime sailor , '' editor - in - chief of Fortune writes . Events such as this one are an extremely rare occurrence , the industry group says . Industry expert : Chaos may have been caused in part by communication problems . Psychologist : Industry will have to communicate how safe it actually is .