Yes, cruise ship are lit up,
and so are Oil Platforms, and other working vessels, and tankers,...and so are coastlines...That is not the point...I don't care if someone wants to turn all thier lights on, even though it is not the best way to get noticed, and very poor seamanship...I've sailed myself out of all kinds a messes others have caused, and quite a few of my own design, so I'm confident I'll get by, just don't tell me the rules support it when they don't...OR that it makes good sense to have "turning all your light's on" as lighting SOP on your 40 foot sailboat...cause it doesn't. Ed, as to your question about cruise ships, vessels over 50 meters have many different rules than smaller vessels...There are other differences of rule for vessels that carry passengers for hire...many differences, but I'll just mention one rule...thier nav lights are required to be stonger -more visable at greater distances- and out shine lesser lights on board. For example, your mastheadlight,if you are required to have one, must be visible at 2 miles... a cruiseships masthead light (yes they DO TO have one)must be visible for 6 miles. Thier other nav lights are also required to be stronger & brighter... When in a closer proximity to a cruise ship,they look very bright, but when you see one from a distance and are trying to figure out if you are on a collision course, you can see thier regulated-ly brighter nav lights easily ... Also,those that are steering the ship are on a bridge that is not all lit-up,it is isolated, and kept 'red lighted', most of the time...Those steering the ship do not see all those lights and the fact that on my little sailboat I might be blinded by my own lights is just one reason the NAV Rules don't want me to turn on all my lights...I am not saying it is perfect...Just two years ago off the California Coast as I was set for Alaska, I thought an oil rig was moving! I was flipping out because we were on a collision course and he shouldn't even be moving!!! AAAAHHH!!! I turned to starboard and gave way, way away... Turned out to be a fishing vessel, with enough lights lit to be a major league ball park with a night game going on...I couldn't see his nav lights at all through the brightness of everything else he had on, and when I raised them on VHF, they hadn't seen me at all over there own lights or on thier radar...
RULE 8 action to avoide collision) 1) "A vessel which, by any of these rules, is required not to impede the passage or safe passage of another vessel shall, when required by the circumstances of the case, take early action to allow sufficient sea room for the safe passage of the other vessel. 2) A vessel required not to impede the passage or safe passage of another vessel is not relieved of this obligation if approaching the other vessel so as to involve risk of collision and shall, when taking action, have full regard to the action which may be required by the rules of this part. 3) A vessel, the passage of which is not to be impeded remains fully obliged to comply with the rules of this part when the two vessels are approaching one another so as to involve risk of collision." RonD's post is correct regarding "legality" of "Right of Way", and the intent of the Rules, and vessel master obligations. The fact remains though that the phrase "RIGHT OF WAY" does exist in the Nav Rules, and in some inland instances "right of way" is mandated (also in some military basins if I recall correctly)...and if you take a bar bet that it doesn't exist, or there is no such thing..some old salt with a copy is gonna beat you for a beer... you will lose, but learn!