Behind-The-Scenes Secrets Of Cruise Ship Workers
There are few people who would say they aren’t interested in traveling the world while simultaneously being given free housing and free food, right? That’s why many people - particularly younger - are opting for jobs on cruise ships! You get to live with your friends, travel the world, you don’t pay for rent or food and really any ‘daily’ expenses.
But while you’re chowing down on that all-you-can-eat midnight shrimp buffet, who do you think puts those mints on your pillow? There’s a lot more to being a cruise ship staff member than you realize.
Considering A Career On A Cruise Ship
Working in the hospitality and tourism industry is no easy feat. When people are going on vacation, they want it to be perfect, and cruise lines are expected to deliver that perfect experience. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes requirements that crew have to adhere to in order to make the ship run smoothly.
If you think the cruise ship industry is right for your next job, check out some of the rules you’ll have to follow before you click ‘send’ on that application.
Class Rankings On The Seven Seas
There is a clear and definite hierarchy while living and working on the ship. It is made very clear that officers and senior ranking crew members are more important than the low-level crew. A former cruise ship worker said in an interview with Insider that, "[You] know who's boss... On ships, they're very class-conscious."
Based on sleeping arrangements (more on that to come), the food and alcohol you have access to, the uniforms you’re given and the downtime you’re allowed to have, you know where you sit on the totem pole.
Laws Still Apply To You
A friendly reminder to all that just because you’re in international waters does not mean you're safe from prosecution by the law, you can't smuggle drugs or commit murder and not be convicted simply because you're on a boat.
Passengers and crew members alike have attempted to commit crimes over the years thinking they had found a loophole because they're in the middle of the ocean, but unfortunately for them, there’s this handy thing called “maritime law” that covers crimes that are committed at sea.
Guests Let Their Inhibitions Down
When people are in ‘vacation mode’ they have a tendency to let their guard down and do things they might not typically do if they were at home. Unfortunately for cruise ship staff, the crew are most often the ones who have to break up the… inappropriate behavior.
If you’re looking to join the staff of a cruise ship, it seems that you should be prepared to see a lot more of the guests than you normally would in a public place.
The VIP Treatment
Former Royal Caribbean cruise ship director Brandon Presser in an article for Bloomberg talked about how difficult it can be to have celebrities on board. It’s hard to give celebrities privacy when there are 1600 other people on the boat with them. Sometimes 'privacy' involves sneaking celebrities into shows after the lights are dimmed or sneaking them out early before anyone notices them at the back of the room.
It can also be difficult to give VIP guests everything they want or ask for because the staff’s resources are fairly limited, so they have to get creative sometimes.
Time To Get Creative
If you’re part of the housekeeping staff, you should be ready to tap into your creative side. One part of a cruise that guests love (other than all of it) is coming back to their rooms at the end of the night to see what towel animals have been created for them. It’s a cruise ship staple!
If you’re signing on to be a housekeeper then be prepared to learn how to make animals like elephants or monkeys out of towels. Sometimes guests will even request what animals they'd like to see.
The Secret Cruise Ship Language
If crew members were running around yelling that there was a medical emergency, or even worse, that the ship had run out of shrimp, this would cause guests to panic. In order to avoid mass-panic, crew members speak in code.
They’re not talking in pig latin or morse code constantly, but for the major things that happen often, they have code words so they can alert each other without alerting all the guests.
Cruise Ship Code Words
Shown in this picture is a case of a “Code Bravo” that happened on a Star Princess cruise ship in 2006. “Code Bravo” means there’s a fire aboard the ship, which in this case was thought to have been started by a discarded cigarette butt.
Other common codes are “Code Alpha” which is used for a medical emergency, “Code Adam” means there is a missing child, and “Code Oscar” is for when someone falls overboard.
Cameras Are Everywhere
Big Brother is always watching when you’re living and working on a cruise ship. The best way for cruise ships to ensure that all passengers on board on safe, and that all crew - as well as the company - are safe and protected from liability is to install cameras. A lot of cameras.
There’s a good chance that if you’re not inside your cabin, you’re on camera. It’s the best and easiest way to ensure everyone aboard is safe, it helps to lower crime rates on board and keeps everything running smoothly.
You're On Candid Camera
A former waiter from a major cruise line confirmed in an interview with Mental Floss that candid cameras are ever-present on ships. They’re everywhere, basically. The waiter said, “it is safe to assume if you are outside of your cabin you are probably on camera.”
Though some might find it creepy or uncomfortable, the staff member said it was primarily for safety, “in the event of any kind of emergency, they could pull security footage at any time.” They’re not going to watch you unless you give them a reason to!
You're Disconnected From The World
If you’re planning on working on a cruise ship, don’t count on being caught up on all your favorite TV shows, or even on pop culture and news in general.
The internet connection in the middle of the ocean isn’t the most reliable and can be quite expensive so you might want to say goodbye to your hockey team or reality shows before you set sail. You often are able to catch up when you’re in port, but there could be days in between docking, plus you want to be able to explore whatever places you’re visiting.
The Love Boat
Living away from your partner or spouse for months on end can take a toll on the staff, and apparently, not all crew are always faithful to their partners. It’s supposedly common for those who have partners on land to strike up a relationship while onboard the ship too. Maybe they get confused about what constitutes as being married while in international waters?
Working and living on the sea gives people the opportunity to be whatever they want, which isn’t always a good thing.
Hands Off The Guests
Speaking of onboard relationships, if you’re looking to find love with a guest whose on vacation, you’re going to have to keep looking. Crew members are forbidden from hooking up with guests, and it’s a pretty easy way to get dropped off at the next port without a job or a way to get home.
One cruise worker said in an anonymous interview with Trend-Chaser that crew members are encouraged to avoid any sort of one-on-one interaction with guests, as it could leave the cruise line open to accusations or lawsuits.
Safety First!
As said before, relationships and hookups between staff members are quite common while living at sea. You’re living in a bubble for months on end with limited communication with your friends and family, you’re living in close quarters, it’s bound to happen, and it definitely does.
One cruise worker told Trend-Chaser “People hook up all the time. There are tons of crew parties.” There’s even supposedly posters and pamphlets about STD prevention in the crew areas, so the cruise lines are clearly not here to mess around - even if the staff is.
Just For Laughs
There can be some boring times while working on a cruise ship. One way to combat that is staff members pull pranks on guests. They’re harmless ones though because a prank gone awry is basically a guarantee to be fired.
One anonymous crew member told Mental Floss, "A favorite was while in a passenger area say to another crew member, loud enough to be heard by passengers, ‘Meet you in the bowling alley tonight!’” The bowling alley was just imaginary though, unfortunately. “Then we'd wait for the comment cards to come in: ‘Why do crew get a bowling alley when we don't?’”
You Won't Be Rolling In Dough
One misconception about working on a cruise ship is that you’re going to make great money, and you’re going to save all of it because you’re not paying any expenses like food, rent, car insurance, etc.
The problem is when you work a job that covers your food and rent, they pay you a little less than a typical salary, especially if you’re just starting out. You’re still correct that you’ll save more than usual, you’re just starting with a smaller amount.
Generous Tippers
One thing that helps your salary is that you get tipped well (and often) as a cruise ship worker. Most cruise lines have a mandatory gratuity which gets split among all staff members, but you can also earn individual tips simply by helping out guests.
Many people on vacation are ready and willing to tip a little higher and more frequently than they might on land, in order to get special treatment, ie. extra pillow mints or better service in the bar or restaurant.
Comment Cards Influence Salary
On top of tipping, passengers can have a big influence on crew members' salaries based on the reviews they leave, even if it’s just on a comment card in a restaurant. Reviews left by guests have a direct effect on staff members who are mentioned by name, whether the comment is positive or negative.
A former cruise ship worker said on Reddit that, “The very best thing you can do for a crew member is to write a glowing review, mentioning them specifically on your comment card.”
Team No Days Off
If you are someone who needs a lot of time to themselves or lives for their weekend downtime, working on a cruise ship is not the career path for you. When cruise workers are on contract, they don’t get ‘days off.’ A contract typically lasts 9 months, they work continuously through that and then have a few months off before the next contract.
The crew does work on a rotational basis though, so you’ll have blocks of time throughout the days or nights, but a full day off is rare.
Preparing For Pirates
You may think that pirates don’t exist or that they aren’t a concern anymore, but there are cruise lines who still train their crew on what to do in the event of a pirate attack.
It would be a very rare occurrence for pirates to attempt to take over such a large ship with so many people on it, but cruise lines like Princess Cruises and Oceania Cruises reportedly train their crew on how to protect guests and how to spray intruders with giant water canons.
Work Hard Play Hard
Passengers on vacation aboard a cruise ship won’t be the only ones partying at sea, as cruise ship workers are notorious for their heavy partying and drinking.
On most cruise ships, staff have their own designated drinking area with a crew bar where drinks are served at a much cheaper price than guests pay. Former cruise ship workers have said that drinks at crew bars could be as low as $1.25, so it’s easy to see why it’s such a popular pass time for the crew.
Keep It Below Deck
It’s all fun and games when you can buy a beer for less than $2, but the crew still have to be careful because many cruise ships subject employees to random breathalyzer and drug tests and have rules against employees being drunk at all. Though it does seem that these rules are not always strictly enforced.
The crew is never supposed to be drunk around guests, but in their own downtime, it seems that as long as they’re not making a scene, all will be forgiven.
The Best Time To Buy
An insider secret for passengers looking to book their next cruise is that the best time to buy is 1-2 months before you set sail. Cruise ships are staffed and prepped to leave the port with full capacity, and if it looks like not all the cabins will be filled, the cruise lines will drop the prices.
If you’re the kind of person who is okay with planning a vacation only a few weeks beforehand then this is the way you can get the best deal on that Caribbean cruise you wanted to take.
The Ship Waits For No One
The crew is often able to get off at ports when the ship docks so they can explore the locations just like guests, but you need to make sure you’re back in time. This goes for guests and crew members. If you’re not back in time, the ship will leave without you.
Ships can be fined large amounts if they’re in port past their designated time. They have a schedule they must stick to so if you’re not on board, you’re going to be left on whatever island off the coast of Florida you were stopped at.
Americans Need Not Apply
Cruise ships typically don’t like to hire American workers if they can avoid it because they make for the worst staff members. Even though you’d think everyone would know this before applying, working on a cruise ship will not be your typical 9-5 40 hour work week.
American staff members reportedly have a higher quit rate than staff from other countries because they’re less tolerable of the long hours and cramped living conditions so cruise lines prefer not to hire them.
Some Staff Are More Expensive Than Others
On top of being more likely to quit, Americans are also more expensive to employ than any other country because American dollars are worth more for people from countries that have different systems of currency.
Staff members coming from other countries are also more likely to accept a lower salary, regardless of the currency exchange. One former American cruise ship worker said in an interview with Mental Floss that her salary was $1000 more than her boss who was from the Philippines, despite being in a lower ranking position.
Close Quarters
Don’t expect your sleeping quarters to be up to par with the guests on the ship. The quality of your cabin is determined by your rank on the ship.
Senior staff members and officers are giving private cabins above sea level with windows and actually sunlight but that’s not the case for everyone. Most crew members however, share rooms below sea-level with up to three other crew members that contain few amenities other than bunk beds.
You'll Have A Warped Sense Of Time
Having a cabin without windows can be difficult on your body’s internal clock too.
Crew members have talked about how confusing it can be when you’re living in a cabin that doesn’t have any indicator of if it’s day or night, plus they’re often working in windowless dining rooms or kitchens preparing things below deck so it can feel like the middle of the night when it’s actually 11 am or vice versa. Many have said it can be hard to even keep track of what day it is, let alone what hour.
Living A Life Of Luxury
One way to get better living accommodations is to work for a luxury cruise line. They have better staff accommodations because the ship, in general, is better, but it also comes with downsides. Guests on a luxury cruise expect more from the staff than if they were on a regular family cruise.
One anonymous worker said crew are expected to learn the names of everyone on board a luxury cruise, and it can get you in some trouble if your service is not up to snuff with both guests and your superiors.
Cruise Ship Mafias
Cruise ships are reportedly known for being a cliquey work environment, with most of those cliques being a result of crew members from different countries sticking with people who are also from their country. They’re even referred to as ‘mafias’ among staff.
Each mafia onboard was known for different goods, especially when it came to partying. One former worker said the Phillipino ‘mafia’ on her ship always had alcohol to sell other crew members after the staff bar closed.
Not As Appetizing As You'd Like
Cruise ships are known for their unlimited food, guests almost always expect to gain weight while on a cruise because of all the wonderful food that’s readily available.
Unfortunately for crew members, just as your living accommodations are not as nice as the guests, your food is also not going to be as great as you would like. There’s no midnight buffet or constant supply of ice cream for staff members.
A Weight Loss Program
Since the kitchen staff is busy creating incredible meals for guests, they aren’t left with a lot of time or resources to create meals for crew members. One former cruise ship worker posted on Reddit describing the food as similar to, “eating at your high-school cafeteria three meals a day, seven days a week for a year.”
Another former cruise ship crew member said she always lost weight during contracts, usually between 10 and 12 pounds because the food was so bad. There’s also a myth floating around that crew members eat guests leftovers, still unclear if that’s true or not.
The Cruise Line Controls You
In 2015 former cruise ship waiter Brian David Bruns released a tell-all book titled Cruise Confidential which detailed, based on Bruns opinion, the exploitation of cruise ship workers.
The major takeaway from the book is that you don’t really have autonomy when working on a cruise ship. Everything is controlled by your employer. Bruns was actually the first American in more than 30 years to finish a contract as a waiter for Carnival Cruise Lines, so this system is clearly flawed...
Ready For War
Most cruise ships nowadays have a designated room filled with charts, maps and all sorts of technology that could be used in the event of an emergency. Sometimes referred to as a “war room” or a “safety center,” the room is basically a meeting place where senior crew members know to go to in order to enact a plan in the event of an emergency situation, such as a pirate attack.
Hopefully, this room will never be used during your time on staff, but it’s there just in case.
People Are Dying To Get In...
One thing people might not expect is that there is often a morgue on a cruise ship. It’s not something you want to think about but an estimated 200 people die on cruise ships every year and unfortunately, they need somewhere to store the bodies when they’re at sea.
If the cruise line is catered for older demographics then it will almost definitely have a morgue, because the passengers have a higher death rate in general, regardless of the location.
All Hands On Deck
If there’s a serious outbreak of illness on the ship, you’ll probably be recruited to serve food. There are times when an illness is spreading too quickly onboard and in an attempt to stop it, guests will no longer be allowed to handle their own food.
In these instances, all staff members regardless of if you’re a lounge singer, acrobat or kids club member will be ordered to serve food. Another area you might have to help out in is the laundry room because staff will be obsessively changing sheets, table clothes and anything else that could spread germs.
You Could Be Quarantined
Additionally, crew members can sometimes contract illnesses during stops at exotic ports, and in those cases they are immediately quarantined.
Since crew members live in such close quarters and all their living and dining spaces are shared, they are sealed off in a designated section below deck. This prevents them from spreading the illness to all the other crew members, as well as to the hundreds of guests on board.
The Cruise Ship Burn Book
The best and worst part about working in the hospitality industry is the guests. Some moments you’re guaranteed to remember though, are the ones where guests asked you dumb questions.
One former cruise director actually kept a Burn Book-esque notebook filled with comments and questions he’d received from guests, including gems such as “how long does it take the crew to get home every night?” and “is the toilet water drinkable?” One woman even complained that the ship must've been parked backwards because she couldn't find her cabin. Yikes.
Laying Down The Law
There is a jail on board ships that is used for both passengers and crew. Security on board the ship has the authority to place any guests and staff members in jail for crimes like theft or assault if they see fit.
While at sea, the Captain of the ship is the one with all the power and any of their designated officers. Until you reach a port where law enforcement can take over, the Captain is in charge.
So, Is It Worth It?
Even though there are some downsides to working on a cruise ship, the general consensus from former and current crew members is that the experience far outweighs any of the negatives.
You get to travel, at any given time you're working with people from 50+ nationalities, you make lifelong friendships, you don't have to live in your parent's basement anymore, you make a little bit of money and you’re left with some great stories and great memories!
