Being on a cruise is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and if there’s one thing people love – it is the hospitality. Smiling faces of employees from different countries greet you – from restaurant waiters to performers. While it all seems like fun, there’s a lot of work that goes behind the scenes. These workers have contracts to move away from home for four to eight months at a time.
Here are some things to note:
They often work long hours
It might seem that these workers are always having the time of their lives, but instead, they work long hours, almost always, to serve you well.
Crew members party harder
They have more fun than the guests, and believe in the saying ‘work hard, party harder’. So while they slog it out during the shift, when it’s over, they party like nobody’s business.
Workers can get off ports
This piece of news is as exciting as ever! While traveling on a cruise, they can get off at ports, which means they are well-traveled. Some of them say they’ve been to Europe, Canada, South and Central America, and more. They have been to over 75 countries, and had some of the best experiences in their life – right from going for a sled dog ride in Alaska, white rafting through the jungles of Costa Rica, to enjoying an authentic curry in Mumbai.
Doing laundry is no fun
This is one of the biggest struggles – to find a free washer is impossible until you camp out in the laundry room for hours. There are about 5 to 15 washers/dryers and anywhere between 1,000 to 2,500 crew members.
They have the authority to leave you behind
While the workers have access to a crew-only bar, and beers are as reasonable as USD 1.50, you are not supposed to get drunk, as a code of conduct.
There are rules to prevent crew members from fraternizing with passengers
There are some crew members who say that they had friends being sent home for this. If you get busted, you have a Masters Hearing and are then set home at the next port. After all, the crew companies do not want to be liable for anything.