Working at sea every day for most of the year can get pretty old, pretty quickly. The monotony of it all can take its toll mentally. To liven things up, cruise ship workers pull some light-hearted pranks on passengers.
According to one anonymous cruise worker who was interviewed by Mental Floss, “A favorite was, while in a passenger area, to say to another crew member, loud enough to be heard by passengers, ‘Meet you in the bowling alley tonight!’ Of course, there wasn’t actually a bowling alley on board. Then, we’d wait for the comment cards to come in.” Not sure how bowled over we’d be.
Pirate Problems
Pirate attacks may sound like something straight out of the history books, but they are actually still pretty common today. Typically, Pirates tend to avoid targeting cruise liners, because of the insane amount of people on board, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t happen.
Because of this, cruise lines train their employees to protect themselves and the guests in case of a pirate attack. Cruise workers are trained to use giant water cannons in case pirates attempt to overcome the ship. Since the cruise ships are so large, the blasts are powerful enough to take out a small pirate boat.
Cruise Defense
Being in the sea for long periods of time can pose many threats. For the most part, people can enjoy cruises and not have to worry about any potential dangers. But when something nefarious does rear its head, ships need to be prepared. Some cruise ships are built with long-range acoustic devices in place, which crew members can use to ward off potential threats.
In fact, this is exactly what happened in 2005, when a cruise ship was targeted by pirates off the coast of Africa. The crew had to act quickly, and luckily, ended up successfully deterring the attack.
Fraternizing with Guests is Strictly Prohibited
We all have this idea of a cruise being the perfect stage for a romantic story. And sometimes, we imagine that story involving a passenger and someone working on the ship. But that's just a fantasy. In reality, cruise workers are strictly forbidden from hooking up with guests, and doing so is one of the quickest methods to get yourself tossed overboard (just kidding, but still – you’d be fired).
According to one anonymous cruise worker, staff is discouraged from having any type of one-on-one interaction with guests. Of course, the exception to this is anything of a professional nature.
This Round Is on Us!
Most cruise ships include a bar that only serves the crew (with far cheaper drinks). A specialty beverage on a cruise ship can run guests up to $15, while crew members can get similar drinks for less than $2. No wonder they’re drinking so much!
Technically, workers aren’t really supposed to be drinking, but that rule is apparently one that’s made to be broken. According to one former cruise ship worker that talked to Trend-Chaser, “Everyone is told they’re not allowed to actually get drunk, but then you go drinking with your HR person and she has four or five drinks.”