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.”
Pulling Pranks on the Passengers
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.
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.
Cruise-y Cliques
Apparently, working on a cruise ship can take you right back to the good old days of high school, when everyone “cliqued up” and flocked together in groups. On cruise ships, this typically happens according to what country workers are from. Cruise ships are staffed with an international base of employees, with workers from all four corners of the world.
Each cruise ship “clique” has a name and something they are known for. According to one worker, an example of this is the “Filipino Mafia,” who are known for their ability to score booze after hours. We think we'll get connected with them!
Rescue Caught on Camera
Sure, there are over 1200 cameras on most Royal Caribbean cruise ships, but some say that just isn’t enough. Some people are adamant that there needs to be some type of technology that can detect when someone goes overboard.
This may have ensured that the 22-year-old didn’t have to spend nearly 5 hours in the water before he was rescued. Luckily, the man was heard by another man who happened to be sitting with his daughter out on his balcony when he heard the man’s screams for help. Once the ship was stopped and the rescue was underway, passengers started filming and caught the whole scene on camera.