crew accommodation cruise ship

Cruise Ship Crew Accommodations

One of the most common questions cruise ship job applicants have is what the crew cabins and facilities like onboard a cruise ship. Find out where the cabins are located and what to expect from your home away from home. Learn where the crew eat and where they can spend their free time onboard.

Location of Crew and Officer Cabins

There is a misconception that all crew and officers live below the water line. The fact is that there are crew accommodations throughout almost all the decks of the ship. It is true that the lowest ranking crew have their cabins on deck two and three below the water line, here is where else they live.

Some departments have their officers on decks that are close to where they work. For example, most engineer officers will have their cabins on the same deck as the engine control room which is located around deck four. This deck is just above the water line and many junior engine officers will typically have a porthole.

There are many cabins located on that particular deck because the whole deck is a crew only area. Typically that deck (usually deck 4) houses all provisions, food prep areas, the crew mess, crew office, and a corridor that goes from one end of the ship to the other.

Comparatively, most deck officers will have their cabins close to the bridge at the forward part of the ship. On many cruise ships, the forward part of deck 5 and deck 6 are also officer cabin areas with the outside cabins occupied by senior officers.

Layout of Crew and Officer Cabins

With every new ship built, cruise lines are taking the comfort of their crew into consideration. For example on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas there are more single cabins for crew compared to other cruise ships (see video of at single cabin on Oasis of the Seas, last video on this page.)  Note that this type of single cabin shares a bathroom with their next door neighbour. Here are the other types of crew and officer cabins that you can expect on a cruise ship:

Captain’s Cabin – This cabin is the biggest and best cabin out of all the officer’s cabins, obviously. But, the size and amenities of the Captain’s cabin varies from cruise line to cruise line and from ship to ship. Some of the largest Captain’s cabins feature a separate bedroom, a living room, dining room, bathroom with bathtub, and an office. He also has access to his own pantry and his own conference room.

Senior Officer Cabin – This type of cabin also varies from ship to ship, but is considered the best after the Captain’s cabin. They usually have a separate bedroom, a living room and a bathroom with a bathtub. Their office is typically located within their department rather than close to their cabin.

Junior Officer Cabin – Depending on the cruise line will determine if you are considered a junior officer and thereby get a better cabin than other crew. These types of cabins may also be given to staff holding a managerial position. A junior officer cabin is a single cabin where you don’t have to share your room or your bathroom. It may or may not have a porthole or window, depending on rank.

Deluxe Crew Cabin – This type of cabin is where two crew members share a cabin, typically with bunk beds. They also share a bathroom with each other. These types of cabins are small and don’t have a porthole or a window.

Amenities in the Crew Accommodation

Depending on how new the cruise ship is will determine how well the cabin is set up and how new the amenities are inside the cabin. Typically each cabin has one TV. Sometimes, you may get lucky that a previous crew member has left behind a DVD player or a stereo. There is always a mini fridge to be shared with your cabin mates.

The bathrooms are small in even the largest of cabins. There isn’t a lot of space to put toiletries especially if you have to share the space. There is a single wardrobe for each crew member and the space to keep your empty luggage comes down to creativity. There may be space under a bed or above a wardrobe.

Where Crew Eat On Board Cruise Ships

Where you will eat will also depend on your cruise job which is categorized by rank. Lowest ranking crew have only one option, the crew mess. The crew mess is a cafeteria style setting. There are TVs and some crew like to bring their laptops there because there is typically a WiFi signal there.

On large ships there is a Staff Mess which is offered for people that work for one of the onboard concessions such as spa, the gift shops and the photographers. The Staff Mess is typically a mini-crew mess.

There is also an Officer’s Mess onboard each cruise ship. Depending on what the cruise line considers an officer will determine who is allowed to eat there. This is a sit down service where officers are given a menu that they me choose their meal off of.

Officers and some crew members are also allowed to eat in the passengers’ buffet restaurant. Most crew are also permitted to eat in the specialty restaurants on the ship. Generally, they must pay the price that the passengers pay and they may need approval from their head of department for this occasion.

Crew Facilities on a Cruise Ship

Depending on the cruise ship, there are also a range of crew facilities (usually the bigger and newer the ship, the better the facilities). Most cruise ships have at least a crew recreation area that can be used as a crew internet area and a disco in the evening hours. On bigger ships, these facilities are separated into three separate areas. These spaces are equipped with table games, board games, library of books and DVDs and comfortable sitting areas.

Other facilities for crew include a number of crew and officer launderettes, a crew gym, and a crew store. Officers and some crew members are also permitted to use the passenger gym facilities. More and more cruise ships are making all crew cabins wireless (need to purchase prepaid internet card).

Videos of Cruise Ship Crew Accommodations

Princess Cruises:  Crew cabin on board Golden Princess

Carnival Cruise Lines: Crew Cabin on Carnival Dream

Norwegian Cruise Lines: Officer Cabin on Norwegian Jewel

Royal Caribbean: Crew Areas on Voyager of the Seas

Royal Caribbean: Crew Cabin on Oasis of the Seas

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Inside Crew Cabins on Cruise Ship

Standard crew cabins have: - Beds (usually bunk beds). - Toilet/shower cubicle (some of the ships share one bathroom between two cabins, or the older ships have common shower areas for female or male crew). - Small to medium wardrobe cabinet. - Writing desk with drawers. - Phone. - TV and DVD/VCR player. - Small refrigerators (rarely, but some crew cabins have them). - Chairs (usually one or two). - Safe boxes. - Mirror.

You need to keep the cabin clean and tidy because you share it with different people from different cultures. Also, there are cabin inspections from time to time in order to make sure that you are living within the rules laid down by the cruise company.

See Crew cabin Gallery

There is a range of crew facilities including bars, open deck area, gym, laundry, crew mess, staff mess, officers mess, disco, accommodation, recreation area, pool, and some even sauna, especially for the crew.

Press here to take a look inside other cruise ship crew areas.

Take a look at MSC Meraviglia Crew Cabins

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Crew Life on Cruise Ships: Ship Life & Crew Areas | Ultimate Guide

All You Need to Know about Crew Life onboard a Cruise Ship: Ship Life & Crew Areas

Before I joined a cruise ship for the first time as a Shore excursions staff , I couldn’t imagine how the life onboard cruise ships actually looked like. All I knew was that I was going to spend seven months at sea, with people I didn’t know and doing a job that I didn’t know much about.

The first few days on a cruise ship were confusing, both fun and challenging… On the first day, I didn’t manage to find my cabin for 45 minutes. I was literally wandering around corridors trying to figure out the ship’s layout. The first days were stuffed with trainings, familiarization with the crew areas, rules, regulations, ship in general, and learning about the job itself, of course.

Whether you are joining a ship as a new hire , or you are just curious to see how the crew life onboard a cruise ship looks like, in this article, I share with you useful insider information and an insight into the crew areas and how we spend our days at sea.

Cruise Ship Crew Life – What to Expect

One of the things you will often hear people saying is that once you experience life at sea, the life on land will never be the same – and I couldn’t agree more.

Living and working on a cruise ship is one of the most rewarding experiences you can get for a lifetime. It involves not only getting paid for what you do but also traveling and seeing the world, interacting with people from different social backgrounds, meeting new cultures and traditions. Working on cruise ships is more of a lifestyle than a simple job where you get to earn money for what you do.

Depending on the ship’s size, you will be sharing your living space with hundreds and thousands of people from all around the world. You will be eating, sleeping, working, hanging out, partying, and spending time together. You will make new friends, relationships, experience break-ups, tough times with your coworkers, go through ups and downs.

Be prepared for hard work! Your free time will mainly depend on your job position, as well as your “privileges” and rights. However, whatever your job position is, we all get the same chance to enjoy the ship life and the opportunities offered.

Suggested articles:

10 Things to Know Before You Apply for a Cruise Ship Job

11 Things You Would Never Expect to Be Part of Your Cruise Ship Job

In the sections below, I want to share with you some basic things you need to know about the organization of crew life on a cruise ship and walk you through the crew areas where the crew spends most of their free time.

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that many things have changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and that rules, regulations, and ship life organization mainly depend on current cruise line policies and health protocols. 

Given the fact that crew members’ contracts vary from 2 to 9 months, crew life is organized in a way to facilitate the crew members’ life onboard. Accommodation, food, and the use of crew areas are free for all crew members during the whole duration of their contract, which allows us to save money and not spend it on basic life needs.

The majority of crew areas are located on decks zero, 1, 2, or 3, however, this varies by ship size and layout. Read below about the main crew areas onboard cruise ships.

1. Crew Cabins

Most people and new hires are curious to know how our crew cabins look like. First of all, there are two types of crew cabins – single-shared and double-shared cabins , meaning that most of us need to share a cabin with a roommate, usually from the same or similar department.

They are normally located on decks zero, 1, and 2, whereas Bridge officers have their cabins on higher decks closer to the bridge.

Crew cabins are tiny and usually consist of a bunk bed, a closet (with drawers and shelves), a mini-fridge, a TV, a small desk, a chair or two, and a bathroom. Each cabin has its own bathroom, which is good because you share it with only one person.

Depending on your job position and title, you may be assigned a single cabin, meaning that you will have your own privacy and most probably housekeeping service.

If you want to read an in-depth review of crew cabins, I suggest you read my article Inside Cruise Ship Crew Cabins Full Review (2021)

2. Main Crew Corridor

Known as I-95 onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships (named after the famous highway in the USA), every cruise ship has the main crew corridor that runs from the aft (the back of the ship) to the forward of the ship on deck 1.

The majority of the crew cabins are located around this main corridor, which can get extremely busy during the embarkation/debarkation times.

On the surrounding walls, you will find numerous boards filled with important ship rules, regulations, announcements, trainings, activities, and all relevant information for the crew.

While walking down the i-95 corridor, make sure you wear appropriate footwear as it can be very slippery and busy with trolleys and working crew.

Suggested article: Life Onboard a Cruise Ship: 18 Crew Cabins Must-Haves

3. Crew Mess

Crew members onboard cruise ships have their own places to eat, known as “crew mess” and “staff mess”. These are practically buffet-style canteens offering various food choices, from Asian to international cuisine. Depending on the ship size and the number of crew members, there might be a couple of these, two or more, onboard each ship.

Accommodation and food are free for all crew members. Besides the three main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), there are snacks in between and you can always go for filtered coffee, tea, or water in a crew mess. If you want to drink a cappuccino or more quality coffee options, you can order it in a crew bar for an extra fee.

Water on cruise ships is usually potable, however, it is strongly recommended to use bottled water that you can buy in a crew shop for a reasonable fee. You can always buy a case of water and store them in your cabin.

Now, the canteens for crew members are known as crew mess and staff mess .

“Crew mess” is normally dedicated to crew members without stripes, and the food served here is usually Asian cuisine, as the majority of crew members come from the Philipines, India, and other Asian countries.

“Staff mess” usually offers international cuisine and is dedicated to staff and officers.

However, there is usually no difference and everyone is allowed to eat whenever they want.

Based on your rank or title, you may be allowed to eat in guest areas and restaurants in the evening, and this applies only to staff members and higher positions. You may also be allowed to have dinner at specialty restaurants for an extra fee with discounts applied.

Bridge officers and higher management positions are welcome to eat in guest restaurants whenever they want.

4. Crew Bar

Crew bar is one of the most lively areas on a cruise ship. Based on the size of the ship, there might be one or more crew bars on each ship.

It normally consists of an inside area and so-called “back deck”, an open deck where smoking is allowed and where parties and crew events take place. You need to pay for the drinks in a crew bar (starting at $2 per drink), except when the HR department throws theme or “all crew parties” where they offer free soft drinks and beers for all crew members.

There are various events organized on a weekly level, including bingo, raffle, music and food events (wine and cheese, fish and chips nights, etc.), movie nights, and more. These are announced on an information board that you will find in crew areas hanging on the wall.

However, keep in mind that due to the new regulations following the Covid-19 pandemic these might be limited, and vary by companies’ and ships’ management.

5. Crew Laundry Area

Crew members have their own dedicated laundry area that consists of a multitude of washing and dryer machines that are operational 24/7.

The laundry service is free and every crew member is responsible for washing their own clothes and uniforms (although there is an option to have your uniforms washed by the laundry department, however, this takes a few days and I always used to wash uniforms on my own).

You need to use your own washing products that you can purchase in a crew shop known as “slop chest”. Inside the laundry area, you will find ironing boards where you can iron your stuff as ironing inside the crew cabins is not allowed.

As for your cabin sheets, pillowcases and towels, you don’t need to wash these – You can simply discharge the dirty items in the main laundry room and ask the laundry crew to get you the clean ones. Here, you can also grab toilet paper and cleaning products for your bathroom.

Useful tip: I mentioned that the laundry is operational 24/7, however, it usually gets busy during specific peak hours when the majority of crew members have their break. If you are planning to wash your stuff, make sure you avoid these hours.

6. Slop Chest

Every cruise ship has its own slop chest, which is basically a store where the crew can buy snacks, water, soft drinks, hygiene products, cleaning items, and more.

Prices here may be higher than if you buy the products outside in port, so I suggest you buy all you need in a supermarket/shops outside the ship if you find any because that will most probably save you some money.

7. Crew Gym

Every cruise ship has a dedicated gym for its crew members. The size of a gym varies by the ship size and the number of crew members, and these are free, fully equipped, and open 24/7.

Some job positions (staff members, stripe officers) are allowed to use the guest gym at specific time slots (mostly in the evening) however this is now vastly limited and is nowadays based on the Covid-19 regulations.

8. Internet Cafe

Cruise ships feature an internet cafe where crew members can surf and chat with their friends and family back home. This room is equipped with a multitude of computers that crew members can also use to do their job duties, more specifically the company-assigned tasks and trainings, and other online and IT-related jobs.

Some programs and websites can be accessed for free (if it’s for business purposes), however, you need to pay for the internet you use.

Wi-fi internet can be quite expensive and there are several packages you can opt for (daily, weekly, monthly packages). During the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have provided their crew with an hour or more of free internet.

9. Playroom/Crew Lounge

Besides the crew bar and a coffee shop, there is normally a dedicated area for the crew who wants to play pool table games, table tennis, table football, darts, and other social games.

There is also a library filled with books that the crew members can borrow for free.

10. Incinerator Room

You have probably been wondering where the crew members throw their garbage. Saving and taking care of the environment is a high priority for cruise lines, and there are numerous programs applied to maintain and save the ocean and the environment in general.

Recycling is widely promoted among the crew members and there is a multitude of trainings that enforce us to take the whole save-the-environment concept very seriously.

All crew members collect the garbage inside their crew cabins (bins are available) and once it’s full, the trash needs to be taken to the incinerator room where the items are sorted into differently designated bins. There are bins for glass, paper, plastic, electronics, cans, and there are a couple of incinerators where the rest of the trash is burnt under the supervision of trained staff working in that division.

The incinerator room is normally smelly and can be very slippery, so it’s very important to wear comfortable shoes while walking around (avoid flip-flops, slippers, etc.).

The incinerator crew is always there to assist you to separate the trash in case you need it.

11. Medical Facility

Guests’ and crew members’ health is a top priority for cruise lines and there is a dedicated medical facility onboard each cruise ship for both guests and crew. This medical facility is usually located on deck 1 and is shared, however, there are separate entrances for guests and crew.

All crew members are provided with health insurance and medical care free of charge during the whole duration of their contract. Depending on a cruise ship size, there are a couple of doctors and nurses in charge of the Medical department that you can always address to.

Besides performing their job duties, crew members spend most of their free time outside in ports when available, or inside the crew areas that I mentioned above.

The crew life is organized in a way to make life easier and fun for all crew members, and the department in charge of this is the crew HR department.

Crew HR Department

Every cruise ship has a dedicated HR department that takes care of crew members’ needs, paperwork, payments, crew activities, and everything related to the crew members in general.

This is the first place where you’ll go once you join the cruise ship, regardless of whether you are a new hire or a returning crew member.

The HR department will assign you a cabin based on your job position and vacancies available; they will issue you a cabin key, an ID card that you’ll use for payments onboard the ship, exiting/entering the ship, etc., an emergency card…

If you have some special requests, or you want to complain about something, you can head to the HR team who will help you resolve your issues.

The HR department is also responsible for organizing all crew-related activities, including parties, bingo, raffle, movie nights, and more. These can widely depend on the HR team and HR manager themselves, so the organization of the crew life is not the same on all the ships.

There are usually a couple of crew ATMs onboard each ship and they are located within crew areas. They allow you to withdraw your money in dollars and there is a small fee to pay for each withdrawal transaction (around $2 per transaction). In case that these don’t work, you can go to the HR department who will assist you.

Crew Drills

Safety and security are the top priorities for all crew members working onboard a cruise ship. There are drills organized every cruise, and each crew member is assigned an emergency function and muster station during the whole duration of their contract.

All crew members must be familiarized with the ship’s layout, fire zones, main crew/guest areas, emergency stations, and all relevant to the ship’s safety and how to manage emergency situations.

There are many trainings that all crew members need to go through, both online and onboard, and these are constantly updated.

Whether you are joining a ship as a new hire or a returning crew member, there will be a lot of trainings that you need to do, both online before joining a ship and onboard.

The trainings are organized on various topics, including environmental topics, zero tolerance, safety and security topics, crowd management, and many others.

You will be advised which trainings to do by your direct supervisor or a dedicated app.

In this article, I did my best to give you a simple overview of our crew life and areas where we spend our time when working on a cruise ship.

However, bear in mind that many rules and regulations have changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and these widely depend on the cruise companies’ health protocols and policies.

If you want to read more about crew life, I suggest you take a look at my articles:

Working on Cruise Ships: How to Apply for a Cruise Ship Job?

Inside Crew Cabins on Cruise Ships – Full Review 2021

Food and Beverage Department – Working as a Cruise Ship Waiter?

10 Things to Know before Applying for Cruise Ship Job

Security Jobs onboard Cruise Ships – What You Need to Know

New Hire? This is How Your First Day on a Cruise Ship Looks Like

Life Onboard a Cruise Ship: 18 Crew Cabins Must-Haves

Life of a Cruise Ship Photographer – Crew Member’s Story

Working as a Guest Services Representative on a Cruise Ship

This article may contain Amazon affiliate / compensated links. For full information, please see my disclaimer here.

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What Are Crew Cabins Like on Cruise Ships?

One of the most frequently asked questions I received while working on Cruise Ships was… What are the crew cabins like?

And it’s a great question because passengers know our cabin accommodations probably aren’t the best, so they’re intrigued to know exactly how bad the crew cabins can really be.

85% of cruise ship employees (mostly crew) live below the waterline and share very small and dark 9 x 9 cabins with 2 to 4 people in each one. There are bunk beds to sleep in, a small desk and chair, tv, phone, a wardrobe and mirror, a small fridge, and only one bathroom with a sink and shower, shared by all.

Some of the crew member jobs in these types of cabins include cooks, waiters, bar staff, laundry staff and more.

These cabins are also so notoriously small that only one person can be standing at a time – everyone else has to jump in their bunks, waiting their turn.

Having a small cabin with lots of people also means you’ll have to get used to waiting for the bathroom. If you all have similar job positions, you’ll need to be creative in terms of working out a schedule so everyone makes it to work on time.

Earplugs are also a must. You’d be surprised how loud someone snoring in a small cabin can be. Or, if they’re doing other things you may not appreciate – like having sex. Yep – be prepared for it!

Once, while working on cruise ships…

I shared a cabin with the Sommelier (Wine Steward). It was a tiny cabin with a small bunk bed (you can see the image above). I had the bottom bunk and he had the top – separating us vertically by no more than 3 feet. One night I was woken by the sounds of him and his casino girlfriend trying to “quietly” have sex together.

Unfortunately, the noises only got louder, and worse. After 20 minutes with no end in sight(!), I put in my earplugs and finally fell back to sleep again.

This happened every other night (as they had the courtesy to spend every other night in her room) and after about the 3rd time I didn’t even hear it anymore.

I know, strange right? It’s amazing what you get used to working on a cruise ship!

You may also want an eye mask as well, as people are coming in and out at all times of the night and the light from the corridor can be blinding. If they’re really courteous, they won’t turn on the cabin light when they come in!

Small cabins like this really suffer if one or more people are messy. Make sure you always keep your small section clean – don’t leave clothes and dirty laundry hanging around.

As the Internet Cafe Manager, one contract had me in my own cabin for most of my contract. Near the end, a brand new bar waiter was put in my cabin, which is always a little frustrating when you’re used to your own space for so long.

This was his first time at sea and first time away from home. He didn’t really understand the concept of cleaning up after himself, and I was constantly asking him not to leave his dirty clothes all over the floor.

Things finally came to a head one night after I found his dirtly underwear on my pillow. Yep. On my pillow. Last straw…

After a quick chat with the HR manager, he was thankfully moved to another cabin soon after.

And you guessed it – the lower your rank or rung on the ship’s hierarchy, the deeper into the depths of the ship you’ll be. So don’t expect a porthole or window.

In some cases, your lower position may even place you near the bow (front) or stern (back) of the ship where the worst weather is felt as the ship heaves up and down in the waves.

If you’re tendering at a port where the ship can’t dock alongside, the bow of the ship may have the gut-wrenching sound of the ship’s anchor being dropped in the early morning.

The stern has those big ship engines that continuously hum. You may love that sound, or not.

Having said all this, many of my friends in these cabins did get used to the close quarters and really loved it. They made some life-long friends and created some amazing memories.

Also, being in such close quarters and learning to constantly share and be graceful with others can definitely make you a better person, if you choose to learn from it.

The higher your rank, the better your accommodations

If you are one of the staff, you’ll most likely have a slightly larger cabin (10 x 10), but chances are you’ll only share it with one other person or have it all to yourself – making it feel much bigger.

Along with all the amenities you’ll find in the lower ranking cabins (desk, chair, tv, phone, wardrobe etc.) there may be a small couch to hang out on – perfect for having small parties or taking a nap.

There may be a slightly larger single bed due to the extra space.

You’ll also have your own bathroom, or at worst, be sharing a bathroom with the cabin next to you.

I had a cabin that shared a bathroom with the cabin next to me. When using it, the trick was always to remember to lock their bathroom door, so they don’t walk in on you.

You can imagine how many times I forgot to do that. And how many times I forgot to unlock their door after I was done. Sometimes I was not very popular with the neighbors!

And being above or on the waterline, you may even get to enjoy a porthole or window as well. But, while in port or tendering, be sure to be discreet as I’ve had passengers looking in my porthole!

Staff positions that get cabins like these include managers of departments, concessions like gift shop, casino, spa, music, entertainers and more…

I was fortunate enough to spend half my ship career in these types of cabins – sometimes on my own, but often with roommates.

And roommates can often be the best thing about a contract, especially if you get along and are respectful of each other’s space.

I had a roommate who had a hard time waking up each morning.

His phone alarm went off at 5:30am every morning – an annoying little tune that would repeat itself continously until his final alarm at 6am.

Since I didn’t have to get up until 7am, it drove me absolutely crazy. I would throw my pillows and yell at him to turn it off EVERY morning.

After no success, I resorted to turning his first alarm off when he was in the bathroom. He soon figured this out and checked each night before going to sleep.

I then turned the volume off on the alarm, which he also discovered. I even overwrote the alarm sound with a white-noise file. He figured that out too.

After 3 months, his contract ended and I was finally able to get some sleep. We remain good friends to this day, but not without always reminding him about his annoying alarm habits!

Who has the best crew cabins on a cruise ship?

By far, Officers have the best cabins. Complete with spacious larger rooms, sitting areas, office areas, large personal bathrooms, decorative art on the walls and more, the officers often have mini-suites instead of cabins. 

And the higher your rank, the better your “suite”.

The Captain obviously has the best of all these accommodations. The bed is usually a double too, if not a queen. And don’t be surprised to see a dresser or chest of drawers as well.

This isn’t too surprising though, as many of the senior officers have their family onboard from time to time and need the extra space.

You’ll also find many of the officers on the top decks at the front of the ship right near the bridge – the perfect place to be if there are any emergencies.

But it’s not all roses for the officers – being at the front of the ship means they feel the brunt of the bad weather.

And when the fog horns are going all night, guess who doesn’t get a good sleep?

My position as the IT/Communications Officer placed my cabin on deck 10 near the bridge. I was right beside the Hotel Directors cabin, who was often up late at night taking care of passenger issues.

The number of phone calls he would get after midnight, along with our paper-thin walls, made for some pretty sleepless nights.

But other than that it was a great cabin with a big window and an amazing view, and I was lucky to have it.

A Little About the Author...

Rob Lilley is passionate about working on cruise ships, and spent 5 years of his life travelling the seven seas and touching ground on all 7 continents.  With the experience of 2 different job positions in multiple contracts with different cruise lines, from explorer ships to full-sized cruise liners, Rob is keen to share his insider insights with all of those interested in working at sea! More…

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Crew Cabins

The accommodation… Definitely the most popular topic when people discover that I live at sea 😉

Just a few examples...

“But…. Do you live on the ship?” 

“Do you have the same cabin as a passenger?”

“Do you live next to the engines?”

“Do you have to share with other people?”

“What does your cabin look like?”

I won’t share all the questions but I receive a looooot of interest about my cabin! In general, crew areas arouse a lot of curiosity because they are not visible. Passengers don’t see them and can’t visit them.

So let's clarify a little bit.

Yes, I do live on the ship. All crew members live on the ship.

No, I do not use a helicopter every morning and every evening to drop me to work on the ship and to take me back to the nearest port so I can sleep at the hotel.

Nope, we don’t use the lifeboats neither…

(I swear several passengers seriously thought that this was my daily routine).

No, we do not use passenger cabins. We have crew cabins located in crew areas only.

We can exceptionally use passenger cabins when we join the ship and we shadow our colleague. Meaning that we are an additional resource and we don’t have an allocated cabin. Therefore, the compagny assigns a passenger cabin for us, temporarily.

No, we don’t live next to the engines. However, some of us can be really close to them.

The engines are located on the 2 first decks. It depends on the company, but they are usually called Deck 1 & 2, or C & B. Most of crew cabins are located on the 2 next decks above them. Above the machinery and under the passengers’ areas. All cruise lines have a different deck plan. So I won’t try to give you all the names, otherwise, I will definitely lose you during my explanation. A large part of the crew lives on the deck just under the waterline. The rest of the crew lives on the deck just above the waterline and will share this deck with the Staff and Officers.

A few Officers will also live on upper decks (Forward and Aft), next to passengers’ cabins, and are, most of the time, Senior Officers.  Once again, it depends on the cruise liner and mostly on the ship itself. Let me show you on a map just after, that might be better 😉

No, I do not share my cabin with other people. However, most of the crew must share.

As I explained in a different post, cruise ships have a ranking system among the crew members: crew, staff and officers (and we even have differences within each of these groups). The crew has to share the cabins (and the bathrooms). They might share with 1 other roommate (if they’re lucky) but will most of the time share with 2,3,4 people (sometimes more!). And each shared cabin might also share a bathroom with another shared cabin… Not ideal at all.

The staff will usually share the cabin. They will only be 2 in each staff cabin and won’t share the bathroom with another cabin.

Most of officers won’t share their cabin and will have a personal bathroom as well. Depending on your rank, your cabin size will change. You might have a porthole (nice waterview every morning!), a sofa-bed, a table with a few chairs, etc.  Senior officers will have big cabins and the highest ranking officers will get a suite.

As HR Manager, I have been a 2.5-stripe officer and a 3-stripe officer. As a 2.5-stripe officer, I had my cabin on the deck just above the waterline. As a 3-stripe officer, I had a bigger cabin just under the bridge.

I told you that accommodation is a hot topic for the passengers, who are quite curious about it. And this is also a burning matter for the crew as well ! Getting a better cabin could be a quest for many crew members….. Even if we work 10-14 hours a day and we are sooo tired that we go back to our cabin just to sleep… But for some crew members, a porthole, a bigger tv, a sofa, etc. is very important to them. No judgement. Everyone is different and the concept of comfort is obviously different as well.

So let me show you quickly where the crew lives.

On the below picture, you can see that the plan doesn’t show any deck under the Deck 4. These decks are under the waterline. Usually, the cruise lines don’t show the decks under the waterline and don’t show the crew areas on their plans neither for safety reasons.

As I explained before, most of the crew will leave on, what it’s called on this plan, Decks 3 & 4. Close to the waterline.

Show me a crew cabin!!!

So, now…. What does it look like?! That’s what you want to know, right?! Come on, don’t lie to me.

First, let’s talk about law and conventions. (Wooohooo! Could you feel the fun!?)

Cruise liners don’t design crew cabins the way they want. They must respect the MLC 2006: Maritime Labour Convention, signed by governments, cruise liners, unions, in 2006 (with a recent amendment in 2016).

I won’t give you the details of course, just an overview. Cruise liners must respect a minimum size for each cabin, security, protection from weather and sea, furnitures (like…a bed! A fridge, a safe, etc.), insulation from heat, cold and noise, and many many other things! Usually, the cabins don’t really change between the cruise lines as they all must respect the requirements. And with them… Layout options are limited…

So let me show you a few pictures so you can realize where we live everyday 😉

These 2 photos show you a crew cabin. Very small. 2 to 4 single beds. A desk or just a table. A very limited storage.

Not ideal, right?! Unfortunately, thousands of people live in these cabins, everyday, for several months.

These 2 photos are officers’ cabins. They are bigger (the size depends on your rank). Double bed, desk, table and chairs, cupboard.

As I explained before, some cabins can also have a sofa or a sofa-bed.

A little extra: the bathroom!

Just a little plus I guess! The bathroom. Definitely not the same bathroom as you can find in a castle but…. Efficient 😉

Another thing to know about the crew cabins. They are assigned to crew members for the lengh of their contract. They are still company’s property and do not belong to the crew members who live there.

Therefore, inspectors (designated officers) can visit the cabin anytime they suspect the crew members don’t respect the area.  By law, the Captain must also run a weekly cabin inspection and asks his/her Officers to visit all crew cabins and report any dysfunction and any forbidden item (broken glass, light not working, fruits in the fridge, dirty bathroom, etc.). Any dysfunction will be fixed. For any prohibited item found, discipline will be given to the crew member.

I hope this post answered a few questions and gave you an overview of what we find after a very long and hard day at work.

This is not a very big room and intimacy/privacy is obviously compromised when you share the cabin with other people. Not easy neither to move along… There is not much room and it’s quickly filled with the suitcases, uniforms, personal items, etc.

This is a big problem for the seafarers but not much we can really do about it. If the cruise liners decide to build bigger crew cabins, they will need to build bigger ships or sacrifice other areas or even passengers’ cabins. Thereby, a loss of profits. And these could have consequences of wages or recruitments.

Indeed, we don’t want that so seamen accept these conditions. This is part of our life and there is a lot of benefits to this way of life. Don’t worry, cruise ships are huge! So you can always find a space with no one around and be alone with your thought. You observe the sunset, without any people around you, alone with the sound of the waves. Believe me, this is an amazing feeling 😉

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Categories Cruise

Tags Crew Member Cruise Cruise Life Cruise Ship

The author is a cruise ship officer and loves travelling around the world. He started the expatriation adventure in 2016. He is passionate about learning new cultures, about local food & beer. *Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my current employer or my previous employers*

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