cruise workers reveal what happens at sea

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Cruise workers lay bare life at sea

CREEPY guests. Random hook-ups. Cruise workers have revealed wild truth about working at sea — the good, the bad and the ugly.

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IT TURNS out what happens at sea doesn’t always stay at sea, as cruise ship workers have been spilling the beans on what it’s really like to work on the floating hotels.

From creepy officers who spy on guests while they’re having sex, to random hook-ups with holiday-makers — the wild truth about working at sea has been revealed, according to The Sun .

Former crew members have taken to Reddit to share their experiences of life at sea — the good, the bad and the ugly.

Working on a cruise ship may seem like a dream job, but according to ex-employees there are plenty of downsides to the role.

Workers complained of the awful food they were given and the surprising regularity with which they find dead guests.

But despite this, the opportunity to travel to over 75 countries often outweighed all of the downsides to the job.

PEEPING TOMS

If you’re on a cruise ship with a private balcony then don’t presume that means you have any privacy.

One ex-cruise ship worker of six years revealed that officers on the bridge — the room or platform where the ship is commanded — would watch guests have sex on their balconies “all the time”.

The ex-crew member called Whateverdude1 said: “On ships where the bridge is located, there are extensions so the officers can observe while docking.

“From there you can see a lot of ocean view balconies. Officers say they see people f***ing All. The. Time.”

Cruises have a reputation for appealing to elderly holiday-makers, which means that finding dead bodies on board is very normal.

A Redditor called Antium, who used to work on cruise ships, claimed that many retirees think of cruises more like nursing homes than a holiday.

He said: “Odds are, someone died on your cruise. Think about all the old folks you see get onto the boat — they are literally taking cruises until they die and we eventually find them in their cabins.”

Another cruise worker who goes by the name Pixielix agreed, saying: “We get at least three deaths on board a month. There are morgues and a jail cell below deck”.

DRINKING LIKE A SAILOR

Holiday-makers on cruises tend to drink a lot, but that’s nothing compared to the party atmosphere going on below deck.

Alcohol is incredibly cheap at some of private crew bars and the party only gets going at midnight, when the guests are all heading off to bed.

Cruise worker Pixielix revealed: “We don’t want you to know that we actually have more fun than the guests.”

“Sure we’ll work the big white hot party that you’re all going to, but once we finish our shift all hell is breaking loose in the crew bar.

“Just below and to the sides of where you are sleeping there are crew members having sex, smoking and drinking. Our beers are $1.”

SLEEPING WITH THE GUESTS

Sleeping with the guests is strictly prohibited on board cruise ships, with strict consequences for any member of staff caught copulating with a tourist — but that doesn’t stop it happening.

Ex-cruise worker Whateverdude1 said: “You can’t sleep with guests! Rule #1. [But] everybody did it.”

He said: “There was one guy who was f***ing a girl in the girls’ bathroom and he accidentally pressed her against the handicapped alarm button, so security and nurses burst in few minutes later.”

According to one former cruise ship musician, fraternising with holiday-makers is so commonplace that staff even have a special term for it.

Telenovelarocks admitted: “We call sleeping with passengers ‘coning’ as passengers were ‘cones’.

“We are not allowed to f*** to passengers … but we do know the all the nooks and crannies the cameras don’t reach.”

DISGUSTING FOOD

While guests on top deck receive a silver service, it turns out that cruise workers don’t get their hands on the same delicious food that’s offered up to the holiday-makers.

Elbrad, a DJ for two years on one cruise line described it as “dumpster” food.

He said: “It’s like someone saw a picture of a buffet, and said ‘I can make that!’ but only had access to dumpster leavings.”

“Many a night I’d wander to the staff mess and ask someone along the way what was for dinner and the reply was ‘Toast and cereal’.

They also had a pink dessert served in little metal cups, and if there was any left over, it would appear upside down, sans la cup, on a small plate the next day.

“If it was still uneaten on the third day, it became ‘Boob Food’, with a squirt of whipped-cream on the top.

Even more disgusting was the claim from an employee called Williamod84 about the chefs’ cooking techniques.

He said: “The food has an extra bit of oil and fat in it to make your s**t soft. This is done to reduce the stain on the ship’s plumbing”.

ULTIMATE SEA SICKNESS

Cruises are a hotbed of germs, but even more so in crew quarters where workers are packed tightly together into bunks.

A jazz musician calling himself Caltranetimeman, played on a ship for a couple of summers and was shocked by the speed with which illness could spread.

He said: “Disease spreads incredibly fast. There were a couple of episodes of a stomach flu taking over the ship and it was so bad that I thought we were going to have to get the CDC to disinfect the ship.”

TRAVELLING THE WORLD MAKES IT ALL WORTH IT THOUGH

While the pay cheque may be small and the accommodation even smaller, it’s getting to see the world that makes the job worth it for most cruise ship workers.

One content cruise worker said: “In five years on cruise ships, I visited every continent except Antarctica and went to over 75 countries.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

A tourist who is feared dead after falling from a cruise ship sent his wife a tragic final text.

There is a “frustrating” drinking rule on cruise ships that has even the most dedicated cruisers claiming it a “rip off”.

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Cruise ship workers reveal what it's really like to live at sea

There's a big party culture, but it isn't always as fun as it seems..

Cruise ships have a reputation for fostering a party culture among employees fueled by long hours and cheap drinks available at crew-only bars.

But social drinking can turn into self-medication , according to Brian David Bruns, who worked as a waiter for Carnival Cruise Lines for 13 months between 2003 and 2004 and wrote a book, "Cruise Confidential," about the experience.

Bruns told Business Insider that the stress and loneliness of working on a cruise ship made alcohol an attractive coping mechanism. During his time as a waiter, an outside observer would likely have determined that he developed a drinking problem, Bruns said.

"I'm sure any third party would observe me and say I had a problem," he said. "It can happen very quickly where you go from a social drink to self-medicating because of loneliness."

Read more: Cruise ship workers reveal the most disappointing things about their job

But social drinking can turn into self-medication , according to Brian David Bruns, who worked as a waiter for Carnival Cruise Lines for 13 months between 2003 and 2004 and wrote a book, Cruise Confidential, about the experience.

I'm sure any third party would observe me and say I had a problem, he said. It can happen very quickly where you go from a social drink to self-medicating because of loneliness.

The food is bad.

Cruise ship workers with lower-paying jobs, like bartenders and waiters, are often at the mercy of the crew cafeteria. There, according to five current or former cruise ship employees, the food leaves much to be desired .

Some described their distaste for the food as a logistical issue. Since many ships employ crew members from around the world, the food served in the crew cafeteria can reflect that variety, making it difficult for some to find food similar to what they would eat at home on a consistent basis. Others described food of poor quality, like chicken with a rubber-like texture or sauteed fish heads.

"The food sucks," a former employee for Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America Line said.

Workers would keep tuna, granola bars, and other snack foods in their rooms or favor simple foods that require little preparation, like fruit, cereal, and sandwiches, she said.

Not all of the cruise ship employees Business Insider spoke to disliked the food in the crew cafeteria. Two former cruise ship employees said they enjoyed both the quality and variety of the food served to crew members.

Read more: 8 things cruise-ship workers want to tell passengers but can't

The food sucks, a former employee for Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America Line said.

You work long hours.

Rather than working traditional five-day weeks, cruise-ship employees often work seven days a week for the duration of their contracts, which can range from about two months to 11 months. Between four and eight months was the most common contract length cited by 31 current and former cruise-ship employees who spoke with Business Insider.

The hours can also be intense, from about eight to nearly 20 hours a day. The employees Business Insider spoke with reported an average of about 12 hours.

A former waiter for Carnival Cruise Line who said he worked about 12 hours a day described his schedule as "crazy" and said it led to fatigue and stress.

"We don't get enough sleep," he said.

A former waiter for Carnival Cruise Line who said he worked about 12 hours a day described his schedule as crazy and said it led to fatigue and stress.

We don't get enough sleep, he said.

Employees have a lot of sex with each other.

Among the many distinctive features of a cruise ship job is the fact that you live with your co-workers. That can result in unusually close bonds among employees and an unusual amount of sex between them.

"There's a lot of sex on cruise ships," said a former casino manager for Holland America Line.

Some compared the hookup culture as being similar to, or even exceeding, that of a college dorm.

But the permissive sexual culture on cruise ships can also lead to aggressive or inappropriate behavior. A former Royal Caribbean Cruises employee who now works for Carnival said one of her managers on Royal Caribbean would make comments about her sexual orientation and criticize her for never changing her hairstyle.

Royal Caribbean did not respond to a request for comment.

There's a lot of sex on cruise ships, said a former casino manager for Holland America Line.

Romantic relationships start and end quickly

Romantic relationships among employees develop and end much faster than on land , which, along with frequent turnover, can make long-term relationships difficult.

"One month on a ship is maybe like two years on land, because you spend so much time with these people," said Taylor Sokol, a former cruise director for Holland America.

But the close proximity between employees can make it difficult to maintain a healthy amount of space from a romantic partner, Sokol said.

"It's kind of hard to give someone their space when you live maybe 10 feet away from them."

One month on a ship is maybe like two years on land, because you spend so much time with these people, said Taylor Sokol, a former cruise director for Holland America.

It's kind of hard to give someone their space when you live maybe 10 feet away from them.

Almost all of the passengers are pleasant, but some are annoying

Current and former employees had largely positive things to say about passengers, characterizing the vast majority of them as pleasant and respectful.

But some employees described frustrating tendencies they've noticed in passengers, like being too rowdy, asking annoying questions, and talking too much.

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Cruise Ship Worker Reveals What It's Like to be in 'Isolation' at Sea Amid Coronavirus

"I'm taking each day as it comes and am hoping to be at home soon with my family," Hannah Lucy tells PEOPLE

For nearly two weeks, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas has been sailing ocean waters with no guests.

On March 17, guests of the ship, who were embarking on a 10-day cruise, disembarked in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic , leaving roughly 790 crew members on board.

At first, crew members continued working to feed and entertain their fellow staffers on board, but on March 31, they were forced to self-isolate (out of an abundance of caution) and were moved into guest cabins in an attempt to prevent the spread of the respiratory virus, Hannah Lucy, who works as a member of the cruise director’s staff — and is responsible for hosting parties and games shows on the ship — tells PEOPLE.

Lucy, a U.K. native, says the ship is now “just anchored off of Barbados, we come in every so often to pick up provisions and fuel.”

“We are just coming up to being in isolation for nearly two weeks and so we hope we can go back to being with other crew members, but this could get extended,” Lucy explains.

“Up until March 25, I was working onboard and was meant to carry on doing so until September. We work seven-month contracts and in that time, we live onboard.”

Lucy says she was not able to return home as the response to pandemic escalated “very quickly.”

“I’ve yet to be able to come home because commercial flights stopped and the company is trying it’s best to get us home as soon and safely as possible.”

Lucy, along with her fellow crew members, have not been outside and only get to watch the rapid changes the virus has caused around the world on TV.

“It’s like watching a horror movie,” Lucy says.

Those not on lockdown are carrying out essential duties for the ship including delivering food to rooms and operating the vessel.

While Lucy shares she hasn’t “felt scared” while on lockdown, she does fear “how long it is going to be before we can socialize with one another without having to be six feet apart.”

“I feel like I’m getting withdrawals of not being able to hug another person or when we can start traveling again or work again for that matter,” Lucy says.

RELATED: Fired Captain Disembarks Ship in Guam to Claps and Cheers After Asking For Help amid Coronavirus Outbreak

As for how she spends her days, Lucy says she watches “reruns of Friends ” although she “would love to just go out for a run.”

“Some days, we try and create games we can play over the ship phones or do makeup challenges, just silly things to keep us occupied.”

“I’m taking each day as it comes and am hoping to be at home soon with my family, but until then, I guess I have to make the most of the sea view.”

Despite the circumstances, Lucy explains that Royal Caribbean is “looking after us until they can safely get us home.”

“They are even chartering flights, they’ve already started with Indonesia a few days ago … 66 Indonesians left the ship, which is great news. They’re working closely with countries’ governments to do the same.”

A rep for Royal Caribbean tells PEOPLE, “We are fully focused on protecting the well-being of our crew and are maintaining rigorous health protocols, including elevated deep cleaning and sanitization procedures aboard our ships.”

“In accordance with the latest medical guidance, our ships are practicing social distancing, and in an abundance of caution our crew members have been asked to self-isolate in their staterooms for a 14-day quarantine period.”

“We are actively monitoring the health of our crew members, and any who exhibit influenza-like symptoms are placed in isolation and receive constant care under physician observation.”

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that they would be extending their No Sail Order indefinitely for all cruise ships amid the pandemic.

The new order states that cruise lines will not be allowed to disembark passengers at any U.S. port of call without direction from the U.S. Coast Guard, in consultation with the CDC, HHS and other government bodies.

Despite the earlier No Sail Order and the Cruise Lines International Association’s decision to suspend all cruise ship operations on March 13, the CDC says that there are approximately 100 cruise ships still at sea off the East Coast, West Coast and Gulf Coast of the U.S., with nearly 80,000 crew members on board.

At least 10 ships have reported that they have passengers and/or crew on board who have tested positive for coronavirus or have exhibited symptoms in the past few weeks.

The updated mandate follows the CDC’s first No Sail Order , which was issued on March 14 and was intended to stay in place for 30 days.

The current order will impact cruise lines indefinitely, indicating that no cruise ships will be allowed in or out of the U.S. until one of three things happens: 1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that the coronavirus is a public health emergency expires, 2) The CDC director rescinds or modifies the order in accordance with public health considerations, or 3) 100 days have passed since the date of the order’s publication in the Federal Register.

CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a press release that the agency is “working with the cruise line industry to address the health and safety of crew at sea as well as communities surrounding U.S. cruise ship points of entry.”

He added, “The measures we are taking today to stop the spread of COVID-19 are necessary to protect Americans, and we will continue to provide critical public health guidance to the industry to limit the impacts of COVID-19 on its workforce throughout the remainder of this pandemic.”

Since the beginning of the global spread of COVID-19, several cruise ships have seen severe — and deadly — outbreaks of the virus.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined off Yokohama, Japan, for weeks in February with sick passengers on board. A total of 621 people eventually tested positive. According to Reuters, seven former passengers have now died . Some of the infected passengers from that ship have since become among the first to take part in a coronavirus drug trial.

Worldwide, there are now 1,619,495 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 97,200 deaths.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC , WHO , and local public health departments . To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here .

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Report: 40,000 Cruise Ship Workers Still Trapped at Sea

Some cruise ship workers have started being repatriated to their home countries, published june 14, 2020 • updated on june 14, 2020 at 3:58 pm.

More than 40,000 cruise ship workers are still stuck at sea because of concerns about the coronavirus.

The Miami Herald reports that at least 42,000 workers remain trapped on cruise ships without paychecks, and some still are suffering from COVID-19, three months after the industry shut down.

Cruise lines stopped sailing in mid-March after several high-profile outbreaks at sea. More than 600 people fell ill aboard Carnival Corp.’s Diamond Princess while it was quarantined off Japan, for example. Fourteen passengers died.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has prohibited cruises in U.S. waters through July 24.

We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.

Some cruise ship workers have started being repatriated to their home countries.

About 3,000 Carnival Cruise Line workers got off in Croatia earlier this month to catch rides and flights home across Europe. MSC Cruises has flown more than 1,000 Indian crew members home on charter flights from Europe and South America. Royal Caribbean also flew more than 1,200 Filipino crew members home last week from Greece, Dubai, the United States and Barbados, according to the Herald.

Several Caribbean countries haven't allowed cruise ships to dock in their ports out of concerns that they would cause spikes in the number of virus cases. Only Barbados has allowed for crew repatriation flights from its airports.

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For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

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14 Secrets of Cruise Ship Workers

By jessica hullinger | jun 6, 2019, 8:00 am edt.

From an outsider’s perspective, working on a cruise ship might seem like a dream job. What could be more glamorous than getting paid to travel the world by sea, without having to pay for housing or food? But as with many “dream” jobs, there are a few significant downsides to consider before you fill out an application. We spoke to a few cruise ship employees about what it’s like to live and work on a floating hotel.

1. Americans are the worst cruise workers.

On most large cruise liners, the majority of staff and crew are not American. “On any given contract, you’re working with about 64 nationalities,” says Kat, who spent three years working for a major cruise line. There are a number of possible drivers behind this statistic, but one is that cruise ship employees work really long hours and almost never get a day off, which isn’t particularly appealing to Americans used to a 40-hour workweek and relaxing on weekends. “On my worst contract, I was working close to 300 hours a month,” Kat says. “Yeah, you might be in beautiful places, but you’re so tired sometimes you don’t even want to go out and explore. A lot of times they won’t even hire Americans because the rate of people quitting is so high.”

Americans are also more expensive to employ, even if they do the same work as their counterparts from developing countries. Sam, who worked on Princess Cruises for two years, says her monthly salary of $1100 was higher than that of her Filipino boss. According to Sam, the official reason the ship gave was that the dollar is worth more to people from developing countries than it is to Americans.

2. Cruise ship workers are trained for pirate attacks.

It’s rare for pirates to take on a massive cruise ship, but it can happen, and if it does, the crew is prepared. Nolan, who worked for both Princess Cruises and Oceania Cruises, says he was trained to get all guests away from windows and spray the intruders with giant water cannons.

“Our ship can totally outrun their little dinghies,” he says. “We could spray them with water and they’d be helpless.” Other ships may be equipped with Long Range Acoustic Devices that emit loud, painful noises to deter attacks. That’s how a luxury cruise liner escaped a pirate attack off the coast of Africa in 2005.

3. Want to lose weight? Work on a cruise liner.

While passengers are feasting on steak and scrumptious seafood, the staff and crew aren’t so lucky. “Imagine eating at your high-school cafeteria three meals a day, seven days a week for a year,” writes one former cruise ship worker on Reddit. Kat recalls strange offerings like goat foot stew. The unappetizing food, combined with the many hours spent running the length of the ship, often mean crew members lose a significant amount of weight during their time at sea. “I would lose about 10 to 12 pounds per contract,” Kat says.

Gavin, who worked as a waiter for a major cruise line, said the crew would occasionally get treated to whatever leftovers remained from the passenger buffet, but “it would disappear so fast.”

4. Crew members sometimes mess with passengers.

Life at sea can get a bit monotonous. “It got mundane really fast,” writes one former worker on Reddit. “It was basically the same comedy of errors each day of the week, with a different ‘cast’ of passengers each week.”

Some crew members shake things up by getting a rise out of passengers in the form of good old practical jokes. According to another former crew member, “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!’” Of course, there wasn’t actually a bowling alley on board. “Then we'd wait for the comment cards to come in: ‘Why do crew get a bowling alley when we don't?’”

5. … and chance are the workers might be drunk.

When they’re not working, employees are probably drinking and partying. “We partied our asses off,” Gavin says. “We joked about how it makes a frat house look like a monastery.” The staff get their own designated watering holes on board, referred to as the crew bars, where the drinks are dirt cheap. “At the passenger bars they were charging like $15 for a drink and we’d go down into the crew bar and you could get a beer or mixed drinks for $1.25,” Sam says.

And what happens when you give copious amounts of cheap alcohol to people who are cooped up together for months at a time? “It seems like a cliche, but everyone was hooking up with each other,” Sam says. “In a lot of the crew areas there were these huge posters about STD prevention.”

The crew is regularly threatened with the possibility of random breathalyzer tests (and drug testing), but even this isn’t always enforced. “There was a strict limit on our ship of no more than .04 blood alcohol content at any time,” Gavin says, “but as long as you didn’t make a fool of yourself, you wouldn’t get randomly breathalyzed, so people would break that rule all the time.”

6. For the crew, hooking up with guests on the cruise is strictly forbidden.

So you spotted a cute crew member on your ship and are thinking of chatting them up? Good luck with that. Having sexual relations with a guest is one of the fastest ways for a crew member to get fired. This is mainly to protect the cruise line from reputation-damaging accusations of abuse. Ship security keeps a close eye on crew members day and night. That doesn’t mean hookups never happen, but if a crew member is caught in the act with a guest, they’re kicked off the ship at the next port.

7. Crew passengers are almost always being watched.

“It is safe to assume if you are outside of your cabin you are probably on camera,” Gavin says. “In the event of any kind of emergency, they could pull security footage at any time.”

8. Passengers have a lot of power over how much the crew gets paid.

At the end of a journey, you might be asked to rate your experience and share any praise or complaints on a comment card. These reviews are taken very seriously and often translate directly into salaries and bonuses for workers. “For most people, their salaries are quite low and they rely on those bonuses,” Kat says. So if you leave a bad review and mention someone by name, you can be sure they’ll feel the impact on their paycheck.

“The very best thing you can do for a crew member is to write a glowing review, mentioning them specifically on your comment card,” says a former cruise worker on Reddit. “Their superior’s superiors take note of that.”

9. Some cruise workers have double lives.

“You get a lot of married people that have their own separate lives on the cruise ship,” Kat says. “I’ve worked with couples that have wives at home and a whole different relationship while they’re on the cruise ship. It’s kind of like a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy.”

Gavin says one of his fellow employees lived as an out-of-the-closet gay man while on board, but was still closeted on land.

10. They have no idea what’s going on in the world.

“You stop following news and sports and pop culture,” Gavin says. “You’re really kind of isolated out there.” It can be difficult (and expensive) to find an internet connection while at sea, so many ship workers completely lose track of current events while on contract.

11. They speak in code.

Crew members have shorthand codes for everything from fires to medical emergencies, which they can announce over the loudspeaker without alarming passengers.

Code Adam: a child is missing Code Alpha: there’s a medical emergency Code Oscar: man overboard Code Bravo: fire on the ship

12. The cruise ship has many mafias.

But not the kind that will make you an offer you can’t refuse. According to Sam, the crew members on her ship were split into “mafias” based on their country of origin, and each mafia dealt in specific goods. For example, the Indian mafia was in charge of getting good food for the crew parties, she says. Because Sam worked in the youth center, she was tasked with providing art supplies for crew costume parties. “That’s just one of the economies of the ship,” Sam says. “Everyone is always trying to figure out what they can get from another person.”

One former cruise ship worker says the Filipino mafia was known for getting good booze at all hours. “If you wanted anything after hours, they would get it for you! The crew bar would close around 1 or 2. If you wanted to keep drinking, but were out of booze, you would just go to the Filipino mafia and get what you needed. You paid a huge markup obviously, but it was still pretty cool!”

13. There’s a morgue on board.

Roughly 200 people die on cruise ships every year, and cruise lines need some place to store the bodies safely until they get back to shore. As a result, many ships have small morgues on board that can hold five or six bodies. “We definitely had a morgue on board,” one former ship employee told me. “Because the line was for older demographics, we had people die on the ship pretty regularly.”

14. They will leave you behind.

If you leave the ship for an on-land excursion, make sure you get back before departure time. Cruise lines pay massive fines if they overstay their port time, so chances are high the ship will leave without you if you’re running behind. “You’re on your own,” Kat says. “They won’t wait.”

This list first ran in 2016 and was republished in 2019.

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Cruise ship workers reveal what REALLY happens below deck: From dead bodies in the ice cream freezer and cockroach infestations to crew members caught in VERY steamy encounters

• Two ex-crew members spoke to DailyMail.com about life working on cruises
• 'Sometimes there were three or four deaths per cruise,' one woman said
• The pair revealed what it means when ice cream is served to passengers
• They also revealed the 'naughty' antics some cruise ship workers got up to

By Sadie Whitelocks For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:05 EDT, 6 January 2023 | Updated: 08:26 EDT, 6 January 2023

View comments

While cruise ships have a polished veneer, it seems under the shiny surface, the reality isn't quite as glamorous. 

Former cruise ship workers have revealed to FEMAIL what goes on behind the scenes on the high seas, with some shocking and hilarious stories bobbing to the surface. 

Speaking out anonymously, two female ex-crew members, who sailed on vessels around the world from Aruba to Antarctica, say that they have fond memories of their time at sea.

But there were some less enthralling aspects to cruise life with some of their lasting memories including multiple deaths at sea, steamy encounters among crew and cockroaches running wild.

Grim reality: Former crew workers say 'three or four' people would die per cruise

Speaking anonymously to DailyMail.com two female ex-crew members, who sailed on vessels around the world from Aruba to Antarctica, say while they have fond memories of their time at sea, there were some less enthralling aspects to it (stock image)

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An average of 200 deaths happen on pleasure ships per year, according to Tabak Mellusi & Shisha LLP. 

The majority of deaths are the result of natural causes and heart attacks are also commonplace. 

Another cause of death is falling overboard and Ehline Law Firm reports that from 2000 to 2016, there were 270 fall-overboard cases reported by cruise companies, with 2015 seeing the highest number of fall-overboard cases, 27. 

Commenting on the topic of death, one worker recalls: 'Sometimes there were three or four deaths per cruise. This was over a two-week span. 

'As I was the photographer on board the ship, I would often have a selection of their final vacation photos which I would then have to pass on to the family members.

'I remember one very sad instance where this elderly couple came on board and the man was in a wheelchair with his wife pushing him. But sadly she died the next day of heat exhaustion so a crew member had to take over wheelchair duties. 

'It never happened on my ships, but I recall one passenger falling overboard on another ship after having too much to drink. The body was never recovered.' 

Dead bodies in the ice cream freezer 

On one ship, the former staff member said there was no dedicated morgue so dead bodies were put in the freezer and ice cream was served to guests to make room (stock image)

Ever wondered why chocolate cake on the dessert menu was suddenly swapped out for scoops of ice cream? 

According to our ex-crew members if the ship doesn't have a morgue, dead bodies were often stored in the food freezers and whatever was inside suddenly had to be devoured.

One crew member recalled: 'I worked on smaller expedition-style ships and you would always know if someone had died as there would be ice cream on the menu that day. 

'Basically, we didn't have a dedicated morgue so we had to use the chest freezer to store bodies in. 

'This would require us getting rid of all of the frozen goods to make room. The main bulk of this was ice cream.'

'Vomiting is a part of life at sea,' but ex-crew member recalls passenger defecating at ship's main entrance 

Sailing in rough weather isn't for the weak-stomached and sea sickness is a concern for many cruise goers. 

The workers say that 'vomiting was part of life at sea,' so they got used to seeing people being sick. 

Along with sea sickness, 'norovirus was also a big problem,' and this would spread like wildfire throughout the boat.

According to the CDC , norovirus is 'very contagious,' and causes vomiting and diarrhea.  You can get the virus from having direct contact with an infected person, consuming contaminated food or water, or touching contaminated surfaces and then putting your dirty hands in your mouth.

While cruise ship workers got used to seeing people get ill, one former crew member recalled an incident that left her feeling rather green - and that was when it was calm seas. 

'While seeing people vomit was unpleasant, my worst memory was when a passenger pooped,' she told DailyMail.com

'We never found out who it was but someone once pooped on the atrium floor. 

'There was literally a great big poo in the middle of the ship's main entrance area. It was disgusting!'

Leftover food and human waste would be thrown overboard

Cruise ships are known for their bountiful food offerings, with multiple restaurants and all-you-can-eat buffets. 

But what happens to all of the food that gets left over?

According to the cruise ship workers there was lots of food waste and there just wasn't enough space to store it all on board. The same went for human waste.

Detailing what happened to all of the unwanted chips, chicken wings and chocolate cake, one of the women recalled: 'Unfortunately, food and human waste was thrown overboard. There was just so much food left over from the buffets and restaurants that it was impossible to get rid of. 

'Despite there being leftovers, we were often served some pretty disgusting things in the crew mess, including fish heads. They were really vile!'

Cockroaches and bed bugs are a nightmare on cruises

According to one of the cruise ship workers, cockroaches were a problem on one vessel (stock image)

Keeping cruise ships clean is a tough job, with quick turnarounds, and hundreds of thousands of passengers stepping on and offboard each year. 

As a result, the former cruise ship workers say that cleanliness on huge vessels can sometimes be subpar. 

One says: 'On the first ship I worked on, it was an older ship so it had more issues. It's actually no longer in use. But I remember there being lots of cockroaches in passenger areas, it was such a nightmare with them scuttling around.

'On other ships I definitely think there were bed bugs although there were never any major infestations. 

'I found the cabin carpets completely gross and I would never walk around without socks or shoes on - even if they were hoovered.'

Steamy romps between cruise ship workers 

Put a group of people together at sea for months on end and what do you get?

According to the ex-workers 'cruise goggles' were a thing and you suddenly found yourself fancying one of your colleagues. 

One of the women recalled: 'I discovered that when you first arrive on ships, you're classed as a "shagger." As the name implies, a lot of naughty behavior happened between crew members. 

'One time, two of the crew members were caught red handed having sex publicly in a passenger area. Their manager had to really fight for them both to stay on board rather than being fired.

'When it came to having relations with passengers, this was against company policy. I remember on my first ship that a cruise staff member was caught with a passenger in the early hours doing "stuff" in the crew area below deck. Needless to say, that the crew member was fired and disembarked the next day.' 

Drinking was a big part of the crew culture 

Sailors are often portrayed as heavy drinkers with rum and grog aplenty. 

And it appears that while manning a cruise ship is a far cry from a pirate's life, drinking is still part of the culture.

Touching on the subject of alcohol, one of the women says: 'Safety is extremely high on board ship and so for that reason you were "not allowed" to be intoxicated on or off your shifts - however, I remember that drinking was a big part of the crew culture and we were jolly lots of the time. 

'Sometimes this would go to extremes. I remember a crew member in my team turning up to shift at 12pm still completely hammered, falling over and slurring his words. The manager had to send him off to sober up.' 

Crew members would be left stranded if they didn't get back on board at a certain time

It's every cruise goer's worst nightmare: getting left behind on shore. 

But even the most seasoned of cruisers can be a victim of this - including the staff.

The women say that they knew of several staff members who this happened to and it 'was a complete nightmare for them getting back to the ship.'

Offering an insight into what happened when this occurred, one said: 'Every time the ship gets into port, there is always a crew member time to be back on board. 

'If you missed the deadline, the ship would sail off without you. Your passport is then left with the shore staff and you then have to rejoin the ship the next port.'

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Cruise ship worker explains what happens when someone dies on a cruise ship

Sadly, some people die when they're on holiday.

Tom Earnshaw

It's a sad reality that some people die when they're on holiday. But what happens when you're in the middle of the ocean on a cruise ship?

Well, one former cruise ship worker has addressed the issue on her TikTok account.

Aside from the morbid reality of what 'free ice cream parties' mean on board a cruise ship , it's an issue what some of us will face if we decide a cruising holiday is for us.

Former cruise ship employee, singer Dara Starr Tucker, used to sail around the Caribbean and the Mediterranean on cruise ships around 10 years ago.

And while we go on holiday to escape reality for a short period, sometimes it sadly comes with us.

Dara said : "I was a singer on a cruise ship about 10 years ago and I lived on a ship in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean for about six months.

"Thankfully we didn't have to deal with this kind of stuff [passenger's dying] but we were friends with some crew members who did."

She revealed that sadly, four to 10 people will pass every on every cruise holiday. It might seem high but she says you need to remember they're used by a lot of people who are older in age and therefore statistically more likely to have something that could cause illness or death.

Dara said her colleagues told her that "maybe four to 10 people die every cruise... there are a lot of older people on ships and often people die on cruises".

Cruise ships are built ready with the idea that people will die while they're sailing in the middle of one of the world's oceans.

As a result, they all have actual morgues - although they are not publicised for obvious reasons. Bodies can be stored in them for around one week.

Maritime solicitors Brais Law Firm explain that when someone dies, their remains 'should be kept in the morgue undisturbed until the cruise ship gets to its next port which accepts human remains, at which point the body will be unloaded from the ship and transferred to local authorities'.

But they explain that the removal of the body is only the beginning of the process for those who have lost someone.

The law firm says: "Once the passenger’s body is removed from the cruise ship, it is up to the family to make arrangements to have their loved one’s remains sent home.

"This can be challenging—especially if the passenger’s body is located in a far-away foreign country—and it can also be expensive without insurance.

"Even though the cruise line made the decision to leave the passenger’s remains behind, it will not assist with this process.

"But, if you hire an experienced cruise ship accident lawyer, your lawyer can help you take the necessary steps to bring your loved one’s remains home as quickly and safely as possible."

Topics:  Cruise Ship , World News , Travel , Health

Tom joined LADbible in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

@ TREarnshaw

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14 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Cruise Ship Workers

Cruise ship secrets (All photos: iStock)

From an outsider’s perspective, working on a cruise ship might seem like a dream job. What could be more glamorous than getting paid to travel the world by sea, without having to pay for housing or food? But as with many “dream” jobs, there are a few significant downsides to consider before you fill out an application. We spoke to a few cruise ship employees about what it’s like to live and work on a floating hotel.

1. Americans are the worst cruise workers.

On most large cruise liners, the majority of staff and crew are not American. “On any given contract, you’re working with about 64 nationalities,” says Kat, who spent three years working for a major cruise line. There are a number of possible drivers behind this statistic, but one is that cruise ship employees work really long hours and almost never get a day off, which isn’t particularly appealing to Americans used to a 40-hour workweek and relaxing on weekends. “On my worst contract, I was working close to 300 hours a month,” Kat says. “Yeah, you might be in beautiful places, but you’re so tired sometimes you don’t even want to go out and explore. A lot of times they won’t even hire Americans because the rate of people quitting is so high.”

Americans are also more expensive to employ, even if they do the same work as their counterparts from developing countries. Sam, who worked on Princess Cruises for two years, says her monthly salary of $1100 was higher than that of her Filipino boss. According to Sam, the official reason the ship gave was that the dollar is worth more to people from developing countries than it is to Americans, justifying the lower salary.

Related: Envelope Please… the Best Cruise Lines of 2015

2. The crew is trained for pirate attacks.

It’s rare for pirates to take on a massive cruise ship, but it can happen, and if it does, the crew is prepared. Nolan, who worked for both Princess Cruises and Oceania Cruises, says he was trained to get all guests away from windows and spray the intruders with giant water cannons.

“Our ship can totally outrun their little dinghies,” he says. “We could spray them with water and they’d be helpless.” Other ships may be equipped with Long Range Acoustic Devices that emit loud, painful noises to deter attacks. That’s how a luxury cruise liner escaped a pirate attack off the coast of Africa in 2005.

3. Want to lose weight? Work on a cruise liner.

While passengers are feasting on steak and scrumptious seafood, the staff and crew aren’t so lucky. “Imagine eating at your high-school cafeteria three meals a day, seven days a week for a year,” writes one former cruise ship worker on Reddit. Kat recalls strange offerings like goat foot stew. The unappetizing food, combined with the many hours spent running the length of the ship, often mean crew members lose a significant amount of weight during their time at sea. “I would lose about 10 to 12 pounds per contract,” Kat says.

Gavin, who worked as a waiter for a major cruise line, said the crew would occasionally get treated to whatever leftovers remained from the passenger buffet, but “it would disappear so fast.”

4. Crew members sometimes mess with passengers.

Life at sea can get a bit monotonous. “It got mundane really fast,” writes one former worker on Reddit. “It was basically the same comedy of errors each day of the week, with a different ‘cast’ of passengers each week.”

Some crew members shake things up by getting a rise out of passengers in the form of good old practical jokes. According to another former crew member, “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!’” Of course, there wasn’t actually a bowling alley on board. “Then we’d wait for the comment cards to come in: ‘Why do crew get a bowling alley when we don’t?’”

5. And they’re probably drunk.

When they’re not working, employees are probably drinking and partying. “We partied our asses off,” Gavin says. “We joked about how it makes a frat house look like a monastery.” The staff get their own designated watering holes on board, referred to as the crew bars, where the drinks are dirt cheap. “At the passenger bars they were charging like $15 for a drink and we’d go down into the crew bar and you could get a beer or mixed drinks for $1.25,” Sam says.

And what happens when you give copious amounts of cheap alcohol to people who are cooped up together for months at a time? “It seems like a cliche, but everyone was hooking up with each other,” Sam says. “In a lot of the crew areas there were these huge posters about STD prevention.”

The crew is regularly threatened with the possibility of random breathalyzer tests (and drug testing), but even this isn’t always enforced. “There was a strict limit on our ship of no more than .04 blood alcohol content at any time,” Gavin says, “but as long as you didn’t make a fool of yourself, you wouldn’t get randomly breathalyzed, so people would break that rule all the time.”

Related: How to Sneak Booze on a Cruise

6. Hooking up with guests is strictly forbidden.

So you spotted a cute crew member on your ship and are thinking of chatting them up? Good luck with that. Having sexual relations with a guest is one of the fastest ways for a crew member to get fired. This is mainly to protect the cruise line from reputation-damaging accusations of abuse. Ship security keeps a close eye on crew members day and night. That doesn’t mean hookups never happen, but if a crew member is caught in the act with a guest, they’re kicked off the ship at the next port.

7. You’re almost always being watched.

Surveillance! (Photo: iStock)

“It is safe to assume if you are outside of your cabin you are probably on camera,” Gavin says. “In the event of any kind of emergency, they could pull security footage at any time.”

8. You have a lot of power over how much the crew gets paid.

At the end of a journey, you might be asked to rate your experience and share any praise or complaints on a comment card. These reviews are taken very seriously and often translate directly into salaries and bonuses for workers. “For most people, their salaries are quite low and they rely on those bonuses,” Kat says. So if you leave a bad review and mention someone by name, you can be sure they’ll feel the impact on their paycheck.

“The very best thing you can do for a crew member is to write a glowing review, mentioning them specifically on your comment card,” says a former cruise worker on Reddit. “Their superior’s superiors take note of that.”

9. Some cruise workers have double lives.

“You get a lot of married people that have their own separate lives on the cruise ship,” Kat says. “I’ve worked with couples that have wives at home and a whole different relationship while they’re on the cruise ship. It’s kind of like a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy.”

Gavin says one of his fellow employees lived as an out-of-the-closet gay man while on board, but was still closeted on land.

10. They have no idea what’s going on in the world.

“You stop following news and sports and pop culture,” Gavin says. “You’re really kind of isolated out there.” It can be difficult (and expensive) to find an Internet connection while at sea, so many ship workers completely lose track of current events while on contract.

Related: How to Survive a Cruise Ship Buffet

11. They speak in code.

Crew members have shorthand codes for everything from fires to medical emergencies, which they can announce over the loudspeaker without alarming passengers.

Code Adam: a child is missing Code Alpha: there’s a medical emergency Code Oscar: man overboard Code Bravo: fire on the ship

12. The ship has many mafias.

But not the kind that will make you an offer you can’t refuse. According to Sam, the crew members on her ship were split into “mafias” based on their country of origin, and each mafia dealt in specific goods. For example, the Indian mafia was in charge of getting good food for the crew parties, she says. Because Sam worked in the youth center, she was tasked with providing art supplies for crew costume parties. “That’s just one of the economies of the ship,” Sam says. “Everyone is always trying to figure out what they can get from another person.”

One former cruise ship worker says the Filipino mafia was known for getting good booze at all hours. “If you wanted anything after hours, they would get it for you! The crew bar would close around 1 or 2. If you wanted to keep drinking, but were out of booze, you would just go to the Filipino mafia and get what you needed. You paid a huge markup obviously, but it was still pretty cool!”

13. There’s a morgue on board.

Roughly 200 people die on cruise ships every year, and cruise lines need some place to store the bodies safely until they get back to shore. As a result, many ships have small morgues on board that can hold five or six bodies. “We definitely had a morgue on board,” one former ship employee told me. “Because the line was for older demographics, we had people die on the ship pretty regularly.”

14. They will leave you behind.

If you leave the ship for an on-land excursion, make sure you get back before departure time. Cruise lines pay massive fines if they overstay their port time, so chances are high the ship will leave without you if you’re running behind. “You’re on your own,” Kat says. “They won’t wait.”

More from Mental Floss:

How to Travel Cross-Country For Only $213

7 Reasons to Never Ever, Ever Vacation on a Cruise Ship

10 Shipwrecks You Can Visit

WATCH: Caribbean Travel: Smart Ways to Save

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Ex-Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line workers reveal what they wanted to tell passengers but couldn't

Like other employees in the hospitality industry, cruise-ship workers are tasked with making guests as happy as possible.

• That means workers can't always be honest with passengers about their behavior or the realities of working on a cruise ship.
• Business Insider asked current and former cruise-ship workers what they wish they could tell passengers but can't.
• Sign up for Business Insider's transportation newsletter, Shifting Gears, to get more stories like this in your inbox .
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

That means workers can't always be honest with passengers about their behavior or the realities of working on a cruise ship, which can be a grueling experience .

Business Insider asked current and former cruise-ship workers what they wish they could tell passengers but can't. Seven responded with insights into their job or advice for passengers who might not think about the demands placed on workers. Each requested anonymity for fear of reprisal from their current or former employer.

Here are eight things current and former cruise-ship workers wish they could tell passengers but can't.

Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at [email protected] .

Don't ask annoying questions

A contractor who has worked for Norwegian Cruise Line said questions like "Where do you live?" and "Are you always on the ship?" are annoying.

Don't get too rowdy

"Most of the guests were genuinely nice people, but there were a few who took the 'being American' thing a little too far," a former Seabourn Cruise Line employee said. "They were raucous and got way to drunk each night, so it would have been nice to slap the privilege out of them, but unfortunately, we weren't allowed to strike the guests."

It's important to have a good attitude toward cruise ship workers, a former Carnival Cruise Line bar waitress said.

"You never know how physically, emotionally, and mentally tired a crewmember can be," she said.

Tips are important

The former Carnival bar waitress said tips, on top of automatic gratuities included in drink purchases, made up a large percentage of her overall pay.

"Extra tips pretty much were my strongest source of income," she said.

Talk less, listen more

"Shut up and listen. Just listen," a former Carnival hostess said.

Crew members know the best places to go at ports

"Get to know a crew member and find out where the truly good places are to go when the ship pulls into port," a former Royal Caribbean employee said.

Workers can't control everything

During situations that frustrate some passengers but are out of workers' control, like a delayed arrival at a port due to traffic or inclement weather that forces passengers to remain on the ship, it would have been nice to be honest with passengers rather than having to coddle them, said a former cruise director for Holland America Line.

"You have to kind of bite your tongue," he said. "I wish you could be more honest with some of them."

Driving a ship isn't as hard as it looks

"Driving the ships isn't that hard," a former first officer for Royal Caribbean who now works for The World, a residential cruise ship, said. "On cruise ships mostly we have two officers on the bridge all the time but it is not really necessary."

The bridge is the area where the captain and officers control the ship's speed and direction.

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If a cruise worker quits they have to pay for their flight home, current and former employees say. Crew members who resign may not be eligible for future employment with the cruise line. One cruise worker said he had to borrow nearly $1,400 after resigning due to mental health issues. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy On a cruise ship, quitting your job is a luxury not all workers can afford. Cruise workers who resign before completing their contract must pay for their own transportation back home and may not be eligible for future employment, according to interviews with four former and current employees, company documents, and meeting recordings obtained by Insider. The crew members have chosen to remain anonymous or have the names of their employers omitted in order to protect their careers, but their employment and identities have been verified. With some cruise workers paid monthly salaries as low as $600, requiring employees to cover repatriation costs can make it difficult for crew to resign due to reasons like mental health issues or poor working conditions, workers said. “What will happen is the cruise line will fly you home, but will deduct from your wages what you owe,” Jim Walker, a Miami-based maritime lawyer who represents cruise workers and passengers, told Insider. “So it’s a very punitive type of step if you try to quit and go home.” What happens when you try to quit your job on a cruise ship For the most part, resigning on a cruise ship looks logistically similar to any other job, except for the fact that you might be hundreds of miles away from home (or from any land, for that matter). After you talk to your manager, fill out some forms, and go through an exit interview with HR, the tricky part is getting off the boat and back to your country of residence. According to internal procedural documents from two major cruise lines, employees who resign must cover repatriation expenses, including airfare, and may not be eligible for future employment with the company. Some cruise lines offer compassionate leave policies in situations such as family emergencies. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival — the world’s three largest cruise companies — did not respond to questions about their resignation procedures for shipboard employees or which scenarios qualify for compassionate leave. A bartender at a major cruise line who resigned in March ended up borrowing nearly $1,400 — more than double his monthly salary — in order to pay for the 33-hour journey home, he told Insider. He resigned due to mental health issues including anxiety attacks and lack of sleep after he was disciplined for creating a petition that critiqued the cruise line’s promotion system, according to an audio recording of a meeting with HR. The bartender said that when he informed management he could not afford the steep airfare, his crew officer suggested he continue working for the next month. He then requested medical leave but the ship’s doctor denied his request, according to an audio recording of the meeting. The bartender shared with the doctor that while he was not suffering from depression or suicidal ideation at the moment, he was struggling with his mental health and had previously attempted suicide in the past. The doctor then warned him not to report himself as suicidal, or else he would not be allowed to work for the company in the future. “We only disembark patients who are trying to throw themselves overboard or trying to kill themselves,” the doctor said, per the recording. “So then the new option is you need to go home on your own.” Resigning may make you ineligible for future employment with the cruise line James D. Morgan / Getty Images Walker, the maritime lawyer, said in most scenarios, cruise lines pay for employees’ flights home if they are fired, but not if they resign. Repatriation costs can be particularly burdensome for new hires, who may be required to buy their own uniforms and pay for transportation to the cruise’s port of departure, he added. The expenses associated with getting on the cruise ship in the first place cause some workers to take on debt before they’ve begun work — meaning some people simply cannot afford to quit, he said. One former Royal Caribbean employee, who resigned in 2022, told Insider she had to pay for her flight home after quitting three months into a five-month employment contract due to what she described as “traumatic” and “militant” working conditions. The tipping point, she said, was being isolated in a windowless cabin for 10 days due to COVID-19. “There was no access to daylight, we weren’t allowed to leave the room. Food was next to nothing,” the former employee, who worked in the youth entertainment department, said. Royal Caribbean did not respond to questions about its COVID-19 protocol for employees. “I could call my family and friends but they found that hard because I would call them crying and they were like, just get out of there,” she told Insider. “But I was like, there’s nowhere for me to go, I’m stuck in the middle of the ocean.” When she requested to leave the ship two weeks later, she said the company told her that if she quit before completing her contract, she wouldn’t be able to work for the cruise line again. Then, after she confirmed she wanted to disembark anyway, they said they would cite her resignation as COVID-19 related, which would allow her to work for Royal Caribbean in the future, she told Insider. “They said if you leave now before the end of your contract, you won’t be able to come back. I know for a lot of staff, that’s a fear for them,” the former employee said. “I still had to work for a week until I was dropped back in Miami, so they were still scheduling me to work while I was really mentally struggling.” Do you work on a cruise ship? Have a tip or story to share? Email this reporter at [email protected]

1 dead after shuttle bus crashes at a Honolulu cruise ship terminal

Cruise passenger dies after shuttle bus crash, 1 killed, several injured in shuttle bus accident at honolulu cruise terminal, leave a reply cancel reply.

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