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Cruise lines cover the cost of food and a place to stay for crew members working onboard. But other than that it was a great cabin with a big window and an amazing view, and I was lucky to have it. And don’t be surprised to see a dresser or chest of drawers as well. 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.
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You need to time your morning showers and so on properly – otherwise, you will be late for your shifts,” they added. 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. 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. The bed sheet set is something I regret not bringing when I first joined the ship.
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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. Some departments have their officers on decks that are close to where they work.
What are cruise ship crew cabins like?
Bridge officers and higher management positions are welcome to eat in guest restaurants whenever they want. “Staff mess” usually offers international cuisine and is dedicated to staff and officers. Now, the canteens for crew members are known as crew mess and staff mess. A cruise ship can have hundreds, if not thousands, of crew members on board, which makes the crew quarters on a cruise ship quite an essential part of the ship. These inspections typically happen before the beginning of every cruise, depending on the cruise line.
The bathroom typically only has space for a sink, toilet, and shower, and they’re usually pretty cramped together, making the space feel very tight. Of course, crew members that are very high up, such as department heads, typically get their own cabins. However, in bigger rooms, more than two crew members may be bunking together.
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. One of the 74 recommendations of the Healthy Sail Panel is "Crew should be placed in single-occupancy crew cabins whenever possible to minimize extended periods of close contact with other crew members." 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.
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There are also elevators and stairwells reserved just for crew members, so you won't find cabin stewards or dining room staff hanging out in the guest elevator banks. Each bunk has a lamp so you can read if you want, and some even have their own flat-screen TV installed (this varies by company and only applies to newer or refurbished ships). If you are friends with someone or you want to live with a particular person, you can request to live together. The crew HR department will then consider your request and accommodate you based on the vacancy. Any crew member that is caught engaging in any kind of a personal relationship with a guest can be terminated immediately.
Crew Mess
Sometimes referred to as the weight room or gym, crew members can find free weights and even some machines to use so that they can exercise. The crew gym has fewer machines or frills than guest gyms, but some crew members with a higher rank can use the guest fitness center. Like guest bars, these are places for the crew to unwind and enjoy a cocktail or beer. They are usually less themed than guest bars, and often you will find mismatched furniture from other venues onboard. Depending on your rank or title, the cabin you get as a crew member will vary.
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. As mentioned, most cabins are shared by at least two cruise ship employees.
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. 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. I was fortunate enough to spend half my ship career in these types of cabins – sometimes on my own, but often with roommates. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. Cruise ships feature an internet cafe where crew members can surf and chat with their friends and family back home.
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. 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. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry.
Cabin service is limited to those crew who have the privilege (varies across companies and ships). These are usually, the officers, the concessions (shops, salon, photo etc), managers and supervisors. Depending on your rank/position and also the cruise line company, you will be assigned to a single, double, triple or sometimes quad occupancy cabin. With this in mind, your cabin mate may be of a different nationality or work in a different area of the ship.
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. 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. With two people in a 120-square-foot space, most cabins are usually furnished with a bunk bed to make use of the small space. Some crew members get curtains for additional privacy in their bunk bed quarters.
