Cruise Ship Workers Reveal the Tiny Cabins They Live in: PHOTOS
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If you are used to wearing slippers at home – don’t forget to bring them on a cruise ship, too! Although crew members live squeezed in small cabins, it is our home for several months and slippers are good to have, as floors can be cold sometimes. I never bring them from home, as I always try to save as much as luggage space on my way to the ship – Instead, I prefer to buy them either online or outside in a port. Deluxe Crew Cabin – This type of cabin is where two crew members share a cabin, typically with bunk beds. These types of cabins are small and don’t have a porthole or a window. Comparatively, most deck officers will have their cabins close to the bridge at the forward part of the ship.
Royal Caribbean is adding the best crew member cabins and areas on its next new cruise ship

Even so, sometimes private crew cabins are connected via a jack-and-jill bathroom. Crew members need to live on the ship for months at a time, which means they need to be able to eat, stay fit, and have time for leisure. That’s why you’ll find a variety of crew facilities below deck to help them enjoy their life onboard as cruise staff. The crew who clean (service) the crew cabins are usually called “officer/staff stewards”. 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.
Refillable Water Bottle
Older cruise ships’ crew cabins are usually old and used, while newly built ships feature prettier and more comfortable cabins for their employees. The majority of crew areas are located on decks zero, 1, 2, or 3, however, this varies by ship size and layout. Let me tell you something – I suck at technology and I had no clue what a hard drive was until I came to the ship. And guess what – this little, seemingly insignificant gadget made my life onboard a cruise ship much easier and more fulfilling! Cruises are always busy and you are always surrounded by thousands of people, but sometimes, you just need time for yourself, your thoughts, and a good movie. I always go through such a period at least a few times during my ship contract, and in those times, good movies and music are lifesavers.
Celebrity Cruise Captains’ Quarters
The purse doesn’t have to be fancy and beautiful – it needs to be practical, discrete, and simple, and it’s good to have a wrist strap so you can put it around your wrist (in the picture below). "Compared to some of the crew cabins, you had a nice cabin," said a former inventory manager for Royal Caribbean Cruises. Crew and staff members often have one roommate, though they sometimes have three.
However, I always used to bring my own sheets because I wanted to have a little piece of home with me. I always used to bring old sheets, so I could toss them away after I finish my contract and not overload my luggage with it. Underneath the bed, there is enough space to store two suitcases of large/medium size, and this is where the crew keeps their luggage. During wet and drydocks all cruise lines maintain the same cabin structures,” they said. “Some positions – such as waiters, bartenders, housekeeping, cooks etc – always share a cabin between two people.
Staff members often enjoy after-hour parties and events at the crew bar
If one cleans the bathroom, the other the living space, if one cleans the entire cabin – taking turns, or if you alone or together decide to pay another crew member to clean your cabin. While some lavish and expensive suites on cruise ships are apartment-sized, most cruisers stay in cabins that are not particularly spacious or fashion-forward. "Well, the good thing about a new class of ships is that we really get a chance to start from scratch and elevate the crew life onboard," said Henrik Loy, Captain of Icon of the Seas.
Photos show a tiny crew-only cabin on Icon of the Seas - Royal Caribbean Blog
Photos show a tiny crew-only cabin on Icon of the Seas.
Posted: Fri, 29 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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. The video above just gives an inside view of her Captains quarters. She walks through the entrance foyer to the main living space with a large corner sofa, some other comfy-looking chairs, and a large wall-mounted TV.
Cruise Ship Crew Life – What to Expect
On many ships, the lowest decks are reserved for crew members only. This is the part of the ship that has critical cruise ship functionality, such as the engines or waste management. These inspections typically happen before the beginning of every cruise, depending on the cruise line. The department head, the head of housekeeping, and a senior officer will often do these inspections. They will ensure there are no confiscated items and that the cabin is clean. Ensuring the cabin’s safety aspects are working and hygiene aspects are also looked at.
Travel Toiletry Bag
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. 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.
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. 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.
Depending on the circumstances, random cabin inspections are also a possibility, so just be clean and you will be fine. This will be your home for the duration of the contract and you have to share it with others (sometimes person from different nationalities). Two crew members from AIDA ships said that until passenger sailings resume, they got to stay in a passenger room with a balcony on their own. 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. I was fortunate enough to spend half my ship career in these types of cabins – sometimes on my own, but often with roommates.
You can also read the Latest Cruise News, Download Ship Itinerary, or take peak at the Crew Galleries. The access from the bridge with usually be to the captain’s office area of their living quarters., Access to their main living quarters can also be accessed by a separate entrance. The cruise captains’ quarters are typically located to the rear of the ship’s bridge. This provides the captain with speedy access to the bridge at a moment’s notice, should it be required.
Your cabin will be your home for many months and up-keeping therefore is in your own interest. During the trials, she traveled hundreds of miles and had the main engines, hull, brake systems, steering, noise, and vibration levels tested by hundreds of specialists. Onboard, crew members will be also able to take care of their grooming needs with a crew-only salon. Plus, there will be four digital windows that allow for real-time views outside.
After work, most of the staff hangs out at the crew bar, which is usually a covered outdoor area with a functioning bar and dance floor. The main crew corridor that runs up and down the entire ship is nicknamed the I-95, after the popular US highway. It's always busy with foot traffic and tons of trolleys and carts, so we have to be attentive when walking through it. 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. 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.
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. However, there is usually no difference and everyone is allowed to eat whenever they want. 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.
The bottom bunk is highly coveted in the crew world — roommates usually claim it as soon as the other ends their contract. "The solo cabin was actually humongous," said Chad Stone, a former production manager for Seabourn Cruise Line who moved from a shared room to an individual one after receiving a promotion. 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.).
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