As passengers lounge around on deck chairs on the pool deck and stuff themselves silly on the all-you-can-eat buffet on a cruise ship, as well as exploring a port or two, there is actually a whole other world hidden away behind the ship’s crew-only doors. A lot goes on behind the scenes thanks to the thousand-or-so crew that live and work on board to keep it afloat.
However, it’s not all idyllic living, as cruise crew often have to live with a number of secret, unpleasant realities. Liv, from the UK, recently posted on TikTok and, with the help of her colleagues, revealed some of the lesser-known experiences they often have to face. Posted on her page @pandtravel, Liv captioned the video: “Things that would send people who don’t work on a cruise ship into a coma”.
First matter to contend with are meals in “the mess”, the dining area reserved for the ship staff. In Liv, case, the crew are often subjected to bizarre concoctions, such as egg curry with a side salad.
The TikToker’s colleagues then revealed that staff are allocated a special “crew card” to purchase everyday goods – such as bottled water to avoid the “heavily chemically treated” free tap water – but are only allowed to top it up with money during a two-hour slot each day. This creates problems for those who are unable to top up their cards on time.
This is not the only time crunch that the crew have to face, as Liv’s colleague added: ” Say you are two seconds late to taking your laundry out of the wash to dry, and someone takes all of your wet clothes and dumps them on the floor”.
Liv went on to reveal the secret signal used by the crew to notify fellow passengers and staff that they don’t wish to be disturbed. In the clip, one of her colleagues pointed at two name cards positioned in their slots outside of a cabin, which is often shared by two members of staff.
Her colleague said: “When you’re trying to go to bed and you see this… it means your cabin mate is [having sex]”.
While not universally practised on all cruise lines and ships, it is best for passengers and crew to respect the signal to avoid walking in on something you don’t want to see.
These habits are not the only secrets being kept from passengers while onboard. Earlier this year, another content creator, @beauty.tips186, revealed that there is an onboard morgue capable of accommodating between two and 10 bodies depending on the size of the ship. The crew member said, “Every cruise ship has a morgue. With over 72% of passengers over 60, it makes sense… but finding out that an average of three people die on cruises each week blows my mind, omg.”
