Redditor ElBrad reveals: "We're probably drunk, hungover, or on our way to drunk. We work 7 days a week, sometimes only 4-6 hours, but most of the time between 10-16 hours. We're salaried, so there's no overtime. To make up for this, Corona or Heineken cost $0.50 each. Wine was $3 a bottle. We'd bring on booze from shore as well. Back deck parties happen every night, and crew hallway parties are even more common."
Cruise ship worker Pixielix says: "There are morgues below deck and a jail cell. We get at least three deaths on board a month. Some people go on a cruise to die."
- Redditor soundtech_157 reveals: "It happens more than you think. One cruise we had a production singer thinking it was a great idea to do a handstand on the railing and he fell over and we spent hours looking for him and was never to be seen again. Everyone thinks he got sucked through the propellers. Drunk people fall off the balconies into life boats or into the water about one per contract. It's sad."
- "If you're feeling queasy, don't run out to a pharmacy before making some calls," a Cruise Critic reader revealed on the reviews site's message board. "Room service usually deliver green apples and bland crackers (crew members swear by the apple remedy), and often you can get seasickness medication from the purser's desk or medical centre for free."
"If they even think you have the flu, you're in quarantine for up to a week," says TheElCaminoKid In your cabin. Food is brought to you in a sealed container and you. Can. Not. Leave. Period. GI (gastrointestinal infections) is a normal issue. The ship is a natural hot zone. Over 4,000 people crammed together for sometimes a week at a time, bound to happen."
One former cruise employee revealed: "I hooked up with like 7 different people myself and I am a shy, average looking dude." Meanwhile, former cruise worker Pmowcaton admitted: "My girlfriend at the time and I had a competition with an officer and his lady for the riskiest place to have sex." He chose the bow of the ship in the middle of the night.
- In a Reddit thread asking what it's really like to work on a cruise ship, MirtaGev revealed: "You will never find a free washer unless you camp out in the laundry room for a few hours. There are usually about 5 to 15 washers/dryers, and anywhere from 1000 to 2500 crew members."
- Redditor and former cruise worker TheHosemaster said: "Fraternising with guests was against the rules and strictly enforced. This was one of the few things I actually saw people get fired over. And this was especially tough for us musicians as many single ladies would be waiting after our shows. We'd have to just dip to the crew quarters to avoid temptation."
- It pays to do what the crew does, as Redditor ihadagoodusername explains. "If you ever go on a cruise and you get off the ship and you want to know where to eat, follow the crew. The crew knows where the cheap and good food is, where the best dive bars are, and for the most part the safest places in the area. Don't waste money at Señor Frog's like everyone else."
- Although you may have heard many stories of people getting ill on cruise ships, cleanliness is key. One Redditor who worked for an unnamed cruise line says: "Because the ship was based out of the US, cleanliness was of the upmost importance. Crew had to wash hands entering and leaving the crew mess. Chicken, seafood, bread, and veg all have separate freezers and storage sections (and elevators) which are cleaned daily. It's no joke! They have people clean the little grooves in the metal going into the elevators just to give you an example."