Confessions of a cruise ship worker!

Ever wondered what really happens on a cruise ship behind closed doors? Well here it is exactly seen through the eyes of someone who used to work on a cruise ship – me!

Nearly 27 years ago I flew to Vancouver to join the original Love Boat, Pacific Princess, in Alaska as a Junior Bar Stewardess. I had worked in hotels for a few years so was not worried about the hard work but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to experience.

Even now I remember my first day, arriving at the pier side, and looking up at the huge ship in front of me. The day I arrived was a turnaround day which is when the old passengers get off and the new passengers get on. I was quickly bundled through security and taken to the staff office where I was issued with my crew pass which I would need with me always.

The Junior Staff Purser took me to the crew mess where I was told to sit and wait for someone to come and get me. After a few minutes, I began to feel like a lamb being led to the slaughter as everyone in the room was male and they were all staring at me like I was a piece of new meat (I would eventually get used to this as back then the majority of crew were male and on this ship, there were only about 8 girls in the bar department). After only about a few hours another girl around my age appeared and said she was taking me to my cabin and then to stores to get my uniform and then to work. No time to unpack or get your bearings just straight to work. I finished my first day at midnight – just ten hours for my first shift.

Most days after that were anywhere from 10 -16 hours and we worked every day without a day off for 6-7 months solid. You soon get to know everyone and relationships form quickly and dissipate as quickly with the pressures of being together every day. I was lucky that I met my future husband and the father of my four children early on but several of my cabin mates brought a different man home every night! As most cabins were twin share this made for interesting times as your cabin mate got intimate with her “friend” in the bunk below – there was a privacy curtain but obviously you could still hear.

My first contract was in Alaska and it’s here that I became the brunt of a practical joke. On my rota one day I noticed it said Whale Watch on the Bridge! Now part of me knew that it was a ruse but as I had to report to the Deputy Captain I thought I had better do as I was told. I arrived five minutes early on the Bridge and was issued with a yellow hat and a yellow sou’wester of the variety that weather presenters wear and was told to take a pair of binoculars and head to the port bridge wing and if I saw a whale to let them know. The Bridge did use to make announcements if there were whales about so it did give my duty some credence. It was only after an hour that I saw the Deputy Captain on his knees laughing that I realised I had been the brunt of a practical joke but I took it how it was intended and laughed with them.

Life was sometimes difficult on board living near each other and lots of crew released their stress with drinking. I once challenged a Mexican to a tequila drinking contest and to this day the thought of tequila makes me feel ill. Many others drank so much that they ended up being sent home with a DNR which is Do Not Re employ. I once saw a crew member try and run through a watertight door as it was closing as he was drunk and nearly lose his foot as he tripped as he was going through but luckily an officer on the other side pulled him free.

Years ago, the most money made as a Bar Stewardess was working in the dining room as a Wine Stewardess and I quickly progressed to this role. This however came with issues such as having to run the gauntlet through the galley with chefs shouting, “Ciao Bella”. Worse than this was having to assign the wine vouchers whilst sat next to a lecherous Maître D with wandering hands. Very intimidating for a 21-year-old but I soon learnt how to handle myself. It’s one of those situations where you sink or swim or fight or flight and I always chose to fight!

Drugs were also prevalent back then with a variety being taken from Caffeine tablets and Pro Plus to Cocaine and Marijuana. I must say the British mainly stayed with alcohol but many other nationalities succumbed to the pressures of the job by taking drugs. If they were discovered they were sent home with a DNR.

If you want to hear more stories then please comment below; also, please note that restrictions are now in place with all cruise lines and random alcohol and drugs tests are frequently done with many ships alcohol free zones for crew now.