I Worked on a Cruise Ship… Here’s What Passengers Never See

Cruise lines regularly tell us that their crew are the heart and soul of their ships. And they’re right. Without the thousands of people working behind the scenes, there simply wouldn’t be a cruise industry.

But if crew are so important, are cruise lines doing enough to look after them?

In this episode, our Entertainment Editor Milly Jolliffe draws on her own experience of working at sea to look at the reality of cruise ship crew life, from long working days and months away from family to shore leave, shared accommodation and the surprisingly high cost of simply staying connected with home.

For some crew, WiFi can cost as much as $120 a month. Others can spend weeks without meaningful time ashore. And recent allegations concerning cruise workers have once again raised questions about wages and working hours at sea.

Milly also shares the other side of crew life: the friendships, parties, travel, unforgettable experiences and the cruise lines that are making genuine efforts to improve life for the people working aboard their ships.

So, do cruise lines really value their crew as much as their marketing suggests? And what relatively simple changes could make life at sea considerably better?

Let us know what you think in the comments, and if a crew member has ever gone above and beyond to make your cruise special, give them a shout-out below.

ADDENDUM: The experiences discussed in this video are based on Milly’s personal time working at sea, alongside publicly reported cases and information available at the time of publication. Working conditions, pay, benefits, accommodation, WiFi access, contracts and shore leave can vary considerably between cruise lines, ships, departments, nationalities and individual contracts. This video is intended to encourage discussion around crew welfare and working life at sea and should not be interpreted as suggesting that every crew member, cruise line or ship has the same experience. Where specific allegations or reported cases are referenced, these should be understood as allegations unless and until established otherwise.

We recognise that many cruise lines invest significantly in crew welfare and that thousands of people have extremely positive and rewarding careers at sea.

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