Cruise ship crew members have interesting jobs. No two days are ever the same when dealing with guests. It’s a demanding and fascinating role, but it is also rewarding.
A now-deleted Reddit user who claims to be an Officer aboard an Oasis Class cruise ship shared insights into their life at sea.
"Hi cruisers!! First Officer here! Since we always have guests asking interesting stuff on bridge tours thought [of] making this post. Remark: not disclosing RCI private information and future company plans!" they wrote.
Since being posted, the thread has gotten over 440 comments and 1,100 upvotes. Needless to say, there were a lot of people interested in the behind-the-scenes workings of a cruise ship.
What percentage of the water consumed on board is desalinated and purified?
The Officer said that all the fresh water on Royal ships is purified per United States Public Health (USPH) regulations.
"We are producing water on the principle of Reverse Osmosis — Seawater converted to Fresh Water," they said.
The original poster (OP) added that 3 out of 4 cruise ships are also likely to get water loaded at the turnaround day port (like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Seattle).
What kind of crew cabin do you get?
While cruise ship Captains get mega-suites near the Bridge, other crew members typically live in smaller quarters and often share a windowless room and/or bathroom.
However, because the OP has a higher ranking than cabin stewards, bartenders, etc., they have a private stateroom on Deck 3 with a small porthole, double bed, private bathroom, sofa, and television.
What would happen if there were a mechanical failure while underway (like an engine failure)?
The OP said, "We have a lot of redundancy for almost everything."
Wonder of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's second-newest Oasis Class ship, has 6 engines. However, they typically only use 3 at a time. As such, if there's an engine failure, the engineers can start another one.
How in-the-loop are crew members about the future plans of the company?
According to the Officer, it all depends. A lot of news is shared via rumor, though.
"Sometimes there are only rumours spreading across the ship which are likely true. Heard about the Legend of the Seas name 9 months before it was revealed," they wrote.
Read more: Royal Caribbean CEO talks rumored new ship size and where it could sail
What is the career path to become an officer on a cruise ship?
Just like with most professions, you can't wake up one day and immediately become a cruise ship Officer.
First, you have to begin with 4 years at Maritime University to earn your Bachelor’s in Maritime Studies and Navigation. During your studies (or immediately after), you must also complete one year of cadetship.
"Then you get the STCW II/1 Officer of the Watch license and you start as Second Officer in Royal," the OP said.
Some cadets are lucky and start working for a cruise line. However, the majority of officers work their way up, starting as cadets on cargo ships.
As a First Officer, is your job primarily logistics and handling the port of call with local authorities? Or is it more like managing staff and driving the ship?
(Credit: Reddit)
The OP does not manage anyone. Instead, they work purely on the navigational side.
Their responsibilities include updating navigational charts weekly, making the routines, watchkeeping, and dealing with ballast water reports.
And yes, it's possible to get bored performing the same duties over and over!
How often are lifeboat drills performed, and how often are the lifeboats thought of/spoken about during regular operation?
The muster drill happens more frequently than lifeboat drills. According to the OP, the safety drill is weekly, whereas they only lower the release the lifeboats from the hooks every 3 months.
If working on a ship operating shorter cruises, the safety drill would happen more frequently, such as every Friday and Monday on 3- and 4-night sailings.
Roughest water you've experienced? Details? Did it bother you?
The roughest waters the Officer experienced were when they were arriving in Vancouver, Canada.
"We were drifting around for 5 days and on the second day we got 33 feet (11 meters) waves," they wrote.
"The ship listed around 22 degrees. Most of our ships (Royal) [don't] exceed [a] list [of] more than 2 degrees, so you can imagine how rough the [sea] was."
Are you able to enjoy passenger areas if you're off-duty?
The amount of privileges crew members have depends on their position. The higher up you are, the more freedom you have.
For this First Officer, they like to eat dinner in the Windjammer with colleagues, walk through Central Park and the Royal Promenade, and watch shows.
Can you see onto the balconies?
Balconies are not as private as you might think. Although there are dividers that limit how much one can see into neighboring balconies, they don’t provide complete privacy.
The OP said, "From the bridge some of the balconies are visible yes! More interesting is in CocoCay when we dock with [another] ship."
Read more: Guide to balcony staterooms on Royal Caribbean
How often do whales come close to the ship?
(Credit: Reddit)
"[Whales are] very rare, especially in the Caribbean," they wrote, "Alaska and [the Northeast Coast] can encounter some and you can see the tails."
Dolphins, however, are a different story. The smart mammals swim with the ship's bow.
Apart from CocoCay, do you have a favorite port of call in the Caribbean?
The OP loves San Juan, Puerto Rico, calling it a "lovely" place.
On the flip side, they claim that sailing into St. Thomas is challenging.
Do you ever want to go on a cruise as a passenger on vacation?
For many crew members, especially in safety or operational roles, it is difficult to switch their working brain off.
"I’ve never done it, and I [don't] think I will do it as I always see the ships from safety’s point," the First Officer shared.
What’s the funniest thing or behavior that you’ve seen?
Working on a ship means you’re bound to have tons of funny stories from guest interactions.
One of the standout moments for the OP is when they were asked if crew members live on the ship.
"[O]ne of my colleagues said that we are taken by helicopter by the end of each day. It was funny because he was joking, but the guest thought we [were] taking helicopters [every day]," they added.
Do you have family back home?
A lot of cruise crew members spend months away from their loved ones. The OP is no exception.
They spend around 2 to 3 months onboard per contract, with the same time off. As such, they have about 6 months off during the calendar year.
What’s the longest you’ve had to wait for a pier runner?
Cruise ships operate on a tight schedule and have strict all-aboard times for guests in ports of call. If you're late, you may have to frantically dash down the pier before the gangway goes up. It's fun to watch pier runners, but you don't want to be one.
The longest the OP has waited on a pier runner was about 30 minutes in Roatán, Honduras:
"The Guest Services Manager managed to reach the couple missing and then we decided to wait."
How much socialization is there between the various divisions?
Cruise ships are like floating cities where people from all departments interact daily, both on and off duty.
"The crew windjammer is [open] for everyone and we regularly sit with engineers, cast members, guest services etc. [It's] nice to find friends from different divisions."
