Working on a cruise ship may sound like hitting the jackpot. Employees get to travel from one country to another on a daily basis, enjoy the clear blue waters of the world, and, depending on the role, get tipped handsomely.
According to content creator and cruise employee Sophia (@soph.on.the.go), however, there are some downsides that not many people know about.
In a TikTok video where she collaborated with fellow crew member Raye (@dreamyvacation_trips), they both share “things about working on a cruise ship that would send regular people into a coma.” Their video has garnered over 578,100 views.
In the clip, Sophia and Raye are filming in bikinis in a pool in what appears to be a beautiful tropical location. Then they start describing the not-so-fun aspects of the job.
“You have to work for six months in a row, seven days a week, no breaks at all,” Sophia says. “Your break is when you go home.”
Raye agrees, adding, “Literally no days off.”
According to Sophia, crew members may work 10 to 12 hours a day. Raye says that means workers learn to use any free moment they get to rest.
“So I took a seven-minute nap once,” she says. “Best sleep of my life.”
The two also say workers become used to some of the more unsettling parts of life at sea.
“You get kind of used to hearing that there’s a dead person on board,” Raye says. “Lots of dead bodies happen.”
“There’s a morgue on the ship,” Sophia says.
She adds that their schedules are subject to last-minute changes.
“Your work schedule is most likely gonna be different every single day,” she says. “If you’re working at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, you might not find out about it until Monday at 10 p.m.”
Raye adds that certain tasks, like water shuttles, can stretch for hours.
“If you ever have to do water shuttles, expect to do that for about four hours straight,” she says.
The two women also joked about how dating works onboard, saying “ship goggles” can make everyone seem more attractive.
“Everybody is hotter on a cruise ship,” Sophia says. “Like 10 times hotter.”
Raye’s advice is that if you start working on a cruise ship, you should be single, but according to Sophia, you may want to be careful.
“If you do end up with somebody on a ship, there’s a 50/50 chance they probably have a spouse and kids at home,” she says.
They also note employees may have to perform very public-facing duties. Ray says that if someone works in the Fun Squad, they should be prepared to make announcements across the entire ship.
For context, the “Fun Squad” is the staff members who organize and oversee the activities.
“Every person and their mama hears you talking,” she says.
Then there’s the issue of getting sick. According to Sophia, workers can’t simply call out without going through the ship doctor.
“You can’t really take off unless you go to the doctor and they prove that you’re sick,” she says. “And then they have to prove the specific amount of time off.”
She says that could mean only getting a few hours to recover before having to return to work.
“Free will does not exist,” Raye says.
Although crew members may get to visit stunning destinations, Sophia and Raye say their day-to-day living conditions are not nearly as dreamy.
Raye says crew members should be prepared to eat the same meals in rotation.
“It does change,” she says, “But the next week, it’s gonna be the same again.”
Sophia lists some of the recurring options, which include boiled eggs, curry, French toast, and white rice. She also warns crew members with nut allergies to be careful. “Don’t eat in the crew mess,” she cautions.
Their rooms, they say, are also tiny.
“You really don’t have a good room,” Raye says, “Your room is not that pretty… No lights, no windows.”
“If you’ve ever been in the break room of a retail store, your cabin is probably gonna be, like, a third of that size,” Sophia adds.
And most crew members don’t get that small space to themselves.
“You get a roommate,” Sophia says. “You almost never will have your own solo cabin.”
According to her, workers can be bunked with someone from any department and from anywhere in the world.
Despite all of that, Sophia and Raye acknowledge that the job does have its surreal moments.
“Every day you’re in a different country,” Sophia says. “It’s pretty awesome.”
She adds that workers may be able to spend their lunch breaks somewhere beautiful, like the place they’re filming from. “And it’s so normal,” she says.
Raye agrees, but says getting off the ship comes with strict rules. “If you do get off the ship, you might have to be back at 3:00 sharp,” she says. “They will not wait for you.”
While the women did point out the benefits of working on a cruise ship, most commenters focused on the downsides.
“Hey so this sounds illegal and is insane,” one user wrote.
“I just learned I could never survive working on a cruise ship,” another added.
“Why don’t they rotate staff so that yall can have breaks????” exclaimed a third commenter.
According to Marine Insight, fatigue among seafarers, which includes cruise crew members, is “a major concern.”
Citing the International Labour Convention, the publication notes that cruise workers are expected to work eight hours a day, with one rest day per week. At most, cruise workers are allowed to work no more than 14 hours in any 24-hour period and a maximum of 72 hours in any seven-day period.
Employers are also required to provide a minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period.
Marine Insight notes, however, that these rules are subject to change if the master of the ship decides it’s necessary for the safety of the ship, particularly in case of emergencies.
People who report having worked on a cruise ship online, however, tell a little bit of a different story. Many report working month-long contracts with zero days off, just like the TikTokers described in the video.
“Some crew might work 3 hours, some crew up to 12 hours,” one Redditor wrote. “Some positions have their days off but most of them don’t.”
Some also say many cruise workers are in vulnerable conditions. “Cruise lines exploit workers from 3rd world countries for the majority of the manual labor positions,” another Reddit user alleged. “People like to argue that it’s a good thing and it’s providing these people with better opportunities, but that’s just something people say to put their [conscience] at ease.”
Sophia and Raye did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
@soph.on.the.go these are some questions we get all the time as cruise ship crew members! (all views are our own and don’t reflect those of our employer) #fyp #cruisetok #cruiseshipcrew #shiptok #cruiseshipcrewlife @Raye | life at sea🚢 ♬ original sound – sophia | life on the water
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