Cruise workers have their schedules planned out in detailed shifts. This includes telling them when they can disembark from the ship. This way, the ship can always guarantee that they are adequately staffed in absolutely every single department. And it goes both ways. Not only do they need to make sure they’re never understaffed, but overstaffing can lead to burnout.
It’s strictly forbidden to get off the ship if you’re on shift. Even if you are particularly sneaky, there’s no way of breaking this rule! Why? While it’s your shift, your identification documentation and passports are confiscated by the captain.
Code-Dependent
When you join a cruise crew, you not only have to go through rigorous training, but you also have to learn a new language! Ok, ok... Not an entirely new language but you do have to speak in code so you can communicate with the crew without letting passengers know what's going on.
There is pretty much a term for every single eventuality imaginable. For example, Code Alpha is code for a medical emergency, while Code Bravo is a signal for Fire on board. Then there is Code Oscar, which is what the crew says when they mean "man overboard." There are many other examples too.
Ignorance Is Bliss
Like every other emergency, fires breaking out on board are terrifyingly NOT uncommon. After all, there are plenty of sources of fire on a cruise ship. There are engines. There is gas. There is electricity. The list goes on and on. And yet, if you have ever been a cruise passenger you might not have even been made aware of a fire emergency.
That's right, it is generally a Cruise ship policy to only alert passengers of fire if it's necessary for their safety. So while you're enjoying your dinner above deck, below there could be a fire raging! Yikes.
Stuff Happens
One of the alluring factors about cruise ships is that they have everything you could ever need while you are floating in the ocean. The only problem is when there is a malfunction and even the basic necessities can no longer be provided to passengers and crew...while isolated at sea.
That very nightmare took place in 2013 on a Carnival Cruise ship. Midway through the week-long cruise the elevators and toilets...just..stopped...working. We can leave it to your imagination to guess what happens over the next few days. One thing we can confirm is that the place did not smell so good.
Hidden Costs
Thanks to warnings from crew members, if you are planning on taking a cruise, keep your financial wits about you! You might think that you have paid the bulk of your trip in advance - but that is only the beginning a lot of the time. Cruise liners are packed to the brim with hidden costs.
From obscenely overpriced Wi-Fi to expensive on-land excursions to bottled water, your pockets will be empty by the time you disembark. So you need to get clued up on the amenities of the cruise before you even step food on board, so that you now what you'll have to pay for and what is free.