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.
Stay on the Ship!
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.
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.
Overboard Miracle
Unfortunately, one of the risks of getting onto a form of a floating device, be it a kayak, yacht, or cruise ship is that people can fall overboard. It doesn't happen that often. But there is always the chance if the waters become treacherous enough.
The following story is a perfect example of when passengers might end up going overboard. A cruise ship worker on a Norwegian Cruise line soon found himself overboard after an accidental slip. Luckily for him, a DIFFERENT cruise ship happened to rescue him...22 hours later! And there are other stories like this, so we shouldn't take this for granted at all.
Bathroom Break-Down
Sure, the work schedule for cruise ship crew can be demanding, but we are all human! Everyone needs a bathroom break, and sometimes it is more urgent than normal. Especially when you are on a ship and many people are prone to seasickness. Not to mention the fact that food on ships can be problematic for many people's constitution at the best of times.
Sadly, it is not uncommon for crew members to be denied their bathroom breaks during busy periods on the ship. Not only is this incredibly cruel but also often leads to...Uhm...unsightly accidents...So make sure to let your crew members go when they gotta go.