Cruise Ship Chronicles: The Unspoken Realities of Life Aboard

Ashley - August 15, 2023

Photo: cruise-arabia.com

Cruise ships are a popular vacation option for people that want to travel without having to manage long car rides or catching different flights. You get to see the ocean, sea life, and several different countries when you embark on a cruise. Plus, everything is available onboard! You don’t have to worry about finding a different restaurant every night or plan entertainment throughout your trip.

Cruise ships are an all-in-one option for vacationers with comfortable rooms, delicious food, and all the entertainment you could hope for. Of course, along with all those positives, there’s a mystery about cruise ships. Humans are naturally curious, and there’s something about the vast ocean and spending time exploring its expanse that appeals to most of us. Cruise ships themselves can seem a bit mysterious, and it turns out that they are full of hidden secrets! Do you want to learn more about the hidden realities of life aboard? Keep reading to learn all the best-kept industry secrets.

Most Sail Above 100% Occupancy

Cruise lovers on a budget often know there’s a trick to getting their tickets at a reduced price. When shopping around for a cruise, wait until a few weeks before it’s due to set sail. You’ll often see ads online selling last-minute unsold cabinet tickets for pennies on the dollar. It seems like a great deal, but the reality is that cruises (at least before the pandemic) often set out above 100% occupancy. This picture shows data from Royal Caribbean to show their average occupancy rate over several years. They never sailed at less than 105% occupancy! This might have changed since the pandemic, but for most of history, cruise ships have always carried more passengers than they were supposed to. Does that make you nervous?

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Every Cruise Ship Contains A Morgue

Cruise ships are essentially like mobile cities. They have to be self-sufficient to be functional since they’re off on the ocean and exploring various countries on every try. Unfortunately, medical emergencies can happen at any time, even during a person’s vacation. Cruise ships have to be prepared for every possibility, including the passing of one of their passengers. Because of this, all cruise ships are required to have a morgue on board. This area is obviously off-limits to passengers, and most people are completely unaware of its existence. The morgues on cruise ships typically have room to fit three to six bodies, and hopefully, they wouldn’t need more than that!

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New Cruise Ships Can Cost More Than $1 Billion

Everyone probably assumes that building a new cruise ship is an expensive process, but we doubt they realized just how expensive it is! A brand-new cruise ship can cost more than $1 billion to get ready to set sail. Cruise ships often feel like luxurious five-star resorts that can float, and that’s essentially what they are. From spacious cabins to fancy restaurants and on-board entertainment, cruise ships are really racking up their expenses to give their customers the best experience possible. You might wonder how cruise companies can afford such an astonishing price tag, but once the ship is built and ready to go, it can last for decades. These companies recoup their costs fairly quickly and immediately start setting aside some of their profits for repairs and more ships!

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Crew Members Must Record Everything

It probably sounds like a no-brainer, but cruise ships have very detailed logs in which crew members record everything that happens throughout the trip. If you’ve ever seen an episode of the popular Bravo series Below Deck, then you have an idea of just how busy the crew of a ship like this can be. The logs on cruise ships are there to record anything the crew thinks is significant. This could involve something as major as a kitchen fire or as minor as a guest’s comment. So, the next time you’re on a cruise and speaking to the crew, be careful about what you say! It may end up recorded forever. We’re pretty sure the crew members use these logs to vent about unpleasant guests as well, and you definitely don’t want your moment of frustration to end up in that log.

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The Crew Has Access To A Secret Pool

The pools are often one of the most crowded spots on cruise ships. Everyone naturally gravitates toward them since it’s warm and you’re out on the water. It’s the perfect time to go for a swim! Of course, the crew isn’t allowed to swim with the guests while they’re on the clock, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a refreshing dip here and there. To maintain an air of professionalism and a disconnect between guests and crew members, cruise ships often have a hidden, secret pool that only the crew has access to. This pool is usually in a restricted area where guests couldn’t possibly stumble upon it, and it’s often smaller than the pools available to the guests. Still, it’s a great spot for the crew to wind down after their shift!

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They Can Use Over 5,300 Pounds Of Bacon In One Cruise

Most people love bacon! So, it’s no surprise that cruises make sure to stock up on a lot of this delicious breakfast meat before they set sail. We expected cruise ships to have plenty of bacon on board, but this seems a little excessive! In a single cruise, a ship can go through over 5,300 lbs of bacon. This might make sense if it were a month-long cruise, but this figure comes directly from Royal Caribbean. The company released some interesting facts about their cruises, and this was one of those facts. During a 7-day cruise, their passengers consumed roughly 750 lbs of bacon every day, which equals more than 5,300 lbs for the entire week. At least you know there will be plenty of bacon available for you on your cruise!

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Crew Cabins Are Much Smaller Than Passenger Cabins

Since crew members often live aboard for several months to more than a year at a time, you’d expect their cabins to be more roomy. Instead, most crew cabins are even smaller than passenger cabins! Crew members are often limited to cabins that are 120 square feet, on average. They often have a small desk, a bunk, a mini-fridge, and a small closet. For comparison, the average inside passenger cabin is around 150 to 185 feet, a standard outside 160 to 200 square feet, and a standard balcony 175 to 220 square feet. Crew members often work long hours and don’t have a lot of downtime to spend in their cabins anyway. Still, we wonder if they ever feel claustrophobic sometimes.

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Crew Members Often Speak In Code

Crew members are entrusted with making sure the passengers have a pleasant experience, and sometimes, this means keeping them in the dark about certain things. The crew needs to communicate when problems arise without inciting a panic, and the best way to do this is to have code words that won’t alert the passengers to what’s going on. Not all codes are used for major occurrences. Some are for simple things like cleaning up spills, but other codes are designed to alert other crew members to a medical emergency or a safety concern like a fire. The crew does their best to maintain an air of calm and fun for their passengers while dealing with all the hiccups that happen behind the scenes. Remember to thank the crew for everything they do on your next cruise!

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Cruise Ships Keep Getting Longer

Ships used to be designed much simpler throughout history. In the past, they were simply a vessel to get from one port to another. These days, the cruise ship itself is the destination. All the biggest cruise ship companies, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian, are in a race to create the biggest and most popular cruise ships. This has created longer and larger cruise ships every year. Currently, as of 2023, the biggest cruise ship in the world is called “Wonder of the Seas.” It was launched by Royal Caribbean International in 2020 and measures an astonishing 1,188 feet! An average cruise ship is about 1,000 feet, which is the same length as three football fields or ten blue whales.

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Gambling On Board Isn’t As Legal As You Think

Many cruise ships have a casino or gambling area on board. Since they’re usually traveling through international waters, it’s perfectly legal for guests to engage in gambling during their cruise, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, the rules for gambling on board will change depending on which country’s waters the cruise ship is navigating through. This can change how the games are played (like how many decks are used in blackjack) and can significantly impact your odds of winning or losing. If you choose to gamble while aboard a cruise ship, just keep in mind that the rug can be pulled out from underneath your feet at any time.

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Cruise Ships Travel Pretty Fast For Their Size

Cruise ships are often the size of three football fields and typically weigh between 80,000 and 180,000 gross tons. You wouldn’t expect something with that mass to move at a quick pace, but it turns out that most cruise ships can comfortably sail at around 25mph. That may not sound like much, but remember, these giant hunks of metal are supporting a ridiculous amount of weight while floating on the water. To put their speed into perspective, if a cruise ship going at top speed were able to sail directly around the equator, it would only take 40 days. That’s pretty quick to circle the world while carrying the amount of weight that cruise ships do!

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Cruise Ship Accidents Are Rare, But They Happen

No one wants to think about the possibility of an accident while enjoying their cruise ship vacation, but it is an unfortunate possibility. Thankfully, cruise ship accidents are pretty rare, but they do happen on occasion. According to the Maritime Injury Guide, there were 448 major cruise ship accidents between 2005 and 2023. Out of all those accidents, only 15 cruise ships sank. These ships are designed to be ultra-safe and have many measures in place to account for any incidents. The odds of you experiencing an accident while onboard a cruise ship is very low, but if you’re concerned, you can always talk to the cruise about the safety plans and policies they have in place.

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Crew Members Have After-Hours Parties

Life onboard a cruise ship is pretty interesting. Many people are curious about the crew’s lives while they’re living on a cruise ship, which is partially why the Bravo series Below Deck and its spin-offs have become so popular. It turns out that many cruise ships have after-hours parties for their crews. These parties are often held in areas that are restricted to passengers. There’s usually entertainment dedicated to the crew and an entire bar just for the employees. Considering the crew is often stuck on the ship for several months or even longer at a time, it’s great to know they have a place to blow off some steam and enjoy themselves.

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You Can Hire Someone To Act As Your Butler

Most cruise ships offer a special, top-tier service for their passengers. With this service, you can essentially hire a crew member to act as your own personal butler! These crew members are often referred to as “genies” and will do anything from bringing you coffee in the mornings to booking reservations for special events. However, this isn’t an average service. It’s a premium service, and its price definitely reflects that! Still, many people who take cruises regularly swear by this service and appreciate having someone dedicated to meeting their every need while onboard. If you have the extra money to spend and want your vacation to be as stress-free as possible, this is an excellent service to look into!

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Some Cruise Ships Have Virtual Balconies

Cruise ships aren’t the most inexpensive vacation, which is why a lot of people opt for interior rooms. Unfortunately, these rooms don’t come with a view and can often feel a tad claustrophobic. However, with the advent of advanced VR technology, major cruise ship companies are taking advantage of this tech to give their passengers the best experience possible. A few major cruise ship companies now offer interior rooms with a virtual view. A window-like area that is entirely created by virtual reality technology gives passengers the impression that they’re actually able to look outside and see the glistening ocean waters.

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Some Passengers Mysteriously Disappear

Just like enduring a serious accident on a cruise ship is unlikely, it’s equally unlikely that you’ll ever disappear while out at sea. Yet, it happens. According to the Maritime Injury Guide, approximately 400 people have gone missing on cruise ships over the last twenty years. That’s an average of roughly 20 people each year. It’s a concerning statistic, but considering approximately 30 million people take cruise ship vacations every year, it’s a minuscule number. Still, we can’t help but wonder what happened to these missing people. Did they jump overboard for some reason? Get off the boat when it stopped at another country’s port and decide to create a new life for themselves? We’ll probably never know.

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Cruise Ships Sail Around The World Three Times Every Year

We don’t mean that they literally sail around the world three times every year. Most cruise ships follow the same path on each journey. But the number of nautical miles they sail is equivalent to going around the world three times. Every year, the average commercial cruise ship covers about 84,007 miles (or 73,000 nautical miles for all the sailing experts tuned in). To put it in perspective, traveling that many miles means they could travel around the world about three-and-a-half times, or get more than a third of the way to the moon!

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Cruise Ships Have A Hard Time In Rough Water

This may seem obvious, but many people don’t realize that cruise ships struggle in rough water. Their mass and weight makes it difficult for them to maintain their buoyancy in high winds and brutal waves, which presents a challenge for the crew. Not only do they have to work to help secure anything on the decks and follow any other directives given by their captain, but they’re also tasked with reassuring anxious passengers. If you’ve never been on a cruise ship before and end up riding through a storm, it’s easy to become frightened. Thankfully, despite their difficulties, cruise ships are incredibly safe and rarely have serious accidents while out at sea. Listen to the crew, and you’ll be just fine!

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Cruise Ships Have Fake Funnels

Have you ever noticed those pipe-looking things sticking out of the top of cruise ships? These are called funnels, and they were introduced back in the steamship days of ocean liners to expel smoke and fumes from the lower decks. They’re still necessary today to an extent, but ships don’t need the same quantity they used to. Most cruise liners only need a single funnel, but they still choose to feature three to four for aesthetic reasons. We have to admit that it’d be strange to see a ship without those pipes sticking out, so it’s understandable that they’d want to add a couple of extras to keep their classic maritime appearance.

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Being Attacked By Pirates Is A Real Possibility

Occasionally, we still hear about modern-day pirates attacking cargo ships or freighters, but you never think they’d go after a cruise ship. While an event like this is extraordinarily rare, it does happen. Back in 2005, pirates opened fire on the Spirit about 100 miles off the coast of Somalia. Thankfully, all crew members are trained to respond in a harrowing situation like this. The faster cruise ship managed to outrun the pirates, but first, they fired an acoustic weapon toward their vessel. The weapon discharges a loud sound that hurts people’s eardrums, and it gave the pirates cause not to attempt chasing after the ship.

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Cruise Ships Provided Aid To People Affected By Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was an unimaginable tragedy that affected over 15 million people in different ways. Over 400,000 people were left homeless in the wake of this tragedy, and various organizations stepped in to offer relief and aid. The Ecstasy and the Sensation were two Carnival cruise ships that stepped in to help. They provided shelter, free hot meals, workout centers, and game rooms to city workers and their families who had been left homeless. A police captain spoke in an interview about his experience aboard the Ecstasy and said that the crew was going above and beyond to make them feel like they were on vacation rather than recovering from a tragedy. It was a wonderful act of kindness by Carnival that won’t be forgotten.

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Crew Members Can’t Have Relations With Passengers

It’s understandable that crew members might get attached to some of the passengers. After all, these people are out at sea together for extended periods of time and often form close bonds. But there are strict rules against crew members hooking up with passengers, and the consequences for breaking those rules can be pretty severe. Cruise ship companies want to protect themselves from potential lawsuits and other legal issues, so they’re very firm about the zero tolerance for fraternization policy. So, the next time you’re on a cruise, don’t be too personal with the crew. They’re professionals just trying to do their job, and they can’t be your vacation fling!

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The Church Of Scientology Has Its Own Cruise Ship

The Church of Scientology is highly controversial, especially with big-name celebrities like Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Moss giving their opinions on the organization. There are a lot of mysteries around The Church of Scientology, and one interesting unknown fact about this organization is that it owns a cruise ship! The Freewind is a cruise ship that’s been in operation since 1988. According to the Church of Scientology, it serves as “a religious retreat ministering the most advanced level of spiritual counseling in the Scientology religion.” To a Scientologist, going on such a retreat is “the most significant spiritual accomplishment of his life and brings with it the full realization of his immortality.”

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All Cruise Ships Have A Jail On Board

You’ve probably heard of “getting sent to the brig” before, right? Well, “the brig” is a term traditionally used to reference a few jail cells on a ship, and they still exist today on modern-day cruise ships. These cells are typically reserved for passengers (or even crew members) who get into fights, break a law, or otherwise threaten the safety of the ship and the people on board. Despite the presence of a brig, there are no judges or lawyers on board (unless they’re on vacation!), so you’re likely to spend the rest of your vacation in that cell. Make sure you follow the rules to avoid a trip to the brig!

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Cruise Ships Often Rescue Other Ships

While cruise ships aren’t likely to get into a serious accident at sea, many other vessels have a much higher chance of running into trouble. Fishing vessels and small private boats sometimes become incapacitated at sea, and it’s a rule of honor among captains to always help out in these situations when they can. Cruise ships often help out in these situations. In early August 2023, a Carnival ship Mardi Gras was involved in a rescue operation for a stranded vessel off the coast of the Bahamas. Can you imagine being on vacation and having your ship rescue another? You’d have one wild story to tell when you got home!

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Cruise Ships Usually Have Armed Guards

Most cruise ships have armed guards on board at all times. You’d think most people wouldn’t even consider committing a crime while enjoying a much-needed vacation, but crime happens on cruise ships surprisingly frequently. It’s usually petty things like theft, but assaults happen, too. It’s important to have trained professionals on board who can handle these situations when they arise and take the perpetrator straight to the brig. However, most people never see guards during their vacation. They typically stay out of sight unless they’re needed, which is probably for the best. We can’t imagine the awkwardness people would feel if they were trying to enjoy their vacation while a group of guards watched from a corner of the room.

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Some Cruise Ships Are Designed For Permanent Residents

Have you ever loved a vacation so much that you wished it would never end? Well, it’s possible to have that experience aboard The World, a cruise ship designed to permanently house 165 people! This ship has year-round residents who spend their days sailing around the world and exploring every corner of our oceans. The people who live on this ship full-time must truly have felt the call of the sea. It’s a little scary to think about never having a land-locked home again, but for some, that is the ultimate dream. Perhaps this is something you’ll want to consider when it’s time to retire!

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Cruise Ships Don’t Always Dock Where You Expect

Many people who book a cruise look forward to a luxurious experience where they get to explore other countries or cities. Unfortunately, cruise ships don’t always dock where you expect them to. The captains will try their best to follow the set itinerary, but there are a variety of factors that determine whether a ship can dock at a port. First, the weather has to allow for the ship to dock safely, and that can change on a dime. Second, the country or city you’re docking at can decide whether or not they want to allow passengers to disembark. When you’re booking a cruise, it’s important to be flexible! You may not get the exact experience you were expecting, but you’ll still have a great time!

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There’s Such A Thing As Too Much Safety Equipment

Following the infamous disaster aboard The Titanic, ships were required to carry a bunch of additional safety equipment. Unfortunately, it turns out that being overprepared isn’t always the best policy. Back in 1915, the SS Eastland was a cruise ship going through the Great Lakes. The ship was loaded with extra lifeboats, life jackets, and rafts for all of the 2,570 passengers. The weight from all of that extra equipment led the ship to roll over and capsize, which caused the deaths of nearly 850 people. It was an awful tragedy, but it was an important learning moment for the maritime industry. There are much stricter and better policies in place now regarding the amount and storage of safety equipment aboard cruise ships.

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Finding Passengers Who Went Overboard Is Extremely Difficult

While it is rare, approximately 25 passengers on cruise ships go overboard each year. The crew is trained in the best ways to handle this situation, and they’ll often throw life jackets and other safety equipment overboard to help the passengers and mark where they are in the water. Unfortunately, according to the Maritime Injury Guide, the success rate for finding passengers who went overboard alive is only at 25%. A lot of factors contribute to whether the person will able to be successfully rescued, including the location where it happened, the weather, the time of day, and how quickly they’re noticed. However, it’s important to keep in mind that millions of people take cruises each year without incident. As long as you follow all the safety protocols, you should be fine!

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Disease Outbreaks Aren’t Unusual

Unfortunately, stuffing thousands of people into a limited space like a cruise ship sets the perfect stage for disease outbreaks. We all remember how badly affected cruise ships and the passengers on board were during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that isn’t the only time disease outbreaks have happened on a cruise ship. One of the most severe and recent instances of an outbreak occurred in 2014. About eight cruise ships and their passengers fell ill with norovirus, leading to serious delays and quarantines. There are many updated policies and procedures for how to handle outbreaks today, and cruise ship companies are constantly updating their guidelines as new information and viruses arise.

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