Free (?) Time

     One, near constant reaction I heard in response to my starting to work on a cruise line (other than, “That’s such a cool opportunity; think of all the places you’ll get to see!”) was, “I could never live working that much!”

     A point I always try to stress to those people is that it is not like working on land where your time off is spent doing menial tasks, such as: grocery shopping, cooking, and constant travel (I had to travel sometimes a few hours per day for work, let alone anything I chose to do in my free-time). While we are doing many things that we do on land- like going to the gym (well… not me), going to the bar, going to friends’, going to eat, etc.- these are all things (unless on shore, in port) that require no considerations of travel. Ultimately, we still have a comparable amount of free-time to what we are used to on land when you remove the other uses of our free time.

     However, something a crew member is quick to realize is that what you do in your free-time can have a profound affect on your mental health and your ability to cope with the heavy stresses of ship life. 

R&R

     If you asked 100 crew members what their favorite past-time is when they are not working, and I can guarantee that at least 50 of them would say SLEEPING. Depending on your department/position or itinerary/port, sleep schedules can be very erratic. Pair that with long working hours and the stress of your work and it shouldn’t be hard to believe that sleeping is a favorite past time for many when they clock out. 

     I, myself, feel I have taken more naps during my time on the ship than any other time in my adult life combined. Unfortunately, too much rest can be bad for you. If you only rest and work, you will begin to feel incredibly isolated. 

A Different Kind of Bill

     Many people ask me a silly question, “What do you enjoy doing in your free-time while on the ship?” I find it silly because, I enjoy the same things that I enjoy doing on land. While some of these pleasures are denied to us (the ability to go to our favorite restaurants or eat our favorite foods regularly, going to the movies, going to see shows, etc.), all of the pleasures of daily life are still there. We can have sex or date, hang out with friends, eat, and sleep; all with the added benefit of having very few bills and getting to travel and explore new ports, with different opportunities not afforded to us at home. However, one thing that seems to be a constant on the ship is the joy of going out and drinking after work.

     Drinking, unfortunately, is not a bill that is covered for us. We do have to pay for our drinks (though, usually, at a steep discount). You think you party hard when you go on a cruise as a passenger? That is nothing compared to what it can be like behind the scenes. While we technically have a B.A. limit so we do not get too out of control, it can sometimes be hard to enforce because every person processes alcohol differently. As long as you do not cause chaos and destruction, you are usually good (though, yes, I have met people who were later disembarked for drunken and disorderly conduct, and I have seen random alcohol testing). If you have been on a cruise ship as a passenger, I can almost guarantee that you have worked with someone who may have been hung over, but life goes on and the work continues, regardless. 

      Alcohol is not allowed in our cabins and the places we are allowed to drink are somewhat limited: we are allowed to drink at crew parties (more on that in a little bit), we are allowed to drink in the crew bar and the crew disco, and certain members of the crew (those designated as staff) are allowed to drink (in uniform) in passenger bars, but with stipulations. While in passenger bars, we have to pay a slightly discounted passenger price for drinks (which can be very expensive). We are also not allowed to sit at the bar (or in any other way take seating away from passengers in an effort to maintain the image that the passengers come first in these areas and not to give the impression that it is a crew function), and we have to vacate those premises at 2 a.m. 

     The crew bar and the crew disco are both relatively similar excluding their hours of operation and whether or not you can smoke there. The crew bar is open for several hours throughout the day (closing at 1 a.m. on both ships I have been on) and serves both alcohol, coffee, juices, etc. However, smoking is strictly prohibited throughout the ship, including the crew bar, except in specially designated areas. One of those designated areas is the crew disco. Several people have told me that the crew bar used to be open until 2 a.m. and the crew disco until 1 a.m. until complaints from smokers who had to go back and forth were heeded and they chose to reverse the times. Though the validity of those claims is up for debate, it is true that the crew disco only serves alcohol until 2a.m. on both the ships I have been on. Different ships have different levels of enforcement with the “closing” of the crew disco: with one ship I was on forcing all crew to leave at 2:30, and another allowing the crew to stay several hours later. This could have something to do with proximity to passengers’ cabins (as the one ship had the disco very close to passengers’ quarters), or it could be the whim of the head security, who’s job it is to ensure the premises are vacated. 

     The drinks in the crew areas are extremely limited, with only a basic selection of liquors, a small selection of wine and beer, and the basic mixers available. However, I doubt anyone who works on the ships would say that it doesn’t get the job done. 

Party Time? Excellent

     Crew parties can be a special kind of crazy, and sometimes a special kind of awkward. For someone who is new to the ship (see my earlier post about the crew party being on the first night of my contract and my decision to go to the party), it can be very awkward, without friends, to make any headway into groups that may have already formed on the ship. Of course, there are some people who can do this with ease, but I am not one of them. 

      These parties are coordinated by the HR department on the ships and can be themed (gala night, pool party, etc.) or not. Ultimately, the goal of these parties is pretty simple; allow the crew to blow off steam in a controlled environment and have a night of fun. But because there are very few crew-specific areas that can hold that many people, often these parties take place in passenger areas and must be coordinated in a way to keep passengers out of the party, and the rest fo the crew out of the remaining passenger areas (especially if they have been drinking). So, these parties are often overseen by security, who’s job it is to make sure that these standards are upheld, and ensure that nothing gets out of hand. 

     These parties usually feature a DJ, a selection of alcohol that may vary based on who is coordinating the party, and a LOT of crew members, who eagerly await these parties. The frequency with which these parties are held depends mostly on how often the HR department wants to hold them and how often they can secure a location for these parties to take place. They could happen monthly, bi-weekly, weekly, however often they feel it will boost the morale of the crew on the ship. 

Back to the Cabin.

     What to do when the party is over or you just want some quiet time? Some people choose to move the party to their room. And while alcohol may not be allowed in crew cabins, there is nothing against having friends in the cabin as long as they do not disturb the people in the cabins around you. So, having friends or partners over is not uncommon, but it heavily reliant on the permission of your cabin-mate, as we are supposed to receive permission of the people we live with to have anyone else in our cabin (according to our on-boarding handbooks). However, sometimes there is nothing better than to spend a quiet night watching movies or tv in your cabin. 

     I went into a decent amount of detail about what I brought, and what I may suggest bringing to help fill the hours between work; as well as discussing the details of our living quarters on the ship. Not all time that is spent in the cabin is spent sleeping or with other people and many people on the ship will spend their time ashore downloading the latest movies and TV shows and will choose to watch them while handing out in their cabins. So, having a smart phone or laptop and a good torrenting website is a necessity for many crew members. For me, most of the movies and TV shows I watch came courtesy of my best friend and her (now) fiancé who downloaded several movies and tv shows for me to watch in my down-time. If you do not do any of these, your only option left is the generosity of those around you or watching the TV that comes in the cabin, which is very limited in terms of what there is to watch (as it is the same TV service provided in passenger cabins).

Around the Ship

     Staff members do have it a little better than crew in terms of freedom to roam around the ship (compared to crew members who are only allowed to be in passenger areas for work or during specifically designated times or events). We are welcome to visit most passenger areas under the condition that we are in uniform (including the on-ship nightclub). The only exception to the uniform rule are those that do not always have a set uniform (i.e. international host(esse)s, dancers, musicians, entertainers, etc.), but  must, regardless, be dressed in a way that is appropriate. We are also able to go visit areas like the arcade, pool deck, spa, etc. However, we are not allowed to use passenger amenities (aka thermal area for spa, passenger pools, bowling alley) unless time has been designated and arranged by the ship for crew use, or it is paid for like a passenger. Sometimes there are days where the ship will designate a few hours for crew to use the thermal area of the spa, or parties where the crew are able to use one of the passenger pools, or the arcade/bowling alley can be reserved by a department for a team-building night. But these are few and far between; because, again, they want to ensure guests know that their entertainment comes first on the ship and too many crew members in a given area gives the illusion that passengers are not allowed or that crew has a certain area reserved. 

Ship Sponsored Events

     There are times that are designated specifically for crew that can take place in certain, designated, passenger areas of the ship. I already gave the information for crew parties. However, there are other things that happen throughout the ship. Because not everyone is a heavy partier, and some people work during those times, there are other events that the ship can have to help boost morale and keep spirits high. Aside from times for the spa and parties where the pool may be used, there are sporting competitions and events, movie nights where they screen recently released movies, talent shows or private showings of the theater shows on the ships, dance or exercise classes, and many others. These are usually coordinated and are at the whim of the HR department for the ship and vary from ship-to-ship. But all these things can be a welcome distraction from the relentless work of ship life. 

From Work, to Working Out

     All knowledge about this passage is going to mostly be second-hand, as I have made it abundantly clear that I do not work out, on the ship or off. However, some people do find that working out is one of the best ways to spend their down-time. To hear some of my coworkers put it, it combines some of the best things of other past times: like an outlet for frustration, a release of endorphins, helps boost self esteem and morale, helps boost energy and also helps you sleep when you need to. All these arguments are logically sound and the only excuse I find myself making for not working out regularly is because I feel like I would be embarrassing myself if I were to go by myself and not know what to do. 

ME

     Going from something that I don’t do (going to the gym… blah), to the things that I do do. I want to go a little more in depth with some of the questions people have asked me about what I enjoy doing on the ship, or what there is to do on the ship in general:

-What is the crew bar like?

     I could’ve gone more in depth with this question up top, but I figured it would mess with the pacing and narrative flow of the rest of this post. The crew bar is pretty straight forward. While it is decorated differently on each ship, it is usually located on the main crew deck (deck 4 on both ships I have been on) and has a bar, ample seating for about 40-50 people at any given time, and usually have a more relaxed atmosphere. The crew disco is usually located close to the bow of the ship near (or including) access to the crew pool deck on the front of the ship. Of course, I couldn’t tell you how that may vary on other companies, or whether that holds true with every vessel for the company I work for; however, I have heard this is pretty standard. The crew disco also has a bar, is usually similar in size or larger than the bar, and has more seating with a more energetic feel (which you could probably grasp by the name). There is usually a table-soccer game on the ships I have been on that is used nearly constantly by the crew as a means of entertainment outside of sitting down, drinking, smoking, and socializing. Unfortunately, the crew disco can get pretty smokey and can be uncomfortable for some and is sometimes avoided by those people. 

-Are you allowed to hang out with passengers while off duty? 

     Surprisingly, yes. You can not fraternize in any way, but because staff is welcome in passenger areas, as long as the rules are observed, there is nothing wrong with you hanging out with passengers while you are in those areas. I even had a guy visiting the ship from Chicago who invited me out for a drink one day just to talk about how life on the ship is different to life in the Windy City. You’d do well to be sure that expectations are made clear and that you are not setting yourself up for trouble.

-What are your guilty pleasures on board?

     While I am sure someone was hoping to hear me to say that I love to have endless sex, and party every night until 5a.m. Honestly, my guilty pleasure is napping and writing. Since starting this blog, I have found myself looking forward to writing in my free time and eagerly awaiting posting each week to hear the feedback from the people who take time out of their schedule just to read the words I am writing for no one in particular. Honestly, none of these pleasures are particularly “guilty”, and while I do enjoy partying, hanging out with friends, and meeting new people, I also know that I need to take care of myself mentally and physically more than I felt I needed to at the beginning of the contract. 

-Do you get to go off the ship/go into port?

     This is actually a great lead in to my next post. I have intentionally left details about time spent off the ship out of this post because this subject is one that warrants more focus than just being shoehorned into this story. So, I will answer, yes we do get to go out and explore ports, and I will talk more about it next week!