In Brian’s book, he also reveals how clean ship cabins really are.
It turns out they are far cleaner than any hotel room you would experience on land.
He assures: “Every home port, room stewards disinfect every high touch item in the cabin, especially in the bathroom. That bathroom has about 400 times less bacteria than your office desk.”
“Wilder than Las Vegas”
While passengers may find themselves shelling out for their favourite tipple above deck, one of the added perks of being a crew member is a friendly discount on booze.
“Crew have access to cheap liquor in other ways, too,” adds Bria.
“We can enjoy duty-free stuff from port, for example. Passengers have to wait until they get home to open such goodies. But for the crew the ship is home.”
Along with that, cruise operators also reward their staff with monthly or annual parties, allowing them a chance to have fun after a busy working schedule.
Brian continues: “Different cruise lines have different policies regarding regularly scheduled crew parties.
“Carnival was the best in this regard. Twice a month they had a big crew party, once in the crew bar and once they actually closed a guest lounge in favour of the crew.
“These parties were from midnight until two AM, and had free liquor. My understanding is that in the last few years they’ve stopped giving away the free hard liquor. This was wise on their part.
“These parties were the wildest things I’ve ever seen—and I live in Las Vegas. When given only two hours to cut loose, people really really did so.”
Brian also recounts one of his favourite memories of a toga themed party in which he found himself leading a dance circle in the middle of the floor.
Of course, while the staff parties may sound like fun, slipping into a ‘staff only’ area can be unsafe for passengers.
Brian points out they are occasionally located beneath the bridge, which is kept unlit so the ship navigator’s eyes can adjust to the dark and see things in front of the ship.
“Being unlit, it’s unsafe for guests,” he adds.