Answers

Absolutely! The vast majority of guests get off the ship in the various ports, and since your job is to entertain guests, the lack of guests on board means that you get most of that time off, too. Often, you will be allowed off the ship for the full duration of time that the ship is in a certain port. Your cast may have a tech run or rehearsal that would require you to come back to the ship early, but these circumstances are less common. The only major exception — when you will need to stay on board — is when you are assigned “port manning”. Port manning is the result of the industry-wide safety regulation that a certain number of crew members must always be on board the ship at any given time. Every cast member will thus be part of a port manning rotation which will require you to remain on the ship for one port day or a series of port days every month or two. The good news is that you’ll probably only have to do port manning a handful of times during your contract, and sometimes it’s nice to have a reason to relax on board and save money you’d otherwise spend out in port.

Yep! Cast members generally have access to all lounges and areas of the ship, provided they are dressed appropriately. There are occasional exceptions, such as a small relaxation area for guests that is designated as off-limits for all crew members, or certain hours when crew members are prohibited from the guest buffet area or the guest gym, but these limitations are minimal; on most lines and in most situations, you can go anywhere you like on the ship. Except guests’ private cabins, though — those are strictly off-limits, and that policy is taken with the utmost seriousness.

Mostly anything you want! There are certainly many options to keep yourself busy. You can practice. You can stay in shape by going to the gym. You can lay outside in the sunshine and read a book or listen to music. You can learn a new language at the crew training center. Or you can lay in your bed and watch movies all day until you have to get dressed for work. One of the best aspects of shipboard life as a cast member is the large amount of free time you’ll have, and you can choose to spend it just about any way you like.

Depending on the cruise line, you’ll either have a single private cabin, or share a cabin with another member of the entertainment department (most likely a member of your cast). Shared cabins include bunk beds, a desk, and a closet and cabinets for both you and your roommate. It’s not exactly luxury, but it also costs $0 to live there, so it’s not a bad deal.

Most often, you will eat your meals in a buffet-style cafeteria with the rest of the entertainment department, as well as a few other departments from the ship (casino, gift shop, security, etc). Generally, breakfast is served from 7-9 am, lunch from 11:30 am-1:30 pm, dinner from 6-9 pm, and late-night food is often available sometime between 10 pm and 2 am. The buffet meals generally include multiple meats, rice, pasta and at least one vegetarian option. In addition to the staff cafeteria, it may be possible to eat at the guest buffets at certain times of day; this privilege depends largely on the cruise line but can also vary amongst different ships within the same cruise line.

Well, you’ll have access to WiFi, which you can use in most areas of the ship. That said, it isn’t free; you’ll need to purchase an internet plan. Costs vary depending on the line and the WiFi package — some plans are by the minute (say, $20 for 4 hours), and others are per day or week for a set cost. In addition to purchasing internet plans on board the ship, many crew members frequent restaurants and cafes in port with WiFi, where access is free with the purchase of food or drink and the connection is often faster than on the ship.

Sure, you can make phone calls to landlines and cell phone numbers using the ship’s satellite system, but similar to the on-board internet, you’ll need to purchase a phone card. Phone cards cost roughly $10 and the per-minute cost of a call is dependent upon the country you’re calling; for example, a single phone card spent calling the U.S. will yield roughly an hour of talking time. We recommend this option only for important calls; all other communication can be done via internet using WhatsApp, Zoom, etc.

Yes, your family and friends are welcome to come cruise, although it is rarely possible for any family member to come live with you on board. Cruise lines have varying policies on friends and family cruising, but they often require you to work on board for a total of 6 months before you become eligible for a crew family discount (up until that time, they can come cruise as standard passengers). Crew discounts vary based on the cruise line, the specific dates of the requested cruise, and the availability of cabins in both guest and crew areas, and can vary from 15 or 20% off the normal passenger price to $7 per day in unique circumstances where certain crew cabins can be used.

100%. Drunkenness, drugs, fighting, stealing, harassment and intimate relations with a guest are all grounds for immediate termination of one’s contract on board, and can result in your being sent home. There is a zero-tolerance policy for any drug use (enforced by random drugs tests), physically fighting with a guest or crew member, stealing from a guest or crew member, and harassment of guest or crew. Drinking alcohol is not allowed while working, and only a small amount of alcohol can be consumed when off-duty.

At this point, thankfully, just about all restrictions and limitations that were implemented due to COVID have been lifted, and crew life is back to normal. That said, if COVID cases on board do arise, the ship still has the authority to re-enact restrictions, for the safety of crew and guests, until the situation is resolved.