Cruise ship employees are lifting the lid on the harsh realities of life at sea, revealing a world of sleep deprivation, death, and romantic entanglements that often involve cheating and visa scams.
In a viral TikTok video, crew member Raye and her colleague detailed the unpleasant underbelly of luxury liners. "Things about working on a cruise ship that would send normal people into a coma," they said in unison before listing the dark sides of their jobs.
"You get kind of used to hearing that there's a dead person on-board," Raye admitted, noting that she rarely gets sleep and survives on "seven-minute naps." Her colleague added with a chuckle, "Lots of dead bodies. There's a morgue on the ship."
While the comment was made lightly, death on cruise ships is tragically common. In May, three passengers aboard the Dutch cruise liner MV Hondius died in a suspected hantavirus outbreak. Last month, an 88-year-old woman lost her life on a Carnival Celebration ship after her mobility scooter plunged into the water in the Bahamas.
Former cruise singer Dara Tucker previously revealed that "ice cream parties" for passengers often occur when the morgue is full. "If more than seven people died on that particular ship, they would have to start moving bodies to the freezer," she explained to over three million viewers.
When passengers aren't dying, they are often pursuing romantic flings. Raye's colleague said, "Everybody is hotter on a cruise ship. Like 10-times hotter. Everyone has ship-goggles. The most mediocre people become the most beautiful people you've ever seen." She warned, "If you do end up hooking up with somebody on a cruise ship, there's a 50% chance they probably have a spouse and kids at home."
The pair also cautioned American travelers that many flirty foreigners on board are seeking green cards through relationships. "Go onto a cruise ship single," Raye advised.
Ex-cruise employee and author Karolina Plec confirmed the wild atmosphere to The Daily Mail, recalling forbidden trysts between crew members and guests. "I remember a bartender sneaking a female passenger down to his cabin disguised in a life jacket," she said, noting the strict "no fraternising with guests" rule.
Plec herself met her husband while working on a cruise ship. "Every ship had at least one crew member who'd juggle romances with a spa therapist, stewardess and casino girl around their shift patterns. It always ended with a spectacular meltdown in the crew corridors when the women discovered each other's existence," she said.
Despite the drama, Plec said she wouldn't trade her past life at sea. "While my cruise ship days were turbulent in every sense, it was a gamble that paid off. I found my husband and the path to financial security, too – not to mention a lifetime of juicy dinner party anecdotes."
This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission.
