Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Behind the Scenes on a Cruise Ship

*I received complimentary All Access Tours for the two of us from Royal Caribbean International.


On our Baltic Cruise we had the opportunity to take a behind the scenes look at life aboard a cruise ship.
One of our favorite things about cruising is the staff that take such great care of us on board.
They are from all over the world and we have so much fun chatting with them.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

It was fascinating to get a quick glimpse of their life working on a cruise ship.
We joined a small group of ten cruisers and spent two hours exploring
beyond the Crew Only signs.  

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

 Today I'm going to take you along on a photo tour of our All Access Tour aboard the Vision of the Seas.
 We visited the living areas, laundry, kitchens, incinerator and recycling areas, 
engineering, theater, crew dining and finally the bridge.  I hope you enjoy following along.
 Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

They really are International Ambassadors and come from all over the world.
Having been to so many places, Matthew just loves asking the crew members where they're from and talking with them.  It all just feeds his wanderlust.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

My understanding (Belinda, please correct me if I'm wrong) is that the crew are hired on for a specific job for a contracted period of time.  They spend months and even years aboard the ship.
I'm sure that living in such close quarters and working very long hours is a challenge.
But, if I was single and in my twenties again I would jump at the chance.
It must be a great way to see the world and meet some great people.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Living in a house now with no dryer (ugh), I almost wept when I saw the laundry facilities.
The machine above completely dries and then folds sheets in a few seconds.
And the contraption below blows steam throughout the shirt and removes wrinkles instantly.
Not, to mention the rows and rows of industrial sized dryers.  It was lovely.
(Don't even get me started on life without a dryer.)

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

The kitchens were massive and full of people working hard to prepare our meals.
It must go on around the clock to feed thousands of hungry holiday makers three square meals a day, not to mention all of the in between and after hours munching that goes on.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

The fresh baked breads and desserts are definitely a highlight of any cruise. 

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

After a security screening with a wand, we were even allowed into the engineering room
with strict instructions not to touch ANY of the buttons!

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

The crew areas are on the lower decks of the ship.  There are classrooms for training, dining rooms, laundry rooms.  They also have a computer room, game room and other areas for socializing.  They even had a private outdoor space to get some fresh air.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

You can imagine the amount of waste produced on a cruise ship.
They have a very advanced program for recycling and disposal with the least impact to the environment.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

The shows on board can be a little hit and miss, but we always love to go and join in the fun.
Some of the productions can get pretty elaborate.  I always pictured a big backstage crew helping out.  But we talked to several of the dancers and singers and it's amazing what they are able to do without a huge crew and little space back there.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

This is Danny, one of the Assistant Cruise Directors, modeling a headpiece from one of the shows.
He was our guide for the All Access Tour and did a great job.  And our last stop was the bridge.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Everything is automated these days but they still track everything the old fashioned way on paper just as a back up.  We were also lucky enough to meet the Captain of the ship.

Royal Caribbean All Access Tour

Lis Lauritzen is of Japanese and Danish descent and is one of just a handful of female captains aboard cruise ships.  (We also had a female captain on our cruise out of Puerto Rico.)  She was incredibly open and friendly.  Matthew had a great chat with her.  It was a pleasure to talk to her about her incredible job.

I hope you enjoyed our quick little tour.  We certainly enjoyed it.


What about you?  Could you ever picture a life upon the sea?

And a quick update on life around here...
The job interview went well and now I'm just waiting by the phone to hear one way or the other.
I'm still feeling under the weather, but determined to keep moving.
I've really been loving all of your comments lately.  They've been keeping my spirits up.
I know I don't say it enough, but thank you for reading and commenting even on the days when I'm not at 100%. 
It means the world to me. 



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*We received complimentary tours from Royal Caribbean International for the purposes of review.
All photos, writing and opinions are 100% my own.  
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

25 comments:

  1. Wow, I would love to go on a tour like that!! It's so neat to see some of the behind the scenes stuff at different places! I love how the whole crew is from all around the world. I loved talking to the different people such as our waiter and Maitre d'! They were so fun! If I had the chance, I would totally love to work on a cruise ship for a year or two!

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  2. Ooh, I understand your lust for the industrial driers. This is the first flat we have had a drier in and even now I'm under strict instructions only to use it for sheets & towels as it takes almost four hours to do a wash & dry load!


    So cool that you got to do a behind the scenes tour on the ship. I didn't even realise that they offered these types of things!

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  3. Ooh - I love having a look behind the scenes! Thanks!
    Hope your soon back to 100% xx

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  4. Wow that's pretty cool that they do those sorts of tours. I had no idea they did those! It's reassuring to see that everything looks in order and the crew sounds pretty happy. What a way to see the world :)

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  5. Ok, I voted! Let us know if you win. And I'm ready to cruise. But I need you to do a post on packing. I HATE to pack. Ugh.

    Cindy Bee

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  6. Cool! I love that the captain is a woman! And young and attractive. Goes against stereotypes.

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  7. Looks you both had a wonderful time. What a cool experience!

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  8. Ahhh!! I am loving this post, brings back massive amounts of memories for me! And yes, you are right... you are contracted out for a role and a length of time. The Assistant Cruise Director is the role that I would have been in, I loved giving tours of the ships. Always so much fun!

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  9. Ok I really loved this look behind the scenes b/c I LOVE cruising.


    But also, can we please talk more about living without a dryer? I DIE! Just last night my daughter was crying, literally CRYING, to me about how her clothes aren't soft and fresh anymore since we moved here. The little things...

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  10. Alison! Thanks so much for stopping by.  I too have shed tears over the dryer situation. I dream of fluffy, warm towels straight out of that dryer. sob.

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  11. I can so picture you doing this! I bet you were great at it :D I keep trying to convince Jessica that this is the life for her. 

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  12. I always love a peek at what goes on behind the scenes.

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  13. Some yahoo at dinner one night made a crack about a female captain and that he hopes we get home safe. I couldn't roll my eyes loud enough. She was fabulous and I felt completely safe with her in charge. 

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  14. Thanks, Cindy Bindy!!! I keep thinking about that packing post but I'm still not great at it. Matt still gives me a hard time and I already pack half of what I used to. But, I'll work on it & see what I can come up with :D

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  15. Thanks so much, Sue!!! btw, what is your pup's name? He is adorable!

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  16. You have a dryer!?!? Can I come over? :D

    The tour was great. You can usually book them once you're on board. We always wanted to sneak below decks so this was a lot of fun.

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  17. I agree, Jenn, it would be a great way to travel and meet people from all over. The crew is really one of the best things about cruising. We love seeing them everyday. You get attached, don't you? Last night is always bittersweet. 

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  18. He is, Selena - His name is Alan and this is his story: http://www.hiddenspain.info/wordpress/alan/

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  19. Oh definitely, I loved our crew and I seriously almost cried when I said bye to our waiter and maitre d'! Also, our table at dinner was amazing and I was really sad to say bye to all the new friends we'd made!

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  20. Such a sweet story :) We're trying to decide whether to adopt a rescue dog or not. I really want (need) a dog, but with traveling it's difficult. Decisions.

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  21. They are a tie - we don't/can't travel as much as we'd like because of Alan's needs, but they're so worth having and adopting gives a dog a second chance at living a happy & fulfilling life. I'm sure you'll find a way :-)
    (I thoroughly recommend greyhounds/whippets - they don't need as much exercise as you might think and are so loyal and adorable!)

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  22. I love cruising- so it was great to get this behind-the-scenes info! Thanks for sharing it all!

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  23. It was really interesting so see all the work that goes on behind the scenes. :D

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  24. fun! we are going on this ship in Jan! I can't wait!!!

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