Things You Never Knew Were “Connected” on Cruise Ships

With a massive operation taking place on every area of the Cruise Ship, there are certain things that affect, in one way or another, other areas. Situations which can be unsuspected, or most people simply never stopped to wonder about.

Here’s a few of such situations, and the implications behind them:

• Replaced Ports / Shore Excursions. Now, this one is stressful. I have witnessed the efforts the Shore Excursion Team makes to organize, in a matter of hours (if lucky!), tours when, instead of canceling a port altogether, the company chooses to replace it with a different one. Now, let’s make something abundantly clear. The main reason a ship will take you to a place is not just so you can go wander around on your own and come back, but to be able to sell you the Ship Organized Tours. This is a major source of revenue for the ship. But putting those Tours together, having them available for hundreds or even thousands of guests, and reaching out to local Tour Operators to have them ready, is nothing short of a colossal job.
• Docking position / Photo sales. Saying that photographers work hard for their money can easily sound like an understatement when you think that they don’t only work in the comfort of the AC indoors on the ship, but also in the horrible heat outdoors to capture that perfect angle in front of the ship. Sometimes, though, the docking position can make or break sales. When the ship is facing forward as you leave the pier, allowing for a great postcard, photo sales skyrocket! But when it’s giving you its back, it might not attract nearly as many people to stop and shoot.
• Ship location / Taxes. We all know taxes are unavoidable, and ships are no exception when docked in US or certain European ports. This doesn’t stop the moment the ship loosens the ropes, as there’s a specific distance the ship needs to be at before it becomes the tax-free paradise you know and love. The moment the ship reaches that threshold, (who better than) Bridge Officers will advise the Finance Department to “turn off” all taxes on board.
• Ship location / Opening venues. Similarly, certain areas of the ship, whether due to taxes involved (like the Gift Shop or the Photo Gallery) or to the nature of the business (like the Casino, which is often not legal to operate in particular countries at all!) depend on the ship being far enough from any land.
• Unchanged things. On the flip side, there are a few things that will remain unchanged regardless of conditions or circumstances. Some of them include the currency used on board (even though a currency exchange service may be provided) or the official language on board.

Turning a many thousands of guest floating hotel is truly a wonder and all the while providing a memorable guest experience so they will, not just return and cruise again, but tell all their friends what an amazing adventure they had! – ThatGuy (onboard)