It’s no secret that crew members aboard a cruise ship work long hours and the mere idea of a full day off is more like a dream (unless isolation is involved, but that just opens up a whole new issue). Anyone would think that after such shifts the only thing in the worker’s mind is to sleep, rest and get ready for the next day’s work schedule, but you would be surprised how much goes on with your favorite cruise workers after they take off their uniform and before they put it on again.
Most activities crew members will involve themselves in will, of course, take short periods of time, which means they can sneak them in between shifts. We’re talking going for a workout in the crew gym (yes, there is one and some of them are incredibly complete!), go for a smoke break, or even for a multi-denominational religious gathering. Many ships also feature a crew recreation room, where they can enjoy board games, foosball, video games and the like. Much of the free time a crew member will enjoy depends on whether it’s a sailing day or a day in port. The fact that so many of the guests storm off the ship to enjoy everything the port has to offer makes for the perfect opportunity for crew members to have a little extra time off and even enjoy the port themselves!
Another main factor influencing time off is the area where crew members work or the position they hold. Several areas of the ship are only open when the ship is sailing, for a variety of reasons. Take the Casino, for instance. It can only be open while the ship is in international waters, due to multiple laws involving that industry. A similar case is for the Gift Shop, which, being duty free, can only operate in international waters as well. Other than the occasional extra duties, crew members working in these areas enjoy a lot more free time than say workers in the Guest Service Desk or Spa, which are open all or most of the time. Still, everyone will be able to enjoy free time at different times of the day. Due to labor laws, there are minimums of free time that everyone, regardless of their position, can enjoy. In some cases, these resting periods tend to be reduced based on company cost-cutting attempts.
Finally, as unlikely as it may sound, Crew Members with the ideal break times will often enjoy Shore Excursions alongside guests! These are generally comped, and part of an agreement between the Cruise Lines and the Tour operators. This allows Crew Members to join the tours, whether in charge of simple tasks like closing the group as they walk around, or simply as any other guest. There are also occasions where the company will sail the ship from one port to another with no guests onboard. These often allow time for crew members to enjoy many of the amenities onboard typically reserved only for guests like the pool, rock-climbing facilities, slides, etc. – ThatGuy (Onboard)
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