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Hardly Any Cruisers Know This About The Crew On Board !
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Mar 16, 2025
After doing well over 100 cruises, I thought I knew everything about life on a cruise ship. That was until a dinner hosted by a senior crew member on my last cruise, where they revealed a surprising secret about cruise ship crew that I was totally unaware of! That got me wondering what else I, and other passengers, have no idea about cruise ship crew. Welcome aboard, I am Gary Bembridge and after much research and talking to crew off the record, I found 6 secrets kept well hidden from us passengers that I think you will find surprising and maybe even shocking. For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * TeePublic Store: https://tipsfortravellers.dashery.com * Teespring Store: https://tips-for-travellers-youtube.creator-spring.com * Fourthwall: https://gary-bembridge-1-shop.fourthwall.com Book Cruise Port Excursions * Venture Ashore: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/excursions * Shore Excursions Group: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/shoreexcursions
View Video Transcript
0:00
after doing well over 100 cruises I
0:02
thought I knew everything about life on
0:04
a cruise ship that was until a dinner
0:06
hosted by a senior crew member on my
0:08
last Cruise where they revealed a
0:10
surprising secret about cruise ship crew
0:13
that I was totally unaware of it got me
0:15
wondering what else I and other
0:17
passengers like you have no idea about
0:19
cruise ship crew welcome board I'm Gary
0:22
benbridge and after much research and
0:24
talking to crew off the record I found a
0:27
bunch of secrets that are kept well
0:28
hidden from us passengers I think you'll
0:30
find them surprising and a couple even
0:32
shocking so what was a revelation that
0:35
triggered all of this it was a crew
0:37
members doing the same job at the same
0:38
level were not paid the same they were
0:41
paid based on where they come from so
0:43
crew member from the USA is paid a
0:45
different rate to those say from the
0:46
Philippines doing exactly the same role
0:50
so I probed into other crew employment
0:52
issues which revealed a couple more
0:54
surprises first I found that despite
0:57
most Cruisers assuming everyone on a
0:58
ship works with the Cru line many do not
1:03
many crew instead are employed by and
1:05
work for third-party companies that the
1:07
line uses to run several facilities
1:09
including the spa and fitness center
1:10
shops art auctions the photo center and
1:13
even the medical center on some cruise
1:16
ships this is really important to know
1:18
because the cruise line usually States
1:20
in their contract that they are not
1:22
responsible for the actions of those
1:24
third party employees and most of them
1:27
earn low salaries and their earnings are
1:29
very Reliant on commission hence while
1:31
all that hard sale we get for shopping
1:33
Spa art and photography but what I had
1:36
also not known is that even the crew
1:38
employed by the cruise line are not
1:40
recruited directly by the line they're
1:42
recruited through third-party agencies
1:44
based in different countries who then
1:46
contracted by the line to find and
1:48
Screen crew members from that specific
1:51
country for them for example princess
1:54
Cruisers and Pio Cruisers list the ones
1:56
that they specifically work with on
1:58
their careers page and they direct
2:00
anybody interested in working for them
2:02
to those agencies in the countries
2:04
however other lines like Norwegian
2:06
Cruise Line lets people apply for jobs
2:08
on their career side but they then say
2:10
that their local country hiring partners
2:12
and I quote are responsible for
2:14
screening and processing candidates in
2:16
specific regions for potential
2:18
employment on board our ship I also
2:20
discovered though that people wanting to
2:22
work on ships are heavily targeted by
2:24
scammers because of this process and
2:26
many potential crew members lose money
2:29
to them because of this process scammers
2:31
are R here scammers Target potential
2:34
crew with fake ads fake profiles of
2:37
Senior Crew like that of my friend who's
2:38
a celebrity Cruisers hotel director and
2:40
those fake posts claim he's looking for
2:43
crew for the ships they then do emails
2:45
offering jobs they then send fictitious
2:46
job offer letters employment contracts
2:49
and they ask for sign on fees uniform
2:51
deposits Advanced payments for travel to
2:53
the ship which they all claim will be
2:54
refunded once they're on board now my
2:57
tip if you're looking to work on a ship
2:58
is that all Cru websites have a link at
3:01
the bottom of their page for their jobs
3:03
or careers and you must always use that
3:06
wein to avoid scammers next I think
3:08
while many Cruisers know that not all
3:10
crew members have the same length
3:11
contracts I discovered a few things that
3:14
I think will surprise many too while
3:17
Senor crew like captains Hotel directors
3:19
Cruise directors and so on have
3:21
contracts of 3 to four months on board
3:23
most crew including deck hands chefs
3:25
waiters cabin stewards and so on have
3:27
contracts of 6 to 9 months however
3:31
everyone no matter the contract length
3:33
WS 7 days a week in shifts between 10
3:36
and 12 hours per day and with no days
3:39
off I discovered there are three reasons
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given with this first obviously to keep
3:42
cost down by not having to employ
3:44
additional crew to cover when others are
3:46
on their time off on the ship secondly
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there's no space in cabins to
3:50
accommodate more crew above the number
3:52
needed on this particular pattern of
3:54
working and thirdly crew members are
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recruited for a very specific task and
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don't have the skills or train to cover
4:00
other roles when people are having time
4:02
off I then found that while crew get up
4:04
to 2 months off between contracts this
4:07
is not as good as it seems when crew
4:10
finish a contract they're effectively
4:12
unemployed until they return and they're
4:14
not paid during this time nor have any
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perks in most cases crew do know that
4:20
they're getting another contract when
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they leave a ship and roughly when it's
4:23
going to happen and which ship but it is
4:25
not set in stone until a contract gets
4:28
issued I also found out that if a crew
4:31
member wants to end their contract early
4:33
they need to cover all their expenses to
4:35
get home this is unless there's due to a
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couple of reasons one they're given
4:40
compassionate leave you know perhaps a
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family member death they need to be
4:44
medically disembarked or the company
4:46
actually requires them to leave due to
4:47
something like perhaps an unscheduled
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Dry Dock one thing I also discovered
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talking to crew is that many lines know
4:54
that ship life is not for everyone so on
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most lines during a crew member's first
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contract there's a 90 days probation now
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if their manager decides they're not
5:03
suitable for the line they will send the
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crew member home of course at the line's
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expense of course if the crew line
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decides a member must leave due to
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disciplinary reasons they usually will
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not cover the cost to get home now I had
5:17
no idea about the next Ru and had never
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come across it on any of my cruises but
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every crew member I spoke to raised this
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issue I had heard about how inexpensive
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drinks were in The Crew Bar and of
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course the reputation that crew have for
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parting hard but it's way more
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complicated and for a very good reason
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every crew member told me that they are
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subject to random drug and alcohol
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breathalizer tests the reason being that
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every crew member has to be ready
5:45
capable to perform in the case of a ship
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emergency now check the policy of many
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cruise lines and all stated very clearly
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that crew members are never allowed to
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be intoxicated at any time or of course
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not take any drugs this is an example of
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the policy listed on Norwegian Cruise
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Line website about Cruise life and rules
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on board it says and I quote you are not
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permitted to become inebriated or
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intoxicated while on your assignment
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contract you are not allowed to drink
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alcohol while on duty violation of
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either of these rules is grounds for
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dismissal we have a zero tolerance drug
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policy with random testing drug
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possession Transportation usage are
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causes for immediate termination most
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lines also have a rule saying that crew
6:30
members involved in the watch keeping
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and the bridge cannot consume any
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alcohol 4 hours before a shift Cruise
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crew online creators I follow have
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confirmed how random drug and drink
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testing works so Jay of the ship life
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YouTube channel says that crew no matter
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rank or number of contracts have a drug
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test when joining the ship and then
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random testing happens roughly once a
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month for both drug and alcohol if you
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fail you get fine
7:00
Lucy of cruising with crew speaking on
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the saway magazine uncensored podcast
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recently said the main reason that crew
7:07
got fired in her time working on the
7:10
ships is due to failing drink
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breathalyzer testing one thing I also
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discovered was what crew do and do not
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pay for I was a little bit surprised I
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found that before joining the ship crew
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must pay for of course getting a
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passport along with any visas or
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vaccinations required and they have to
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pay for a medical examination to confirm
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that they fit for service and although
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they will be given a uniform at no
7:34
charge most lines actually require crew
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to buy their own non-slip safety shoes
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for use while on duty I'll use a
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Norwegian example again they say and I
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quote shoes are not provided you should
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purchase the approved brand and style
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before joining or on board the vessel
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once on board crew then have to pay for
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Wi-Fi with Virgin voyages seeming to be
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the only line at the moment that gives
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crew free Wi-Fi that pay for bottled
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water which is sold pretty inexpensively
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they of course the move to refillable
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bottles that should resolve that problem
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and then of course they pay for personal
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items toiletry cigarettes chocolates
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which they can buy from a crew shop or
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in the port crew do not have to pay to
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get to and from the ship for almost all
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lines of course they don't pay for their
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cabin which they get weekly change of
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Tils and linen for food in the crew mess
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which has many Regional dishes to cater
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for the nationality mix they don't have
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to pay for use of the laundry for
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personal clothes the uniform and the
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laundry of that they pay for and
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importantly they don't pay for medical
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crew typically don't have to pay for
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medical bills related to illnesses or
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injuries on board the cruise line
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usually covers medical costs including
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prescription medicine however there are
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exceptions such as for pre-existing
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conditions also if crew are disembarked
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for medical reasons the line covers the
8:49
cost of that treatment but there are
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more secrets to life on board that I
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discovered in this whole process the
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crew lives in a hidden ship within a
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ship and many of them never leave it
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during that 6 to9 months because very
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few crew members have passenger deck
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privileges or can use guest facilities
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typically only Senior Crew the
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entertainment team and some of the staff
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from concessions like the spa or shops
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can use some of the passenger facilities
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like for example the buffet restaurant
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for lunch or dinner most of the crew
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uses what is called the I95 this is an
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interior Corridor low down the ship it
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runs the full length of the ship and
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they use that to move around without
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entering passenger area they then can
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use internal staircases off this to get
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up to the deck or the area that they
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work in in this hidden crew ship within
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a ship are all the crew areas which
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include crew cabins the crew mess The
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Crew Bar a gym and Recreation areas
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there's also an outside area for crew to
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use which on some ships is on the bow
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but most on the highest deck above the
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passenger Sund deck if you ever look up
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on the highest passenger deck upwards
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you'll normally see an area with crew on
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now according to the website working on
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ships.com at least 85% of crew share
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cabins ranging from two people to four
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people in each and they're in bunk beds
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virgin voyages has led the way though to
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have crew having their own rooms and the
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new Mega ships have way more single
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rooms than ever so much less sharing in
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most cases only Senior Crew get their
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own rooms with the captain of course
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having the best in some cases like on
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Celebrity Edge class ships these are
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large and glitzy ones too crew do not
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seem to get a lot of say in who their
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cab mates are the married and partnered
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crew can usually share a cabin I found a
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whole raft of other secrets about cruise
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lines as I worked on this that were not
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just about the crew so join me over in
10:39
this video where I share those Cruise
10:42
Line Secrets see you over there
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