Cruise Ship Officer Reveals What It's REALLY Like Working at Sea

[@chrismaines1285]

I’ve worked several years in the under ground and in enclosed spaces and it’s no joke. We always used gas detectors and blowers. It can take seconds with no smell and you can go unconscious and die. The effect is rapid.

[@doreendaykin6693]

This was an excellent interview. I think I would be very comfortable sailing on any ship with this gentleman as the Captain. Unfortunately I feel too many officers of his caliber leave the industry due to extreme pressure by owners/operators. Gratitude to both for this interview.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for your kind comment. It is a tough industry, not everyone can hack it - however I don't think governments do nearly enough to promote the merchant navy, and many never get the chance to consider it as a viable option when they leave school.

[@nodrogwarob]

I was in the RN for 12 years and remember things being a little more cramped than what I've seen here. I served mainly on type 22 frigates and was lucky enough to travel all over the world with the batch 3 (Campbeltown) being my personal favourite. Even though I left 20 years ago I still miss it. I'm always amazed at how tall some of the newer cruise ships are and often wonder how they handle in a heavy storm, especially as very little ever seems to be stowed or secured for sea. We had some pretty hairy replenishments at times especially ones at night when it was what we used to call 'roughers'. Fair play to you for giving it a go, I can understand that life at sea isn't for everyone. Nice video.

[@frankygers]

@@nodrogwarob ex Matelot here too. I’ve stayed at sea after 7 years as a stocker 91-97. I’ve been in offshore drilling and vessels that operate in the oil game. So NOT the cruise ships but know a bit as many come over to drilling as that’s where the money is at sea. They actually try avoid storms mate, that’s one thing. They will slow down or “go round” it so to speak. Plus their “stabs” are far far far better than grey war canoe.

[@oNe-TwO-fReE]

This has got to be the most interesting thing I have seen this week. Thanks for this. I have subscribed.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks so much for watching and for your kind comment. It means a lot :)

[@VansSpartacus]

I'm an ex Crew of P&O Cruises UK and Royal Caribbean International worked over a span of 6 years. Joined when I was 24 been on world cruises with P&O and Royal Caribbean mostly did America but, yes it's hard working away from Family and freinds, and working 8 months straight per contract with no days off, as I was working in the hotel side a A Food and Beverage Room service Attendant. At the end of the 8 month term one gets exhausted and really want to head back home. I was lucky as I worked pre covid. I retired from sailing at 30. The best part was, I was lucky in my Family being the only one most travelled, and got paid simultaneously. I've been to the best and worst parts of the world. The poorest place I'd been was Papua New Guinea. And obviously didnt like Egypt because of the desert and too sandy everywhere, probably not for me. But it was nice experience working with different nationalities, different cultures, and when we work we become Family as we've got to spend 7 to 8 months, whether we like the person or not. Obviously we wont get on with everyone, but unfortunately that's how life works everywhere, I believe and we've got to get on with life.

[@abril438]

Utterly interesting ! I knew nothing of these and I found so fascinating this subject, completely unknown for most of us. Thanks for sharing!

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching, it is appreciated :)

[@MrRmm77]

Very good interview showing the reality of life on board. Unfortunately Jay had a difficult time due to the pandemic. I was working on Carnival over 20 years ago and more recently on Silversea Cruises. The difference between then and now is night and day. Thankfully Maritime Laws have made life on board better, but the challenges of missing family and relentless safety duties remain the same.

[@schweinhund7966]

Outstanding interview! You asked good relevant questions and allowed the guest to speak freely. Earned a subscription! Having attended a number of courses at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum, Maryland I could relate to his stories. Interesting, 100% of the students that I personally met strongly preferred working on cargo ships and strove to avoid passenger & ferry ships.

[@SNgillott]

Many thanks for the highly interesting interview. Very informative. Well Done.

[@jomama5186]

This was so interesting and I learned some things I didnt know. Fantastic interview !

[@TravellingLightLisa]

A very interesting behind the scenes insight into the complexities of sailing. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching guys! Much appreciated :)

[@thilles28]

Great coverage - thanks!

[@beverley6312]

Loved this interview. So interesting. You would’ve been a great captain ❤

[@benjaminbuckley2077]

Such a decent informative video this. I used to regularly walk the cliffs in weynouth during furlough looking out to the parked up cruise ships. I was imagining you lot all out there partying, drinking, stereo on full blast all shagging each other etc 😂 how wrong was i lol

[@bonniedeaves422]

Really enjoyed this interview and the honest answers. I would be confident with this gentleman at the helm on any ship. Respecting the almighty sea is first priority with a good captain. Great stuff. Subscribed ❤

[@cori295]

He was unfortunate with the food during the pandemic. However, on the empty NCL ship, the limited crew enjoyed good food, like passengers normally would. It was a small comfort during a challenging time. Work continued non-stop for major repairs and renovations. To boost morale, the crew had access to temporary free WiFi, allowing them to stay in touch with their families back home. They also had a temporary streaming service similar to Hulu or Netflix, providing a welcome distraction and entertainment during their downtime. Wearing a mask all the time, even with no passengers, was no fun though, but a necessary COVID-19 precaution.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for your comment. Wow, it sounds as though NCL did a good job in looking after their crew during the pandemic. Marella gave all crew balcony cabins (which was nice) but food was the same. We discharged all the lobsters, steaks and other rotting food overboard, as head office refused to allow the crew onboard to eat it. Madness!

[@tylernathan7985]

Wearing a cloth mask doesn’t do anything even in cramped quarters like a ship. Sorry got your science screwy

[@cori295]

Hi @@tylernathan7985 well, I am not a scientist, and I understand that you may have concerns about the effectiveness of masks. However, I will say that the crew has followed the rules and guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the NCL company to do their part in keeping everyone safe. NCL has strict protocols in place, and if the crew didn't follow them, they would (might) have faced serious consequences, including losing their jobs. I'm just glad that it's now over and everyone is safe.

[@cori295]

Hi @@sailawaymag That's great to know that Marella provided balcony cabins for the crew. But it's shocking that Marella's head office wouldn't let the crew eat the good food. Discharging lobsters, steaks etc. overboard instead of sharing it with the crew seems like a huge waste.

[@sailawaymag]

@tylernathan7985 huh?

[@irishwanderer_]

Such an interesting video. I learnt more watching than I did on ship tours! Thank you.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks so much for watching. Hope you are all well :) when and where are you off to next?

[@ApexMariner]

As someone whos been in the industry since 2015 on cruise ships and a large yacht on the deck side this is really good insight into the industry, credit where its due to realise staying in the merchant navy wasn't for you and being so open about that as i completely agree it isn't for everyone.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching! How long have you been in the industry and what do you do?

[@ApexMariner]

@sailawaymag Started in 2015 6 years as Deck petty officer - Princess Cruises 2 years on a large private yacht Recently got the OOW unlimited so heading back to cruise ships in the near future

[@neil2449]

Some good sensible comments. I worked on 3 cruise lines as a deck officer for 10 years as the SSO including Saga, Princess and TUI.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching. Congratulations on your 10 years at sea as SSO. Out of curiosity, who was your best contract with?

[@hettyjames5111]

Thank you for this extremely interesting and informative video. I learned a lot from it.

[@Mary_Rees]

Very interesting listen. Thank you.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching :)

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

Thank you for a very interesting video. I have several comments. I noticed a short video of an Interislander ship, these sail the Cook Strait in New Zealand, probably one of the roughest and unpredictable stretches of sea in the world. I have just retired as a quantity surveyor and can comment that the dropout rate when I was a cadet was also very high, apparently this is expected throughout all courses, I am talking about my experience in the early 1970s, it may be different now. Regarding fires, I agree that they are the most dangerous thing to have to deal with. When I was studying we were shown films of fires spreading rapidly, you had about two minutes to deal with it or it will spread, and that was on land! I was a teenager when I watched the Wahine sink in Wellington harbour from Seatoun beach and seeing the fortunate but very distressed people being brought ashore in lifeboats, and they were the lucky ones, the people who had to endure being in the water for hours….well I just don’t know how so many of them survived. You mentioned not going off the planned route, have a look at what happened to the Russian ship, the Mikail Lermontov which sank in the Marlborough Sounds in the 1980s! It might be an interesting subject for your magazine. Enough from me, all the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺

[@mtedwards]

This is a great, informative video...fascinating to watch!

[@sailawaymag]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sodiumlights]

Utterly fascinating insights, brilliant video, cheers chaps.

[@kencook7580]

Very insightful, as someone who sails, this is quite informative.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching and for your comment :)

[@robertmartin995]

That confinded Space enterly will kill you. Once I was going down in the Forward peak tank of a ship. They gas freed the entire peak tank. But there is a void we had to go into at the bottom to access a seachest. They had not gas freed that void. I was with the chief engineer he was gonna go ahead into the void to prove to me that there was oxygen in that space. I told him to give me the flashlight. That way I wouldn't have to figure out how to get out of the forward peak tank when he was dead in the dark. He looked at the void then he looked at me and then he said we'll do it on the next port visit. Then he order the ABs down to start ventilating the space. In the yard we lost 2 people in 2 days to confined spaces. Safety stopped the yard work. Dangerous.

[@wizardgmb]

While he was explaining response to an engine room fire & the captain having to decide whether to discharge CO2 before being informed everyone was out, I was reminded of the Kobayashi Maru problem from Star Trek.

[@Sailor_alan]

Some of my best contracts were onboard cruise ships, then Covid happened and everything changed. Being stuck off of coast of England at anchor was boring as hell. The occasional run out to discharge was about the highlight.

[@sailawaymag]

This is so true. Water management and docking every month for stores were the highlights 🤣

[@sailawaymag]

@SteveJones-gz4vd woah!! 😱 that sounds awful. What sort of ship was it? Hope it had good A/C 😋

[@charlesmoss8119]

Stood on the cliffs on the East of Wymouth Bay and it was nuts how many ships were there - i work for a company some of whose sales are to cruise ship operators and i felt like i had found my prey 😂

[@sailawaymag]

It was a beautiful sight looking at all the cruise ships anchored in Weymouth Bay!

[@cruisingaddict9695]

Fascinating insight into life onboard - thanks!

[@Smartgran]

I'm going on a Havila cruise next year and I wish you could have been an officer on my ship.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for your comment. I've worked with a couple of Norwegian officers and a captain - they are fine seafarers and you'll be in safe hands! The Baltic moor is particularly impressive, and blows my mind!

[@peterlbaldwin511]

I think that all too often when young, we make career choices because we might be attracted by sometimes a single aspect, without really studying what the whole "package" entails, both in terms of the good and not so good. This is perhaps most often the case in the Hospitality or Entertainment sectors, where behind the scenes working or living conditions, are usually very different and much more basic, than the glamourous images portrayed for Paying Guests... Employment may also require extended absences from home and loved ones, all of which need to be taken into account...

[@cruisingwiththe4bs]

What a facisnating watch. Really interesting to hear about your previous life. Interesting to hear about officers not keeping to rules of sea etc. Those cabins certainly would get a bad review from sailaway magazine! Always wondered about what happened with man overboard. Right go and empty that bedroom bin!

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching guys! To be honest, I was very lucky I had a cabin to myself, as most cadets and trainee officers have to share :)

[@jomama5186]

This was very interesting and insightful. I have never been on a cruise, but am super curious.

[@sistersontheseas]

So interesting to hear your story in detail! No idea how you survived being stuck on the ship during Covid, especially with the food situation 😱

[@emmaludlow8173]

An interesting insight, thank you

[@fredliperson9171]

The reason why I stopped working on a cruise ship was I was sick all the time... Germ infested petri dish.

[@realman6ft6]

Fred Olsen’s Breamar or Villa Vie Residences Odyssey

[@sailawaymag]

Correct, a lovely little ship.

[@Michele-ot8bh]

Very interesting insight, as an avid cruiser, thank you

[@lesmoor001]

great video are they together ?

[@zackapan]

I mean, i get it and you were honest about not going back but but sailing qualified is a different story all together. Its not all doom and gloom most certainly aint that dangerous for a deckie as they look at the window all day ;) I've been working the engine room for 11 years as an officer in potentially one of those companies you may speak about and the job has to be looked at short term suffering for long term gain, financially I'm better off as a result i can go places most dream of on a holiday, i met my future wife onboard, i work roughly half a year sometimes abit more ...... i have good air miles saved up too! The experience is what you make of it, admittly covid was a crazy time but its not like that always :)

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching. I did one trip with a ferry company after my orals and then I left. Kudos for being an engineer - agreed, that is definitely the more dangerous job and requires mathematical intelligence far beyond a decky. It’s an experience I won’t forgot, you just need to be the right person. Fair winds, and following seas!

[@andrewreed8576]

I think engineers never get the credit they deserve. In my opinion engineers are the heart of the ship and make way tougher decisions than what a deck officer makes. Engineers keep the ship going 24 hours a day. My partner used to work in the navy on dragon as a 1st engineer and the insight he has given me is mind blowing. I would say South Shields marine college has much better teach and facilities than warsash.

[@johnnyboy1014]

Just got off a cruise enjoyed this interview thank you.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed your cruise, which ship was it? 😊

[@johnnyboy1014]

@@sailawaymaganthem of the seas from Southampton. Annoyingly sat at home disembarked this morning feel like death have ear infection and Covid! Other than that had a nice time..😂

[@sailawaymag]

@johnnyboy1014 oh no! Glad you had a good cruise! Hope you get better soon :)

[@Poppi-G]

Last ship sunk by an iceberg was mv explorer I believe. Probably 15 years ago.

[@sailawaymag]

Have you heard about Sail Away? It's the cruise magazine written by cruise lovers, for cruise lovers! Subscribe today for £3.95 every two months! sailawaymagazine.com/cruise-magazine/

[@VansSpartacus]

Yes, never underestimate the oceans/mother nature. We humans cant win against nature, and things go worse pretty quick if we arent vigilant.. As an excrew member of Royal Caribbean International and P&O, I wasnt a fan of drills every now and then. But he's right it's not for everyone, I too realised that I didn't want to do it for longer than those 6 years of my life. I've known people who've worked for 4 decades of their lives.. and he's right one has got to be ready to miss Family, birthdays, funerals, and other Family functions. It's a lot of sacrifice working on oceans, be it Passenger cruise, the worse are the tankers and cargo ships, who sail without seeing land for months..... and to add to it, the rough weather. If I ever happened to watch the cargo ships pass by, it used to look as if they were sinking, as they were loaded and making their way through the rough seas

[@acme181169]

Loved the interview, it was very informative but your ad settings are a bit extreme

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching!

[@marcmeinzer8859]

Deck officers by and large are extremely level headed. That’s not always the case with engineering officers. Engineering officers are more likely to get fired owing to accidental discharges of oil into the sea. I was an AB deckhand and when I became eligible to sit for the mate’s examination I instead decided to quit sailing and went to barber college instead. As far as I’m concerned all seafaring is slave labor.

[@john07973]

A great insight 👍🏻That 7 months during the pandemic sounds dreadful.

[@sailawaymag]

On reflection, it was like Groundhog Day 🤣

[@ianm452]

Did you become a qualified deck officer, and if so, how long did you stay at sea after qualifying?

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Ian, thanks for your comment. I did one 6 week contract with a ferry company after my Orals as a 3/O. I then returned to Southampton to do a Stability SQA resit and never went back.

[@ianm452]

@@sailawaymag Hi Jay, That's a shame, having got that far. Covid's isolation gave you a false experience of life at sea, and Warsash is so civilised now that the old adage, that if you can stick it at Warsash then you'll be fine at sea, no longer applies. Cadets are likely to have a hard time at sea if they don't accept discipline and show respect to their seniors, however bad the cadet might think these officers are. (That's not to say that we didn't rebel - on one occasion I successfully objected to being told to clean the engine room lift (engineer cadets didn't do soogeeing) telling the first engineer that we were supposed to be given study time on Sundays if on daywork. We got our study time for our correspondence courses.) If you'd stayed a little longer, you might have become accustomed to life at sea - on another voyage you'd have a change of officers, which can make all the difference. Sometimes you just have to accept things in the hope of better things to come. Ferries are the cream jobs of the MN, because we had time at home more frequently and the work wasn't monotonous. Deep sea watches of 4-on 8-off for weeks on end, particularly going eastward with nightly clock changes, can be tough. (For the uninitiated, going eastward at 22 knots you're struggling to get to sleep an hour earlier or half an hour earlier each day, then just as you manage to get to sleep, you're called for your watch.) I asked because cabin inspections affect only cadets and ratings - officers cabins were cleaned by stewards (when I was at sea, from 1969 to 1982) During my cadetship, deep sea on new container ships, our cabins were more cramped than the one you showed, and we had to share (two cadets per cabin, one toilet and one bath/shower between four cadets. We had to clean our cabin, the toilet and bathroom, and our study / dayroom, and accepted that without question. That was better than Warsash, with six per cabin in the first year and two per cabin in the second. Daily cabin inspections at Warsash were strict, and punishment meant cancellation of "shore leave" - you lost your Tuesday afternoon off or Sunday afternoon and evening off. Punishment for more serious misdemeanours at Warsash comprised Drill: doubling (running) back and forth on the Parade Ground for half an hour carrying a rifle, with the Master-At-Arms yelling orders at you. Surprisingly, I don't recall anybody dropping out of Warsash during my two years there as an engineer cadet (the second year was more civilised, wearing blazers not battledress or MN uniform and not having to double everywhere.)

[@Oakleaf700]

Princess Victoria Disaster 1953. Captain pressured to put to sea. Over 140 people died.

[@sailawaymag]

Very true. It sadly happens, many have underestimated the power of the sea at great peril.

[@Oakleaf700]

@@sailawaymag Princess Victoria was horrifying. Those lives could have been saved had the Captain said ''Not putting to Sea in the teeth of this Storm''....there was 'guillotine door' that was stoved in by a massive wave, and hundreds of gallons of water were sloshing around the Car deck. The scuppers were tiny, and wouldn't drain the excess water. The Radio Operator was desperately calling for help, but the position of the ship was incorrectly understood.. a whole catalogue of errors. But the bottom line was pressure on the Captain to sail ''Because the ferries ALWAYS sailed''.

[@freeman1352]

Id say there's some amount of room hopping

[@OldtricksForolddog]

I ain't calling no one sir🇬🇧

[@johnmaggiorino4493]

Problem calling the Master Captain or Sir??

[@sailawaymag]

Yes. I worked with a captain once because he hated being called sir. Weird, but true!

[@bonjovi7120]

Cruise ship life is definitely not for this momma's boy🤣

[@toplespecah666]

@@bonjovi7120 so, u you think you are cool? To say that

[@bonjovi7120]

@toplespecah666 don't cry

[@toplespecah666]

@bonjovi7120 what cry lol , u so funny

[@albertatlock]

I worked as a cruise ship photographer on board canard ships. I was away for over 2 years. I travelled all over the world and saw lots of new destinations. I slept with loads of passengers, it was brilliant.

[@sailawaymag]

A very responsible crew member with lots of experience in sleeping with passengers. Kudos to you ;)

[@sashamellon822]

He wasn’t their doctor. As long as they were adults and single who cares

[@rad1calleft]

Nowadays for most cruise lines it's gross misconduct for crew to sleep with passengers. Granted he could have been talking about a couple of decades ago when it was allowed.

[@albertatlock]

@@rad1calleft it was from 1984 to 1987. I worked for cunard, i spent time on the qe2 and I also worked on the "maxim gorky " which was crewed by Ukrainian and Russian crew. This was in the time when Russia was still communist.