Crew's quarters

[newbie2468]

Just a thought... where does the crew stay?? Is it different for each ship?

[LARGIN]

Usually at a Holiday Inn...

[chrysalis]

Usually at a Holiday Inn...

 

do they get free parking??

[newbie2468]

I guess I should have been more specific.. I meant while on board the ship..

[Morgsmom]

The Crew is usually on the First Deck, in rooms that are 1/2 the size of the tiniest inside cabin... Generally there are 2 bunks, and 2 lockers within the rooms. Some have portholes, so if you are at port and look back at the ship you can see the first deck with small portholes -- those are for crew lucky enough to have a porthole.

 

In case you were wondering, on most lines the crew will be automatically fired if they bring a passenger below decks to their quarters. :eek:

 

There is a fascinating book called "Cruise Ship Blues" which details the good, the bad and the ugly of the life of the crew on a ship. Plus, it's always great to ask the crew when you sail -- most will readily talk about their quarters and the fact that they are only in there to sleep, as they usually work 12 - 14 hour days.

[West Coast]

There are many decks below the 'public' areas. Just becasue you can't see them, doesn't mean they're not there.

 

I have a friend who used to work on a ship... her favourite response to this question was, "Oh, we commute each day on our jetskis!"

[newbie2468]

Thanks for the information... We just upgraded to a PH and I am now finding out that the Riviera Deck is under a public deck and there are issues with noise...Mixed reviews... I thought if the crew were there, also in tiny cabins.. then maybe there is something to the negative comments and I should rethink my PH.. THe ship is full with waiting lists.. I guess I could just take a chance...I am a pretty heavy sleeper (even sleep with the TV on) so perhaps the night noise won't be a problem...

[dennbr9]

If you are concerned about noise, go to your drug store and buy a package of Mac's Ear Pillows- best and most comfortable ear plugs made. I split one in half for each ear and sleep though just about anything.

 

Dennis

[rebeccalouise]

In 1980 I sailed on the Volendam with my mother and sisters. I was 15. The ship was fairly small and somehow or other I got to talking with the wife of one of the officers. She was in her early twenties and from Bowie Maryland. She lived on the ship with her Dutch officer husband. One night she snuck me down to her cabin. It was really different, sterile and industrial looking in the bottom of the ship where they slept. Her cabin had no windows but it was quite large- I guess because her husband was an officer.

Anyway, this woman lived on the ship with her husband and I think liked meeting someone like me from her home state.

I got to be really chummy with the officers on that trip and felt kind of special. It was a great experience. But times have changed. Ships are huger and more impersonal and I doubt this would happen today.

[newbie2468]

If you are concerned about noise, go to your drug store and buy a package of Mac's Ear Pillows- best and most comfortable ear plugs made. I split one in half for each ear and sleep though just about anything.

 

Dennis

 

I really don't have a problem with the noise, but when I read all of the different posts.. they are so negative about the Riveria deck.. Maybe some people just like to complain...I was excited to get a PH for my first cruise.. but didn't want it to be a bummer of a trip..I guess I will have to see.. hopefully I didn't pay $$$ for a sleepless trip. Thanks for the advice

[AftbalconyCouple]

I am sure that there are some upper rooms for the crew on the CB. I can't remember which deck, maybe Baja? The far forward area has a door that says "crew only."

[Cruisin' Chick]

I was so tempted but figured others would beat me to it.

 

Just remember there's a reason why the sign will say "crew only."

[JLC@SD]

There are many decks below the 'public' areas. Just becasue you can't see them, doesn't mean they're not there

They are on the lower decks and you are in the Crew Area when you are tendering.

[Pam in CA]

When I cruised on the Regal Princess, I had a single cabin (I believe the only Princess ship with single cabins with a bunk bed for the 2nd person) on Deck 4/Fiesta deck. There were about 30 passenger cabins on this deck, each with two portholes. The cabins were a pretty good size, almost as big as the regular outside cabins but with only the one bed. The other side of the elevator area and all the way aft were crew cabins. If you look at the outside of the Regal, it doesn't look like there are any size differences between the passenger and crew cabins. I often heard the crew playing ping-pong and other games in the storage area right behind the elevators.

 

I believe there is a hierarchy among the crew, both real and social. My guess is that some crew members have larger cabins than others.

[billet]

One maitre'd when asked where the crew slept told this lady that they were shipped off to their hotel by 3 helicopters on each shift change. He was stunned a few mornings later to find that she had complained to the purser about the noise of the helicopters and was demanding her money back because she could not sleep.

[JPRLHR]

Just a thought... where does the crew stay?? Is it different for each ship?

 

I was advised by a couple of members of the entertainment team on Crown a few weeks back that they were they lucky one's who had rooms on the public decks, 9 & 10.

[rebeccalouise]

the entertainment gets regular public staterooms. The entertainment is also allowed to socialize with the passengers.

As for the crew, depending on the vessel (all crew quarters are at the bottom on the ship) they are four to cabin. On newer ships they are two to a cabin. They have their own gym and bar/nightclub.

My friend worked on the Norwegian Dawn as a dancer and said that he went to the crew bar at night- it is no frills. He said that the officers socialize with the crew and it is a whole different world there.

[woodofpine]

Just a thought... where does the crew stay?? Is it different for each ship?

 

 

No they all stay on the 'crew ship' that remains just over the horizon astern, then they transfer aboard during the dead of night!

I just had to. :D

 

When walking the pier, if you note the little porthole rooms on lower decks that have plants, flowers, or other signs of domestication - you're looking at crew quarters...

 

On most Princess ships, the crew have a separate swimming pool and sun deck area on the bow. On Summit, a girl that was travelling in our group managed to be 'invited' below deck where she partied until the wee hours with the crew at their bar (pretty tiny I recollect her saying); also very 'verboten', but she was an international party animal... obviously... :D

[Shoalwater]

Just a thought... where does the crew stay?? Is it different for each ship?

 

Ship's staff (officers, entertainers, CDs etc) are allowed to mingle in public areas and to eat in the buffets. On the Crown in Aug we had acrobat entertainers in the cabin next to ours (they entertained in the piazza). Crew eat in the crew's mess and spend most of their waking time working it seems, or else hanging out in crew quarters and lounge away from public areas.

[abfab]

Hi Everyone,

 

Some of you may remember me. I used to be one of the Mods on this board a few years ago. But I also used to work on a cruise ship 18 years ago. Most of you have never heard of the cruise line i worked for..it was Home Lines Cruises. We were much smaller ships then most of them out there today. The M/V Atlantic and the M/V Homeric used to carry about 750 passengers and we had about 150 crew members. When I first joined the vessel, I came aboard as a deck steward (lonely crew member). I had a tiny sliver of a cabin I shared with the life guard in bunk beds with a shared bathroom with the cabin next door - so four to a bathroom. We all had different shifts for the most part, so it wasn't that bad. On board we only had a small crew bar to hang out in and we could not be around the public decks when our shift was over. We did have some open deck space in the back of the ship to catch some fresh air. Once I started raisng through the ranks, the accomodations became better. I moved from the deck to the purser's office as an assitant purser (still crew, but a little higher in the pecking order). I then had a small normal "passenger" inside cabin that I shared with another assistant. We still could not be seen after hours. Then i hit the mother load!! I became a 3rd Purser. That was the first Officer Rank we had. With that rank, I had a cabin up on the sun deck which was larger then some passenger cabins. I did not have to share with anybody and I even had my own cabin steward/office boy that would take of things in the room, bring and get my laundry and coffee. As officer's we had our own eating place with a much better menu then the crew (I suffered 3 bouts of gastrointeritis (spelling??) as a crew member) and on special occasions, the head chef would also make something special for us. But the best part was that I could roam the ship whenever I wanted and mingle. We could also use the passenger pool when we were in port (not allowed while at sea - but we had our own spot to go and lounge in the sun during the sea days. They were the best four years of my life and i look back on them with very fond memories. We even have some reunions every now and then with other crew members from those days. Today, I cruise alot with my wife, and still to this day, i see a dor marked "For Crew Only" and I want to go through it.

 

Today's ships are better equipped for crew members. Those monsters are huge floating cities and they have more ammenities available to them..like a crew pool, crew shows and movies..

 

On Home Lines, the Entertainers/ Cruise Director and his staff were considered

Staff and not part of the crew. They were in passenger cabins and eat in the main dinning room and danced the night away in the disco.

 

Thanks to who ever started this thread. It has made me misty eyed thinking about the good old days.

 

See you on board soon.

[hyperion]

On the Grand and Sun class ships most of the crew reside in cabins on decks 2, 3 & 4 (the promenade is located on deck 7 just to give you a reference.) There are some crew quartered in the forward most cabins on decks above deck 4. This is usually 2 stripper officers and above, production staff, entertainers, dancers, etc. Deck officers are usually located on the same deck as the bridge.

 

Not all "Crew Only" areas are quarters. Often it just denotes a work area.

 

The cabins you see with the portholes on decks 4, 5 & 6 are often offices, but some are indeed quarters. The majority of the crew sleep on decks 3 & 2. On the Grand there is additional crew quarters in deck 4. The nearest thing to a window for most crewmember cabin is watching the bridge cam channel on TV, if they have one. I remember staring at the TV screen while in Alaska trying to tell if it was raining. I eventually moved to an outboard cabin and then would listen for rain against the ships hull.

 

As for quality, crew cabins are basically can be divided by job classification:

 

• laundry workers, buffet stewards, asst bar stewards, bellboys, wipers, seamen, stateroom stewards, basically the crew you always see flocking around all the payphones on the dock with handfuls of calling cards everytime you are in port.

usually stay in a small cabins ranging in size from 6'x10' for 2 crew or 12'x 14' for 4 crew. The room would be equipped with a sink, one locker per crew member, one fixed narrow bunk/ crew, small desk. The smaller cabin shares a toilet and shower (3'x6') with another adjoining cabin of the same size. The larger one usually has it's own shower and toilet. It's very utilitarian, formica covers almost every surface. Many of these cabins are just above the engines spaces and can be VERY hot.

 

• petty officers, plumbers, fitters, head waiters, bar stewards, Stieners (the spa people), photogs, shoppies, dancers, butchers...

This level of people enjoy much nicer cabins, larger bathrooms (5'x6'), carpeting, larger lockers,bunks as still singles (usually), stowable upper bunks, mini fridge, TV, larger desk, wallpaper. The cabin it's self is about 1/3 larger than the general grew cabins. Usually quarters 2 crew members but some positions rate a cabin to themselves. The cabins are much more comfortable and more homey. Some things change depending on department/ship. On the Grand, the deck department modified our PO cabins to accomodate double sized matteress. Our girlfriends were very appreciative!:D

 

• Officers, entertainers, managers, executive chef, scuba staff, cruise staff....

These people enjoy the best cabins. Size and cabinmates will naturally depend on the seniority of the position. Some are merely a slightly larger version of the PO cabins others are double in size, sport double size beds and large settee areas in addition to TV's, mini-fridge, etc. Generally these are comparable to smallish passenger cabins.

I hope that this helps answer your question. Beware though that there are stiff penalties for crew bringing passengers into their cabins for a reason. I wouldn't let any woman wander around the deck 2 ghetto at night alone. It can be very sketchy sometimes. Don't forget that you have about 1000 people from 40+ countries away from their homes for up to 12 months working onboard. With that large of a cross section of society you will have troubles from time to time.

 

Although I think that you are in no more danger on a ship than in any small town, I strongly suggest you stick to the passenger levels, they're much safer!

[merrilyanne]

I went out with an entertainer on the ship. He was not allowed to eat in the dining room unless invited by a guest and after getting prior approval. He was allowed to use the buffet and all of the facilities. He was not allowed in the hallways of the passenger cabins, and had to wear a nametag identifying him as Princess staff. Entertainers still have to share a room with one other entertainer, unless you are a "guest entertainer", and then you have your own room. Guest entertainers are the ones that are the main entertainment, like a pianist or singer in the main theatre, but not the entertainers that play in the bars or in the bands.

[Nitemare]

Pretty sure our cabin steward slept under our bed, it's the only way I could figure out how he had the place cleaned so well and so often!

[Druke I]

On Pacific and Tahitian Princess, some of the entertainers have been put into Obstructed View cabins, on Deck 6.

 

The old Royal Princess (now Artemis of P&O UK) reputedly had some of the best crew quarters in the fleet.

[sunprincess]

Ahoy Fab,

 

I fondly remember Home Lines ;)

One of my first adult cruises taken was on the Homeric. NY to Bermuda.

When were you working with Home Lines & were you on the Homeric?

Met some wonderful crew onboard. Sadly have lost touch with them now.

I am sure retired now from life at sea.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise on the Star :)

 

Cathy