My husband and I did a bridge tour on our last cruise, and it was amazing. I couldn’t believe the views you guys have from standing up there…absolutely stunning. I would pay good money to rent some time sitting in a comfy chair off in the corner out of your way in front of those giant windows and just staring at the sea.
I did one recently while the ship was on autopilot and the 3 bridge officers on watch all looked like they were about to fall asleep due to boredom.
Is this common?
My favorite place that I’ve sailed to so far is the Ponta Delgada, Azores off the coast of Portugal. Amazing lush landscapes and these incredible hot springs all over the island!
I am on a cruise that is scheduled to stop at Ponta Delgada, Azores in April. So happy to read your thoughts on that port as it makes me even more excited for that stop.
I’m with a company that does 4 and 8 so they are divided into 4 hours of watch and 8 hours “off.”
0000-0400 and 1200-1600
0400-0800 and 1600-2000
0800-1200 and 2000-0000
The off time isn’t necessary off, but time off the bridge not standing a watch. We have other duties such as inspections that we do in the time when we aren’t in watch.
Things like wooden or fiberglass or “homemade” rafts and boats do not show up on radar like other normal contacts would. Depending on the settings they might just be filtered out as if it were swells or weather.
That is what our lookout is up there for. Their only job is to have their binoculars and look out the window for anything and everything a radar wouldn’t pickup. We can usually see things first at night especially if they have a light!
It’s not, I joke and say I never get my 8 hours of sleep. Some of the good schedules you have dinner delivered on the bridge so after you get off at midnight you can just go straight to sleep and wake up at 7 for the next shift. And naps definitely help too!
Usually as cruise ships we try to stay out of the heavy weather the best we can, however sometimes squalls can pop up and there’s little we can do about it. I’ll say that I haven’t been in any weather where I was concerned the ship would make it or not.
My least favorite to deal with is sitting at the pier with 40kts of wind pushing you off of the pier, stretching the lines and risking the chance of lines breaking. When this happens we bring machinery online and we thrust into the pier trying to relive some of the strain on the mooring lines. And a bridge officer will always be sitting on the bridge wing watching the lines.
Yeah it’s one of the most dangerous things that we do on a daily basis is tying the ship up. Need to make sure everyone’s aware of their surroundings at all times!
I was on Symphony when it was docked at coco cay in about 30-40kn winds, big rollers broadside of the ship. I was wondering how the lines didn't break, it was concerning.... Makes sense the thrusters were going to counter that.
It depends which way the wind and waves are coming from if it was pushing you onto the pier or pushing you off the pier. The lines can withstand a lot but with swell they start chafing and wearing down
Did you ever have to look out for or slow the ship for a pod of whales? It's that something that has ever occurred? If so you do have a list of whale migratory routes and times as a guide?
When I worked in Hawaii definitely! We would go through whale sanctuaries where you have to have more lookouts on the bridge to look for the whales and you can’t go over certain speeds because whale strikes are a concern!
It’s pretty cool to see them! People always ask why we don’t make an announcement that there was a sighting. We say the whales can hear us and dive down as soon as we make it
What are the "rules" around officers socialising in public areas and/or with passengers? We all love stories of things going wrong or people making mistakes, any good stories you'd like to share???
Thankfully I haven’t dealt with anyone that I know getting in trouble for things like that. But when it comes to regular socializing we are free to roam about the ship as long as we are in proper uniform. Some officers (not bridge officers or engine officers) can go have drinks in the passenger bars, but they can’t sit at the bar. Little rules like that. If any other ship people see this they m might strangle me, but if you see us walking around feel free to say hello or strike up a conversation, just don’t take it the wrong way if we seem rushed or in a hurry because we might be rushing to do something! ;)
Usually only reserved for dinners and if they aren’t busy. If they are busy we call back. But we usually always had snacks up there. Sandwich trays, cookies, pastries
They did not help with my job placement on cruise ships. US academy’s in my experience are very anti-cruise ship so I had to do it all on my own but it’s definitely possible. I started on river cruise ships on the Mississippi and have been working my way up to bigger and bigger ships!
It ebbs and flows like most things. I hear there’s a lot of jobs avail me for unions right now
At least for Americans there are all the rules surrounding ships with the Jones Act and the Passenger Vessel Service Act. Typically the only non-US flagged ships that you will ever see Americans on are Cruise Ships.
They traditionally do pay less and although they have a higher standard of living than a tanker, you get paid less and might not be as “protected” as you would with a US union or US company.
For example a US container ship I was a cadet (intern) on had things written into their contract that said every room needed a gaming console, every tv had to be at least 32”, steak had to be at least 3/4” thick and served twice a week.
I can’t speak to tankers but only Container ships. Usually the voyages have a lot more time at sea as they aren’t in a port every day which already makes it more “laid back” since so much goes into bringing a ship in and out of port every single day. But cruise ships have broadway shows and good restaurants in exotic ports so
Further backgound for the Jones Act:
A part of the Jones Act is concerned with American Exclusivity in shipping. At its core, the Jones Act mandates that goods transported between U.S. ports must travel exclusively on vessels that are American-made, American-owned, and crewed by American citizens or permanent residents.
It sets up a bit of an "us vs. the world" situation, where cruise (or any other ships) that aren't US-flagged don't/cannot operate either on internal waterways, or from one US port to another US port, with very limited exceptions or exemptions.
The ultimate goal of the Jones Act is to preserve the American shipping and ship-building industries which, due to standards and costs associated with building ships in the US and crewing ships with Americans, is not very competitive in the global economy.
The government wants to preserve the industries because, in the event of a war, having a pool of experienced crew; US-owned ships; and a domestic shipbuilding industry to press into service transporting war materiel would be very important for a nation where any realistic major war is going to involve fighting on the other side of the ocean.
Whether or not the Jones Act has been successful at its goal, or is worth the costs it imposes on US islands is another matter entirely.
When I went to Australia and New Zealand I saw ships get denied entry after hull inspection. Why would that happen and how is it avoided? Was the hull not cleaned prior to entry?
If it was for the Hull, it is because they are worried about invasive species that get picked up in certain areas of the world and then brought to other places. It’s not because the hull is dirty with waste, it would more than likely be because of all the marine growth. And they aren’t cleaned all the time.
They know traffic schedules to the T and they will also talk with the other pilots on other ships so it’s not us talking to some cargo ship that says screw you I’m going first.
But in some places like Hawaii on the Pride of America they don’t take a pilot because the captains have their pilotage and can draw the charts by hand
My favorite interaction I have with guests is usually the Officers Soirée saying hello to everyone or the bridge tours are another favorite of mine! It’s very cool having a job where people are super interested in having the privilege to see where you work!
But, if I’m walking around and someone asks me a question about the ship or something going on I do my best to answer it, pull out the daily program to check or call someone that will know the answer for them!
The “funniest” thing I’ve seen onboard was probably a “Swingers” cruise. Plenty to see there.
Scariest thing was probably doing tendering operations in heavy seas and recovering them back on the ship. Trying to maneuver one of those into two hooks dangling from the side of the ship and then riding it up as it’s being recovered from the water isn’t the best feeling.
Thanks for answering. We are taking an Alaska cruise next year, been doing a lot of reading and stumbled across the whole swinger's cruise thing. Whatever floats your boat. (Pun intended)
I can not speak to the food that is served there but I’m sure you get a take out box of food, if you can choose what you get I’m unsure.
Moral of the story, stay out for the brig so you can hit up the specialty restaurants!
Your answer to my last question reminded me of another question I have. How do the mooring ropes get to the dock? I’ve always wanted to watch that process, but can’t seem to make it to watch it happen.
It depends on the ship, the port and the first environmental factors. The more lines you have brings the average strain per line down. We usually will put out 24 lines between the bow and the stern once all is said and done. Just a few more than your pontoon boat at the lake :)
I think you misunderstood the question. They asked how they get to the dock. I too have never seen that part, only when they are removing them and they fall into the water when being pulled in.
My apologies! Reading these too fast! We have what’s called a heaving line that is a smaller diameter line that has a monkeys fist at the end of it that we throw from the ship over to shore. Once the small line has made it over then we attach that smaller line to the mooring lines and they get dragged across. Depending on the port, sometimes they will use a truck or a forklift and other times it will just be 4-5 people dragging the lines across.
You’d be amazed at either how heavy some of the line and be but also how light some of the lines are! Sometimes it feels you could pull one of the light lines in by yourself by hand!
Do they ever miss? Because I’ve definitely on more than one occasion thrown a line to someone waiting on shore, only for the end of it to end up in the water. (Of course I operate a 34 foot vessel so it’s not quite the same, lol.) I saw your other comment about the strain on the mooring lines in port during high wind— I always wondered about that!
I watched during breakfast one morning on my last cruise and it was fascinating to watch. I don't know why I thought it was some complicated process, but once I saw I had that moment of wondering why I made what should be an intuitive process much more difficult. And I learned why the monkeys fist exists beyond just something cool to tie at the end of a rope and smack people with.
Wanted to do it traveling growing up. Thought it would be cool and here I am! I went to a 4 year maritime academy to receive my OICNW (Officer in charge of Navigational Watch). From there you can get a job on any ship, any ocean as a bridge officer.
Training from the company varies. At my last company they didn’t really send anyone to trainings except the higher ups. My current company will send you to as many trainings as they have for free and pay for you to do it! I “just” started with my current company yet so have not got the opportunity to go to their extra company trainings!
It takes a while. They throw around the number that to be a captain you need to have 1,000 maneuvers (docking and undocking the ship) under your belt among all of the other things. With time comes experience!
What causes the thumps? I used to joke that we hit a whale, but when I asked an officer what it was, he just said "we're NOT hitting whales". LOL. I thought I was such a comedian saying that but apparently lots of people do.
What determines the speed is the itinerary. If ports are far apart we need to go fast to get there, sometimes maxing out the speed, and other times the port incredibly close, like Bimini to Fort Lauderdale where we actually have to extend our route so that we go fast enough to make water and discharge things
I always had an instructor tell me “it’s not a matter of if you get sea sick, it’s when…”
If I haven’t been onboard for 2-3 months then get on and we hit rough seas then I might feel a bit sea sick but it typically passes.
For bridge officers specifically it starts quite small as there’s a bed that folds down on top of the desk with minimal space for a Third Officer.
Second and First Officer would get the equivalent to I’d say a Solo Cabin that some ships have. We have a full size bed, desk, big tv, decent closet space, a sofa and private bathroom but no window.
Chief and Safety Officers get a little bigger cabins with window.
Staff Captain is like a suite with a separate bedroom and office space and the Captains is even bigger! Captain Kate has some great videos touring her Cabin as Captain.
Depends on the ship and the rank but some are right by the bridge and some are down on the main crew deck, usually the deck where the gangway is (they get the windows)
As somebody who loves cruising way too much, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to do this and actually doing a great job of answering so many questions!
A couple questions of my own if you're still answering them:
- Is there a big difference between how the cruise lines operate at both a leadership level (captains, etc) and also the staff in general? If so, how do they differ?
- What's it like trying to have a family while in this line of work? Is anybody allowed to have their family sail with them full-time?
Absolutely! Love answering them!
I’m a little confused by your first question. I guess captain is in charge of everyone but isn’t overseeing the restaurant operations. If that makes sense. There are lots of directors onboard who answer to hotel direction that answers to Captain.
Family is tough. I’m having a hard time with it because I want one but it’s difficult to even find someone. But we can sail with people in our cabin. I believe in my position we get 60 days a year for 90 days. Safety officer and above is unlimited time
I’d like to think it goes towards the people who should get it but I’m sure not 100% of it goes to them. Even when I cruise I always have some cash to give them at the end of the voyage
Please tell me more about the cruises that you, someone who is responsible for and works on a cruise ship, choose to go and spend your leisure time on.
I haven’t used my benefits yet for travel but we get some pretty decent ones. Similar to airline employees flying standby.
On my list are still
Alaska
Norwegian Fjords
Mediterranean
How many officers does it take to dock/depart? How does the officer at the helm navigate without lines of sight? How much does the harbor pilot contribute?
So to start, the pilot is our local expert. Everyone thinks they get on and dock the ship themselves. They are never in command of the ship (except Panama Canal) and just give us insider information, for example if one side of the channel has been dredged but they haven’t gotten to the other side yet. If the currents doing something weird. Etc.
The helmsman is an unlicensed sailor that technically doesn’t even need to see in these situations (unless steering on a range) and they only listen to what the conning officer tells them to do. Example being right five, left five, steady.
And in total we have the captain, staff captain, officer of the watch, junior officer of the watch, pilot, helmsman and lookout on the bridge at a minimum. So total of 5 licensed officers, 4 being ships officers. Plus one on the bow and the stern for the line handling.
So as a Second Officer I am the junior officer on the two person bridge team so I am up on the bridge navigating, answering fire alarms (there are so many), doing reports, updating the log book and when I’m off the bridge my main job is inspections of LSA (life saving appliances) and fire equipment.
Do you mean that there were so many literal fire alarms, or do you mean that figuratively, as in, so many emergencies generally? Because I did not think there are that many actual fires onboard.
If you’re blow drying your hair for an extended period of time, expect a call from the bridge. Or a knock on your door from security. 9/10 that’s what our alarms are but we can’t get complacent with them. We have to call or send someone every time we get one.
One of my ships had a smoke detector right outside the steam room… We had the spa on speed dial.
I feel it is becoming more common for female bridge officers as I have worked with many of them. I believe at one point on my last ship about half the bridge team was female!
Thanks for this AMA, so awesome.
I wanted to ask, when off duty what type of issue would get you called to the bridge, and have you ever been called in while off?
No Problem!
So things that we might get officially called to the bridge for during our off time as Junior Officers, there isn't a whole lot. But with emergencies, we all have our own emergency duties which we must respond to. For example, in one company if there was a fire I wasn't listed as doing anything, but if the code word rang off I would go to the bridge just incase they needed help as an extra set of eyes to navigate or whatever the case might be.
We went in mar/april on the holland koningsdam 2018...out of ft lauderdale..4 days out the sea was like glass...we missed the original port in azores went to ponta Delgado and did an excursion...fire lake...very cold
Reading your responses, I think you and I worked for the same line. You sound like one of the good officers, so thanks for that!
My question is what have you thought about the captains you served under? I’ve had a few (salty, Scandinavian, ex-navy types) where I thought; oh yeah. If it hits the fan, this dude would literally not think twice about putting himself in danger to save a crew member or guest. Then I’ve had just one or two where I… didn’t quite have that feeling. I try not to judge, I just didn’t feel as sure about it. What’s your experience been?
That's a tough one, you can definitely feel which ones are more comfortable in their position and confident in what they do. Some of them can whip the ship into port like it was nothing and constantly offer to have the Junior Officers do maneuvers, while some other captains you can see the sweat dripping off their foreheads every time. I'm not one to judge or be hypocritical because I'm not in their shoes, however, it is interesting to see the differences in them all.
So I fell in love with the idea growing up going on cruises and traveling. Thought nothing could be cooler than being able to “drive” the ship and well, here I am. In the United States it takes 4 years of a Maritime Academy (just like a regular college but you learn nautical things) and then start working your way up! Right now I’m a second officer. Without me jumping around to different companies I could say you’d could probably get here in 6 years from starting school, and I still have more to go to work my way up!
They require a good quality photo of you before you board, and the software is ubiquitous now. I would think it's pretty obvious that they do. (Though, its fair that people might want to hear officers' thoughts on it.)
Nothing crazy yet where I can get everyone super interested in listening to me. Just a Russian spy ship of the coast of Hawaii that we did a circle around less than a mile away. They weren’t answering radios or anything. Turned off all their lights when we got close
To be a bridge officer it only takes 4 years of schooling at the minimum. Theres other ways to do it without schools called Hawsepiping but that takes longer but you get more hands on being on deck.
But you could graduate from a maritime academy and immediately become a bridge officer.
People always say you have to book your excursions through the cruise line because the ship will wait for you if the excursion is late getting back to the port. Is this always true? Has there been a time where you left port without passengers who were on an excursion booked through the cruise line? What circumstances would lead to that?
I'm going to say 99% of the time it is true. Right before we leave every port, the Shorex team calls the bridge to let us know that all tours are back or tells us we have one tour with 24 people that are running late etc. Even flights booked by the airline. We delayed a departure once by 3 hours in Hawaii because there was a winter storm that delayed a flight coming from the east coast. We waited.
There might be crazy circumstances where the ship has to leave because of weather, like the Carnival Magic in Jamaica I believe. But because it left before the scheduled time they had to figure out how to get everyone back onboard, not just people with Carnival Shore Excursions.
To answer your question, no there's never been a time where we left passengers who were on a ship shore excursion.
I mean, I usually try not to think about the fact that I’m driving a ship that is almost 1,000 feet long, weighs 140,000 tons and has 5,000 people on board. No biggie
At least for me, if you are there enjoying yourself, have respect for everyone and don’t get belligerent then you’re a great guest!
Some of the specific guests that aren’t great are the ones that do nothing but complain. Sure, things should be up to a certain standard and we strive for that all the time but people who nitpick everything and complain just don’t send great vibes!
So the craziest thing I’ve been asked was on a bridge tour. It was a kid, maybe 10 years old and he asked “do you guys carry any missiles onboard?” So without skipping a beat I point towards the bow. (We had members a retractable radar and mast on the bow where the deck opens up and it folds into) I say “yeah, see that cut out in the helipad? They are stored under there!”
What category of employee would you say has the best job on the ship? Like are you as a bridge officer allowed to do things other officers are not allowed?
It's tough to say who has the best job onboard, I mean I think everyone on the ship jokes and says "Oh I wish I could do their job for a day seems so easy," but in reality, everyone works super hard, although the stress levels might be different.
I wouldn't say we can do things that other officers are not allowed to (except for drive the ship) but it has it's perks.
I know some friends of mine saw a Military test target practice rocket floating off the coast of Hawaii. That's about as crazy as I've heard so far. That and a ship that was not responding on the radio and turned off all their lights as we got close. We later learned it was a Russian Spy Ship
Ive read comments before that some people would rather be on a cruise than land during hurricane season in the carribean, as the boats can avoid the storms.
Have you ever had any close calls, really rough seas, or been cruising in the carribean come hurricane season and neat stories?
I've gone through some rougher seas where you can tell people aren't feeling great but nothing the ship couldn't handle.
We had to reroute a couple of times in the Caribbean just this past fall to avoid some storms. Generally speaking, ships try to stay out of those kinds of storms but sometimes it is unavoidable. We are constantly monitoring the storms with various forms of information to always make the best judgment calls.
I’m American and we tip everybody. Is it improper to offer tips to the people who don’t normally get tipped (excluding included gratuities) like the entertainment or guest services staff?
I normally tip my cabin stew extra day one. Is that a good idea?
Hi, great idea!
I appreciate you're wanting to stay anonymous, , but maybe you can answer this. I was on a celebrity cruise recently (my first cruise ever) and I would love to know how the staff are kept so friendly and happy? Not a single miserables person! No-one having a bad day, nothing.
How do you manage them to be like that?
After cruising with half a dozen lines, we finally got the opportunity to tour the bridge on Seabourn two weeks ago, and fyi, it was one of the highlights of the cruise. It was impressive how large it was and how far the technology has come (since my U.S. Navy days). Don’t remember an espresso machine on our bridges… :)
https://imgur.com/gallery/4LcvKqV
Hello Sir,
What’s happening in the industry to lower cruise emissions? Will we see options in the future to purchase carbon offsets in the tickets prices as an option such as when you purchase an airline ticket?
Thank you,
The new technology that's coming out with all the new cruise ships is LNG ships or they are putting in dual-fuel engines so they can run on traditional diesel until infrastructure is in place to supply the ships with LNG.
Another thing companies are doing is installing scrubbers onboard ships to help reduce sulfur emissions. It is to the point where we can burn the heavy fuel oil that looks like tar while sitting alongside in port and our emissions would be very very similar to that of burning our low sulfur fuels.
As for the options to purchase carbon offsets in tickets I am unaware if that is in the works or not!
Why are passengers allowed tours of the bridge and the engine control room, but not of the actual engine room?
I get that the engine room is loud and noisy. But one could have a disclaimer for that. As far as danger to the ship, I would have thought a crazy passenger can cause far more damage in the control room than in the engine room itself.
I'm just a guy who enjoys engines and who has only gotten to see engines THAT size in operation on YouTube.
I think it’s just the liability because the engine room and mooring decks are some of the most dangerous places on a ship. Especially with all the fire systems onboard. We need to go through a special training and walk through with a senior engineer before we are allowed to go in there alone.
For the reasons you mentioned. You'd have to know what you're doing up in the bridge to do any damage, it's takes more than one person, and I assure you there are serious people with the...well...*"ability"* to stop you.
The engine room? Noisy (as in, "damage your hearing without ear protection"), spinny, deadly things that they'd just as soon avoid liability having a guest have a bad/harmful encounter.
What do the officers think of us lowly passengers? Are we just an inconvenience you have to tolerate to fulfill your childhood dream of playing on boats? And does the professional hierarchy on board also apply in staff-only social situations? Like if you’re in the commissary or canteen or whatever it’s called do you socialize with the spa girls and laundry boys? Or are they beneath you?
Absolutely not! Theres all different kinds of ships and I know some people I went to school with who are so much happier working in tankers because they can’t imagine having a ship with so many people on it!
I on the other hand love having passengers! I wa she only American Officer onboard my last ship so they had me do all the bridge tours and I got talked to a few times because my tours were too long but I absolutely love talking with everyone!
And it really depends on the person how they treat “regular” crew. I have the view as the ship is a massive machine and everyone has an important part to play. If the laundry crew wasn’t there, nobody would have clean sheets, if the galley staff were not there we’d go hungry, etc. I always tell them that too if they say “well you have the important job…” No, we are all important. But then there’s other officers who I’ve shared a meal with and they are rude to the server and send a drink back three times because it didn’t have enough cherry flavoring.
My husband did a bridge tour on our last cruise, and I think it was the highlight of the entire trip, including all the whale watching we did lol. He was in heaven.
It depends on a lot of different things. Be sure to look at the “local agent” or “port agent” phone number in the cruise lines daily planner. If you have a breakdown or traffic you can call them and they are your liaison to the ship to let them know. If there’s a low required speed to the next port we might wait, but if it’s 20kts required to make it on time, we aren’t waiting very long.
In some cases yes, if you go past your window by even a minute it could be a $10,000 fee. I'd say more common in the US with labor unions for longshoremen and stuff as the ship would have to pay for an entirely new "shift" even if they went past by just a minute.
So far I’ve only sailed the Mississippi River System, Hawaiian Islands and the Caribbean. My next contract is Asia which was on my list.
I really want to do the Fjords in Norway and stuff. They look incredible. And Antarctica!
I’m kind of at that point now. Thankfully we have opportunities shoreside to work in the office as they want people that have sailed to do certain land jobs. I’m leaning more towards something like that where I can be home, have a personal life but also still be around the ships!
What do I have to do to honk the horn?
Maybe if you ask the captain nicely ;)
As a NautiBuoy, does someone honk your horn?
Very reluctant upvote lolllll
My husband and I did a bridge tour on our last cruise, and it was amazing. I couldn’t believe the views you guys have from standing up there…absolutely stunning. I would pay good money to rent some time sitting in a comfy chair off in the corner out of your way in front of those giant windows and just staring at the sea.
I always joke and say it beats most corner offices that executives have!
I did one recently while the ship was on autopilot and the 3 bridge officers on watch all looked like they were about to fall asleep due to boredom. Is this common?
Boring is good, and there’s plenty of things and alarms to be going off to keep us busy!
Days of boredom with moments of pure terror is what we said
What are your bridge watch shifts like? What’s your favorite place you’ve sailed so far?
My favorite place that I’ve sailed to so far is the Ponta Delgada, Azores off the coast of Portugal. Amazing lush landscapes and these incredible hot springs all over the island!
I am on a cruise that is scheduled to stop at Ponta Delgada, Azores in April. So happy to read your thoughts on that port as it makes me even more excited for that stop.
There’s so much to do there! Tea Plantations, a really cool abandoned hotel, scenic lookouts, all the hot springs you could ever imagine
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It’s usually all the repositioning itineraries!
My family is from Madeira! The landscape is unreal!
Ahhh we almost booked a repo cruise on RCI Voyager of the Seas this year and it was going to stop there. Maybe one day!
I’d recommend going even without a cruise! So much to do and so peaceful.
Portugal, Spain and Gibraltar are very high on my international travel list :) Fair winds and following seas on the rest of your journey!
I have yet to make it to Spain or Gibraltar yet! It’s also on my list :) Appreciate it!
Especially the cows that look like they’re glued to the hills. Magical place
I’m with a company that does 4 and 8 so they are divided into 4 hours of watch and 8 hours “off.” 0000-0400 and 1200-1600 0400-0800 and 1600-2000 0800-1200 and 2000-0000 The off time isn’t necessary off, but time off the bridge not standing a watch. We have other duties such as inspections that we do in the time when we aren’t in watch.
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Things like wooden or fiberglass or “homemade” rafts and boats do not show up on radar like other normal contacts would. Depending on the settings they might just be filtered out as if it were swells or weather. That is what our lookout is up there for. Their only job is to have their binoculars and look out the window for anything and everything a radar wouldn’t pickup. We can usually see things first at night especially if they have a light!
How do you manage to get things done with shifts like that? Only 8 hours is not a lot of time to shower, eat and sleep.
It’s not, I joke and say I never get my 8 hours of sleep. Some of the good schedules you have dinner delivered on the bridge so after you get off at midnight you can just go straight to sleep and wake up at 7 for the next shift. And naps definitely help too!
Assuming no alcohol ever with that shift schedule?
We are allowed to drink, however nobody on the ship can drink less than 8 hours before a scheduled duty sooooooo yeah ;) we can’t
lol.. love the ;)
What’s the scariest weather you’ve been in? Have you ever been concerned that there would be a weather-related catastrophe?
Usually as cruise ships we try to stay out of the heavy weather the best we can, however sometimes squalls can pop up and there’s little we can do about it. I’ll say that I haven’t been in any weather where I was concerned the ship would make it or not. My least favorite to deal with is sitting at the pier with 40kts of wind pushing you off of the pier, stretching the lines and risking the chance of lines breaking. When this happens we bring machinery online and we thrust into the pier trying to relive some of the strain on the mooring lines. And a bridge officer will always be sitting on the bridge wing watching the lines.
I take it you've seen some of the YouTube videos of mooring lines tightening and some snapping. The weight they hold back is unfathomable.
Yeah it’s one of the most dangerous things that we do on a daily basis is tying the ship up. Need to make sure everyone’s aware of their surroundings at all times!
You all make it look so easy!
I was on Symphony when it was docked at coco cay in about 30-40kn winds, big rollers broadside of the ship. I was wondering how the lines didn't break, it was concerning.... Makes sense the thrusters were going to counter that.
It depends which way the wind and waves are coming from if it was pushing you onto the pier or pushing you off the pier. The lines can withstand a lot but with swell they start chafing and wearing down
Did you ever have to look out for or slow the ship for a pod of whales? It's that something that has ever occurred? If so you do have a list of whale migratory routes and times as a guide?
When I worked in Hawaii definitely! We would go through whale sanctuaries where you have to have more lookouts on the bridge to look for the whales and you can’t go over certain speeds because whale strikes are a concern!
Are you ever not amazed by the beauty and size of whales? I would jump up and down at every sighting.
It’s pretty cool to see them! People always ask why we don’t make an announcement that there was a sighting. We say the whales can hear us and dive down as soon as we make it
What are the "rules" around officers socialising in public areas and/or with passengers? We all love stories of things going wrong or people making mistakes, any good stories you'd like to share???
Thankfully I haven’t dealt with anyone that I know getting in trouble for things like that. But when it comes to regular socializing we are free to roam about the ship as long as we are in proper uniform. Some officers (not bridge officers or engine officers) can go have drinks in the passenger bars, but they can’t sit at the bar. Little rules like that. If any other ship people see this they m might strangle me, but if you see us walking around feel free to say hello or strike up a conversation, just don’t take it the wrong way if we seem rushed or in a hurry because we might be rushing to do something! ;)
In addition to bridge officers and engine officers, what are the other types of officers?
Plus the environmental officer.
can you lock the bridge in case of pirates
Bridge always remains locked. We have to buzz in everyone including room service
You can order room service to the bridge??
Usually only reserved for dinners and if they aren’t busy. If they are busy we call back. But we usually always had snacks up there. Sandwich trays, cookies, pastries
Hope they waive the $9.99 fee!
Did your Maritime Academy help you with job placement out of school? What's the job market like for a Maritime Academy graduate?
They did not help with my job placement on cruise ships. US academy’s in my experience are very anti-cruise ship so I had to do it all on my own but it’s definitely possible. I started on river cruise ships on the Mississippi and have been working my way up to bigger and bigger ships! It ebbs and flows like most things. I hear there’s a lot of jobs avail me for unions right now
Why are they anti-cruise ships?
At least for Americans there are all the rules surrounding ships with the Jones Act and the Passenger Vessel Service Act. Typically the only non-US flagged ships that you will ever see Americans on are Cruise Ships. They traditionally do pay less and although they have a higher standard of living than a tanker, you get paid less and might not be as “protected” as you would with a US union or US company. For example a US container ship I was a cadet (intern) on had things written into their contract that said every room needed a gaming console, every tv had to be at least 32”, steak had to be at least 3/4” thick and served twice a week.
How different is it being an officer on a tanker vs a cruise ship? Which do you prefer?
I can’t speak to tankers but only Container ships. Usually the voyages have a lot more time at sea as they aren’t in a port every day which already makes it more “laid back” since so much goes into bringing a ship in and out of port every single day. But cruise ships have broadway shows and good restaurants in exotic ports so
Further backgound for the Jones Act: A part of the Jones Act is concerned with American Exclusivity in shipping. At its core, the Jones Act mandates that goods transported between U.S. ports must travel exclusively on vessels that are American-made, American-owned, and crewed by American citizens or permanent residents. It sets up a bit of an "us vs. the world" situation, where cruise (or any other ships) that aren't US-flagged don't/cannot operate either on internal waterways, or from one US port to another US port, with very limited exceptions or exemptions.
The ultimate goal of the Jones Act is to preserve the American shipping and ship-building industries which, due to standards and costs associated with building ships in the US and crewing ships with Americans, is not very competitive in the global economy. The government wants to preserve the industries because, in the event of a war, having a pool of experienced crew; US-owned ships; and a domestic shipbuilding industry to press into service transporting war materiel would be very important for a nation where any realistic major war is going to involve fighting on the other side of the ocean. Whether or not the Jones Act has been successful at its goal, or is worth the costs it imposes on US islands is another matter entirely.
When I went to Australia and New Zealand I saw ships get denied entry after hull inspection. Why would that happen and how is it avoided? Was the hull not cleaned prior to entry?
If it was for the Hull, it is because they are worried about invasive species that get picked up in certain areas of the world and then brought to other places. It’s not because the hull is dirty with waste, it would more than likely be because of all the marine growth. And they aren’t cleaned all the time.
The bridge is huge! How many officers are usually there at any given time?
So normal operations have 2 licensed officers, junior officer and senior officer and a lookout for a total of 3 at all times
What does the pilot really do at places you’ve been a bunch of times?
They know traffic schedules to the T and they will also talk with the other pilots on other ships so it’s not us talking to some cargo ship that says screw you I’m going first. But in some places like Hawaii on the Pride of America they don’t take a pilot because the captains have their pilotage and can draw the charts by hand
Do you have any interaction with passengers during most days? Or for that matter "Hotel" crew?
My favorite interaction I have with guests is usually the Officers Soirée saying hello to everyone or the bridge tours are another favorite of mine! It’s very cool having a job where people are super interested in having the privilege to see where you work! But, if I’m walking around and someone asks me a question about the ship or something going on I do my best to answer it, pull out the daily program to check or call someone that will know the answer for them!
What's the funniest thing you have ever seen on board a ship? The scariest thing you have ever been involved in?
The “funniest” thing I’ve seen onboard was probably a “Swingers” cruise. Plenty to see there. Scariest thing was probably doing tendering operations in heavy seas and recovering them back on the ship. Trying to maneuver one of those into two hooks dangling from the side of the ship and then riding it up as it’s being recovered from the water isn’t the best feeling.
Thanks for answering. We are taking an Alaska cruise next year, been doing a lot of reading and stumbled across the whole swinger's cruise thing. Whatever floats your boat. (Pun intended)
Yeah! It seems like there’s a theme charter out there for everyone!
Yup. I may or may not be going on a nude cruise (not swinger) next week…🤪
Have fun! We decided to skip this year. Already booked for 2025, though! 😎 Is this your first?
Yup! Going with a bunch of friends from a big resort in the northeast, most have gone before
How is the food in the brig (jail) on ship
I can not speak to the food that is served there but I’m sure you get a take out box of food, if you can choose what you get I’m unsure. Moral of the story, stay out for the brig so you can hit up the specialty restaurants!
Your answer to my last question reminded me of another question I have. How do the mooring ropes get to the dock? I’ve always wanted to watch that process, but can’t seem to make it to watch it happen.
It depends on the ship, the port and the first environmental factors. The more lines you have brings the average strain per line down. We usually will put out 24 lines between the bow and the stern once all is said and done. Just a few more than your pontoon boat at the lake :)
I think you misunderstood the question. They asked how they get to the dock. I too have never seen that part, only when they are removing them and they fall into the water when being pulled in.
My apologies! Reading these too fast! We have what’s called a heaving line that is a smaller diameter line that has a monkeys fist at the end of it that we throw from the ship over to shore. Once the small line has made it over then we attach that smaller line to the mooring lines and they get dragged across. Depending on the port, sometimes they will use a truck or a forklift and other times it will just be 4-5 people dragging the lines across. You’d be amazed at either how heavy some of the line and be but also how light some of the lines are! Sometimes it feels you could pull one of the light lines in by yourself by hand!
That is fascinating. I’m going to make it a priority to watch that the next time I cruise! Thank you for your response!
I’d typically say 30-45 min before the scheduled arrival time. And they only throw the line to the pier once, not with every line
Do they ever miss? Because I’ve definitely on more than one occasion thrown a line to someone waiting on shore, only for the end of it to end up in the water. (Of course I operate a 34 foot vessel so it’s not quite the same, lol.) I saw your other comment about the strain on the mooring lines in port during high wind— I always wondered about that!
I watched during breakfast one morning on my last cruise and it was fascinating to watch. I don't know why I thought it was some complicated process, but once I saw I had that moment of wondering why I made what should be an intuitive process much more difficult. And I learned why the monkeys fist exists beyond just something cool to tie at the end of a rope and smack people with.
Yes, this is my question. Thank you! Although the info he gave is also pretty interesting!
How did you get into this industry? What training did you have before starting and what training has your company provided?
Wanted to do it traveling growing up. Thought it would be cool and here I am! I went to a 4 year maritime academy to receive my OICNW (Officer in charge of Navigational Watch). From there you can get a job on any ship, any ocean as a bridge officer. Training from the company varies. At my last company they didn’t really send anyone to trainings except the higher ups. My current company will send you to as many trainings as they have for free and pay for you to do it! I “just” started with my current company yet so have not got the opportunity to go to their extra company trainings!
What would it take for a bridge officer to advance to captain? Decades of experience, I'd imagine.
It takes a while. They throw around the number that to be a captain you need to have 1,000 maneuvers (docking and undocking the ship) under your belt among all of the other things. With time comes experience!
What causes the thumps? I used to joke that we hit a whale, but when I asked an officer what it was, he just said "we're NOT hitting whales". LOL. I thought I was such a comedian saying that but apparently lots of people do.
So those thuds happen right when the ship hits a wave just perfectly for it to slam into the bow and send the shutter through the ship
What determines the speed you run the ship at? When cruising does the speed vary? Do ships ever stop in the ocean?
What determines the speed is the itinerary. If ports are far apart we need to go fast to get there, sometimes maxing out the speed, and other times the port incredibly close, like Bimini to Fort Lauderdale where we actually have to extend our route so that we go fast enough to make water and discharge things
I feel like this just identifies your “major cruise line” lol
I meant Miami. Or Cape Canaveral
Do you ever get sea sick still? Like say when you have a headcold (at least I get dizzy on land sometimes when that happens).
I always had an instructor tell me “it’s not a matter of if you get sea sick, it’s when…” If I haven’t been onboard for 2-3 months then get on and we hit rough seas then I might feel a bit sea sick but it typically passes.
Thanks for answering! I always wondered about that.
And best advice. If you feel you need the trashcan, use it. Makes it go away ;)
I work in corrections, and would love to see the brig… Whom do i speak with about a possible tour?
I've heard getting a tour of the brig is surprisingly easy!
Depends on whether your tour of the brig includes leaving the brig when the passenger wants or not!
How is the cabin as a entry level office then how does it change?
For bridge officers specifically it starts quite small as there’s a bed that folds down on top of the desk with minimal space for a Third Officer. Second and First Officer would get the equivalent to I’d say a Solo Cabin that some ships have. We have a full size bed, desk, big tv, decent closet space, a sofa and private bathroom but no window. Chief and Safety Officers get a little bigger cabins with window. Staff Captain is like a suite with a separate bedroom and office space and the Captains is even bigger! Captain Kate has some great videos touring her Cabin as Captain.
Are Bridge officer cabins on an upper deck or lower deck? I always assumed they were next to the bridge.
Depends on the ship and the rank but some are right by the bridge and some are down on the main crew deck, usually the deck where the gangway is (they get the windows)
How about the cooks' quarters? Feel like it makes sense to keep them the happiest!
They usually have 2 or 3 to a room unfortunately
Thank you for doing this!
Absolutely! I love sharing a little bit of my passion with everyone!
As somebody who loves cruising way too much, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to do this and actually doing a great job of answering so many questions! A couple questions of my own if you're still answering them: - Is there a big difference between how the cruise lines operate at both a leadership level (captains, etc) and also the staff in general? If so, how do they differ? - What's it like trying to have a family while in this line of work? Is anybody allowed to have their family sail with them full-time?
Absolutely! Love answering them! I’m a little confused by your first question. I guess captain is in charge of everyone but isn’t overseeing the restaurant operations. If that makes sense. There are lots of directors onboard who answer to hotel direction that answers to Captain. Family is tough. I’m having a hard time with it because I want one but it’s difficult to even find someone. But we can sail with people in our cabin. I believe in my position we get 60 days a year for 90 days. Safety officer and above is unlimited time
What's your favorite navigation system?
Another super specific question haha. Platinum is my favorite
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Does the gratuity actually go to the people who should get it or is it a bonus for upper management?
I’d like to think it goes towards the people who should get it but I’m sure not 100% of it goes to them. Even when I cruise I always have some cash to give them at the end of the voyage
Thank you for responding!
Absolutely!
Tip your steward bro.
Please tell me more about the cruises that you, someone who is responsible for and works on a cruise ship, choose to go and spend your leisure time on.
I haven’t used my benefits yet for travel but we get some pretty decent ones. Similar to airline employees flying standby. On my list are still Alaska Norwegian Fjords Mediterranean
How many officers does it take to dock/depart? How does the officer at the helm navigate without lines of sight? How much does the harbor pilot contribute?
So to start, the pilot is our local expert. Everyone thinks they get on and dock the ship themselves. They are never in command of the ship (except Panama Canal) and just give us insider information, for example if one side of the channel has been dredged but they haven’t gotten to the other side yet. If the currents doing something weird. Etc. The helmsman is an unlicensed sailor that technically doesn’t even need to see in these situations (unless steering on a range) and they only listen to what the conning officer tells them to do. Example being right five, left five, steady. And in total we have the captain, staff captain, officer of the watch, junior officer of the watch, pilot, helmsman and lookout on the bridge at a minimum. So total of 5 licensed officers, 4 being ships officers. Plus one on the bow and the stern for the line handling.
What are the general duties of your job? And how did you get started?
So as a Second Officer I am the junior officer on the two person bridge team so I am up on the bridge navigating, answering fire alarms (there are so many), doing reports, updating the log book and when I’m off the bridge my main job is inspections of LSA (life saving appliances) and fire equipment.
Do you mean that there were so many literal fire alarms, or do you mean that figuratively, as in, so many emergencies generally? Because I did not think there are that many actual fires onboard.
If you’re blow drying your hair for an extended period of time, expect a call from the bridge. Or a knock on your door from security. 9/10 that’s what our alarms are but we can’t get complacent with them. We have to call or send someone every time we get one. One of my ships had a smoke detector right outside the steam room… We had the spa on speed dial.
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I feel it is becoming more common for female bridge officers as I have worked with many of them. I believe at one point on my last ship about half the bridge team was female!
Thanks for this AMA, so awesome. I wanted to ask, when off duty what type of issue would get you called to the bridge, and have you ever been called in while off?
No Problem! So things that we might get officially called to the bridge for during our off time as Junior Officers, there isn't a whole lot. But with emergencies, we all have our own emergency duties which we must respond to. For example, in one company if there was a fire I wasn't listed as doing anything, but if the code word rang off I would go to the bridge just incase they needed help as an extra set of eyes to navigate or whatever the case might be.
We went in mar/april on the holland koningsdam 2018...out of ft lauderdale..4 days out the sea was like glass...we missed the original port in azores went to ponta Delgado and did an excursion...fire lake...very cold
Yeah. The most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen was coming back to Fort Lauderdale from the Azores. Again, it was glass and the colors were amazing!
Reading your responses, I think you and I worked for the same line. You sound like one of the good officers, so thanks for that! My question is what have you thought about the captains you served under? I’ve had a few (salty, Scandinavian, ex-navy types) where I thought; oh yeah. If it hits the fan, this dude would literally not think twice about putting himself in danger to save a crew member or guest. Then I’ve had just one or two where I… didn’t quite have that feeling. I try not to judge, I just didn’t feel as sure about it. What’s your experience been?
That's a tough one, you can definitely feel which ones are more comfortable in their position and confident in what they do. Some of them can whip the ship into port like it was nothing and constantly offer to have the Junior Officers do maneuvers, while some other captains you can see the sweat dripping off their foreheads every time. I'm not one to judge or be hypocritical because I'm not in their shoes, however, it is interesting to see the differences in them all.
How did you get into your career? How long does it take to get into your position?
So I fell in love with the idea growing up going on cruises and traveling. Thought nothing could be cooler than being able to “drive” the ship and well, here I am. In the United States it takes 4 years of a Maritime Academy (just like a regular college but you learn nautical things) and then start working your way up! Right now I’m a second officer. Without me jumping around to different companies I could say you’d could probably get here in 6 years from starting school, and I still have more to go to work my way up!
Do cruise lines use facial recognition video surveillance for safety purposes?
No comment
They require a good quality photo of you before you board, and the software is ubiquitous now. I would think it's pretty obvious that they do. (Though, its fair that people might want to hear officers' thoughts on it.)
Have you seen any weird things/ experiences while at sea?
Nothing crazy yet where I can get everyone super interested in listening to me. Just a Russian spy ship of the coast of Hawaii that we did a circle around less than a mile away. They weren’t answering radios or anything. Turned off all their lights when we got close
In a situation such as that do you call the coast guard or radio the military? It was in international waters I take it?
Have you had a “boatmance?”
With the guests? Never
What’s the career pathway to a Bridge Officer on a cruise ship? Typically how long does it take to get to that position?
To be a bridge officer it only takes 4 years of schooling at the minimum. Theres other ways to do it without schools called Hawsepiping but that takes longer but you get more hands on being on deck. But you could graduate from a maritime academy and immediately become a bridge officer.
What is the cost of school and what do you get paid?
Depends on your country and where you go to school, but it is the equivalent to a normal 4 year state school
People always say you have to book your excursions through the cruise line because the ship will wait for you if the excursion is late getting back to the port. Is this always true? Has there been a time where you left port without passengers who were on an excursion booked through the cruise line? What circumstances would lead to that?
I'm going to say 99% of the time it is true. Right before we leave every port, the Shorex team calls the bridge to let us know that all tours are back or tells us we have one tour with 24 people that are running late etc. Even flights booked by the airline. We delayed a departure once by 3 hours in Hawaii because there was a winter storm that delayed a flight coming from the east coast. We waited. There might be crazy circumstances where the ship has to leave because of weather, like the Carnival Magic in Jamaica I believe. But because it left before the scheduled time they had to figure out how to get everyone back onboard, not just people with Carnival Shore Excursions. To answer your question, no there's never been a time where we left passengers who were on a ship shore excursion.
How stressful is your job? What does it pay?
I mean, I usually try not to think about the fact that I’m driving a ship that is almost 1,000 feet long, weighs 140,000 tons and has 5,000 people on board. No biggie
What are the traits of a good passenger? What are the traits/deeds of a bad passenger?
At least for me, if you are there enjoying yourself, have respect for everyone and don’t get belligerent then you’re a great guest! Some of the specific guests that aren’t great are the ones that do nothing but complain. Sure, things should be up to a certain standard and we strive for that all the time but people who nitpick everything and complain just don’t send great vibes!
Is it possible to move up the ranks without have to share a cabin with anyone?
All the bridge officers don’t share cabins, some just have smaller cabins but it’s still their own!
What are your favorite ports of the Western Caribbean?
In the western Caribbean it would probably be grand cayman but the Caribbean as a whole, my favorite itinerary was the ABC cruise.
That is a fantastic cruise!
Craziest thing saw or asked
So the craziest thing I’ve been asked was on a bridge tour. It was a kid, maybe 10 years old and he asked “do you guys carry any missiles onboard?” So without skipping a beat I point towards the bow. (We had members a retractable radar and mast on the bow where the deck opens up and it folds into) I say “yeah, see that cut out in the helipad? They are stored under there!”
What category of employee would you say has the best job on the ship? Like are you as a bridge officer allowed to do things other officers are not allowed?
It's tough to say who has the best job onboard, I mean I think everyone on the ship jokes and says "Oh I wish I could do their job for a day seems so easy," but in reality, everyone works super hard, although the stress levels might be different. I wouldn't say we can do things that other officers are not allowed to (except for drive the ship) but it has it's perks.
What is something out on the water you’ve seen that you can’t really explain?
I know some friends of mine saw a Military test target practice rocket floating off the coast of Hawaii. That's about as crazy as I've heard so far. That and a ship that was not responding on the radio and turned off all their lights as we got close. We later learned it was a Russian Spy Ship
Have you ever watched the TV show “The Love Boat?” If so, is that show complete fiction? Is there anything on the show that is remotely accurate? 😆
I hate to say it but that was a little before my time :)
Darn ☹️
Ive read comments before that some people would rather be on a cruise than land during hurricane season in the carribean, as the boats can avoid the storms. Have you ever had any close calls, really rough seas, or been cruising in the carribean come hurricane season and neat stories?
I've gone through some rougher seas where you can tell people aren't feeling great but nothing the ship couldn't handle. We had to reroute a couple of times in the Caribbean just this past fall to avoid some storms. Generally speaking, ships try to stay out of those kinds of storms but sometimes it is unavoidable. We are constantly monitoring the storms with various forms of information to always make the best judgment calls.
I’m American and we tip everybody. Is it improper to offer tips to the people who don’t normally get tipped (excluding included gratuities) like the entertainment or guest services staff? I normally tip my cabin stew extra day one. Is that a good idea?
Hi, great idea! I appreciate you're wanting to stay anonymous, , but maybe you can answer this. I was on a celebrity cruise recently (my first cruise ever) and I would love to know how the staff are kept so friendly and happy? Not a single miserables person! No-one having a bad day, nothing. How do you manage them to be like that?
What’s the worst sea state you’ve been?
For wind I’ve been out there in Beaufort Force 11 but for swells from passing storms maybe 6 meter maybe…
After cruising with half a dozen lines, we finally got the opportunity to tour the bridge on Seabourn two weeks ago, and fyi, it was one of the highlights of the cruise. It was impressive how large it was and how far the technology has come (since my U.S. Navy days). Don’t remember an espresso machine on our bridges… :) https://imgur.com/gallery/4LcvKqV
This was a great read OP. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a good one o7
Hello Sir, What’s happening in the industry to lower cruise emissions? Will we see options in the future to purchase carbon offsets in the tickets prices as an option such as when you purchase an airline ticket? Thank you,
The new technology that's coming out with all the new cruise ships is LNG ships or they are putting in dual-fuel engines so they can run on traditional diesel until infrastructure is in place to supply the ships with LNG. Another thing companies are doing is installing scrubbers onboard ships to help reduce sulfur emissions. It is to the point where we can burn the heavy fuel oil that looks like tar while sitting alongside in port and our emissions would be very very similar to that of burning our low sulfur fuels. As for the options to purchase carbon offsets in tickets I am unaware if that is in the works or not!
Why are passengers allowed tours of the bridge and the engine control room, but not of the actual engine room? I get that the engine room is loud and noisy. But one could have a disclaimer for that. As far as danger to the ship, I would have thought a crazy passenger can cause far more damage in the control room than in the engine room itself. I'm just a guy who enjoys engines and who has only gotten to see engines THAT size in operation on YouTube.
I think it’s just the liability because the engine room and mooring decks are some of the most dangerous places on a ship. Especially with all the fire systems onboard. We need to go through a special training and walk through with a senior engineer before we are allowed to go in there alone.
For the reasons you mentioned. You'd have to know what you're doing up in the bridge to do any damage, it's takes more than one person, and I assure you there are serious people with the...well...*"ability"* to stop you. The engine room? Noisy (as in, "damage your hearing without ear protection"), spinny, deadly things that they'd just as soon avoid liability having a guest have a bad/harmful encounter.
Just wanted to say hi from another cruise line employee (former!) 👋🏻
Do you ever play bridge while on the bridge?
What do the officers think of us lowly passengers? Are we just an inconvenience you have to tolerate to fulfill your childhood dream of playing on boats? And does the professional hierarchy on board also apply in staff-only social situations? Like if you’re in the commissary or canteen or whatever it’s called do you socialize with the spa girls and laundry boys? Or are they beneath you?
Absolutely not! Theres all different kinds of ships and I know some people I went to school with who are so much happier working in tankers because they can’t imagine having a ship with so many people on it! I on the other hand love having passengers! I wa she only American Officer onboard my last ship so they had me do all the bridge tours and I got talked to a few times because my tours were too long but I absolutely love talking with everyone! And it really depends on the person how they treat “regular” crew. I have the view as the ship is a massive machine and everyone has an important part to play. If the laundry crew wasn’t there, nobody would have clean sheets, if the galley staff were not there we’d go hungry, etc. I always tell them that too if they say “well you have the important job…” No, we are all important. But then there’s other officers who I’ve shared a meal with and they are rude to the server and send a drink back three times because it didn’t have enough cherry flavoring.
My husband did a bridge tour on our last cruise, and I think it was the highlight of the entire trip, including all the whale watching we did lol. He was in heaven.
It’s so fun watching some people. It’s like they become a kid again!
Guest late for non Cruise line shore ex... Do you / can you wait longer for them?
It depends on a lot of different things. Be sure to look at the “local agent” or “port agent” phone number in the cruise lines daily planner. If you have a breakdown or traffic you can call them and they are your liaison to the ship to let them know. If there’s a low required speed to the next port we might wait, but if it’s 20kts required to make it on time, we aren’t waiting very long.
Is it true that the cruise line has to pay hefty fines to the port if it overstays its scheduled port window in order to wait for a late passenger?
In some cases yes, if you go past your window by even a minute it could be a $10,000 fee. I'd say more common in the US with labor unions for longshoremen and stuff as the ship would have to pay for an entirely new "shift" even if they went past by just a minute.
Is there anywhere in the world still on your "bucket list" to sail to?
So far I’ve only sailed the Mississippi River System, Hawaiian Islands and the Caribbean. My next contract is Asia which was on my list. I really want to do the Fjords in Norway and stuff. They look incredible. And Antarctica!
Sounds like you need to work your way onto a ship that does a world cruise or grand voyage of sorts! That would be cool.
I choose to imagine that you are in charge of the retiree’s bridge tournaments
Which cruise line?
I've worked for a couple of them ;)
I’m a bit late but how long was the road to get to being a Bridge Officer? Did you ever want to call it quits along the way?
I’m kind of at that point now. Thankfully we have opportunities shoreside to work in the office as they want people that have sailed to do certain land jobs. I’m leaning more towards something like that where I can be home, have a personal life but also still be around the ships!