Cruise ships have hidden features that many passengers, particularly first-timers, don’t know about. Some ships are as big as small cities, and while it’s relatively easy to familiarise yourself with a seemingly endless number of amenities – water parks, tattoo parlors, multiple restaurants – there is also an entire ecosystem, often below passenger decks, that is shrouded in mystery.
Here are five things that cruisers may not know about cruise ships.
1. THERE ARE HIDDEN POOLS AND FACILITIES FOR THE CREW
There are typically more than 1,000 crew members on board large cruise ships, and while they spend most of their time serving passengers, there are several areas on the lower decks designated for them to unwind.
The facilities vary from ship to ship, but there are usually small pools in the ship’s bow exclusively for crew members, as well as restaurants, bars and recreational areas such as game rooms and gyms. The designated bar, a central social hub for employees after they have finished their shifts, often hosts live music and events in the evening.
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, has an entire “neighborhood” dedicated to its 2,300 crew members, with a clubhouse that has massage chairs and virtual balconies – large screens that show real-time views from outside – as well as a restaurant with portholes looking out to the ocean.
