Have you ever gone on a cruise and felt like you were living out your Love Boat dream when you met a charming crew member? According to a cruise insider, holiday flings between passengers and the aboard crew are doomed to collapse faster than the Titanic, despite the fact that it may have felt like sparks were flying.
Epic pool parties, unlimited buffets, boundless daiquiris, and nonstop entertainment are just a few of the many things that cruises promise.
One item, though, is undoubtedly missing from the official activities list: having sex with the crew.
According to Lucy Southerton, a former cruise ship staff member with ten years of experience on ships like Virgin Voyages and Disney Cruise Line, life below deck is not quite as spicy as one might assume, even though you’re stranded on a floating city with thousands of strangers and enough cocktails to drown the ship.
On her YouTube channel “Cruising as Crew,” the UK native breaks down the specifics of life as a crew member and responds to the “most asked” issue in the cruise industry: “Are crew allowed to have romantic or personal relationships with guests on board cruise ships?”
She continues by stating, “There is absolutely no cruise line out there that is okay with their cruise members getting busy with a passenger.”
Keep the voyage safe.
Although cruise ships may seem like floating vacation homes, it’s vital to keep in mind that they are multibillion-dollar corporations.
The people in charge are busy safeguarding their brand, their money, and their five-star Tripadvisor rating while you’re enjoying your life to the fullest and sipping mojitos.
The matter may escalate into a full-fledged HR probe if things “get messy,” involving security teams, mounting legal threats, and social media headlines. That all “costs money.”
Keep passengers and crew safe.
However, Southerton clarifies that it’s also done to “protect both the passenger and the crew member.”
The two are frequently “not on the same page,” with one taking a vacation and the other receiving a salary plus tips.
Southerton begins, “One of these parties will have their ego or feelings hurt.” “The crew member will be in trouble at that point, when accusations may be made, discussions must be had, and reports may be filed.”
The connection becomes “twisted.”
Southerton acknowledges that connections continue to occur frequently in spite of the regulations. She also offers a little reality check for anyone who believes they have discovered their soul mate at sea, having lived on both sides of the ship life drama.
The crew members are living this life for months on end, meeting hundreds of new people every week, she tells passengers.
Therefore, for [the employee], meeting someone with whom they truly click is probably a common occurrence, even though this may be a novel and thrilling relationship for you that doesn’t happen very often. And this, in my opinion, is where travelers who do make friends or hook up with crew members get it wrong.
Therefore, for them, it’s probably just another day, another nice face they chance to click with, while you might be getting butterflies and dreaming about your future cruise wedding.
To put it briefly, it feels unique to you, yet it’s simply a component of their work.
risked everything.
Southerton reminds her audience that it all “depends on how much you value your job” before telling the tale of a man who, after months of waiting for that golden ticket and years of yearning, had finally boarded the ship as an official crew member.
However, he chose to risk everything for a little on-board activity since he couldn’t resist a passenger’s flirtatious signals.
He had just begun his contract, and having him on board was like a dream come true. However, he chose to become busy with the passenger a week into his contract, and let’s just say that he wasn’t particularly covert about it. He was dismissed a week after this occurrence. At the conclusion of the footage, Southerton shared, “He got sent home.” After years of effort, this man was finally able to board a ship, but about a week and a half into his nine-month contract, he was ordered home. Discuss self-defeating behavior.
Southerton ends by saying, “A wise man learns from other people’s mistakes.” “So, I believe that little story has something to teach us all.”
Your onboard romance ideal is usually best kept as a fantasy, even though the crew may be providing serious Love Boat energy and the cocktails may be flowing.
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