Cruise ship crew members live in very tiny spaces, sometimes sharing a cabin with not just one but two other crew members.
Ariana Monae took a job as waitress working for Norwegian Cruise Line. She went into the experience knowing that it was going to be long hours, no days off, and a lot of work.
Cruise cabins have improved greatly for crew members on newer ships. On older ships, they generally offer a very clever use of space, but not all that much privacy.
Monae’s cabin has three bunks, each with its own privacy screen as well as three lockers, and three locking drawers. It’s hard to see how all three crew members could be interacting in the cabin unless at least one was in bed.
In most cases, crew members share cabins with members of their team. That means that they will have at least somewhat similar schedules.
That’s a positive, in that the cabin-mates won’t be waking each other up at weird hours. It’s also a problem given the very tiny bathroom.
After this video was published, Monae quit her position with the cruise line.
Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.
See a tiny 3-person crew cabin
Transcript:
This little room tour is for you guys. There’s a few hooks over there. I got my bonnet hanging up, you know.
Some closets. We keep stuff above the closets because y’all gonna see our rooms are tiny. So we got like three closets over here.
And then we got the little desk area. Excuse me for being a mess because y’all live here, you know. I got packages coming in and whatnot.
There’s also a drawer for each of us on the desk. I’m gonna show you the bathroom. It’s very small as well.
The shower. Super tiny. And, uh, you know.
All the bathroom stuff. Really small bathroom. I know, I know.
But I actually kinda like the mirror for the bathroom. It’s like the best part. I’m gonna show y’all the desk.
I don’t even know. I’m gonna show y’all the desk. We got a little mini fridge over there.
Got some cleaning supplies over there for our Swiffer that we got. In the corner over here, you know. Try to keep it clean because it is very small.
This is my bed. Princess bed. I actually just got it today because my roommate left.
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
Shout out to her for leaving, period. And then got the top bunk. Bottom bunk.
And the curtains. As y’all can see, they do close all the way. As far as it’s like all the way closed.
Yeah, and that’s pretty much it. Not much to see. Yes, sir, yes, sir.
Try to show you guys a better view of it all. But you can’t really even see it all because it’s so small, you know. This is it from like when you walk in.
Hallway is super tiny. You know.
Related: Get the best cruise tips, deals, and news on the ships from our expert cruiser
