What Are the Crew Areas Like?

By David J. Hahn
New York, NY

Ryan asks:

What are the crew areas like? I’ve heard (of course) of the crew bar – but not much else. Is it nothing but crammed rooms like a dorm – or do they have some lounges and things like that specifically for the crew.

This may sound like an odd question – but do they have pool tables on the cruise ships – or anything like that?

Hi Ryan. I’ve never seen pool tables anywhere on ships, but you can find them in port. When a ship has a set schedule, such as every Tuesday is an overnight in St. Maarten, or something like that, there tends to be a bar or two in town that the crew flocks to on these nights. Often these are bars with darts, or pool, or something like that.

There are crew amenities on cruise ships. On my first ship there was a big crew mess, a medium-sized petty officer’s mess (“the PO”), and a small crew bar. Drinks were served in the crew bar and the PO. Also, if there was a big party we’d set up a DJ and lights on the mooring deck, which is where the mooring lines and anchor chains are stores (usually around deck 5, aft, and hard to find).

Crew spaces are generally very utilitarian. Whereas passenger areas are often decorated and carpeted, there’s little to none of that in crew areas. Expect metal walls and ceilings painted white and blue-green linoleum-like floors. Often, though, the crew bar will be decorated for someone’s birthday or a holiday. I remember one particular 30th birthday party of a popular spa girl that had ice sculptures and a buffet in the crew bar. The place was packed.

While small and bare, the crew areas are very important to the crew. These little spaces are the only places on the ship that crew members can get together and blow off steam. When you live where you work, sometimes there’s a lot of steam.

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About the author

David J. Hahn is a music director and pianist in New York City. He co-founded MusicianWages.com with Cameron Mizell in 2008. His writing have been published in the International Musician, union trade papers and featured on the Huffington Post and About.com. Find out more at his website and follow him on Twitter.

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