The cruise industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus scare in Asia with more than 80 voyages cancelled by several cruise lines, and seven ports closed in the region.

Recognizing the importance of the crew to keep in contact with their families and friends, Princess Cruises has introduced free Whatsapp for its shipboard employees. Starting February 14, the free texting service is available on six Princess cruise ships, and the company is working hard to expand the program throughout the fleet.

For each one of the bar personnel it is always the game not to go to work in the crew bar during your contract. If working with passengers is sometimes difficult, working in the crew bar can be even more challenging. Almost everybody that enters the crew bar has to go to work, this means they want fast service. Sometimes I even feel that crew members respect me less than passengers, but maybe this is just a feeling. 

Crew Center received a letter that was sent to all crew members onboard Diamond Princess in regards to the quarantine they are currently experiencing. We would like to present the letter as a gold standard of the cruise ship industry as related to acknowledging the hard work of the crew under extraordinary circumstances, encouragement for continuing with the hard work by supporting the crew.

The world has been on its toes since the announcement of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus with its initial outbreak in Wuhan, China as the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency.

The following letter was sent by a former crew member sharing his personal experience about how work on the cruise ships changed his life.

I always wondered what it would be like working on a cruise ship. After a few cruises as a passenger, a window finally opened and I was able to experience the crew life on board. A lot has to be done before embarking, many courses to attend and things to prepare. After a safety and security training, there was also the training with the company where they told us they would explain everything that somebody needed to know before embarking.

With the outbreak of the Corona Virus in China the cruise ship MSC Splendida had to cancel the voyage for guests leaving the crew onboard without work at this time.

Azamara, the luxury brand of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. family is the latest cruise line to offer their crew members complimentary texting through WhatsApp on their ships.

Crew Center received a large number of emails from crew members related to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) restrictions that brought about uproar by the crew in several US ports in October 2019. The concerns related to the restriction came in especially from crew members aboard cruise ships that only dock in US ports.