The need for mental health professionals on board cruise ships is enormous and for many reasons that are sometimes apparent, other times very much covert. The apparent reasons are simple and borderline common knowledge and understanding. The covert ones are a bit of a mystery to the public eye as most often people do not see or even understand what happens behind that door that says crew members only.

Crew Center was born out of the need for crew members to have a voice related to their everyday life challenges, to obtain resources, stay connected and informed, as well as support crew members.  The website started as nothing more than wanting to help crew members by veteran crew members who have experienced everything that they may just now be for the first time.

The crew members who work hard, execute their duties and responsibilities flawlessly, and as the cruise lines love to say “Going above and beyond guests expectations” are often promoted to higher positions. In theory, this is the only way to get promoted with more responsibilities, but also more money on the paycheck. However many crew members say that there are other ways for some crew to get promoted.

The work environment on river ships is quite different from the one on the big ocean cruise ships. The differences in itineraries, size of the ships, and passengers capacity also means that the working conditions are unique. So what's the difference between working on a river ship vs. ocean ship? According to the crew member Ranko Miletin, who has worked on ocean cruise ships, and now on river ships, the difference is huge.

Much is talked about the food served for the crew on board cruise ships. Many crew members say that the food is not that great and always the same items are served. Others will argue that some are very picky and they need to adjust to the new environment, which is quite different from back home. Usually on the ships there are three dining areas for the employees Crew Mess, Staff Mess and Officers Mess.

Working on a cruise ship is not a joke. You will work and work you will. But there are perks about working on ships and I am not talking about making more money than you would at home. I am talking about the travel and exploration of places and activities you would normally have the chance back home especially if you grew up in a landlocked country like I did.

When I say the word "mafia" most often people imagine the movie The Godfather with a whole lot of bullets, kidnapping, and severely illegal manipulative actions lead by a group of people who are pawns to one master mind. However, for our ship mates, the word "mafia" does have a slightly different meaning.

Your life changed in a minute…seconds… Yes, I know what you feeling I experienced the same.  Let me share some horror stories. 

The following message was sent by a crew member wishing to remain anonymous. According to the crew member, many cruise lines abuse the mandatory time and attendance policy regulated under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006(‘MLC’). He states that supervisors onboard adjusts the crew time cards, especially for the minimum hours of rest, which must be at least 6 hours between the shifts.

Shoppie or sales assistant schedules vary depending on the ship you are placed, the management you work with and the store you are assigned. My day in the life of a Shoppie is based on a typical day on Royal Caribbean - Harmony of the Seas.