Embarkation day is the day to hear the whips cracking in the slave ship. It's a lot of work for all departments, especially for the housekeeping who need to take the guest from their cabins (sometimes literally) and place new with smiling faces. All of this needs to be done super-fast and pretending that all is well. Imagine that passengers have until 8:30 am to leave the cabin, and they only come out at this time, never come out before. The new passengers come (like the stampede) at 13h. Housekeeping maid, needs to disassemble and assemble the entire section (ranging 15-21 cabins, with double beds. Have to change all the bedding, take all trash, wash the bathroom, dusting, put ice in buckets, pass the vacuum cleaner on carpet and stationery that consists of directory folder with all ship information, logbook, letter to each passenger in specific, emergency cards for each passenger, Cruise pass cards for each passenger (it's like crew pass, only for passenger) , ID for children, put life jackets for the right age of each child, replenish items from the minibar, put the key in the door of each cabin and shut the door and come back to take the passengers bags in the cabins. All of this takes a time, even if you do everything very fast. There is Assistant housekeeper, he takes care of the bathroom, remove the trash and takes the waste and bedding all for laundry and pass the vacuum cleaner, but do not be fooled yet if you do not move good fast back, there's no time. Some maids pay out one second helper to provide support in removing the sheets and stationery and other things that need an average of 30 euros. Another thing that makes all the difference and makes you gain enough time on the day of departure is to prepare some things the night before embarkation to make your life easier. • leave in each cabin the right amount of bedding to be used for change; • the sheets are tied on the four corners of the double bed and the single node in the feet and another at the head, untie them, and make the bed with him and stretched it's okay, facilitates and remove them the next day ; • remove all dust from the minibar items and store it in some empty drawer the other day just put without dusting, because it's already okay; • do not put ice on the glacier the night before, only to passengers that you know using the ice, most of them do not use; • clean all empty drawers, the next day you only have to open to see if it’s all ok; • if on the next voyage you have separate beds, already save the duvets and everything lined with the covers, the other day does not need to cover, just stretch out on the bed; • in the bathroom, leave the night before, all the toilet paper and towels with the right folds, very difficult for anyone to shower between their loading and unloading; • wash all the glasses that are in the bathroom, finally the bathroom is half done; • do not waste time making towel animals that day, the focus is to arrange for the shipment; • wake up earlier in the day of embarkation, take a good breakfast and be the first in line to pick up towels (yes, more towels because you have passengers who bathed, not to waste time going back to look, remember the sooner get, the less you will despair) It is something like what everyone else does, each develops its own way, but doing it helps you take the easy boarding day, or rather less gloomy.
Crew Insights
Articles and experiences shared by crew members working on cruise ship. Find out more about ship life at sea together with tips and advices for first time crew members and cruise oldtimers.