P&O Cruises has sent an email to their customers informing them that the company will no longer charge gratuities or as they refer to discretionary daily service charges.

In many aspects, the so-called ship life is quite different from any land-based environment. Here are some challenges people working on cruise ships are experiencing on a daily basis. Some of them sound funny but this is the ship life reality.

The tragic news of the death of a young crew member who was found hanged onboard the cruise ship Carnival Fascination on Sunday shook Carnival Cruise Line family and the entire crew community. Nikola Arnautovic from Serbia was just 22 years old and it was his first cruise ship

Talking about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A video surfaced on the social media of a man jumping from the ship into the water when a shark appears next to him. Within seconds after he jumps off the ship a tiger shark appeared out of nowhere just a few feet from the man. You can hear people onboard screaming at him that there is a shark in the water. From the video it looks like the shark is going for his leg, fortunately, the man escapes unharmed.

This is a letter sent by a well-respected Merseyside Police Officer who decided to join Norwegian Cruise Line as a Security Officer after his retirement from the Police Force. His personal experience onboard reveals what is going on behind the scenes, senior officer’s behavior and their personal ambitions, crew treatment by the senior officers and many other aspects of the ship life.

The never-ending pursuit of the ultimate selfie shot has reached a startling new height. Cruise ships are especially popular for that perfect selfie photo for sharing and going viral on the social media. Here are some of the most amazing selfies taken by cruise ship crew members.

Selfie On Top of a Cruise Ship

The number of people going on cruises is increasing dramatically all the time. In 2007 nearly 16 million people took cruises globally but this is expected to exceed 25 million by 2019. By comparison, marine accidents were reported to be responsible for the deaths of just over a thousand people in 2017.

In the pursuit of a better life, many people decide to work on cruise ships. For most, this is probably the best legit option to leave their country and work abroad. We have all heard the words “I like to work on a cruise ship to see the world.” This is true for some people, but the majority of the crew are not working on cruise ships to see the world. They are there to earn money, and they are earning each cent the hard way.

As the cruise industry continues to expand rapidly around the world the growth in the onboard cruise retail market is significant. This year just about every major cruise line will have a new ship with wide public and commercial spaces dedicated for retail shops. The biggest companies operating in cruise retail sector are Starboard Cruise Services, Harding Retail, and Dufry Ltd.

The crew working onboard Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line ships can surf the net at no cost. The company announced that shipboard employees can now enjoy the ships internet and connect with family and friends using popular online services including video calls, downloads, and social media. This is a great news since crew will not have to go in the port, trying to find free Wi-Fi. Instead, they can browse the net from their cabin or other locations around the ship for free.