How Do Cruise Ship Crew Get to the Ship?

Cruise ship crew join ships all over the world. Whether that be in Miami or Singapore, Alaska or Barcelona, San Diego or Sydney, crew can join pretty much anywhere in the world. I’ve joined ships all over the world and it can be quite the adventure. Let’s explain the process of how cruise ship crew get to the ship to start their contract.

How do cruise ship crew get to the ship?

Most of the time it’s pretty similar to how passengers would. They fly to the ship, stay in a hotel the night before, and then get a transfer to the ship the next morning. Let’s back up a bit though as there’s a few things to do before you fly off on your next adventure.

How do you get your travel information?

Cruise lines now have websites dedicated to crew information. You login and you’ll have contract details as well as your flight information. For whatever reason though the flight information almost always disappears the day you are traveling so make sure not to rely on that for the day-of information!

Your shoreside planner may also email you your travel details including flight information and hotel information. If you are brand new to the company they may do this as your login credentials for the crew site might not be active yet.

What kinds of flights do you get?

For the most part, the cheapest ones. Sometime you’ll luck out and get a direct flight or one with great connections, but more often than not it is going to be one that is less expensive with possibly not great connections.

It will also likely be on one of the major airlines as the cruise lines have agreements and partnerships with them. Don’t expect to fly airlines like RyanAir or Spirit but rather major airlines like Delta, British Airways, Lufthansa, etc.

Nearly all crew will be in economy class, although some higher ranking staff will get business class (like Hotel Director, Captain – those type ranks).

When do you fly?

You should expect to fly out a day or two before your contract starts. The cruise line will get you to the port you are joining in the day before your contract. I am from Vermont in the US and for joining most places in the US I would fly out the day before. Say my contract started on a Saturday I would fly on Friday.

However, if I was joining in Europe it would nearly always be that I would fly on a Thursday, have the overnight flight, land in Europe on Friday to join on Saturday. You get the idea. However long it takes to get to where the ship will be a day in advance.

How much luggage can I bring?

Technically you can bring as much as you want, but there is only so much space in your crew cabin. The company will typically (double check this ahead of time) include with your ticket or will compensate you for up to two checked bags. This is in addition to any carry-on’s you might bring.

There isn’t a separate place to store your luggage though in your cabin (maybe under the bottom bunk), so luggage that can stack into itself is a huge bonus or collapsable duffles.

Getting from the airport to the hotel

Technically the cruise line will arrange transfers for you from the airport to the hotel. However, if the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle between the airport and the hotel, this is most likely what you’ll be using to get from A to B.

This isn’t the worst, but after you’ve already been traveling for a long time waiting for the shuttle can be frustrating, or figuring out just where the pickup is, or sometimes finding the courtesy phone to call the hotel to let them know you need the shuttle. It can just be an extra headache after an already long day.

Other times though they’ll be a port agent or sometimes even a private car hired to transport you. You should know what kind of transport you’ll have before traveling.

You get a hotel the night before you join

The night before you join the company will pay for a hotel for you. The quality of these hotels can vary greatly. I’ve stayed in rooms with a balcony overlooking the ocean in Maui and rooms basically in the basement with no elevator in Boston and everything in between.

You should be told by your planner before you travel if you’ll have a roommate. This is very dependent on which function you have onboard. Even when I was in a position with a roommate on the ship I never had a roommate in my hotel the night before. However, that’s not always the case and it’s best to be prepared.

Can you go explore the day before you join the ship?

Absolutely! If you get to your joining city early enough in the day absolutely go explore if you’ve got the energy for it. A lot of times your hotel won’t be ready if you arrive early anyways, but the hotels have always been great about storing my luggage for me.

I’ve had great days out in Amsterdam, Venice, Ushuaia, Maui, and more before joining a ship. Go have fun! Just remember once you get onboard it’s time to work so don’t have *too* much fun.

The cruise line will arrange transfers from the hotel to the ship

If you’re joining in a home port this will likely be by coach bus as there will be a lot of other crew joining that day as well.

The hotel should know what time your pick-up is in the morning and you should have it in your information as well but it is usually very early. If you’ve cruised before as a passenger you might think you won’t join the ship until 11:00 or 12:00. You’d be wrong! Crew get on the ship bright and early.

Who pays for food while you’re traveling?

You are given a per diem amount for food based on how long your travels were and how long you have at the hotel. That gets reimbursed to you once you get onboard the ship. If you have to pay for luggage (either one or two bags) it is typically reimbursed by the cruise line once you get onboard.

For food they typically just give you the dollar amount, but on the off chance they need receipts it’s best to save them. For any luggage expenses you’ll also need to save these receipts.

Can you keep your air miles?

Yes! Sign up for airline loyalty programs and keep your air miles! Usually there are about three major ones to be apart of that the other companies have alliances with. You can add your rewards number to the booking before flying, at the airport, or even after flying. They add up!

And, while I have always managed to keep my air miles for my flights, I have yet to get hotel points (even with the big US chains) for my hotel stays. It has to do with how the company books them. Alas, it’s always worth trying.

Pro-Tip: You can ask for help
I’ve had a few times where I needed to make a call, back before I had international calling through Google Fi, and asked someone if I could make a call and they let me. Once in Venice and once in Lima. People are nice if you give them a chance!

What if you miss your flight/flight is cancelled/any other travel issue arises?

Cruise lines have a 24 hour phone number you can call for emergency travel assistance. It could be help dealing with a cancelled or missed flight, or like on my first contract I got to the hotel in my information and they didn’t have a room for me. Whoops.

Give that number a call. They will ask what your name, ID number, and function is and then will help figure out the next steps.

Conclusion: How do cruise ship crew get to the ship?

There you have it! Cruise ship crew get to the ship just like anyone else, but theoretically it is all organized for them and paid for in advance by the cruise line.

From air travel to transfers and hotels, it can seem a bit overwhelming when you join a ship for the first time. Always be willing to ask questions because people are more than willing to help out a newbie.

Have other questions about cruise ship life?
Check out Cruise Ship Crew Life

To find out what the first day onboard might look like, be sure to check out Your First Cruise Ship Contract: First Day Onboard!

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