Crew-only spaces provide comfort, savings on cruise ships

In its recent article, Miami Herald features that cruise ship crew members often have limited access to passenger areas like restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. 

Even those with such privileges, such as officers, musicians, and entertainers, often choose to use crew-only spaces due to the more affordable prices.

Crew bars, for instance, offer drinks at a much lower cost than passenger bars. This is significant as most crew members earn relatively modest salaries compared to Americans, and spending $14 on a cocktail would quickly become expensive.

However, some ships provide more than just bars for their crew. Typically, newer ships offer a wider range of amenities, such as barber shops, spas, hair salons, exclusive crew gyms, and outdoor spaces. Utopia of the Seas, where Bryan James works as a musician, offers unique features for the crew.

On Deck 2, one of the lowest levels of the ship, there’s a coffee shop exclusively for crew members. It’s more bustling than you might expect, so let me take you through it.

At night, the coffee shop transforms into a bar, adding to the three other crew bars located on Decks 3, 5, and 6. The shop also offers freshly squeezed juices every day, likely the freshest on the ship due to frequent restocking from the home port every three days. The space features a section with board games, where crew members often gather to do puzzles—one puzzle has been completed around 15 times. When there’s a major game on, this is where the crew gathers to watch, though the space can get crowded. Due to busy schedules, most crew members only have time to stop by for a quick 5-10 minute break.

At the back of the coffee shop, there's a crew store. The right side is stocked with essentials, while the middle section offers snacks and chips. On the left, you'll find a large selection of ramen—lots of it.

This is a really important shop on ships because so many crew members can't get off when we're in Florida because they're busy getting the ship ready for us.

By Naila Huseynova