Unless you’re very, very good friends with the Captain of the cruise ship you’re on, chances are you’re not going to get the opportunity to check out the Navigational Bridge or other parts of the ship that are labeled as “crew only” during your cruise vacation.
A few lines like Holland America offer quick Galley Tours for those who want to see how meals in the ship’s main dining room are prepared, or the entertainment staff may host a quick backstage tour, but access to the bridge, engine control room, crew areas, etc. is strictly forbidden.
Or is it?
In a quest to satisfy the thirst of maritime enthusiasts like myself, cruise lines have begun providing access to some areas of the ship in specially arranged behind-the-scenes tours. Like an excursion you would book for a land adventure during a port-of-call, the behind-the-scenes tours are sold to a limited number of passengers and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
They’re also not cheap, with some costing $150 per person or more, depending on the cruise line. But in my opinion, they are well worth it!
If you’ve always wanted to see what goes on “backstage” on a cruise ship, one of these tours is right up your alley. But note, these are generally a few hours long, require a great deal of walking, and take you into crew areas where stairwells are steep and narrow.
They also fill up quickly, so before you head to the lido on embarkation day, stop by the shore excursion desk and ask if the ship you’re sailing on offers one. Keep in mind that for the most part, tours are done on port days, not on sea days, so you may have to skip parasailing or swimming with the dolphins to take advantage of the tour.
I’ve taken several of these behind-the-scenes tours on different cruise lines and different cruise ships and they all pretty much follow the same format. You will be assigned a lounge to meet in where you’ll gather for a quick headcount and to make sure everyone is wearing proper footwear, before you head off to the first stop, the ship’s Galley.
The Galley is where chefs, line cooks and an army of kitchen staff prepare thousands of meals a day for guests and crew. From room service breakfast, to the items you enjoy on the buffet and everything you snack on throughout the day, the Galley is what keeps bellies full.
You’ll marvel at how all this is done in a not-so-large space and wish your kitchen back home had all that shiny stainless steel!
From the Galley, your tour will make a stop at one of the ship’s many store rooms where all the ingredients that go into those meals are stored. From dry store rooms to refrigerated rooms and freezers, the ship’s store rooms are packed full with enough food and beverages to feed passengers and crew not only for the length of the cruise you’re on, but for additional days just in case the ship has to stay out at sea for an extra amount of time due to weather.
Who’s in charge of making sure the ship doesn’t run out of food? The Provision Master and the store rooms are his responsibility.
All that food makes for waste, and when you’re at sea you can’t take it out to the curb for the trash collectors to pick up! So your next stop will be to the ship’s Garbage Room where you’ll see workers separating every bit of trash that is generated onboard. Glass, bottles, cans, paper, plastic are all sorted and either incinerated onboard or offloaded to a recycling center.
As you traverse these various spots on the ship, you’re walking through crew areas where your guide may let you peek into a crew bar or lounge. The main deck where all this happens is referred to as I-95 named after the famous interstate that runs north and south along the eastern seaboard of the United States. It got this name because it runs the entire length of the ship so crew has easy access to passenger areas.
The next stop on your behind-the-scenes ship tour may be the ship’s laundry. It’s here where every bed sheet, every towel, every piece of linen from the dining room, even crew uniforms and passenger laundry is taken to be washed and pressed.
The laundry is often hot, steamy and one of those places you feel thankful that you don’t have to work in. Massive washing machines, dryers and folding equipment make quick work out of the massive amounts of laundry that is sent here every day.
Before you head to two of the most important parts of the ship, you’ll make a quick stop in the ship’s theatre for a look at where the performers work who entertain you every evening. You’ll see some of the sets used for the various production shows onboard as well as the dressing rooms and some of the costumes worn by the performers.
Next up is the Engine Control Room. Now this is not the ship’s Engine Room – no behind-the-scenes tour takes passengers there. The Engine Control Room is pretty much what it sounds like. This is the command center where engineers keep a sharp eye on not only the ship’s huge engines, but also everything else that makes the city at sea function.
A handful of people work here around-the-clock to monitor water production, engine function, waste facilities, propulsion, and more. Computer screens line the walls that display precise information about how everything on the ship is functioning. Closed circuit television shows views of the engines and also the ship’s funnel to monitor the amount and color of exhaust being discharged.
The Engine Control Room is in close contact with the Bridge at all times. Speaking of the Bridge, that’s usually the last stop on your tour. It’s here where you’ll have the opportunity to see the technology that the Captain, Officer of the Watch, and other officers use to ensure safe passage wherever the ship sails.
One thing you won’t see on the Bridge is one of those ship’s wheels you see in old movies. They’ve been replaced with what one can call a “joystick” much like you would use to play a video game with. A simple “joystick” is used to maneuver the ship with the help of computers and the experience of a well seasoned Captain.
In addition to all the equipment needed to “steer” the ship, the Bridge also houses a command center which can be used in emergencies, as well as the Captain’s office, a conference room, and equipment to monitor all aspects of the ship including water tight doors, fire suppression systems and more.
Like the Engine Control Room, the Bridge is staffed around-the-clock and is a pretty silent place to work as everyone needs to be focused on their task at hand ensuring the safety of the passengers, crew and the ship when in port or at sea.
Well, that’s a quick overview of what one could expect on a behind-the-scenes tour on a cruise ship. If you want to see more photos of the ship’s I’ve had the opportunity to tour, be sure to follow my cruise Instagram account at @scottscruisepix.
I can’t leave without mentioning again that these tours fill up quickly and only hold maybe a dozen or two people, so if you want to do one… inquire about whether they’re being offered right away when you get onboard!
Feel free to let me know about which ships you’ve toured in the comments below.
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