Think working on a cruise ship is all cocktails, dance parties, and sun chairs by the sea? Think again. Life on a cruise ship is very different for those who work on board year round. It's not just parties and adventures all day long, it's hard work! If you've ever taken a cruise, you may have noticed how much cruise crews are responsible for.

From the moment they decide to pursue a cruise ship career, tough auditions, boot camps, and major life adjustments are in store. As real cruise employees explain below, choosing to work on cruises means a trade-off between a normal, stable life and a whole lot of sacrifice.

Imagine leaving everything you know (including solid ground) behind and living on a ship for months of your life! According to researchers at Crew Center, thousands of people choose to do this every year for jobs on cruise lines like Carnival, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. They report that the total number of cruise ship employees worldwide is currently around 223,914.

Don't get us wrong: these employees usually love their jobs. There are positive parts of being stranded at sea for months at a time! For cruise ship singers, dancers, cooks, and hospitality workers, there are plenty of unique cruise ship perks that they exclusively can enjoy - no passengers allowed.

So what's it really like to work on board one of these massive and exciting ships? Here are 25 things you probably didn't know about the lives of cruise ship employees:

25 25. They Don’t Actually Like the Food

Cruise ship food is famously delicious. You might assume that cruise ship workers would consider the food to be the best part of their jobs, but many of them actually grow to dislike the food options on board.

“Imagine eating at your high-school cafeteria three meals a day, seven days a week for a year,” explains one cruise employee to Insider Magazine. This definitely makes sense to us. Even if a meal is great, you probably don't want to see, smell, and eat it every single day for months at a time, and that's the case for many cruise ship workers.

24 24. Their Coworkers Are Incredibly Diverse

As reported in a survey by Medium, most cruise ship staff members tend to share a native language with the passengers (think cruise directors and entertainers). That doesn't mean that if you take an American cruise, all your crew members will be American, however.

“On any given contract, you’re working with about 64 nationalities,” former cruise crew member Kat tells Mental Floss. Medium's results confirm her view that cruise ship employees are incredibly diverse and that this is actually an intentional choice by some cruise lines: "Royal Caribbean, for example, portrays itself as an 'international' brand," Medium reports, explaining why this company chooses to hire people with a wide range of nationalities.

23 24. For Them, Drinks Cost Next to Nothing

Unless you pay for an all-inclusive drinks package when you take a cruise, you'll find yourself shelling out upwards of $10 every time you feel like enjoying a drink by the pool. That's unless you're a cruise ship employee, of course.

Cruise ship employees enjoy their own private bars on deck, where drinks cost much less than they do elsewhere on their ships. As one former cruise employee named Sam explains: "At the passenger bars they were charging like $15 for a drink and we’d go down into the crew bar and you could get a beer or mixed drinks for $1.25."

22 22. But They’re Not Allowed to Drink Too Much

A lot of cruise passengers enjoy kicking back and sipping martinis all day while they enjoy their vacations. For the people on the cruise ship who aren't actually on vacation (also known as the cruise ship employees), this isn't possible. They are strictly monitored to make sure that they never exceed the cruise line's alcohol limits.

They can be subjected to surprise breathalyzer tests just to make sure they are staying professional while they're on the clock. "There was a strict limit on our ship of no more than .04 blood alcohol content at any time," says a former cruise ship employee named Gavin. "but as long as you didn’t make a fool of yourself, you wouldn’t get randomly breathalyzed."

21 21. Cruise Ships Make Up for Them Missing Holidays

Kristen Marie is a YouTuber who used to work as a singer and dancer on Carnival cruise ships. She has experience as an employee on seven different ships: Carnival Pride, Ecstasy, Imagination, Glory, Paradise, Fantasy, and Freedom. On every one, she says that no matter how far she was from home, the cruise line would try to make things better around the holidays by hosting special events for their workers.

"Our chefs would make us a special meal," she shares. "It made it a little special because...you’re not home for Thanksgiving or Christmas." How sweet! It's like an office Christmas party, but more personal because they literally live with all of their coworkers.

20 20. Their Work Hours Are Extremely Long

According to Insider Magazine, cruise ship workers don’t really get days off – they get hours off. "You're always setting an alarm and you always have to be somewhere," cruise ship rock climbing wall instructor Julian Austin told the magazine.

Other employees agree that the work hours that cruise crews are expected to keep are highly demanding and unlike any other jobs' hours. It's hard to imagine that they don't all get overworked within their first months of employment with these intense schedules.

“On my worst contract, I was working close to 300 hours a month,” shares Kat. “Yeah, you might be in beautiful places, but you’re so tired sometimes you don’t even want to go out and explore.”

19 19. They’re Hired for Their Personalities

It’s not just practical skills that get a cruise ship employee hired. Cruise Ship employment professionals are always looking for people who will be good at carrying conversations with passengers and maintaining a cheerful, upbeat attitude.

"Your job on a cruise ship is not just walking out, singing, and going home. Clearly, you live on board," shares Kristen. "You need to be hospitable, friendly, welcoming, warming, and they like to make you memorable."

She says you don't need an agent, but you do need charisma. Coming to an open-call cruise audition without it is a surefire way to get sent out the door, whether you're applying to be a singer, dancer, server, or otherwise.

18 18. They Like to Prank Passengers

Just like how the food gets a little boring to workers who are on the ship every single day for months, the activities on the ship can also get a bit humdrum and monotonous. How do the most adventurous and daring crew members pass the time? According to some: pranks.

"A favorite was while in a passenger area say to another crew member, loud enough to be heard by passengers, 'Meet you in the bowling alley tonight!' Of course, there wasn’t actually a bowling alley on board," shares one former cruise employee. "Then we'd wait for the comment cards to come in: 'Why do crew get a bowling alley when we don't?'"

17 17. They Go Through an Intense Training Bootcamp

Before setting foot on the cruise ship itself, singers, dancers, and musicians have to undergo weeks of intensive training on land. That’s when they learn the songs and choreography they’ll be performing. According to Kristen, Carnival Cruise workers work from 9 to 5, with no cell phones for 6 days a week for an entire month before they’re ready to start actually doing their jobs. They’re even housed in one main apartment complex so they can get used to working in close quarters.

Even though every person hired into these positions already has years of training and experience, there’s nothing like working on a cruise ship! It takes specialized, intense practice to prepare for dancing around on rocky seas.

16 16. There’s Lots of ‘High School Drama’ On Board

It doesn't come as a surprise that when you put a bunch of young people in a tight social bubble, have them work long hours without much sleep, some of them are going to butt heads. While some fantastic, lasting friendships are made between people who work on cruise ships together, there is also a good amount of drama between crew members on board who can't separate themselves from the group and find a moment alone.

"That is the difficult part about it, separation," explains Julian Austin. "You're constantly mixed with work and personal life, and it all gets intertwined... there were only 1,200 crew members and I think my high school was three times that."

15 15. Their Room and Board Are Completely Covered

Have you ever wondered what it costs financially for crew members to live on board? They have room and board completely covered, and they just make a paycheck on top of that.

According to CruiseJobFinder.com, a lot of employees find that the money from these paychecks easily adds up. This is because they don't need to spend it on the typical adult expenses of rent, food, or healthcare.

"Many people who work on cruise ships save most of the money they earn because they have so few expenses," the website reports. "Most cruise companies also offer medical and dental insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, travel benefits for you and your family, and vacation time."

14 14. They Call Home Only on ‘Port Days’

Just like passengers, cruise ship workers only have very expensive, very slow Wi-Fi and no cell phone service while they’re aboard a ship. Unlike passengers, this doesn’t just prevent them from sharing their pictures as instantly as they might like to. It also prevents them from being able to contact their families or check their emails/social media accounts for days at a time.

This contributes to the feelings of isolation that many cruise employees experience. If you see your favorite cruise ship crew member talking on the phone or video chatting while off the ship at a port of call, resist the temptation to go say hi! This is the precious time that they need for staying in touch with their families.

13 13. They’re Not All Allowed to Visit Port Cities

Even though port days are crucially important for keeping in touch with their families, friends, and lives at home, not every performer gets to actually leave the ship at every port. Maritime Law states that a certain number of employees must be on board manning the cruise ships at all times.

For Carnival, crew members rotate this duty. One day the performers will leave the ship, kitchen staff the next day, hotel staff the next day, and so on. The rest have their port passes confiscated so they can’t set foot off the ship! If you don’t see your fave performer enjoying the sandy shores of your port stop, now you know why.

12 12. Some Parts of the Ship Are Off Limits

Even though they work there, cruise ship employees don’t get to go wherever they want. Kristen Marie says that despite working on 7 different cruise ships for years, she never got to set foot in certain areas of the ship.

One that she mentions is the boiler room, which to be honest, we wouldn't be interested in visiting anyway, but it is strange that even a trusted employee can't walk around freely in their own workplace. This is especially true when you consider that their workplace is also their home. Who else can't walk around freely and explore their own home? Rough.

11 11. They Get Their Own Themed Parties

It’s not just the passengers having all the fun. Performers, kitchen staff, administrative staff, and hospitality workers all get to come together at exclusive parties and events while the guests are asleep in their beds or doing their own thing. Cruise crews have their own entire social events calendars of fun activities that the ship’s staff plans for them to enjoy while on board.

If you're someone who enjoys cruises, you'll already know that partying on a cruise ship is no joke. The cruise lines go all out when it comes to decorations, activities, music, and more, all which fit with the particular party theme. Employees are lucky enough to enjoy their very own versions of these world-class events.

10 10. A Lot of Their Paycheck is Based on Your Feedback

Passengers have a lot of influence over how much cruise ship employees get paid. You know the comment cards at the end of your cruise? These are a way for you to review your experience and share your opinions about the staff - which, if positive, translate directly into salaries and bonuses for workers.

"For most people, their salaries are quite low and they rely on those bonuses," Kat says. So if you leave a bad review, you can be sure that the employee you mention within it will feel the impact on their paycheck. "The very best thing you can do for a crew member is to write a glowing review, mentioning them specifically on your comment card."

9 9. They Can Win Big Prizes from the Cruise Line

When your cruise ship has a staff of 1200 people, and each of those people pitch in a few dollars on crew-only bingo night, you could find yourself raking in thousands of dollars in cash in just one night.

According to Kristen Marie, Carnival also donates big prizes like phones, ipads, cameras, and more to crew-only events like these. Salaries aside, working on a cruise ship can get you some great free gear if luck is on your side.

8 8. They Can Get Kicked Off at Random Ports

In typical jobs, getting fired is always uncomfortable and awkward. If it ever happens to you, just be grateful that your job takes place on land. The most your boss can do is take away your future paychecks and wave you out the door. On cruise ships, firing has a much more dramatic conclusion.

Cruise Lines take rules about their employees conduct very seriously, according to RydeAway. When a crew member breaks the rules, they can be fired and kicked off the ship at the next port of call. This means that an American crew member can easily find themselves out of a room and a job and completely alone in a foreign country like Norway or Belize.

7 7. They Have a Morgue On Board

"We definitely had a morgue on board," one former ship employee told Mental Floss. "Because the line was for older demographics, we had people die on the ship pretty regularly."

According to Cruise Critic, deaths on cruise ships are definitely a regular occurrence. Roughly 200 people die on cruise ships every year, so it makes sense that cruise lines have built special rooms to meet the need that arises from having deceased passengers on board. Most ships have morgues that can hold up to five or six bodies at a time to keep them safe until the ship reaches shore.

6 6. They Don’t Get Seasick

Have you ever heard of the expression "get your sea legs"? According to Marine Insight magazine, this expression "refers to getting acclimatized to a newer surrounding, specifically on the water." When you don't have your so-called sea legs, it's easy to get seasick on a cruise ship. Since the crew has so much experience on board, they overcome seasickness over time.

"You definitely notice it when you first get on board, that first night you're in your bed and you're rocking," says Julian Austin. "It's something to get used to. There are days when you feel off, your equilibrium is just off, but it could be from the night you partied before."