Sunday, 13 October 2024
by BD Banks
Royal Caribbean, to its credit, has been consulting with crew members about their onboard. Both Icon of the Seas, the first Icon-class ship, and its newest cruise ship, Utopia of the Seas offer reimagined crew areas.
That can be very important because many crew members can only access passenger areas when it comes to work. On older ships that can mean rarely seeing daylight, and having to make do with very limited facilities.
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On Utopia of the Seas, that’s certainly not the case, and Jordan Bauth, a Royal Caribbean figure skater who also has a popular YouTube page, was happy to show off the areas reserved solely for crew members.
“If you’re new to my channel, I am a professional figure skater and I have been working on cruise ships for the past five years, traveling all over the world,” Bauth shared. “I’m currently working on board the Utopia of the Seas, which is Royal Caribbean’s newest ship. It is an Oasis-class ship and I have been on board for five months now. So I thought it would be fun to give you a little inside scoop on what the crew areas look like on board.
Bauth, as an entertainer, can access passenger areas.
“I just need to be dressed accordingly, have either uniform on or smart casual, formal wear if it’s after 6 p.m. on certain days. So it is really fun to go into guest areas from time to time, but I do spend the majority of my time on board in the crew areas,” she added.
The ice skater plans to work her way down the ship from the top.
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“So my first crew area I want to share with you is the helipad. On the Oasis class ships, which is what we are on right now, the crew are the only ones who are able to access the helipad. On a smaller class ship such as a Voyager class, which I’ve also worked on, both guests and crew can access this, but the way that this ship is set up, the only way to get there is through crew areas,” she said.
Crew members often have very limited outdoor space access.
“I really love the helipad. It’s such a nice way to get some fresh air, to get some sunlight on your skin, and it’s a really nice way to watch the ship sail into a port and also sail away from a port. The helipad is also a really good viewing point for seeing the stars at night,” she added.
“Because you’re at sea in the middle of the night and there’s not much light around, it makes for a very good stargazing spot. In order to access the helipad you have to go to deck six crew area and then there is a set of stairs that will take you up. So technically the helipad is, I guess, on deck seven, if you will, but it’s one of my favorite spots to just watch the water and watch a sunset as well,” Bauth shared.
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“Going down to deck six, deck six is where you will find the outdoor bar. This is where you will find the late-night parties. There’s usually a DJ playing, dancing, there’s a little bit of a dance floor, there’s a bar up there, and then there is obviously tables and chairs where you can sit,” she shared.
Crew members have very few smoking options.
“If you are a smoker, that is where you can go to smoke as a crew member. I don’t smoke so I don’t ever really use that area and I definitely don’t go to the bar often up there just because it is a bit smoky. So that is on the outside but on the inside is what we like to call the crew recreation area.,” she added.
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“I really like this area. This is a good way to unwind after a long day of work, hang out with friends. So in this area, we have a bunch of activities,” according to Bauth. “There are two pool tables which I have been dabbling at. I’ve been learning how to play pool and trying to improve my skill. There’s also dart boards, you’ve got ping pong, foosball, there’s massage chairs which are really, really nice, and of course, there’s a ton of tables and chairs where you can sit, hang out, do work, whatever you please.”
“Now, one deck below that is another bar. This is the crew pub so definitely has a pubby feel. This is typically where I will go to have a drink with friends, hang out. There’s also a few games you can play so you can sit at a table, grab some Jenga, play Jenga while you have a drink. I really like the crew pub, you don’t really feel like you’re on a ship in this area,” Bauth said.
It’s a space that she uses a lot.
“I mean that’s personally what I think. You are enclosed though so there are no windows, there’s no natural lighting in the pub, but they do have some artwork, they have some TVs so they might have some sports on the TV or I don’t know whatever they have on the TV at that time. But there’s another bar here, obviously, it’s inside so it’s non-smoking and just a really good place to hang out with a group,” she added.
“Jumping down to deck three this is where you will find what’s called the crew disco. I really don’t know why they call it that. It is essentially another bar. This isn’t a bar that tends to be open on a regular basis but whenever there are special events hosted by crew welfare this is where they will take place,” she explained.
“So for example, if the ship is having a wine and cheese night for the crew that is where it has been in the past the last two times they’ve hosted and that bar will be open,” she said. “The other night there was a Latin party and they had drinks there so you could buy a drink at the bar along with a bunch of other parties and activities they host usually there because it’s a bigger more open space.”
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Once you’ve taken the stairs or the elevator down you will now end up on deck two which is where you will find the crew mess or crew Windjammer. This is where we eat all of our meals breakfast lunch and dinner.
On some of the smaller ships, you have two different crew messes. You’ve got crew mess and staff mess which are on different decks. On the Oasis class, you have one spot for food which is the crew mess and this crew mess is massive it’s much bigger than the mess you might find on a smaller ship.
This crew mess accommodates all of the crew, which is over 1,200 or 1,300 crew on board, and you can find a lot of different food options. Every once in a while, they do offer a different theme night or they do have food specials at lunchtime. So they’ve had a few times crepe and ice cream day at lunchtime.
They just did breakfast for dinner this evening. They had an Italian-themed night. So, they do switch up the food. There’s usually the same kind of food every single day but every once in a while they’ll throw in something a bit different.
Just outside of the mess is our crew cafe. This is called Java Cafe. This is where everyone goes to buy a coffee, espresso, latte, you name it.
There’s a really nice coffee machine and this does cost money so you will have to pay but the prices are very affordable for the crew members. They do have alternative milks which is great and they do have a juicer as well so you can have them make you a fresh juice or even a smoothie with protein powder.
I spend a lot of time in Java working just because I’m more productive if I go somewhere else with my laptop than sitting in the room so I do spend a lot of time in the cafe.
I don’t necessarily buy coffee very often because I usually just make mine in the cabin but every once in a while, I will treat myself to something from Java and it is quite good.
Just attached to Java is what we call Slopchest. This is kind of like a convenience store for us almost like a mini 7-Eleven if you will. There’s not a ton to buy here but if you are in a pinch and you need something kind of urgently this is where you can go. They also sell various snacks, they’ve got chips, they’ve got candy, they’ve got ramen noodles, so much ramen, and a bunch of various toiletries as well.
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Also on deck two is the HR center. This is where you will go for any sort of HR needs that you may have if you need help with a room situation, signing off, or really any other matter that is where you will go. They do have limited hours so they’re open in the morning and then in the afternoon as well. They’re not open 24 hours, you have to go when they’re open but they’re always very friendly there.
Jumping down to deck one, this is where you will find the crew laundry. So, this is a set room and there are so many washer and dryers. This is a very busy spot because people always need to do their laundry of course, so you gotta get lucky with timing or just know when to go when it’s a quieter time throughout the day to do your laundry.
Laundry is free on board. So, you do not have to pay. You do have to pay for your own detergent, but to actually use the machines it is free of charge for us which is great. And, of course, they do have ironing tables so you can iron out your clothes if you wish.
Below that is Deck Zero, and this is where you will find the crew gym as well as the barber shop. Yes, you heard me right, a barber shop. Because I don’t get my hair cut really while I’m on a contract, I actually didn’t know there was a barber shop, like a set barber shop, on this ship until a couple months ago.
I do think this is really great because there are two chairs set up along with two sinks and a bunch of outlets for the barbers to do their job. All the guys need to get their hair cut very frequently. Their hair grows quite fast, and there are a lot of people who work on the ship that know how to cut hair. So, it’s really nice for them to have a space to do so rather than setting it up just in the hallway next to their cabin.
Also we do have a crew gym. If you guys watch my vlogs you know I go to the gym very regularly, but I do have the privilege to go to the guest gym because it is in my contract. I do need to log gym hours every single week, and I always go to the guest gym just because I love having the daylight. I absolutely love getting to walk on the treadmill and see the ocean just out the window.
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So you may have wondered if there is a crew gym on the ship because I always go to the guest one. But, yes, there is a crew gym. No portholes, there’s no daylight, there’s no windows, nothing. It is quite a big space compared to the smaller ships. The Oasis class crew gym is a pretty good size. Whenever I pass by it’s never very busy, but they’ve got all the equipment that you could need. There are treadmills, there’s ellipticals, rowing machines, bikes, there’s dumbbells, and a bunch of other machinery that you can use.
We’re gonna go one deck lower which is the twin deck and this is where you will find the crew linen. If you’ve ever wondered how I get new sheets, if I need to wash my bedding, all of that kind of stuff, this is where I go.
So on this contract I do have my own blankets on the bed, but I do still need a duvet and I need sheets for the bed. I feel so grateful that we do not have to wash our own sheets because that is just another added hassle.
Laundry is annoying enough on the ship. So, getting to just bring our dirty linen to this specific spot, ask for clean ones, and then that’s it is incredible. It is also free of charge. So, we don’t have to pay to use this. They do have limited hours as well so they’re open in the morning and the afternoon or like early evening I should say.
But, yeah, this is where the crew members will get toilet paper, they’ll get their towels for showering, and all their bedding. You can also rent out a vacuum and cleaning supplies to clean your cabin.
Well that just about wraps it up. Crew areas in a nutshell for you. Hope you guys found this informative, and it gave you a little inside scoop of what crew life looks like. I will say the crew areas on Oasis Class are much more favorable than those on a smaller ship just because there are more options, there’s more places to go, so you don’t feel like you only have one place to go outside of your cabin.
Also with being on an Oasis-class ship, these are newer ships so the crew areas are very updated and, yeah, I spend a lot of time outside of my cabin whenever I have free time I try to go somewhere else to hang out.
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