A CRUISE ship worker has revealed what life is like for staff on board, with secret shops, cheap drinks and other places off limits to guests.
Some people think that cruise workers are constantly having to deal with customers, but that's certainly not the case.
Ezra Freeman, from TV show the Real Love Boat, has shown what it's like for staff on board the ships when they're away from passengers.
In a series of videos on her social media channels, Ezra (@ezrafreeman) has gone behind the scenes, providing viewers with a little taste of cabin life.
One of the videos involves a tour of a shop on board the ship, while Ezra gives some advice to cruise passengers, who might be thinking about getting gifts for the members of staff.
She said: "I'm just showing you guys tour of our crew shop right now. So here it is, tucked away in this corner of the crew bar.
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"There's lots of snacks, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies.
"I would say if you're going to go through the trouble of getting your crew members a gift, do not get them things like personal hygiene supplies. They can absolutely afford that.
"Today, a passenger asked me if I needed a toothbrush.
"She said she always brings goodie bags to crew because she thought we couldn't get anything. But we have a crew shop."
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The shop is far from the only hidden area on the ship for crew members.
Ezra told the Star about other areas on board that are exclusively for staff, as well as how little she has to pay for drinks while at sea.
She said: "Guests want to see crew cabins or go to the crew bar… I can understand why they'd want to see it — the crew bar is amazing.
"All drinks are under $2 [approximately £1.65]. But we earned that privilege.
"We have a crew recreation room with ping pong and pool, we have a crew gym, we have a crew bar, we have crew dining areas, and of course our infamous crew cabins."
Ezra isn't the only crew member to reveal how cheap drinks are for staff.
Cruise worker and Tiktoker Drew Boudreau (@drewboudreau) revealed how much he pays for drinks on board compared to the "out of this world" prices he would see passengers pay.
In a video on Tiktok, he said: "Here's something fun they don't tell you about working on cruise ships – and I mean fun. Liquor is unbelievably cheap for the crew.
"For passengers it's like out of this world, but if you work on a cruise ship, it's the opposite.
"When I was stage managing for a big cruise line, I would go to the crew bar and a beer was 75 cents (62p) and a cocktail was $1.25 (£1)."
Drew suggested that he paid a tenth of what the cruise guests were forking out, which he said allowed crew members to develop a real "sense of comradery".
He added: "You buy 10 beers for your buddies, you're out $10 (£8.28) instead of $100 (£82).
"Because it's a party, they can charge people whatever they want for drinks, and they'll pay."
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