Ladies and gentleman, young and old, for the first time in the world for the low price of $79 per guest you can now marvel at a behind the scenes tour of the illusive crew members life on board Royal Caribbean cruise ships. Yes, you heard it right, guests can now book a new tour named "All Access Crew Life Tour" on selected sailings.

Crew members next time someone knocks on your cabin door it might not be your paisano or cabin inspection, but a guest you served last night interested to take a look in your closet sized cabin. Now all our glamorous and mysterious crew life will be exposed for a fair price of $79 per guest. Ladies put your air drying Victoria Secret lingerie away, gentleman hide your smelly socks from yesterday's 12hour shift.

As most of us know, almost all cruise lines offer “All Access Tour” where guests can see the main galley, main laundry, the bridge, storage areas, garbage room and sometimes take a walk to I-95. However, the new tour that guests now can book by logging into the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner website will be different. How different? Well, we will have to wait and see because there are no details of what’s included in the tour yet. Here is a screenshot of the tour.

So why such irony? Well, cruise lines love to say to the crew “This is your home away from home.” We spent 6-8 months on board and only 2 months at our native home, the ship is literary our home majority of the year. Thus, if the cruise company promotes to us that statement and believe it, why this intrusive approach for our private lives to be sold for $79 per guest? I don’t know if you like someone to walk around in your dining room back home, or take a look in your kitchen, bathroom or your bedroom? Not me and from the response it appears nor do most of us who work and have worked on ships. 

Yes, we work there and we contract, but even as is we have the right to some level of privacy, personal security, rest and leisure and adequate living standards according to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (e.g., Article 3: Right to Life, Liberty, Personal Security; Article 24: Right to Rest and Leisure; Article 25: Right to Adequate Living Standards). If you think this tour is little intrusive for the crew, there is another famous ship life saying “Don’t like it? Go home.” However, most countries worldwide have also adapted their Labor Laws in accordance with The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Why is this important? Well, cruise companies are registered in a country that is guided by labor laws that should be implemented in the policies of the cruise company itself. These laws and policies should guide the conduct, regulations, as well as work/rest life of the contracting crew members. 

Yes, we work on the same site we live, but we have the right to fulfill ourselves as human beings when we clock out and adequately rest. Thus, if this affects the crew members and their quality of life, they should be included in the discussion and decision, as well as protected under the guiding labor laws, policies and in accordance with basic human rights.

So what might be included in the tour?

Maybe a lunch in crew mess will be served for guests, so passangers can enjoy that world famous rice we eat each day. A drink in the crew bar at discount prices maybe? Power napping (i.e., 30 minutes quick nap) in the crew cabins on the top bunk bed or wherever your tired body drops? Doing laundry in the crew laundry room? Hopefully the guide informs them not to leave the room because the likelihood of another crew member taking out their laundry before the washing machine is done is high because of the ratio of crew versus available machines. 

What else? Any other ideas we can make this tour more exciting? Add your ideas in the comment box below.

Ok so we have some more exciting ideas for tours:

How about a USPH special cleaning tour, where participants can join the crew in cleaning with three bucket system?

How about a tour in the homes of the CFO, CEO and other Royal Caribbean C’s? Now, this will be a pricey one but for sure it will bring big bucks to the company.

I wonder how the crew feels about this "All Access Crew Life Tour" Let us know in the comment box below.