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Cruising is one of my favourite forms of travel. You can go onboard your ship, unpack once .. see a lot of different places (as long as they are close to the water) then pack once to go home, after the trip is over.

The various cruise lines all seem to follow the same pro-forma when it comes to passenger enjoyment. Provide good service, great food and wonderful shore-side tours and excursions. Oh Yes ... and the bars on board have to be open 24/7, as does the casino.

I had it explained to me one day by the Chef de Hotel that the ship doesn't make any money in port. I asked about the fuel the ship uses when at sea and he told me that cost is offset for the most part by the bar and casino profits. I can believe it. I don't gamble .. the odds are never in my favour .. but standing watching people losing hundreds of dollars at the drop of a hat (or turn of a card) makes me wonder what these people do for a living.

For the most part, the cabin staff work for a meagre wage, plus any tips that the passenger may give at the end of the cruise. Some cruises (depending on where they originate) deal with passengers where, in their home country, tips are never given. When this happens the cruise line augments the salaries with a minimum guarantee for the employee.

The ships crew provide for the passengers well. I've never been disappointed and we've done quite a few cruises over the years. I've even had to use the medical facilities provided and it's always been to a pretty high standard.

Where most cruise lines excel is in the area of food preparation. We had dinner with one fellow who told us he comes on cruises mainly to eat. He said he eats from when he arrives onboard until he gets off. Brings an extra set of larger clothes just in case. He said he starves himself the rest of the year but he regains all lost weight on the cruise.
I have been disappointed with the meals on some occasions but only because the items offered were not to my liking ... not that they were prepared poorly. Can't fault the chef staff at all, ever.

Here are some photos for you to see ... for an idea of what goes into the process of putting a ship to sea and what they do once you get there. Royal Caribbean is the company building the new ship .. but they don't know I have this on this web site - they've never offered me a free cruise.
I'll remember that !!