Woman who worked on cruise ships reveals the number one mistake rookie travellers always make
Cruising is one of those things where the more journeys you go on, the more tips and tricks you pick up to make your voyage a lot easier.
And there's one mistake that rookie cruisers seem to make every time.
Not booking your shore excursions in advance.
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Don't leave your bookings to the last minute. Getty
A former cruise-ship worker has urged first-time cruisers to make sure they take the time to book their shore excursions before getting on the ship.
"If you can avoid waiting for embarkation day and get it done in advance, your life is going to be so much easier," Alley Kerr told The Independent.
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Alley has worked as a singer and dancer on over 100 cruise ships, so it's safe to say that she's seen it all.
"On embarkation day, it is absolutely insane. That's the day that everybody is trying to book their shore excursions, trying to get their internet sorted, trying to book restaurants and any extra add-ons," she said.
You don't want to miss out on your preferred excursions. Getty
Also, if you leave your booking to the last minute, there's every chance that it will be sold out.
"I feel that this is one of the worst things that could happen, because you've missed out. There's limited availability for a lot of things," she said.
Alley's cruise career was cut short by a back injury, but the entertainer continues to create travel-focused videos for her YouTube channel, where she has over 300,000 subscribers.
Alley started out as a dancer and worked her way up. Instagram
On her channel, she has opened up about her life on board cruises as a crew member, sharing behind-the-scenes tours of her cabin and her daily routines.
In a video from earlier this year, Alley revealed how much she was paid when she worked on board cruises - and how she managed to live off less than $10 a day.
Alley, who worked for Royal Caribbean, says she was paid an "on land" rate and an "at sea" rate.
Before boarding the ship, during rehearsals, the entertainer lives on land, where she said that as a dancer she was paid about $300 per week ($463 AUD).
Alley says she was paid an "on land" rate and an "at sea" rate. Instagram
"I find that during this time for a lot of dancers especially, it's a net loss," she said in a YouTube video.
But once they're on board, they are paid the "sea rate", which for her was about $950 a week ($1470 AUD).
As Alley took on more roles, including vocalist and dance captain, she said her pay was bumped up even more.
All in all, she made about $6500 a month ($10000 AUD) on that particular cruise contract.
Alley said the best thing about working on a ship is that it's pretty easy to save money - you don't have to pay for rent, food, or utilities. The only expense Alley had was to pay for internet access.
