Parties, relationships and secret codes: a cruise employee tells the secrets of life on board

Lucy Sutherton, 28, from Birmingham, an expert in the cruise industry, revealed the secrets of life on board. According to her, the crew uses code words to let others know when a break is needed, and parties and romantic relationships are an integral part of almost every sea voyage.

Lucy started her career at the age of 19, getting a job as a masseuse in a spa on a ship. Since then, she has fallen in love with cruises and shares her experiences on Instagram. In a conversation with the Daily Star, she shared some secrets unknown to passengers.

Now Lucy helps passengers choose expensive items from the luxury stores on board. She says that work on the ship is always in full swing, because passengers demand attention all the time. That's why the crew uses secret codes to let others know when they need free time.

"WOFT," which stands for "waste of f*****g time," is an acronym that saves crew members when they need a half-hour break. According to Lucy, sometimes the crew makes up tasks to trick the manager or deliberately delays simple tasks.

Parties and relationships also become an integral part of life on the ship. Lucy admits that the crew bar often becomes a place of wild fun, and romantic and platonic relationships between crew members are commonplace.

"I've had some wild nights in the crew bar, because let me tell you, sailors really know how to party. Yes, there are many relationships between crew members, some of them romantic and some of them platonic. Let me just say that very few people are able to keep sexual relationships secret for a long time," Lucy said.

Earlier, TravelWise wrote about the top 12 best cruises in Norway for fantastic Scandinavian adventures.