Officers Inviting Friends on Cruise

[crusieobsessed]

Hi, 

 

So I've heard officers can invite their friends and family onboard the ship to enjoy a cruise. 

 

What are the rules behind this?

 

How long can someone be invited for? Is it free or is there a charge? Can they share a room with the officer if they're in a relationship? 

 

Thanks! 

[spookwife]

lots of rules and the one you should be asking is the officer with whom you have the relationship with.  

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, crusieobsessed said:

Hi, 

 

So I've heard officers can invite their friends and family onboard the ship to enjoy a cruise. 

 

What are the rules behind this?

 

How long can someone be invited for? Is it free or is there a charge? Can they share a room with the officer if they're in a relationship? 

 

Thanks! 

A lot of this depends on your definition of "officer", and what that person's rank is.  Deck and Engine officers, even junior officers tend to have more privileges than equivalent hotel supervisors.  The lower the rank, the less privileges are granted, like having guests onboard, and the size of the cabin.  And it all depends on the cruise line as well.  I've had junior engineering officers have their wives onboard for 3 or more months, but they were sharing an 8' x 8' cabin with a single bed and a shared toilet and shower.  The crew member needs to have permission not only from the Captain but from his/her supervisor as well.  Some junior hotel supervisors (officers to cruisers), share a cabin, so in that case you could not share the cabin. If you are in a passenger cabin, you pay for that, but there would normally be a "friends and family" discount.  Many cruise lines don't recognize "relationships" unless there is a legal basis for this (i.e. marriage).

[MBP&O2/O]

Wives at sea was no problem ... back in the day.

They company would only pay for two airfares in two years, so if you wanted to take your wife you asked to join a ship in the UK or  nearby European port and then you would ask to be billed for the airfare. The company used to get ‘trade price’, heavily discounted airfares and that saving would be passed on.

If you left in the ‘long haul’ zone, then you claimed the perk.

The longest I ever used was Montevideo from London.

We had a decent en-suite cabin, queen bed etc, 

Wives were put on articles with jobs such as Librarian ... which covered the insurance aspect .... 

Senior officers occasionally ... well very occasionally ... took their children but the education rules were different then and all they had to do was give an undertaking that the child would be educated on board.

Some wives could hack six months at sea .... some couldn’t ... and if you had children at home it was difficult ... there is baby sitting and there is baby sitting 😀

[Heidi13]

As the Chief indicated all cruise lines will have different standards. My experience is all with Princess.

 

When I started on cruise ships in the 1970's, nobody on board could bring wives, kids, family or friends. Not even the Captain. However, by the time I left cruise ships, the Captain, Staff Captain & Ch Engineer could bring their wives for a limited number of days per year.

 

The standards have continued to become more inclusive and when our son worked for Princess as 3rd, 2nd and Senior 2nd Officer he could bring his wife for 30 to then 60 days per year. If we wanted to sail with him, he required the Captain's approval, then the request was sent ashore for approval. A key question was if a pax cabin was required or not. If he stated a pax cabin was required, as a 2nd/3rd Officer, the request would be denied.

 

Therefore we would be approved to sail, but assigned to his cabin. If no pax or admin cabin was available then he had to make arrangements for us, which generally meant he would share with somebody else and he gave us his cabin. Was never required, as we always received a pax or admin cabin within 2 to 4 hrs of departure. We would enjoy dinner, then find out which cabin we were allocated.

 

We could sail with him for 30 day a year (3rd Officer) & 60 days a year (Senior/2nd Officer). Additional days cost a small per diem rate.

 

The cruise line also has a "Friends & Family" program where you can log-in and book discounted cruises, However the rates generally aren't better than the last minute deals frequently offered. 

 

To bring a wife/girlfriend aboard he had to provide a marriage certificate or proof of common law co-habitation with utility bills, bank statements, etc in both names.

[ldubs]

Huh, and all this time I thought they made you guys sleep in the life boats!  😀

[MBP&O2/O]

...... nah! No en-suite .... not even a thunderbox 🤢

[Vexorg]

I've also seen cases where both members of a married couple worked for the cruise line.  On one Princess cruise (don't remember exactly which one) we had a waiter in the MDR who said that his wife worked in the same dining room, albeit in a different section.  

[Essiesmom]

On an Oosterdam cruise, one of the female singers was married to an engineer onboard.  On a Solstice cruise our waiter had been working on ships for years, but they now had two kids back home in college, so his wife was onboard working at the Mast Grill on her first contract.  EM

[Hlitner]

As has been said, the rules vary by cruise line and rank of the officer.  We know a HAL Captain (now retired) who invited a single male passenger (a drinking friend of ours) on a pretty long Grand Cruise (about 60 days "on him" (the Captain).  Whether the Captain helped pay for that voyage or it was somehow handled gratis we do not know (nor does the person who got that cruise).

 

There are other ways folks get cruises for nearly nothing (perhaps just taxes).  We knew an entertainer on HAL who invited his girlfriend to join him for a few weeks.  One perk for this entertainer was that he could invite somebody to share his cabin (for free).  Many senior officers (of most lines) are permitted to have family or special friends join them and share their cabin.   

 

Hank

[clo]

I've followed this little thread and have just one question of the OP. Why do you care about something that in no way effects you? Not being snotty but flat out curious.

[ldubs]

12 hours ago, clo said:

I've followed this little thread and have just one question of the OP. Why do you care about something that in no way effects you? Not being snotty but flat out curious.

 

"Not being snotty but flat out curious."

 

Hmmm, maybe they were curious too!  Lol

[h-sar]

On 1/4/2020 at 11:16 AM, Heidi13 said:

As the Chief indicated all cruise lines will have different standards. My experience is all with Princess.

 

 

 

Some very good and interesting first hand information. Thank you!

[clo]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

"Not being snotty but flat out curious."

 

Hmmm, maybe they were curious too!  Lol

True! LOLing with you!