What
does it take to prepare fantastic meals for hundreds or thousands of cruise
ship guests, to stage a Broadway-quality show at sea, and to power and steer a
mighty cruise ship? You can get a first-hand look at all this and more on a
“behind the scenes” tour of your ship.
A
growing number of cruise lines offer these tours for a fee, which is usually
between $50 and $150. Often, sign-up is available only after you board the ship
– look for a sign at the front desk that advertises the tours, which are booked
on a first-come, first-served basis. Because all tours are supervised and the
group is likely to pass through some small or narrow spaces, groups are usually
limited in size to a maximum of 10 to 20 people. If there is high interest,
some ships are able to add more tours.
Norwegian
Cruise Line offers behind-the-scenes tours led by an officer of the ship.
You’ll explore areas that are usually off-limits to guests, including food
storage and preparation areas, the backstage area of the theater, the laundry
and the bridge, where a senior officer explains how the movement of the ship is
controlled. An extended version of the tour adds amenities such as a group
photo on the bridge, specialty coffees, evening cocktails and dinner in the
Cagney’s Steakhouse restaurant.
Princess
Cruises offers the Ultimate Ship Tour, which allows passengers to explore the
engine control room, medical center, print shop, laundry and photo lab. The
tour concludes in the command center on the bridge, where guests meet the
captain and take in the dramatic views from the wraparound windows.
Royal
Caribbean introduced its “Behind the Royal Advantage All Access Tour” in 2011.
Guests can “step inside the crew’s shoes” in areas such as the galley, laundry,
engine control room and bridge.
Celebrity
Cruises’ “See How it’s Done Tour” features a lunch with wine pairings for each
course. After all, guests can work up an appetite touring the bridge, mooring
deck, crew gym, engine control room, food preparation areas and the main
galley. A shorter option for those who just want to see the bridge is the
“Bridge Sail Away Experience,” which allows passengers to watch the
navigational team at work as the ship sails away from port.
Keep
in mind that a behind-the-scenes tour can be quite an active excursion,
requiring extended periods of walking, standing, and climbing or descending
stairs. For more information on any tours that may be offered on your next
cruise, talk with your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert.
