Cruise workers can never break this rule, or they face getting kicked off the ship — and even arrested

Yahoo

04-07-2025

They frown on this kind of relation-ship.
Landing a man in uniform on the high seas might sound like the ultimate maritime fantasy, but one cruise ship employee revealed that's unlikely to happen.
The reason: Flirting with passengers could potentially get crew members booted from the vessel.
Luke Osey, a professional magician who has worked on ships, dropped the bombshell in a viral TikTok video while responding to a fan who'd asked what employees do if passengers come on to them.
'The thing is, it's not really going to get to that point,' Osey said. 'If you notice that a guest is starting to flirt with you, obviously you talk to them for a bit, but you're not going to flirt back because you know it would be leading them on.'
Contrary to the sea-bound salaciousness that permeated the 1970s sitcom 'The Love Boat,' that kind of vessel va-va-voom is not allowed.
The card-trick shark said that, for the most part, high seas employees 'politely decline' voyagers' advances, as not doing so could land them off the ship.
'If there was even a hint of suspicion that you were talking to or sleeping with a guest, you'd be disembarked immediately,' the illusionist noted. 'My contract would be terminated, I'd be kicked off at the next stop pretty much.'
Osey claimed he took this rule so seriously that he'd intervene if he saw a colleague coming onto a guest.
'I'd say, 'Hey, mate, that's not the best idea — you could get called out for this,'' Osey said.
'A little bit of fun is not worth your contract,' the young shipmate added. 'And, also, the average age of cruisers is about 65, so it's not really my type anyway.'
According to P&O Cruises' Fleet Harassment Policy, 'any intimate relations or attempts at intimate relations that are unwelcome, including asking a passenger to be alone, kissing, engaging in sexual relations, or any other similar behaviour will be dealt with under the Code of Conduct with a potential sanction being up to and including dismissal.'
In fact, nonconsensual interactions could be deemed a 'criminal offense' and result in the offending crew member getting arrested.
Crew members are also prohibited from inviting passengers to their cabin accommodations — unless the employee is already recognized to be in a relationship with said guest before boarding.
'You must declare this to your Head of Department prior to the passenger boarding,' according to the policy.
Relationships between crew members, on the other hand, are generally acceptable with one caveat — supervisors are not allowed to date their subordinates, the Daily Mail reported.
Meanwhile, cruise ships are veritable havens for inter-passenger relations.
In fact, swinging — engaging in group sex or swapping partners — is particularly popular with randy travelers often pinning pictures of upside-down pineapples to cabin doors to let fellow pleasure boaters know they're in the mood for a switcheroo.