I worked on cruise ships. Here's the rookie mistake that could ruin your trip

Independent

29-07-2025

Excursions to palm-fringed beaches and spellbinding coastal cities are part of what makes a cruise so special.
But a former cruise-ship worker has urged first-timers to avoid a mistake that could lead to them being stuck onboard while others disembark to explore.
Alley Kerr, who has worked on more than 100 cruises as a singer and dancer, declares that the No.1 blunder by cruising rookies is to leave booking shore excursions until they board on the first day.
Twenty-eight-year-old Alley, whose bright, breezy and insightful videos have earned her 303,000 subscribers for her Wanderlust Alley YouTube channel, explains over a Zoom chat with The Independent: "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.
"So, if you can avoid waiting for embarkation day and get it done in advance, your life is going to be so much easier."
Alley, from southern California, stresses that many activities have limited spaces.
She adds: "People who have never cruised before often get on the ship and then suddenly at the end of the day, they're like, 'Oh, everything's 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."
Alley's cruise ship career was cut short by a back injury.
But one thing she doesn't miss is the food.
She reveals: "Sometimes you just get slop — not great quality food. Which can be quite difficult.
"On some of the more luxurious ships, the crew members eat better.
"But the quality of the vegetables is not great. For example, you get the runt of the melon and you're like, 'Does it really make me want to eat fruit? Not really.'
"So, everything gets a bit meh and repetitive. But even when there is some good food, the energy of the mess is not super exciting. People don't look forward to it."
Alley certainly enjoyed her pay packet, though, and the fact that "there's nothing you actually have to pay for", except logging on.
She reveals: "You don't have to pay for rent, your food is free, you have free health insurance. You don't have to pay for anything, really, except internet stuff."
The lowest earners make around $500 a month, but performers like Alley would start on around $2,000, and could earn a lot more.
Alley remarks: "It depends on whether you're a specialty act or a lead, or how long you've been in the company — you get little bumps over time — but I know some people who made over $10,000 a month.
"I think most dancers got hired at around $2,500 per month and most singers somewhere from $3,000 to $3,500. And then in musicals, that bump goes up.
"On my first ship, I was a dancer, and then a dancer/vocalist on my second. So, my pay got bumped up to $3,500 from $2,900.
"I then became a manager and dance captain and I was in an aerial show. You get paid extra for the different roles.
"So, I ended up getting all these extra things tacked on top of my salary and making around $6,000 a month. That's a lot."