On December 12, 2024, a popular cruise vlogger named Rinell Banda made waves by calling for crew members to get one day off per month – which he says is necessary for the mental and physical well-being of the employees.
Banda’s proposal has spread like wildfire on social media – and has now made its way to the public Facebook page of Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald.
“I think it should be taken into consideration, each Carnival employee get one full day off work per month to recharge and feel their best. Right now they work seven days a week for months and months with just a few hours off here and there,” one of Heald’s followers wrote to the brand ambassador.
But while Heald appreciated the care and consideration for the crew members, it simply isn’t practical to give everyone onboard a full 24-hours off – especially for particularly busy positions like cabin attendants and waiters.
“It depends on the position of the crewmember. They all have blocks of time off and if we’re referring, for example, specifically to a cabin attendant or a waiter, we cannot give them one [full] 24 hours day off. This would severely impact the guest service,” Head wrote in response.
In response to Heald’s comment, some insisted that there must be a way to accommodate a single day off for all crew members – implying the cruise line wasn’t willing to put in the effort to do so.
“I’m sure they can figure that out so they don’t have to work so hard. It’s really not asking for much,” another one of Heald’s followers chimed in.
However, cruise ships operate in a unique way where it really isn’t doable – largely because they can’t bring in additional staff to cover the days off.
They simply don’t have the space – as each vessel has a maximum capacity for the number of crew members it can accommodate and provide housing for.
Are Carnival Crew Members Overworked?
Carnival employs around 88,000 crew members from countries all over the world with jobs at sea – all of whom lead a somewhat unusual life.
For the typical 9-5 job on land, most people will work Monday-Friday and then get a break over the two-day weekend. Even people with untraditional jobs typically get at least one full day off.
But people who choose a life at sea work really hard without a full day off for anywhere from four to ten months – and then typically get at least 60 days off to go home and rest between contracts.
That said, crew members do get some time off – but usually not a full 24-hour period. The amount of time off and when those breaks will be depends on the specific role.
Read Also: What Working on a Cruise Ship is Really Like
Heald also confirmed that all Carnival employees do get blocks of time off where they are able to rest and unwind.
“At least once a week, the cabin attendants and waiters and other crew members, well as I said, have a block of time off,” Heald confirmed on Facebook.
The time off has to adhere to guidelines set by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents and advocates for crew members.
These rights state that crew members may not work more than 14 work hours in any 24-hour period. During seven days, they may not exceed 72 hours. Those same rights also state that “minimum hours of rest shall not be less than 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any seven-day period.”
But when this time off occurs will vary based on the employee’s job function.
For example, entertainers who perform at night and retail workers whose stores close while in port may get more flexibility during the day to explore the destinations their cruise ship calls upon. Meanwhile, waiters and cabin attendants are in demand 24/7.
Some crew members may also work two shifts in one day with a long break in between them. For example, a waiter might work both a breakfast and a dinner shift.
