There are over 200 crew members who work on MV World Odyssey. They run and maintain the ship’s engines. They cook and serve our food. They clean and sanitize our home. They keep us safe and underway!
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| Bridge officers crossing the Equator |
At least half the crew come from The Philippines. At least a dozen other nationalities are also represented: Nepalese, Brazilian, Jamaican, Kenyan, Indonesian. The crew board before the fall semester, continue working through winter break, and sail again on the spring voyage. They spend 9 consecutive months each year aboard the ship without going home or seeing their families.
They live on Deck 3 and below. Much of their work is below the waterline where we never see them. They are forbidden from “fraternizing” with passengers, but you will certainly get to know some of them by name, and vice versa.
There are four main divisions of the crew:
- Officers (Military-looking white uniforms)
- Engineering (blue coveralls)
- Hotel (black uniforms)
- Security (white uniforms)
SAS voyagers interact much more with Hotel crew than the others. Hotel crew cook and serve and clean up in the restaurants. Your cabin steward makes up your cabin every day. Hotel staff serve as bartenders at The Chappy and the Pool Bar. You will see Hotel crew all over the ship, polishing railings and cleaning bathrooms.
Security crew keep us and the ship safe. They stop students from horsing around or doing things that might damage equipment.
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| Crew talent show with our thanks! |
Engineering crew are mostly out of sight on the lower decks. You’ll sometimes see them repairing electrical or plumbing equipment.
The crew are not part of SAS. They work for a separate company and report to the ship’s Officers and ultimately the Captain. Most of the officers are Greek.
At the end of the voyage, it’s customary to tip your cabin steward and perhaps other crew members who have made you smile.