BOOK REVIEW: Cruise Confidential

Everyone loves a behind-the-scenes look at the travel industry, and I’m no exception.  When I talk about the things that happen on a flight, people often can’t believe the stories – and more than once I’ve been accused of making things up.  Believe me, with what we see every day, we don’t have to make this stuff up!

It was with that frame of reference that I picked up Cruise Confidential:  A Hit Below the Waterline: Where the Crew Lives, Eats, Wars, and Parties? One Crazy Year Working on Cruise Ships by Brian David Bruns.  Bruns left life on land to pursue life on the sea – all to follow the woman of his dreams, and this book chronicles his training and life as a waiter for Carnival Cruise Lines.

I’ve cruised many a time before, and while I knew there was a hidden side to life at sea, this book was a real eye opener.  Oh sure, there were the usual stories about silly and/or demanding passengers, tedious and mean co-workers, raucous exploits during precious downtime, and tales of schedules and life just not working out the way it was supposed to.  Working in the airline industry, I could relate and chuckle to the stories, although these guys have it much tougher than those of us in the air.

And while the front of the ship workers seem to have it pretty darn sweet, the wait staff, of which Bruns was a part, works grueling, seemingly never-ending shifts in pretty intolerable conditions.  From crappy quarters to sleep in, to barely any time to sleep at all, this book will give you a new appreciation for those who bust their butts to give you great service.

There’s also just enough stories of drunkenness, crew antics, infighting and sex to keep up the pace, but for me the real story was how passengers, taking advantage of all the cruise lines have to offer, actually make life difficult for the wait staff.  I never realized that asking for another piece of toast, or a lingering over a cup of coffee, made the job tougher for these hard working people.

But here’s the unanswered question for me:  Bruns bio says that he’s married, but never mentions his wife’s name.  I’m dying to know, did he wind up with the girl?

This is an easy read, full of fun and silliness, and not pretending to be more than it is.  Give it a go.

Photo credit: Amazon