Hello, cruise fans! I was on YouTube the other day and came across a very interesting video.
A guy who works on cruise ships said there was a method to save several thousand on our favorite trips, something that honestly intrigued me.
I have to admit that at first, I thought it was a scam or some kind of clickbait video that wouldn’t reveal anything in the end.
Instead, this worker really surprised me and revealed something very interesting that I did not know about.
Let me tell you about it!
The musician on Royal Caribbean ships
This worker’s name is Bryan James, he has a YouTube channel, and he is a musician on Royal Caribbean ships.
He usually shows his life on the ship, shows what the crew cabins are like, and all those spaces that are usually hidden from passengers.
However, the video that interested me the most was the one in which he revealed the little secret. In it he talked about the “Buddy Pass“, but what is it and how does it work?
The “Buddy Pass” perk
The “Buddy Pass” is a policy that many cruise lines have. Basically, if you know someone who works on the ship you can get access to the full trip for a very low price.
He said:
Kind of like the airlines you can bring anybody you want on to the ship to cruise with you for super, super cheap.
There’s two different ways to do it. If you’re a crew member that shares a room with somebody else, you get a Buddy Pass that’s dependent on if the cruise is fully booked or not.
On the contrary, if there are rooms available they can stay in a guest room on the ship for $40 a day.
You read that right, with the “Buddy Pass” the price for the cruise is only $40 per day.
What is even more extraordinary is that the price is even lower if you stay in the cabin with the worker.
In fact, the musician added:
The ultimate perk is if you have a room of your own. I’m super lucky, I got a solo room this time around.
It means I have not only had my own bed but I have a second bed that somebody can stay in. A couple of weeks ago I invited my mum on to the cruise ship and she stayed in my room for $10 a day.
To sum up
As Bryan revealed, knowing someone who works on cruises can save you a lot of money.
His mom paid a few dollars for a cruise that probably would have cost more than a thousand.
The real problem, for many of us, will be only to find someone who works on board.
However, if a family member or friend of yours works on cruise ships, don’t miss this opportunity and ask them about this great policy.