A woman who works on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has revealed exactly how she spends less than £5 a day while working for the company.
Royal Caribbean is one of the biggest cruise lines in the world, seen as one of the leading businesses in the industry.
And for the staff who work for Royal Caribbean, life can be incredibly cheap if you know what you’re doing.
Over on Instagram and TikTok, Alley Kerr keeps her thousands of followers updated on life on the open seas.
Working for Royal Caribbean, the American is a dance captain and general manager for the cruise line’s Liberty of the Seas ship.
Carrying almost 5,000 passengers when it’s at full capacity, an extra 1,300 people crew are needed to keep it running smoothly from the cleaning public areas to bartending and running the evening entertainment.
Speaking to MailOnline, Alley – who goes by the online persona of Wanderlust Alley – said she performs for guests in live shows when not managing the productions behind the scenes, which includes directing and producing with cast members.
“It’s pretty incredible. As a performer I know that I’m gonna be able to have a salary, and when the pay check comes in I know I’m going to be making money,” Alley said when speaking about how she saves cash on board while working.
“Whereas when you do this on land, you have no idea of like what opportunities are or are not around the corner.
“And I find this to be a lot more sustainable because I’m not paying for rent and I’m not paying for food.”
Crew get free living quarters as well as free food and drink in the crew buffet areas of the ship, meaning most of the day to day costs on dry land aren’t something they have to worry about.
The former Disneyland worker, 26, added: “In theory I could end up just pocketing all of the money that I’m getting. Anyone who has like been in the entertainment industry can tell you that it’s really not easy.
“Usually people who are professional dancers are also a barista. They’re working at an athletic wear shop. They’re working at a different restaurant in the evenings, and then they also have the side job where they’re babysit.
“Everyone has like 10 jobs at a time, because it’s so not sustainable to be a performer.”
As for her living quarters, Alley revealed she she has an en-suite bathroom on her cabin, which is sizeable considering some rooms can be tiny.
Her only expense that she has to pay is $5 (£4) for housekeeping. Not too bad, really.
She would have to pay if she wanted to eat at the ship’s speciality restaurants, so it is all about whether you really want to save the cash or not. You won’t go hungry sticking to the free staff buffet, that’s for sure.
