Silversea's new Silver Ray cruise ship has 544 crew members to tend to its 728 guests.
The ship has333 crew cabins and 540 beds, which means some have to share their rooms.
The workers spend their free time in various common areas like a secret bar and small spa.
It takes a village to keep a cruise ship running. And after a long day of work, the villagers deserve a beer and a massage.
On luxury cruise line Silversea's new ship, Silver Ray, guests can dine on free tins of caviar, luxuriate in the complimentary spa, and drink as many fancy co*cktails as their hearts desire.
It's one of Silversea's parent company, Royal Caribbean Group's, most high-end and contemporary ships. And much of its ritzy onboard experience is made possible by the crew.
Silver Ray has 544 crew members to tend to its 728 guests.
This one-to-1.3 staff-to-guest ratio is hard to miss, from the suite's affable butlers to the workers who remember your name after meeting you once in passing.
This kind of high-touch service is, in part, what distinguishes mass-market cruise lines from their luxury counterparts.
Workers' hours vary vastly depending on their positions.
For example, some bakers work overnight to prepare the bread for breakfast service, while others — like some of the bar stsff — don't start work until the afternoon, although their shift could go into the early morning hours as well.
They can head to the gym to decompress after a long day (or night) of work.
Alessandro Zanello, Silver Ray's captain, told reporters during a media panel in June that he thinks the crew gym on Silver Ray "is better than most of the guest gyms on previous ships."
It looks less than half the size of the guest one on Silver Ray — but at it's furnished with staples like treadmills, free weights, and resistance equipment.
What better way to recover from a workout than to sit in the steam room?
That's right. Silver Ray also has a staff-only spa.
The compact space has a steam room and two plush massage chairs separated by a curtain. They're first come, first serve — and, of course, in high demand, Zanello said.
Silver Ray's guests can indulge at the ship's eight bars.
The crew has a bar, too.
Most of the ship's guest-facing bars are posh and elegant. This one feels more contemporary, with modern light fixtures and trendy art pieces that brighten the pockets of seating.
Or, they can spend their free time lounging in the dayroom.
Here, folks can chit-chat at a large window-lined booth or charge their phones while perusing the internet (using Starlink, of course).
The dayroom is also equipped with the same coffee machines as the one available in the guest observation lounge. So, instead of sharing an old pot of black coffee, the team can instantly brew themselves a latte or cappuccino.
The 2,350 workers on Royal Caribbean Group’s new world-largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, has a game room stocked with consoles.
Unfortunately, Silver Ray doesn't have a staff-only game room. But at least the lounge has a foosball table!
The conjoined outdoor space is much simpler, furnished with only a few seats and tables.
Workers are also welcome to sunbathe in a small sliver of the guest area on the top deck. But with that comes rules, like no music, food, drinks, or nudity, according to a sign posted on a crew bulletin board.
Don't expect to see all of your waitstaff at the breakfast buffet.
They have their own small buffet, stocked four times daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.
The crew represents 45 nationalities worldwide. To accommodate all these backgrounds, Rohit Dimir, Silver Ray's executive chef, told reporters during a ship tour in June that their meals are generally a mix of global cuisines, from "oriental soup" to salads and grilled foods.
The adjacent dining room is open around the clock.
Andrea Tonet, Silversea's vice president of product strategy, told reporters that about 98% of Silver Ray's private and public spaces have ocean views and floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
While the crew mess doesn't have these expansive windows, it does have small portholes that brighten the dense space.
More contemporary art — like a print of "Girl with a Pearl Earring" with a face tattoo — brings personality to the large dining room, as do the television screens streaming programs like Fox News.
There’s nothing better than decompressing alone in your bedroom after a long day of work.
For some workers, "alone" isn't part of the equation.
Silver Ray has 364 guest suites (the smallest of which is pictured above), all with sumptuous amenities like walk-in closets, balconies, and butlers.
In comparison, the ship's 333 crew cabins have 540 beds, which means some have roommates.
On the bright side, Zanello said some accommodations have more than one TV. So, if Fox News in the dining room isn't cutting it, and you don't want to watch your roommate's movie, at least you'll have your own TV.
After all, happy crew, happy cruise.
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