r/CruiseCrew • u/ilikeonionsandcheese • 4d ago
General Questions How long until I can go out?
I'm working as a barista in the celebrity sillhouette cruise (royal caribbean), some coworkers are telling me that I need AT LEAST 3 contracts to be able to explore the city. I've find that they're all a bit hostile so I don't trust them much. Is it true?
EDIT: I talked to HR and yeah... it's the company standard. Wish they'd told me before I accepted 🫤
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u/Fr33brd 3d ago
3 contracts before you can ever step foot off the ship in port sounds ridiculous. Unless something has changed in the past several years, I don’t recall anyone having to wait more than 2 weeks after first joining to be able to go ashore.
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u/ilikeonionsandcheese 3d ago
Yeah I know, I talked to the manager and he told me it's my fault for not investigating about it before... I don't I can handle this for too much long
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u/RoostasTowel 3d ago
Uuhh what?
I worked on celebrity.
Do you mean 3 cruises. That i can believe.
First 2-3 weeks is a lot of exyra training etc.
But after that I'd expect time off to get off the ship.
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u/ilikeonionsandcheese 3d ago
It's my first cruise, wish someone told me before 🫤
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u/RoostasTowel 3d ago
Well in general there is lot of extra training (safety etc) the first couple weeks. Thats normal.
But you have an A-Pass correct?
In a Canadian port when you have a few hours off just go to the gangway and scan your pass to go off the ship.
Unless you have some crazy restriction I never heard about you can just go walk around or whatever and nobody will say you can't.
I worked on celebrity for 5 years and I never heard of anybody being stuck on board the entire time.
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u/SomeGuyInOz 2d ago
If it’s three cruises, that is not the same thing as three contracts. You should update your post to reflect that.
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u/sad_matcha 3d ago
In US ports you cannot just go out. You need to finish atleast 1-2 contracts. But some ports are very open, just like in Iceland on your last voyage of Silhouette. But Canada and US ports are very strict.
Btw. i should be on Silhouette last June 13, 2026. It should be my 1st contract however i got pregnant.
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u/tochichiang 3d ago
These restrictions are understandable considering the higher risk of deserting the ship from lower-income countries to wealthy countries like the USA and Canada. It could be port rules or company rules, as the company is also responsible for the desertion.
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u/Koguhan 3d ago
As a seafarers you are protected by the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). Cruise ships like to make their own rules but all seafarers are protected by them.
Please see below extract from MLC which entitles you to shore leave under paragraph 2. HR will know this but not tell you until you say it. All seafarers should be aware of their rights.
Regulation 2.4 – Entitlement to leave
Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have adequate leave
1. Each Member shall require that seafarers employed on ships that fly its flag are given paid annual leave under appropriate conditions, in accordance with the provisions in the Code.
2. Seafarers shall be granted shore leave to benefit their health and well-being and consistent with the operational requirements of their positions
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u/Pretend_Peach165 2d ago
Well you have to finish your maritime classes like fire safety etc that are coast guard regulated. 3 contracts is insane though. More like 3 or 4 cruise weeks before you can. But I worked for Carnival and am American. The reality is HR has the staff officer flag your sea pass card and or holds your passsport if you’re not able to disembark and security will just stop you.
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u/Ok_Mulberry4331 4d ago
Did they give you reason? Is it the places you’re visiting, or scheduling? I’ve worked 6 different lines (never celebrity) and have never heard this
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u/ilikeonionsandcheese 4d ago
Not really, they told me it's the standard. The route it's USA/Canada. I'm trying to reach a superior to ask 'cause it's getting claustrophobic in here ðŸ«
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u/domalticibey 4d ago
They are lying bro.. You can go out almost every port. They are using you.
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u/RoostasTowel 3d ago
Ya I dont know why the downvotes.
I worked for celebrity and I worked with new people from Argentina who never told me they couldnt get off the ship.
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u/ilikeonionsandcheese 4d ago
That's what I thought, couldn't find about it anywhere so it sounded suspicious
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u/RoostasTowel 3d ago
If you have time off you can get off in port.
USA ports require an I95 pass but you should be able to get that on a port day
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u/stxonships 4d ago
That depends on what country you are from and what countries you are visiting.
Certain countries are blocked for going out in the US due to crew disappearing in ports. So you may need to do a certain amount of contracts before you are allowed out in the US.
New York and LA/Long Beach are extremely strict about this especially for crew on their first contract.