It’s not uncommon to meet your partner at work, but depending on your profession, romances between colleagues can have their pitfalls – as one cruise ship worker knows all too well
A woman who works on a cruise ship has opened up about the reality of love on the high seas.
It’s not uncommon for people to meet partners at work. Given how much time we spend there and how many new people there are to meet, it’s no wonder some people find themselves falling for a colleague – but for those with less traditional professions, these romances can come with unique challenges.
Lucy, creator of the ‘Cruising as Crew’ YouTube channel, said love stories between crew members are very different to relationships on land – especially since they tend to have a time limit.
“You already know when your relationship will end,” she said, adding most cruise ship employment contracts are temporary and those in the relationship are faced with the prospect of either breaking up or maintaining a long-distance relationship when they return to their respective home countries or go to work on another boat.
Although this situation may not seem ideal, Lucy suggests it doesn’t have to be negative. In fact, she insists that this can help those involved to value the short time they have with their partners more, since every day counts.
She also said relationships onboard the ship tend to be more intense than they might typically be on land. This is also true for friendships on the high seas, given you are both living and working in a confined space that you cannot leave. “Why wouldn’t you see each other every day? Your rooms are just two minutes apart; it’s different when you’re dating someone on land and they live two hours away,” she said, explaining relationships tend to develop at a faster rate as a result.
However, this doesn’t mean the romance fades – in fact, Lucy said being aboard a cruise ship can actually make the honeymoon phase last longer since couples don’t have to tackle tedious routines like doing laundry, shopping, or cleaning together. “On a cruise, you’re exploring new things with your boyfriend or girlfriend daily. It’s like being on holiday every day with the person you like,” she added.
While this might sound like the ideal jumping-off point for a loving relationship, most people on cruise ships aren’t seeking anything serious. “It’s not the ideal environment for creating a long-term relationship because they’re likely from the other side of the world and your time together is limited,” she added. For those who do fall in love and attempt to maintain a long-term relationship, it can be easy to forget you’re living in a bubble detached from reality.
If the worst is to happen and you end up breaking up with your crewmate sweetheart, it can also be much more painful, too, Lucy warns. “If you break up or argue on a cruise, it’s much harder to get over it than if it happened on land because you’re far from your family and don’t have your support network,” she warns, urging those in such situations not to let their life at sea revolve around “just one person.”
Despite all these warnings, Lucy has witnessed first-hand how real love stories emerge from these relationships and some can end up going the distance. “Some fall in love and make it work, but you shouldn’t anchor yourself emotionally to a relationship when everything can change in the blink of an eye,” she concludes.
