Ella has racked up more than 2.2 million likes on TikTok after sharing what life is really like for crew on board a cruise ship and revealing the tiny cabin she shares with a colleague
Ever fancied a sneak peek into the life of cruise ship cabin crew staff? Ella, a dancer in Mamma Mia! The Musical on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, has given us just that with her behind-the-scenes video.
Ella (@elladv_) took to TikTok in a now viral clip to showcase her cabin, which she shares with her mate and co-worker, Samara. A quick scan of the compact space reveals bunk beds for the duo, with walls plastered in photos of their loved ones. A curtain provides some privacy for each bunk, while under-bed space and a single drawer offers a minute amount of storage.
Despite the limited floor area, there’s room for a wardrobe, bedside drawers and shelves along one wall. “We wanted to really make our cabin look cosy because when you’re living here for nine months at a time, you want it to feel as homely as possible,” Ella said, showing more walls adorned with plants, jewellery hooks and magnetic photos.
Making the most of their tiny quarters, Ella revealed separate drawers, a laundry bin and even a “sunrise alarm clock” sitting a fold-out table. “We don’t have a port hole so we never see natural light,” she explained. “This turns itself on in the morning so at least we don’t wake up in pitch black every day.”
Next, Ella showed off the only chair in the cabin, draped with a blanket to conceal their gadgets below. On the back of their door hung a shoe rack – a clever space-saver that Ella described as “absolutely essential,” for anyone considering a similar job. “You’re going to need to save that space,” she advised prospective adventurers.
Two whiteboards adorned other walls laid out their weekly and monthly rotas, while a designated “coffee corner” was smartly arranged beside a couple of shelves with a limited selection of books to keep Ella and Samara busy.
What’s more, the snug accommodation boasted a mini-fridge and a tight but functional en-suite bathroom sporting a toilet and shower. To finish her tour, Ella presented her cosy bed with twinkling LED lights and Jellycat soft toys, with a TV at the end “loaded with TV shows and movies” for leisure time.
One TikTok user admitted in response: “I’d be so claustrophobic.” A second person suggested getting even a tiny personal habitat for privacy’s sake: “You should definitely get your own little cabin even if it’s really small. That’s zero privacy.”
Privacy concerns echoed across the comments. “Did you ever struggle with lack of privacy?” a third pondered, adding: “I’d love this lifestyle but would really need time alone.”
And in a forthright observation, a fourth person frowned upon the setup: “Too small and no window, it would send me mad.” The clip clearly struck a chord with a peer in the same line of work, who lamented having had far less comfortable rooms.
“You got lucky! I couldn’t even stand in my room, no storage had to live out my suitcase for nine months just in the middle of the floor,” one TikTok user hit out. And another chimed in: “My cabin could never. My last cabin mate had zero interest in decor (she was the best roomie though). So only my top bunk walls had any form of life to it.”
