Cruise ship workers describe the tiny cabins they live in, where space can be so tight you don't have much room to move around in

Anonymous Princess Cruises employee

A photo of an employee cabin taken by a current Princess Cruises employee.

• One of the perks of living on a cruise ship is not having to find housing or pay rent, but for some, it comes with a price: small, spare living quarters.
• That's particularly true for lower-paid workers like waiters, bar servers, and those in customer-service roles, who are known as crew or staff members.
• Some of the 39 current and former cruise ship employees who spoke with Business Insider said they didn't have much room to move in their cabins.
• Managers and those responsible for steering the ship, known as officers, get their own rooms, but they aren't necessarily luxurious.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

One of the perks of living on a cruise ship is not having to find housing or pay rent, but for some, it comes with a price: small, spare living quarters.

That's particularly true for lower-paid workers like waiters, bar servers, and those in customer-service roles, who are known as crew or staff members. Some of the 39 current and former cruise ship employees who spoke with Business Insider said they didn't have much room to move in their cabins. (Most of those mentioned in this story requested anonymity for fear of reprisal from their former employer.)

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Princess Cruises

A passenger cabin on Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess ship.

"I was sharing a cabin with another hostess, so obviously we'd have to get ready at the same time, and it was not possible," a former hostess for Costa Cruises said. "We'd have to take turns."

Costa Cruises did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"I couldn't open up my arms without hitting something," a former art-auction contractor who worked on a ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line said. "It was so narrow."

Norwegian Cruise Line did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: Cruise ship workers reveal what it's really like to live at sea

Crew and staff members often have one roommate, though they sometimes have three. Their rooms are furnished simply, giving occupants some combination of a bed, desk, closet, a few shelves, and a small bathroom. Workers may also share a bathroom with the room next to theirs or use a communal bathroom with the rest of their floor-mates.

Anonymous contractor who has worked for Norwegian Cruise Line

The bathroom in an employee cabin on Norwegian Cruise Line's Getaway ship in 2017.

Managers and those responsible for steering the ship, known as officers, get their own rooms, though they aren't necessarily luxurious. In addition to extra space, they may have a few additional accessories, like a television or a refrigerator.

"Compared to some of the crew cabins, you had a nice cabin," said a former inventory manager for Royal Caribbean Cruises.

But when you're used to having a roommate, moving to a solo cabin can seem like a major upgrade.

"The solo cabin was actually humongous," said Chad Stone, a former production manager for Seabourn Cruise Line who moved from a shared room to an individual one after receiving a promotion. "I couldn't believe how big it was."

Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

• Read more:
• Cruise ship workers reveal the most disappointing things about their job
• Here's how you can use your Costco membership to book a cruise
• 8 things cruise-ship workers want to tell passengers but can't
• A lawyer warns of a legal nightmare you can face on a ship