First Days Of Working on a Cruise: Training and Prepping the Ship

So here I am. Back in Cologne Winter Harbour, standing on my new home for the next few months. Feels good to be back on a ship, and even better because I reunited with three of my friends from last season.

But before we get to the part where we cruise down the Rhine, living the dream, there’s a whole lot of work to be done. Training, and controlled chaos that happens behind the scenes. Spoiler alert: The ship doesn’t magically stock itself with wine glasses and gourmet meals. Someone’s gotta set it up… and that someone is US.

Welcome to the start of Cruise Ship Life where we train, clean, and try not to drop plates in front of our managers.

Step 1: Cleaning & Organizing – Because Apparently, Ships Don’t Clean By Themselves

The first two days? Oh, just scrubbing, counting, and organizing everything in the restaurant. Plates? Counted. Forks? Checked. Glasses? Probably dropped a few, but don’t worry about that.

It’s basically like setting up for a really fancy house party… except instead of 10 guests, you’re prepping for a few hundred, and if you mess up, someone in a suit will definitely notice.

Was it fun? Let’s just say lifting heavy stacks of plates at 7 AM was not the glamorous cruise life I imagined. But hey, at least we were all suffering together.

Step 2: Training, Training, and More Training (Oh, and Playing Dress-Up as Guests)

When we weren’t organizing the restaurant, we were doing full-scale service training. And let me tell you, serving the crew is 10x more stressful than serving actual guests.

Why? Because they know everything. They notice every mistake. They know when you forget to pour wine from the right side, and they WILL judge you silently. (Or loudly, depending on how chaotic the night is.)

On some days, we even had to play the role of guests. Sitting at a table, ordering food, and pretending we were on vacation. Ever tried acting fancy while your friend across the table is giving you the “Don’t laugh” look? Impossible.

Step 3: Full-On Loading Day – AKA, Ship Restocking

One of the most intense days was loading day. We had to supply the entire ship with food, drinks, and everything else we’d need before guests arrive.

Imagine a human conveyor belt of boxes, crates, and people running around like their lives depended on it. At one point, I was carrying so many things I just accepted my fate: If I drop something, I’m going down with it.

But we got it done. The ship was finally stocked, and I was pretty sure my arms had gained some new muscle.

Step 4: Safety Drills – How to Not Panic in an Emergency

Ah yes, the moment where we pretend the ship is sinking (but, like, in a totally safe, controlled, and not-at-all-terrifying way).

We did a full-on emergency drill with another ship, where some of us played guests and others played crew. The goal? Learn how to assist passengers in case of an emergency without running around like a headless chicken.

Did I feel 100% confident after this training? Not really.

Would I follow the guy who actually knew what he was doing in a real emergency? Absolutely.

Step 5: STAR Training – The Secret to Being the Perfect Crew Member

Viking has this thing called STAR Training, which is basically their way of saying, “Here’s how to be amazing at your job.”

• S - Smile and make an amazing connection (Even when your feet are dead.)

• T - Take care of yourself (Hydration and coffee count, right?)

• A - Act to create great memories (Like not spilling soup on guests.)

• R - Respond, Recover, Resilience (When you DO spill soup, fix it fast and smile through the panic.)

Honestly? It’s a good system. Simple but effective. Especially the part about smiling. I’m pretty sure if you just smile and nod, you can survive 80% of the job.

Step 6: Destination Training – Where Are We Even Going?

One of my favorite parts was learning about the actual itinerary of the cruise.

Our route? Amsterdam → Kinderdijk → Cologne → Koblenz → Rüdesheim → Speyer → Strasbourg → Breisach → Basel.

I’ve been to some of these places before, but hearing about all the excursions Viking offers made me excited all over again. Castles, vineyards, old towns… and, let’s be honest a lot of amazing food I’ll be too busy working to eat.

I can’t wait to step off the ship to fully explore all of the places.

Step 7: Finally Setting Sail – Next Stop, Basel!

After over a week of prepping, training, and mentally preparing myself for cruise life, it was finally time to leave Cologne and start sailing.

For the next three days, we’d be moving non-stop toward Basel, where we’d pick up our first real guests of the season. No more practice runs. No more playing pretend. This is the real deal.

And honestly? I’m equal parts excited and terrified.

The good news? I haven’t dropped a full tray of drinks yet. The bad news? There’s still plenty of time for that to happen.

Wish me luck.

Would YOU Work on a Cruise Ship?

Now that you know what happens behind the scenes, tell me: Would you ever work on a cruise ship? Drop a comment below. I wanna hear your thoughts!

If you wanna keep up with my cruise adventures, follow along on Instagram (@filipko23). More stories every Sunday.