Being a photographer on various cruise boats for several years, I managed to meet a great variety of people. Something that not many people seem to understand is that living in a boat is very different to living in a flat or a house and it has a big impact on people’s social behaviour. People seem to be more open and relaxed as admittedly they will accept the fact that the boat is where everything happens from developing a new friendship and flirting with someone to breaking up and divorcing!
Any of those massive luxurious boats that cross the oceans are in a sense like small towns. One factor many people overlook at is the fact that on board there aren’t just passengers and holiday-makers but also members of staff that have to stay on the boat for long periods of time. Although this is against the regulations, there is a lot of social interaction between the members of stuff and the clients.
A common person to find in a luxury boat is about 60 years of age, wealthy and usually retired. Although they all belong to different professions and educational backgrounds, the bottom line is that the vast majority of them are very successful in their fields. Apart from the expected diplomats, lawyers, architects, doctors and highly credited professionals it’s common to come across shop keepers, vendors and many small scale businessmen. So, education isn’t a key factor although wealth seems to be.
Of course there is a small part of passengers who although they don’t make enough to be afford a luxury, they are happy saving hard in order to make their dream come true cruise. Some of them simply want to experience a different lifestyle which differs from their daily one greatly. Although I had that experience on Silversea Cruises boats where I worked, other colleagues that used to work on Oceania Cruises and Cunard Cruises have witnessed similar incidents.
When it comes to sports, golf is definitely the number one while cricket and polo are also popular. Taking up a luxury cruise for many people could be a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience but it is definitely worth it..