Ship Life

Very poorly produced, low-budget 'documentary'. For the most part, the cast seems like hired actors and not actual crew members of a real cruise ship. Most of what the film covers is tedious and infantile, like crew members partying or hooking up.

There is, I suppose, a behind the scenes type of look at the crew quarters that you don't normally get to see. But it's mostly the same areas repeated over and over.

There's no substance or cohesive narritive. Just banal sayings and trivial information that is obvious.

The cast members are not particularly likeable or interesting to follow, and a lot of what transpires seems fictional, like a bad reality show.

Avoid.

This film offers a fascinating glimpse into the highs, lows, and everything in between of life as a cruise ship crew member.

Beautifully shot and interwoven with moments of humor and reflection, it draws you in with its warmth and authenticity. The characters quickly become compelling, and their individual stories unfold in ways both engaging and heartfelt.

All the while, the unseen presence of vacationing passengers lingers like a quiet enigma-both essential and absent, almost a character in itself. Yet, what truly takes center stage is the vibrant, diverse, and ultimately transient community that exists below deck.

Highly reccommended!

Ship Life is an extraordinary film. Over the course of 49 minutes, it quietly but powerfully opens a window into a world few of us ever see - the lives of the thousands of crew members who live and work below deck on cruise ships for months at a time. What struck me most was how much it said through what wasn't said. The director has an exceptional eye, not just for imagery but for human truth - for those subtle, often invisible threads that run beneath the surface of a story.

I loved the script. I loved the lens through which this world was viewed. The filmmaker's care and perception shine through in every scene, there's real respect for the people featured and a genuine curiosity (and knowledge) about the unique environment they inhabit. This isn't just a film about cruise ship life, it's a film about emotional survival in an enclosed, isolated space where you're constantly surrounded, and yet often deeply alone.

What moved me most were the things unsaid. You feel the hardship, not just in the predictable ways - missing family, poor food, confined spaces - but in the emotional cost. The lack of real escape. The impossibility of forming grounded relationships. The way time floats, reality distorts, and eventually you start to lose touch with yourself. It's like a beautiful metaphor for addiction - seductive, surreal, detached from the real world, and ultimately disorienting.

This film left me wanting more. It left me reflecting deeply. Ship Life is a quietly intelligent, beautifully observed piece of work. Truly brilliant.

If you want to know what it's really like working on a ship, or want to reminisce about your own past experience, as was the case for me, then this documentary is for you!

There isn't anything like it out there in terms of authenticity and I love the way this film was put together.

If you've worked on ships you'll likely laugh out loud in places others wouldn't even find funny, or cringe at the scene unfolding drawing upon old memories and knowing the realities of what was happening, but that's why I loved it and the next time somebody asks "What's it like working on the ships?" - I'll point them in the direction of this documentary.

Highly recommended, great watch. Thanks to all who slaved over making this, it really took me back to my youth! Amazing.

I worked as a crew member on cruise ships for eight years, and this is a raw, almost love letter to the highs, lows, and harsh realities of life onboard.

The truth about working on a cruise ship stands in stark contrast to the experiences most guests have-or even want to know about. It's a tough world, made harder by the countless missed birthdays, weddings, and births. Every crew member sacrifices precious moments while enduring the unique challenges of ship life every single day.

Reading this brought back vivid flashbacks to a completely different chapter of my life and career. I felt it in my soul. And yes, as the review above mentions, there's plenty of hooking up-but honestly, what would you do if you were confined to a floating steel box for six to nine months at a time?

What's real are the relationships, the struggles, and the military-like discipline that governs life onboard. For the first time, the world gets an authentic glimpse into the realities of "ship life," and I couldn't be more thrilled to see it.