If you like to travel, chances are that, at one point or another, you’ve read about the secret bedrooms, where flight crew sleep during long haul flights.
When flight crew are staying at an overnight hotel (in case you were curious, some of them get points for those stays, some don’t), it’s just a hotel, same as any other. The quality is based on what hotels the airline has contracted with. I daresay that the pilot of the plane doesn’t get any special benefits “just because he’s the captain.”
The situation is VERY different for cruise ship captains. Their responsibilities are just as important as that of a plane captain (read: everything starts and ends with them). But – and I guess it could be because cruise ship captains literally LIVE on the ship for months at a time – their accommodations are MUCH more swanky.
Captain Johnny Faevelen was born in Norway and has 45 years of international sailing experience. And get this…they’ve almost ALL been with Royal Caribbean International Cruise Line. According to his LinkedIn, he started with the cruise line in 1975, and save for when he was in school to obtain his Unlimited Masters License, he’s worked his way up the ladder at RC, until he became Captain in 1994 (he’s been
Captain Faevelen has maintained a TikTok account since the first half of 2021. His videos have run the gamut from activities on the ship (window washing, typical maintenance such as renovation of the pool deck) to what happens in the Bridge and Engine control room, to his activities when he has time off and is back home in Norway (including, apparently, the immune therapy IVs he was getting for melanoma).
But most interesting, I thought, was the tour of his quarters on the ship.
I’ve only sailed on Royal Caribbean once, and it was nowhere near suite accommodations. But it’s been said the Captain’s quarters are roughly what you might find in the largest suites available.
When you enter Captain Faevelen’s quarters, you’re in a large entryway foyer, with a guest bathroom on the right.
The master bedroom is directly across the entryway. It includes a queen sized bed and a walk-in closet. The ensuite master bathroom offers a standalone shower and a tub.
Go straight from the “front door,” and you’ll hit a dining room table that can hold 4-6. To the right of that (“behind” the guest bathroom) is the pantry/kitchenette, with refrigerator, dishwasher and cooking appliances.
Beyond the dining area is the Captain’s living room, which has a couch, love seat and easy chair, as well as a large screen (55″) TV.
To the left of the living room is the Captain’s Office, which has direct access to the Navigation Bridge (talk about having the best commute in the world!).
@captainjohnnyfaevelen #welcome to the #captain #cabin and #office #onboard @Royal Caribbean #harmonyoftheseas #oasis #class #modern #cruiseship #shipslife #comfortable #life #at #sea
Captain Faevelen isn’t the only captain of a large cruise ship to share what their quarters look like.
Captain Kate McCue was the first American woman ever named captain of a “Mega” cruise ship, back in 2015. Currently the Captain of Celebrity Beyond, she also showed what her “crib” looked like, back in the summer of 2020:
@captainkatemccue CRIBS: Captain’s Quarters, Suite Life Edition & tour du jour. You asked for it… #fyp #foryou #captainscabin #celebrityedge #cruise #captain #room
I knew that “regular” crew on cruise ships are usually squashed together like sardines. Crew who are working in entertainment, and others who are a step or two up usually at least get a cabin to themselves, and don’t have to share (I have friends who have worked in various capacities for Disney and Virgin Voyages). But it looks like the Captains get the equivalent of an entire apartment to themselves. Very cool.
Featured Image: Capt Faevelen / Twitter (Fine….”X.” Whatever…)
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