A cruise ship worker has revealed what life is like onboard - including the generous gifts they have received from guests on cruise holidays.
Ezra Freeman is a star both on the Princess Cruises where she entertains guests both on and off the stage, and to her hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
The Real Love Boat performer spent much of the first years of the Covid pandemic 'stuck at sea' onboard ships, and revealed that guests would regularly offer her free stays.
She told the Mirror: "For a while the ship was going back and forth with the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) and saying crew could only disembark if they went straight home and were within an hour's drive of port, and my ship was docking in Florida.
"I'm from Maryland. So many guests said that I could stay with them for free as long as I needed to if that was what was going to get me off the ship."
However, there's one gift from a guest that was particularly mind-blowing - and could ultimately save her thousands of pounds on holidays.
Ezra revealed: "I've also received an offer for free admission to Disney World for life by a Disney firefighter who sailed with me, so that is pretty epic."
The cruise ship worker gratefully accepted the gift, although she's been too busy to visit the Florida theme park so far.
While customers are regularly thankful for the service they receive onboard, it is not one way traffic when it comes to generosity.
When guests "shyly mention" that it's their birthday or invite her to dinner, she likes to go out her way to "make a guest feel special".
"It's their vacation! They often saved up money for this and took time off of work, and they're guests in our floating home," she said.
"If it's someone's birthday, I like to ask their travel buddies what they're interested in, and typically I'll set up a nice dinner for them or get them a spa service or a gift from the gift shop.
"I think there is an assumption that it's free for crew to do these things, but I have definitely spent my own money on it.
"It's worth every penny to see people light up, and I'm representing a company that has done a lot for me, so I'm happy to do it."
For those hoping to form bonds with the crew during their cruise holiday, Ezra says it's quite simple.
"Ask! All you have to do is ask nicely and take an interest in the crew," she said. "If you chat with us for even two minutes and make a personal connection, we will want to go the extra mile for you.
"It really makes such a difference, and for us, that is what it is all about. It's not annoying when a guest will ask to chat or ask about what country you're from or what your family is like... after all, we are in this hospitality industry.
"Everyone who works on a cruise ship is a people person, and we want to get to know as many people as we can and make them enjoy life onboard so we can all keep cruising."
