A Guide to Reaching Cruise Ship Crew Through the Mail
Unlike people who live on land, crew members aboard cruise ships use the vessel as their residence for months at a time—often nine months or more when they sign on for another contract. While the ship is docked, crew can briefly go ashore, but they have to be back on board within hours to resume their duties. Here is how to get mail to someone working on a cruise ship.
By Drew Lee4 steps
The cruise ship is home to crew members for long periods at a time.
Most people have a street address, but cruise ship crew members typically do not. For long stretches—frequently nine months or more when a crew member chooses to sign a new contract—the vessel itself serves as their home. When the ship is in port, crew members are permitted to step off for a limited time, yet they are required to return within a few hours and get back to work. The following guidelines explain how to send mail to someone working aboard a cruise ship.
Step 1
Determine which cruise line employs the crew member. Establish the name of the ship where that person is assigned. Obtain the crew member's identification number. Before mailing a letter, double-check that the crew member's full name is spelled correctly. If the person you want to reach is out at sea, many cruise lines provide a central phone number and address through which crew members can be contacted no matter where they currently are. A number of cruise ships also offer Internet access to their crew. Facebook has become a popular channel for getting in touch with personnel at sea.
Step 2
Write the envelope or package address in this format: Cruise line Cruise ship name ATTN: Crew member full name and ID number Port address
Step 3
Reach the crew member by email or phone to get a list of away port addresses where letters or packages can be sent. You can mail items to those away addresses or to the cruise ship's home port, depending on where the ship will be and when you want the items to arrive. Should you be unable to reach the crew member, consult online port listings to find addresses and telephone numbers for each port the cruise line uses.
Step 4
Mail the letter or package to the port address you have chosen, and allow sufficient time for it to arrive before the ship does. For international shipments, Priority Mail through the U.S. Postal Service can take 6 to 10 business days, while Global Express Guaranteed can take 1 to 3 days. For domestic letters and packages sent via USPS, delivery can range from 1 to 8 days, depending on which class of service you select.
