Stewardess Reveals Most Traumatic Part Of Working On A Superyacht

"I didn't see the sunlight in a very long time."

Stewardess Reveals Most Traumatic Part Of Working On A Superyacht

A stewardess currently working on a billionaire’s superyacht has shared a few industry secrets – that suggest it’s not always that glamourous working as a superyacht crew member…


Thanks to the popular reality show Below Deck and its spinoffs – Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Down Under – more and more people are seriously considering quitting their jobs and running off to join a superyacht crew.

It’s a tempting daydream; especially because superyacht crew members get paid an absolute mint. But before you go and give your boss two weeks’ notice, beware: there’s a not-so-glamorous side to working on a superyacht.

For instance, a Below Deck star once revealed that on private yachts, there is sometimes an attitude of anything goes – and we mean anything; even awful things. And now a superyacht stewardess, who wishes to stay anonymous, has shared more not-so-sunny secrets about the industry.

Speaking to Express, the stewardess, who has worked on multiple yachts for over two years said that newbies always get given the “worst” tasks – meaning they’re stuck on the lower decks for long periods of time.

If a client is still onboard when it’s the crew members’ break time, they have to spend their entire break in their cabin. Image Credit: Burgess

“When you start, they give you the worst jobs which are cleaning and laundry, basically. I didn’t see the sunlight in a very long time.”

Luxury superyacht stewardess

The stewardess then further elaborated on what exactly new superyacht crew members are expected to clean and said one of those tasks was ‘traumatic’ for her.

“You mainly clean the cabins, toilets, and dry showers the whole day… and this is actually my biggest trauma: drying a shower.”

“On the yacht, the bathrooms and showers are made of marble and marble gets damaged with water, so our job is to make sure the shower is dry at all times. We have to use towels to do this, cloths or squeegees every time they take a shower.”

Currently, the stewardess is working on a billionaire’s private yacht and admitted the hours are long; roughly 14 to 16 hours per day. She also said that while she and her fellow crew members do get two-hour breaks, they’re not always that enjoyable.

“Depending on the yacht, your time off can be better or worse. Sometimes we can be at St Tropez’ port and I can go for a walk during my break, but if the clients are on board we have to stay in our cabins the whole time.”

Luxury superyacht stewardess
According to the stewardess, making sure everything is strapped down before a helicopter takes off from a yacht can be tedious. Image Credit: Imenco

And finally, the stewardess also divulged that “the most annoying part” of her job was when clients have unreasonable requests that somehow have to get done. The example she gave involved a helicopter and her current billionaire client.

“Every time he wants to take the helicopter, we need to secure everything because the wind that the helicopter generates is crazy. [But] sometimes he says, ‘I want to eat at 3pm but at 2:50pm I’m going to take the helicopter to go for a ride, and then I’ll be back at 2:55pm’.”

“And we are like, ‘How can we set the table in five minutes, with six-piece cutlery place setting, all the glasses etc. It’s impossible!’”

After hearing all these less-than-perfect tales, we may abandon our fantasy of working on a superyacht Below Deck-style and instead focus on somehow getting enough money to buy a superyacht of our own…

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