Getting into ship-shape

Marathon effort gets cruise liner ready for each new voyage

The Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas crew have only seven hours to get the cruise ready for its next sail. The Straits Times went behind the scenes on its hectic turnaround day.
A worker tackles an enormous load in the laundry room, deep in the belly of the ship. The 17-strong crew are in charge of washing the cloths that cover everything from guest beds to the tables of restaurants. A cleaner using a jet spray to sanitise a
On the morning of turnaround day, up to 8,000 pieces of luggage from Mariner of the Seas are unloaded from the hold and transported to the terminal, where they are arranged for disembarking guests to collect. ST PHOTOS: ALPHONSUS CHERN
A worker tackles an enormous load in the laundry room, deep in the belly of the ship. The 17-strong crew are in charge of washing the cloths that cover everything from guest beds to the tables of restaurants. A cleaner using a jet spray to sanitise a
A cleaner using a jet spray to sanitise a room balcony. Each of the ship's 1,557 rooms are cleaned thoroughly by 91 attendants in preparation for new passengers. ST PHOTOS: ALPHONSUS CHERN
A worker tackles an enormous load in the laundry room, deep in the belly of the ship. The 17-strong crew are in charge of washing the cloths that cover everything from guest beds to the tables of restaurants. A cleaner using a jet spray to sanitise a
A worker tackles an enormous load in the laundry room, deep in the belly of the ship. The 17-strong crew are in charge of washing the cloths that cover everything from guest beds to the tables of restaurants. ST PHOTOS: ALPHONSUS CHERN
A worker tackles an enormous load in the laundry room, deep in the belly of the ship. The 17-strong crew are in charge of washing the cloths that cover everything from guest beds to the tables of restaurants. A cleaner using a jet spray to sanitise a
A member of the kitchen staff inspects vegetables before they are loaded on the ship. On board the cruise liner, 18,000 meals are prepared in a 24-hour cycle. ST PHOTOS: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Jose Hong
Updated
Mar 06, 2018, 06:29 AM
Published
Mar 06, 2018, 05:00 AM
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What was just a speck on the horizon slowly grows in size as it approaches the Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas looks like a metal cliff that towers over the terminal building, as it pulls to a lazy halt at the cruise centre at 7.30am. In just eight hours, the cruise liner will say goodbye to up to 3,800 disembarking passengers and then get itself ready for the next batch of guests later that day.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 06, 2018, with the headline Getting into ship-shape. Subscribe

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