It's one of the most popular cruise destinations on the planet, but for one former cruise ship worker, it all looks a bit "samey."
That's the verdict on the Caribbean by Alley Kerr, who has worked on more than 100 cruises as a singer and dancer. The 28-year-old is now urging novice cruise passengers-in-waiting to look beyond the region, famed for its palm-fringed sands.
Alley, whose bright, breezy and insightful videos have earned her 307,000 subscribers for her Wanderlust Alley YouTube channel, explained over a Zoom chat with The Independent: "Don't limit your cruise experience to just the Caribbean. When you do, everything kind of looks the same. It's just a bunch of beaches. Which all look the same after a while.
"And if that's your cup of tea, perfect. But cruising to me is having access to unique adventures."
So what's her destination tip?
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She said: "My first cruise experience as a passenger was in the Mediterranean and I feel like I was absolutely spoiled. It was incredible. I went to so many different countries along the Mediterranean coast, such as France, Spain, Croatia, Montenegro, Israel, Greece… it was such a crazy experience.
"And every place that you go is so different. The culture is so different, the offerings are so different — there's some beach, there's some city, there's some history. It's so eclectic and immersive.
"Plus, there's the potential for the Caribbean to be a bit sketchy, but I never felt unsafe in the Mediterranean."
Alley also recommended cruising in Asia — having had an "amazing" time on sailings around Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
She acknowledged that some people find globetrotting to far-flung shores nerve-wracking, but pointed out that cruising offers a less daunting way to explore new horizons.
The travel guru explained: "If the destination is not in someone's comfort zone, then having that little taste and access with a nice big ship to go back to is super helpful.
"It makes sense to me why older demographics enjoy cruises so much. Because they don't have to worry about anything. They get to see a little bit of the world, but without the stress of lugging a backpack around."
Alley's cruise ship career was cut short by a back injury.
But one thing she doesn't miss is the food. She revealed that: "Sometimes you just get slop — not great quality food. Which can be quite difficult.
"On some of the more luxurious ships, the crew members eat better. But the quality of the vegetables is not great. For example, you get the runt of the melon and you're like, 'Does it really make me want to eat fruit? Not really.'
"So, everything gets a bit meh and repetitive. But even when there is some good food, the energy of the mess is not super exciting. People don't look forward to it."
Alley certainly enjoyed her compensation, though, and the fact that "there's nothing you actually have to pay for", except logging on.
"You don't have to pay for rent, your food is free, you have free health insurance,” Alley said. “You don't have to pay for anything, really, except internet stuff."
The lowest earners make around $500 a month, but performers like Alley would start on around $2,000, and could earn a lot more.
“It depends on whether you're a specialty act or a lead, or how long you've been in the company — you get little bumps over time — but I know some people who made over $10,000 a month,” she added. "I think most dancers got hired at around $2,500 per month and most singers somewhere from $3,000 to $3,500. And then in musicals, that bump goes up.
"On my first ship, I was a dancer, and then a dancer/vocalist on my second. So, my pay got bumped up to $3,500 from $2,900.
"I then became a manager and dance captain and I was in an aerial show. You get paid extra for the different roles.
"So, I ended up getting all these extra things tacked on top of my salary and making around $6,000 a month. That's a lot."
For more from Alley, visit wanderlustalley and www.youtube.com/@wanderlustalley.
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