Four strict rules you must obey on a cruise according to woman who lives on one

A woman who lives on a cruise ship has explained the four rules you must obey while travelling at sea.

Christine Kesteloo lives at sea due to her husband being a staff chief engineer onboard a cruise ship.

It means Christine, who also creates content on TikTok, spends heaps of time out on the ocean and has become somewhat of an expert in what you can and cannot do on a cruise ship.

In a way, she has the best of both worlds, explaining that she gets to live like a guest 'but also as crew' reaping the rewards of both.

For example, not only can she live on the ship for free but she also gets her meals included - in any of the restaurants onboard - meanwhile she also gets a pretty hefty discount for anything else she wants to purchase.

However, despite all the perks, Christine has explained there are four strict rules to be obeyed.

No gambling

The first rule is a strict 'no gambling' policy, as she explained it'd look bad if the partner of a crew member was raking in a jackpot at the slot machine.

She said: "It would look a little weird if I, as the wife of the staff chief engineer, won a big jackpot. So I am not allowed to gamble on the ship."

Badges must be worn

Another big rule was that she had to wear a badge whenever she was in crew sections of the ship so nobody thought she was a passenger poking around the place.

"I am allowed in crew areas and guest areas but with that said when I am in crew areas I always have to wear my badge visible so they know I'm 'one of them' and allowed down there," she added.

The customer comes first

As for rule number three, this wasn't so much an official one as it was Christine figuring out for herself that having the run of a cruise ship has got to have its limits.

While she's allowed to do pretty much anything on board, she knows the customers have to come first.

She said: "If the pool is packed I make sure to get up and give the guests a seat, it's just the right thing to do.

"I used to be cruise director so I totally understand how to give guests the best time."

She also explained that when passengers disembark at a destination, the crew must wait an hour, and while she was technically both, she had to wait too.

Insurance is key

Fourth and finally, and this one sounds more like life admin than anything, she's got to make sure she's insured to travel round the world.

She said: "When I'm on the ship travelling with my husband I do have to at all times have international travellers insurance, medical, if something were to happen.

"Because we live in the Netherlands we have coverage there, my husband holds it on me and we just pay a little bit extra every single month."

Honestly, those rules sound pretty easy to live with in exchange for a free cruise.