I've always thought of Cruise Directors as A-list celebrities on a cruise. You'll rarely disembark without having heard their voice over the PA system or seen them interacting with other passengers. However, their duties go far beyond being pretty faces who introduce events—they're also hosts, entertainers, planners, and problem-solvers.
During their contracts, Cruise Directors live onboard their ships for multiple months. While you'll see them frequently in guest areas, their "home away from home" is below deck where passengers can't go.
Gage Griffin, a Cruise Director with Holland America Line, recently took to social media to share a glimpse at his living accommodations while at sea. According to Griffin's LinkedIn, he is the youngest Cruise Director in HAL's 150-year history and works closely with the Navigation, Entertainment, Hotel, Guest Services, and revenue-driving departments on board to analyze guest satisfaction, curate seamless world-class guest experiences, and more.
Griffin's TikTok was posted in October 2024 and has received over 88k views and 2.9k likes. "This is my cabin onboard the ship," reads the caption, "Every ship has a different layout. But I've really started making this one homey. Lots of lights, blankets and an amazing view."
He doesn't reveal which ship he's working on, but in a later video, he talks about how he went home to surprise his family for Thanksgiving while his ship went into drydock in Singapore. Holland America Line's Noordam was scheduled to receive some refurbishments during the same time frame, so Gage was likely working on that vessel.
MS Noordam launched in 2006 and is part of the cruise line's Vista Class. She's the fourth ship to bear the name "Noordam."
Read more: Take a look inside a cruise ship captain's living quarters
Ocean-view room
Griffin's cabin layout is similar to a standard ocean-view room, with a picture window offering sweeping views of the sea and ports of call. The room isn't as compact as other crew cabins and is thoughtfully designed, featuring a large couch, cozy bed, and nicely sized desk area. He also doesn't have to share the space with another crew member, as is common for many positions.
As he begins the tour, he shows a full-length mirror that he has dressed up with color-changing lights. "...I can change the colors. Right now, they're going all different colors fading in and out. I can also just make them white if I want to," he explains.
Griffin pans from the wall to his bed, passing the couch draped with a blanket—one of many in his stateroom. He also shows his desk, which is where he keeps his iPad.
It's larger than traditional cruise ship vanities, presumably because Cruise Directors need a bit more space to handle their daily tasks. Passengers mostly use the vanity to freshen up before dinner or head off to explore a new port of call.
While the cabin is spacious, Griffin's favorite part about his room is the window. He also loves how it looks at night with all his colorful lights.
Behind his television, he has a Northern Lights-themed light display that adds a whimsical touch to that corner. It helps set the mood for a cozy night in bed playing his Nintendo Switch!
Griffin also added glow-in-the-dark stars to his ceiling. "You can't really see all of them, but I put stars all over the ceiling in here," he says.
"There's actually thousands of them, but [they] aren't showing up very well [on the camera]. But I have about 4,000 all over the ceiling...I know that it's kind of a childish to do to put them on the ceiling, but I absolutely love them."
Tons of storage
After panning around to show the view of his cabin from the bed, Griffin opens his closet doors to reveal all the clothing he has brought for his current contract.
"Here [are] some more coats and boots and things," he says as he shows the first closet space hidden with a curtain. He continues, opening the wardrobe's doors and showing "random shirts." Each side of the wardrobe has two drawers that do not go unused.
The next closet houses nicer clothing, such as dress pants and button-down shirts. There are also three drawers underneath the bed which help keep everything neatly organized.
Read more: Cruise ship crew quarters: what are the areas onboard a cruise ship like for crew only?
Bathroom
Overall, the bathroom is what you might expect for a crew member. It's compact and minimalistic, whereas guest bathrooms may feature artwork, extra storage, and larger counters. However, it's well-designed to make the most of the space available.
For example, there's a decent-sized shelf underneath the mirror where Griffin keeps toiletries like deodorant and face wash. It also appears he brought a magnetic shelf to hang above the toilet to store full-sized products.
Read more: 11 bathroom hacks for your cruise ship cabin
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
