- 2 days ago
A floating city on the sea, the MSC Seaside is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world; With privileged access to every part of the cruise's operations, uncovering the army of people and complex systems that keep this ship functioning.
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00:00:00The MSC Seaside is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world.
00:00:05Built at a cost of over £1 billion and weighing in at 160,000 tonnes,
00:00:11it's home to more than 6,500 people.
00:00:17With 2,000 guest rooms and 800 staff cabins, it's a giant floating hotel.
00:00:23We can go through 20,000 eggs per day.
00:00:27A glamorous holiday destination.
00:00:30Everything is so much fun. Everything is there for you.
00:00:34This is the event you've all been waiting for.
00:00:39And an astonishing feat of engineering.
00:00:42This is one of the most huge generators of the world.
00:00:47But how does this city at sea really work?
00:00:50With exclusive access to a luxury Caribbean voyage,
00:00:54we explore the ship's hidden secrets.
00:00:58This is huge. Without the laundry, nothing gonna happen.
00:01:01We're feeding the fish. It's recycling in a nice way, isn't it?
00:01:05It's quite amazing. All these mechanisms have to work together.
00:01:09And the hidden army of people that keep this extraordinary ship running.
00:01:14Any cruise ship this size is the biggest sport operation in the world.
00:01:20This is the secret life of the cruise.
00:01:28It's 7am on Saturday, and the gigantic MSC Seaside has just docked in Port Miami,
00:01:36the biggest cruise ship terminal in the world.
00:01:39In just 12 hours' time, this floating city is heading off for a week-long cruise,
00:01:44travelling more than 2,000 miles across the Caribbean.
00:01:48But before then, it needs to be transformed.
00:01:51There are over 2,000 rooms to clean, 5,000 passengers to disembark,
00:01:56and 15,000 pieces of luggage to come off in just a few hours.
00:02:02Then the ship needs to be refuelled, restocked, and refilled with passengers all over again.
00:02:08In the cruise business, it's known as turnaround day.
00:02:12And the clock is ticking.
00:02:14Many people think that we're coming in the day before, we stay overnight, we take a rest,
00:02:19and then the next morning they come on and they see the ship.
00:02:22So many people ask me, when did you arrive?
00:02:25And we say, we arrived this morning.
00:02:26But how can the crew do so much in so little time?
00:02:30Of course, our dinner on day is very hectic, but this is a dance,
00:02:34because everything has its timing, and it's like a choreography.
00:02:36The day is a complicated ballet, where every crew member needs to remember their moves.
00:02:43But this complex dance relies on something a bit more mundane.
00:02:47One very long corridor.
00:02:50Down on deck 4, a secret crew passage runs the entire length of the ship.
00:02:55It's known as the I-95.
00:02:58It's the only way to move people and cargo quickly around the ship,
00:03:02and it's crucial to the entire operation.
00:03:05How many elevators are we using? Only one?
00:03:07Guys, hold on to the elevator.
00:03:10First thing in the morning, the I-95 is packed,
00:03:13as a hidden army of workers take 15,000 bags off the ship,
00:03:18through just two doors, in less than two hours.
00:03:23Of course, you see that we have our pool attendants helping us with the luggage,
00:03:26because on dinner on day, all hands on deck, we need all the manpower available.
00:03:31Please align all the people right now, please.
00:03:34And it's just as busy portside, where a separate team of dock workers have to work in tandem with the
00:03:41ship's crew.
00:03:42We normally have about 13 forklifts and 57 porters working on a given day. It's extremely hectic.
00:03:48It isn't just luggage coming ashore. Over the last week, the ship has accumulated some unpleasant cargo.
00:03:5750,000 gallons of human waste.
00:04:01Today, five tanker loads of poo will be removed for disposal.
00:04:10For the turnaround machine to work, the ship has to be loaded at the same time it's being emptied.
00:04:17This morning, it needs to be stocked with enough food and drink to last the entire week.
00:04:24This is for those cones, you know? This is for decorations.
00:04:28Where is the thief?
00:04:30Giuseppe, where are the rags here?
00:04:33Ben Mohamed is in charge of the operation.
00:04:39This one is lobster inside, you have to go on board.
00:04:43Every week, I'm talking, it's a chaos, but the chaos has a limit.
00:04:47In six hours, Ben and his team will load 160 tonnes of food onto the ship, worth over a million
00:04:55dollars.
00:04:57Throughout the morning, lorries arrive from a complex network of warehouses and suppliers that stretches across the world.
00:05:04It's very complex. We used to be not more than 1,200 guests.
00:05:08The ships are bigger and bigger and bigger.
00:05:11Today is more sophisticated and it's a lot of area to control too, you know?
00:05:16Of course, it can work like wild old machines, you know?
00:05:19Like a Swiss watch machine, okay?
00:05:23All of this food needs to be loaded onto the ship through a single door.
00:05:28To prevent a backlog, it's delivered immediately to one of 48 separate food stores.
00:05:35Everything has a place and every crate has to be loaded at a specific time.
00:05:40One late delivery can threaten to disrupt the entire machine.
00:05:46You are late again. Very bad. I don't like it.
00:05:51This is catering on a massive scale.
00:05:54In one week, the ship's passengers will consume 70,000 eggs, 15 tonnes of meat and 47 tonnes of fruit
00:06:03and veg.
00:06:08Every item must be checked rigorously before it goes on board.
00:06:12Nothing can go back on board without the speaker of K9.
00:06:16If the course got gum and it goes on board without the K9, that's trouble.
00:06:22As well as safety, Ben and his team have to check every item for quality.
00:06:27This is halibut. That's come from Alaska.
00:06:31Salmon for the sushi. Look how beautiful.
00:06:34This is a ribeye steak, 20 oz.
00:06:37This is our biggest protein product. Blackberry.
00:06:41This is for pastries. Then the strawberry, we don't want them big, we don't want them small.
00:06:46Every week, the Czechs throw up some surprises.
00:06:51You see what's happened to the pineapple?
00:06:54This is a freezer burn.
00:06:55And what's happened is softness and ruin the product.
00:06:59Even if it's one case, we send a whole lot, you have to give me a new product.
00:07:04In the next two hours, you have to bring me pineapples.
00:07:06I will call the vendors now and I will tell him that all the pineapple have to be returned.
00:07:18Moving luggage and food is only half the battle.
00:07:22The most important job on turnaround day is to move people.
00:07:28All passengers have to be off the ship by 11.30am.
00:07:32This moment is known as the zero count.
00:07:36If any guests are still on board, it means that none of the new passengers can get on.
00:07:41What's the 10.30 count, if you have it for me, please?
00:07:45On board 500. 5-0-0 on board at 10.30.
00:07:51Thank you very much, Miss Ruby. Let's get them out quickly.
00:07:57New passengers are already arriving at Terminal F, where the seaside is docked.
00:08:03Built specifically to handle this ship, it's the biggest terminal at Miami Port.
00:08:08And it's already getting busy.
00:08:11We're actually about 120 people left on board, and we already have about 200 people checked in.
00:08:19This is probably the most nerve-wracking point of the day, when you're right between getting people off and getting
00:08:24people on.
00:08:26At this point, we start searching people, looking for them in the rooms, around the pool, the open bars, and
00:08:33just making sure we get down to zero people as quickly as possible.
00:08:40Port side provisions master Ben has had some good news. In less than two hours, his network of suppliers have
00:08:49come through.
00:08:49As you can see, I show you this morning the pineapple return. By 11 o'clock, the replacement was here.
00:08:57The vendor's here, we have a good relation with them, to supply us what we need.
00:09:02Giorgio, listen, and thank you very much. You just arrived now, I see the pineapple coming out.
00:09:07Thanks, Giorgio. Thanks. Have a good day.
00:09:11The ship is also being stocked with everything else it needs for the following week, from 7,000 rolls of
00:09:18toilet paper to replacement engine parts.
00:09:21The technical part, the medical part, just name it, you know.
00:09:26For a seven-day trip, the ship also needs more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel.
00:09:34Back above deck, the last of the passengers are finally making their way out.
00:09:40All crew, all crew. Zero count. We have zero count. Start the embarkation. Zero count.
00:09:47Brilliant!
00:09:49With the holidaymakers gone, it's the only time in the entire week when there are no passengers on board.
00:09:56Cruise director Gene Young uses this time for a quick motivational speech.
00:10:01Well, attention all crew, attention all crew, this is your cruise director Gene Young speaking.
00:10:05Congratulations on finishing another incredible voyage.
00:10:08I put the challenge out to you, my friends, my family members, this cruise. Let us say hello to each
00:10:13other.
00:10:14Let us be the best that we can be, because you are the best. You are wonderful.
00:10:18And our guests love you. Let us do it. Let us do it great. And let us do it again.
00:10:23Thank you.
00:10:25The respite doesn't last for long. Five minutes later, it's time for boarding.
00:10:31So, stand by for boarding.
00:10:37And the week starts all over again.
00:10:42By midday, the front desk is checking in up to a thousand passengers an hour.
00:10:52The holidaymakers are already exploring the ship.
00:10:57Oh, wow. Hello, guys. Hello, hi. How you doing?
00:11:01Such a nice impression here.
00:11:03Wow, just wow. Wow, yeah. Shiny, bright. Can't wait to go have a look around.
00:11:08So, we're about to go into our room.
00:11:11Oh, it's open. It's open.
00:11:13Oh, my gosh.
00:11:17This is nice.
00:11:18This is nice.
00:11:19Oh, wow. What a massive mirror.
00:11:23Downstairs on the I-95, another group of people are getting their first glimpse of the ship.
00:11:29And things look very different down here.
00:11:33You're new in China? Yeah?
00:11:35Where are you coming from?
00:11:36Honduras.
00:11:36Honduras.
00:11:37Philippines.
00:11:38Philippines.
00:11:39How are you?
00:11:40Welcome on board.
00:11:42Yeah?
00:11:42On every cruise, there are up to 200 new members of staff.
00:11:47As up to a tenth of the crew leave for holiday or to work on other ships.
00:11:52This room is that we receive our crew members.
00:11:54We're going to make all the paperwork for immigration.
00:11:56We're going to sign them on, they get their cabin assignment.
00:12:00At the onboard uniform store, they have to keep uniforms for every job, in every size.
00:12:07Just one tiny part of a hidden world, but crucial for keeping this ship running.
00:12:14On turnaround day, everything has to be perfectly choreographed.
00:12:19But there's one factor that's out of anyone's control.
00:12:28Oh, that was not fun. There's some bad thunder coming.
00:12:33At the cruise terminal, bad weather can have major consequences.
00:12:36The storm means planes aren't able to land at Miami airport.
00:12:41And many of these planes are carrying passengers bound for the cruise.
00:12:46Hey, that American Airlines flight that was scheduled for Boston was diverted to Fort Lauderdale.
00:12:5239 passengers.
00:12:55Hold on, come again. 39 passengers.
00:12:58Oh, Lord. All right, I'm coming up.
00:13:01But how do you keep tabs on more than 5,000 passengers arriving from all over the globe?
00:13:07With the clock ticking, the terminal team are in constant contact with travel agents
00:13:11to check how many passengers are missing.
00:13:15The British air flight that's been delayed all day.
00:13:17OK.
00:13:18It's still in the air right now.
00:13:19Oh, gosh, OK.
00:13:20There's eight on there.
00:13:20OK.
00:13:21And American Airlines 207, there's four guests.
00:13:24It should be that one.
00:13:26It's still certain.
00:13:27OK, so 51 people in total.
00:13:29Correct.
00:13:29So that means they won't be here before 7.
00:13:32Yeah.
00:13:34Right on 7.
00:13:35Right around 7.
00:13:37The storm clouds don't last for long.
00:13:41It's time for the captain to make his final preparations for departure.
00:13:46It's always exciting to be in command of such a huge, modern and beautiful vessel.
00:13:53But how do you even begin to move a vessel of this size?
00:13:59OK, after session, advice when you are ready.
00:14:02The key lies downstairs in the engine room.
00:14:05Before departure, the ship's engineers have to ready the ship's four giant engines.
00:14:11So let's start the third generator and let's go in manoeuvring mode.
00:14:16The engines stir into life, transferring 80,000 horsepower to the six-meter-high propellers
00:14:23at the back of the ship.
00:14:25With the doors about to close, Patricia has some good news.
00:14:29Her passengers have arrived just in time.
00:14:32They're made it.
00:14:33They're all here.
00:14:33They're checking in.
00:14:35Oh, how exciting.
00:14:38We have the wind light.
00:14:39We have all guests on board.
00:14:41Good evening, madame.
00:14:43We'll be ready in 15 minutes, around five minutes.
00:14:46With all passengers on board, the ship is ready for the final act of turnaround day.
00:14:53Even if you do exactly the same manoeuvring, they are always different each other.
00:14:57Every single day is different.
00:15:02Okay, port side clear.
00:15:03Very good.
00:15:04Hidden beneath the waterline, the ship engages its thrusters.
00:15:09Smaller propellers built into the side of the ship.
00:15:13All seven thrusters are in operation.
00:15:15We can analyze the bridge now.
00:15:18Bridge from forward, all thrusters clear.
00:15:20All thrusters clear, forward.
00:15:21Copy, forward, all thrusters clear.
00:15:23The ship is equipped with seven of these thrusters in total, allowing the 160,000-ton vessel to pull away
00:15:31from the dock with inch-perfect precision.
00:15:3340,000.
00:15:3540,000.
00:15:36After five minutes, the ship is safely in the middle of the channel.
00:15:42The propellers engage, and the seaside begins to make its way forward into open ocean.
00:15:5114 hours after arriving in Miami, the MSC seaside is on its way again.
00:16:02For most of the next week, the ship will be at sea, with 6,500 people on board.
00:16:08But what keeps this sea-bound city afloat 24-7?
00:16:12This is one of the most huge generators on the world.
00:16:24It's day two of the MSC seaside's Caribbean cruise, and the ship is powering through the Atlantic Ocean.
00:16:33Over 300 meters long, and weighing 160,000 tons, the vessel is part of a new generation of monster cruise
00:16:42ships.
00:16:43If it was on land, it would be one of the 50 biggest hotels in the world.
00:16:49There are over 6,500 people on board.
00:16:54OK.
00:16:55Adesso, Italia, si, eh! Adesso, Italia!
00:16:59Sexy, sexy, sexy!
00:17:04The ship is huge. We're losing the kids, we're getting lost all the time.
00:17:09We can't find the same bar straight away, you know, we're looking for heaters.
00:17:13When we first got on the ship in Miami, it was just, you know, how big it was.
00:17:17Obviously, they described it as a floating hotel, but it just seems more than that when we see it.
00:17:2120 stories high, the ship has nine restaurants, 11 bars, shopping plazas, a gym, a thousand-seat theatre, a spa,
00:17:39a nightclub, a bowling alley, a full-size basketball court, and one of the biggest water parks at sea.
00:17:46This ship is not like a ship, it's like a city, it's got everything. It's unbelievable.
00:17:51But this floating city needs a vast amount of electricity to function.
00:17:57So how does the ship get all the power it needs?
00:18:01The secret lies here, buried in the depths of the ship, in the engine room.
00:18:08Noisy and boiling hot, it couldn't be more different to the glitz and glamour above deck.
00:18:15But the engine room is the seaside's beating heart.
00:18:20Here, four massive engines work as supersized electric generators.
00:18:26If you love engine generators, this is the best place.
00:18:32This is our big generator, not that we call the big brother.
00:18:36We have 14 cylinders.
00:18:39This is one of the most huge generators in the world.
00:18:45Combined, they produce 80,000 horsepower in total.
00:18:50This raw power is then converted to electricity.
00:18:55The engine gives the mechanical power.
00:18:57All of the mechanical power is transformed into electrical energy by the alternator system.
00:19:04Just one generator right now, we are giving electricity to all the ships.
00:19:08The engines can produce enough electricity to power 50,000 homes.
00:19:15And they also drive this ship across the ocean.
00:19:20Two giant propeller shafts run all the way through the engine room,
00:19:24to the 26-ton propellers at the back of the ship.
00:19:28It's something so special, when you're just thinking,
00:19:31through this shaft, all the power of the ship is going, you know?
00:19:35And just on the other side, you have the propeller.
00:19:43The engine room is also the key to another vital commodity that the ship needs in bucket loads.
00:19:51Water.
00:19:52On board, there are 30 swimming pools and jacuzzis.
00:19:56And more than 3,000 showers and taps.
00:19:59And every department on the ship, from the galleys to the engine,
00:20:02requires a constant supply of clean, fresh water.
00:20:07You are doing very well. Ready to go.
00:20:083, 2, 1.
00:20:10Big applause!
00:20:14In total, the ship needs 250,000 gallons of it every day.
00:20:22So how does it quench this thirst?
00:20:30This is one of the most huge and big systems of fresh water generator production in the world.
00:20:38So what do we do?
00:20:39We take the seawater here, through this pipe,
00:20:44and come 600 tonnes of water per hour.
00:20:47Underwater, huge pumps are constantly sucking in water from the sea.
00:20:53Then, in two industrial desalination machines,
00:20:57waste steam and heat from the engines boil the seawater to remove the salt.
00:21:03Once treated, the distillated seawater is clean enough to drink.
00:21:08It's pumped throughout the ship.
00:21:10This water comes out from our shower, from our hand wash.
00:21:15And for swimming, pool, yakuza, everywhere.
00:21:18You see water? It comes from this system.
00:21:20The system can produce 3,000 tonnes of fresh water a day.
00:21:25Enough to fill 400 of these swimming pools.
00:21:31But this floating hotel doesn't just rely on secret systems.
00:21:36It also depends on a hidden army of people.
00:21:41Every day, 60 cleaners are constantly at work,
00:21:45cleaning the ship's 20 storeys of staircases and 10 kilometres of corridors.
00:21:51Meanwhile, a team of 112 cabin stewards have to strip and make more than 2,000 beds.
00:22:001,000 of these linen bags are filled every day.
00:22:04But how does the ship deal with so much laundry?
00:22:08Hidden away on Deck 3, another department is absolutely crucial to the smooth running of the ship.
00:22:15Oh, this is huge.
00:22:18Without the laundry, the ship is not operational.
00:22:20Everybody thinks the housekeeping and the dining room without the food cannot be operational.
00:22:25No, without the laundry, nothing is going to happen.
00:22:29Almost everybody on board relies on regular deliveries of clean laundry.
00:22:35In one day, they have to process 14,000 pool towels, 10,000 sheets and 60,000 napkins.
00:22:47Everything comes down here.
00:22:48If you're looking at the hotel in Las Vegas, they have 2,000 rooms as well.
00:22:52The difference is, in the hotel, they have different laundry operations.
00:22:56They bring it to them every day, and they collect the dirty ones in here.
00:23:01Everything is in-house, and so everything needs to be connected within your operation.
00:23:06If one was broke down, I'm already on a crunch time because the restaurant cannot operate without the tablecloth and
00:23:13the napkins.
00:23:18To get through this never-ending deluge of linen, the laundry is staffed round the clock by a team of
00:23:2428 people.
00:23:30Again, the ship's engines play a vital role in powering this department.
00:23:36They produce huge amounts of waste, heat and steam, which is harvested before being piped here to the massive machines.
00:23:46This tunnel washer alone is capable of cleaning up to 1,000 sheets every hour.
00:23:53After the washing cycle, a robotic arm moves the material to one of four huge dryers.
00:24:03This is the only thing that can accommodate the needs of the ship.
00:24:09Without this, we can never meet the expectations.
00:24:12Once the laundry is washed and dried, another machine presses and folds it into perfect squares.
00:24:19Make sure you get the end to end like this, then you have a quality linen coming out on the
00:24:24other side.
00:24:25See, well pressed. See that?
00:24:27Okay, continue what you're doing, and you need to be faster.
00:24:31The next person just have to collect the finished product and goes into the storage place.
00:24:36Very, very impressive how this machine is designed. It's very beautiful.
00:24:40With a turnaround time of one hour, the newly cleaned, dried and pressed laundry is ready to go.
00:24:59Upstairs, the ship's army of cleaners have another important role to play.
00:25:05Every day, they need to dispose of all the rubbish.
00:25:09With 6,500 passengers and crew living on board, you can imagine how much garbage is being generated on a
00:25:17daily basis.
00:25:18So how does the seaside deal with this growing mountain of waste?
00:25:24Down in the ship's on board garbage room, an army of sorters have to painstakingly separate it all. By hand.
00:25:32When the crew members come on board, I take a class. Each person being trained how we need to separate
00:25:39the waste on board.
00:25:40And it is their responsibility.
00:25:43Only after it's been meticulously sorted, can the waste be processed.
00:25:51Every day, this room receives 10 tonnes of garbage, including 2,000 cans and 3,000 glass bottles.
00:26:04We do not want to pollute the sea. We don't want to discharge the sea. This is one of the
00:26:11most eco-friendly ships in the world.
00:26:1480% of the waste generated on the ship can be recycled. The rest is taken back to Miami.
00:26:24Just keeping this ship afloat takes an army of people. But perhaps the biggest task is keeping everyone on board
00:26:32fed.
00:26:33You're dishing up too many at the time, OK?
00:26:36And dealing with the consequences.
00:26:45It's day three of the MSC Seaside's Caribbean cruise. And the ship is on course for Jamaica.
00:26:56On board, 5,000 passengers have settled into cruise life. Relaxing, drinking and perhaps most importantly, eating.
00:27:07Can you make sure that they don't put it on top of each other?
00:27:10They need to put it nicely like this.
00:27:12People always ask me, how many meals you serve a day?
00:27:15And I say, well, most passengers, they have only one meal.
00:27:19They start in the morning and they finish at night.
00:27:22They eat continuously. It's only one meal for them, right?
00:27:29But how do you go about feeding the 5,000?
00:27:34The key is sheer manpower. 800 people work in the food and beverage team. That's more than half of the
00:27:42entire crew.
00:27:43Together they cook, plate and serve 15 tonnes of food a day.
00:27:48Hola, buenas noches.
00:27:49Every evening, passengers eat at two massive restaurants.
00:27:53Capable of serving 1,500 people at a time, they run three separate sittings a night.
00:28:00First sitting, very quiet.
00:28:03Second sitting, very busy. And extremely busy on the third sitting, OK?
00:28:08Let's go and get them, huh?
00:28:10Thank you, guys.
00:28:14At 5pm, the team kicks into action.
00:28:19With 250 well-drilled crew members working in two huge galleys, Thomas has to make sure everyone is up to
00:28:27standard.
00:28:29Don't cook too much fish in advance, OK?
00:28:31Pieces like that don't need to be on there, right?
00:28:34Don't serve that, OK?
00:28:37You make sure you're decorating the food with chopped parsley or something, huh? All the time.
00:28:44Any cruise ship this size is the biggest food operation in the world, because it's not like a hotel.
00:28:50A hotel might also have 5,000 beds, but half of them don't eat in the hotel.
00:28:55Here, they have no choice. There's nowhere else they can go.
00:28:59But the galleys are only one part of a vast catering operation.
00:29:04Behind the scenes, there is a hidden labyrinth of stores, fridges and freezers stretching over 15 floors.
00:29:1124 hours a day, these supply lines have to constantly replenish the galleys above.
00:29:17Nobody really understands the scope of what we do on board, unless you've been part of this industry before.
00:29:26Imagine 6,500 persons, diverse, multinationalities, multilingual and a wide array of exquisite tastes.
00:29:39And we have to accommodate each one of these tastes as much as possible.
00:29:44Each one of the stores is specially dedicated to a certain product, so there's no cross-contamination.
00:29:52This is just for ice cream. Just for ice cream.
00:29:57And you also have a little weird favour. Go over hazelnut. I mean, who would have that? Have you ever
00:30:03had that?
00:30:03Alright, so we're going to go over to the call room. I need a coat to go into this room.
00:30:09It's like being in Alaska.
00:30:12Alright, let's do this.
00:30:14Okay, so this is a fish room. Look at these guys.
00:30:17They're big, they're nice, they're juicy.
00:30:21Yeah, this is what we're talking about.
00:30:23The net weight of this bag is 2 pounds.
00:30:26Just to let you know, in a night, yeah, we can consume over 1,500 pounds of shrimp.
00:30:33Just in one sitting. Yeah? It's the same like when we do eggs, you know?
00:30:38We can go through 20,000 eggs per day.
00:30:42Easily. 20,000 eggs.
00:30:46Every item in these freezers needs to be defrosted at the exact right time.
00:30:52Too early and the food will spoil in massive quantities.
00:30:55Too late and there won't be enough to serve.
00:30:59Although the cruise only lasts seven days, the ship must keep enough for two weeks in case of emergencies.
00:31:07We are sailing in North America and we encounter a lot of hurricanes, a lot of unfavorable weather conditions.
00:31:13And we may or may not miss a port, but if we do, we do have enough stock on board
00:31:18to take us past for a couple of days.
00:31:21And guests don't just need to eat.
00:31:25With 11 bars on board, the alcohol stores are some of the best stocked on the ship.
00:31:31One of the first priorities is ensuring that we have the nectar of life, the nectar of fun, which we
00:31:37all know to be alcohol.
00:31:38So we've got the cordials, the liquors, the beers, the water, you need to rehydrate and then you repeat.
00:31:45In one cruise, thirsty passengers will go through 2,000 bottles of spirits, 8,000 bottles of wine and 10
00:31:55,000 litres of beer.
00:31:57We're not a party boat. It's a boat that caters for everyone's individual thirst.
00:32:03Good food and lots of alcohol aren't the only ways to keep the ship's passengers happy.
00:32:09From dance groups, to shopping sales, to weddings.
00:32:14Give you this ring as a symbol of my love.
00:32:18The crew lay on hundreds of activities a day to entertain them.
00:32:23And there's one man in particular who's responsible for keeping the party going.
00:32:28All right, stand right, take early, segment one.
00:32:30Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your cruise director, Gene.
00:32:32And I'm your cruise star manager, Kevin.
00:32:34And welcome back to the morning zoo.
00:32:36Ladies and gentlemen, we hope you've had a nice couple of days here on board MSC Seaside.
00:32:41We've had a wonderful time.
00:32:43So that we can introduce ourselves.
00:32:46Gene Young is the ship's cruise director.
00:32:50As the public face of the ship, he has to be happy at all times.
00:32:55They're looking for a Disneyland experience.
00:32:57Everything is so much fun.
00:32:59Everything is there for you.
00:33:01This city of fun.
00:33:02This city of pleasure.
00:33:05I define the excitement.
00:33:07And I define it because it is there and it can be defined.
00:33:10Look how wonderful this is.
00:33:11Aren't you having such a neat time?
00:33:13But what's the secret to keeping more than 5,000 passengers happy?
00:33:18The first rule is to be very nice to everyone.
00:33:23I like your bikini.
00:33:24That's nice.
00:33:24I studied people.
00:33:26I studied their emotions.
00:33:27How to drive their emotions.
00:33:30As a cruise director, I specifically tried to figure out what are people thinking?
00:33:33What brings them anxiety?
00:33:35What brings them joy?
00:33:37How old?
00:33:38It's got to be.
00:33:38The second rule is to practice.
00:33:41I hate to say it, but it is rehearsed spontaneity.
00:33:44I rehearse trying to make sure that they can relax so they can enjoy.
00:33:48And so it's something that I rehearse all the time.
00:33:51The ship's huge restaurants are coming towards the end of their first sitting.
00:33:56And in the galleys, a dedicated team of workers are slicing and dicing a mountain of produce.
00:34:03They're held by some industrial-sized equipment.
00:34:09It's basically washing our fruit before we process them.
00:34:14A machine like that you probably would only find in a commercial plant where they make canned fruit and things
00:34:20like that.
00:34:21We've got one here. Beautiful.
00:34:24It's just the right length for me.
00:34:28To have my jacuzzi, you know.
00:34:31We can actually have a spin dryer in there when you have a different kind of fruit.
00:34:36Almost like a closed spin dryer.
00:34:39This is probably the cleanest pineapple on the ship right now that we have.
00:34:45Together, these machines can power through 300 kilograms of fruit and veg every hour.
00:34:51In all my time of working on cruise ships, this is the first time that I see this kind of
00:34:56technology on a ship.
00:34:58It's state-of-the-art stuff.
00:35:00The chefs also need some super-sized kitchenware.
00:35:04Some of these boilers, they hold about 300, 250, 300 litres, some of them.
00:35:09And this is what we need here, you know.
00:35:11When we make tomato sauce, I make 300 litres every day.
00:35:15Just tomato sauce, every day.
00:35:17And it's gone at the end of the day.
00:35:19Even the dish washing is an industrial operation.
00:35:24After each sitting, every single plate needs to be washed.
00:35:28This is the clean side of the operation.
00:35:33Comes out here, gets dried, piled up and pushed back into the operation.
00:35:39We actually need everything for the second sitting and the third sitting.
00:35:45The food has a rest after the third sitting.
00:35:47We replenish the line.
00:35:49But these guys, it continues.
00:35:52As soon as all the crockery is washed, the galley has to gear up for the second and third sittings.
00:35:58You're dishing up too many at the time, okay?
00:36:01Do half and then take them off, put them into the cooler and then do the next one.
00:36:06As the restaurant gets busier, the team work like clockwork.
00:36:12This is now very well organised.
00:36:14From now on forward until the end of the service, until everybody has their food, it's well organised.
00:36:20Very good team I have here.
00:36:21They never stop.
00:36:26Over four hours, this galley will cook, plate up and serve 14,000 plates of food.
00:36:35But at the end of the last service, the work isn't over.
00:36:38We have a night shift and a day shift, so it's a 24 hour operation.
00:36:44Almost half of them actually working overnight.
00:36:47So when the culinary team comes back in the morning, everything is nice and clean, floors, ceilings.
00:36:54We do a total wash down every night.
00:36:58And cruise ship catering has one more secret.
00:37:02Every day a tonne and a half of food is left over by passengers.
00:37:07That's enough to feed another 500 people.
00:37:10So what happens to all this waste?
00:37:14In each galley, giant grinders crush the leftovers before it drops three floors below where it's stored in tanks.
00:37:23Then, when out at sea, the ship discharges this waste as fish food.
00:37:29Sometimes on a day when we're allowed to discharge the food waste, you can spot some dolphins out here.
00:37:36They're following us because of that, you know.
00:37:38So we're feeding the fish.
00:37:39It's recycling in a nice way, isn't it?
00:37:49And all this eating has other consequences.
00:37:52With six and a half thousand passengers and crew downing at least three meals a day,
00:37:57the ship's sewage system works hard.
00:38:02But this city at sea can't have normal sewers.
00:38:06So how does it deal with all the poo?
00:38:10It all happens here, in the bowels of the ship.
00:38:14All the human waste from the ship come in here, in this room.
00:38:19This is advanced water treatment.
00:38:22Every day, this secret sewer has to treat 30 tonnes of human waste.
00:38:28On board, it's known as black water.
00:38:31When I come first day, when I feel this smell, I didn't like it.
00:38:35But day after day, this is normal, eh?
00:38:40Nobody likes the wall here because you smell.
00:38:43Also, it's very hot.
00:38:45But what we can do?
00:38:46Somebody must keep this system in good condition.
00:38:49The seaside has its own specially developed system for processing the waste.
00:38:54First, under huge pressure, the solid is separated from the liquid in a pressing machine.
00:39:00The liquid coming here and going to stage one.
00:39:06Solid coming here and going down in the slurry tank.
00:39:12The solid waste is removed every week in Miami.
00:39:17The liquid needs further treatment.
00:39:20This is stage one.
00:39:23The size is very dirty.
00:39:242,000 gallons a day filters down into these tanks.
00:39:28So, now I show you how is the water in the beginning.
00:39:37You can see the colour.
00:39:39It's very, very dirty.
00:39:41The black water is filtered until it's almost as clean as drinking water.
00:39:47The water passed the filtration, separation, passed from this membrane.
00:39:52And coming down here in this tank.
00:40:00You can see it.
00:40:01This is the final product.
00:40:03Can you drink?
00:40:04Yes, if you want.
00:40:07This water doesn't get drunk.
00:40:10Some of it is siphoned off to cool the massive engines.
00:40:15The rest is safe enough to be discharged into the sea.
00:40:21The cruise is reaching its halfway point.
00:40:25And tomorrow, the captain and his team face one of the biggest challenges of the entire trip.
00:40:31You risk to create a serious damage to the ship.
00:40:34There are no marginal mistakes.
00:40:457am on the bridge of the MSC seaside.
00:40:50She's travelled almost 1,000 miles from Miami and in one hour is due to dock in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
00:40:57But the port throws up some particularly difficult challenges for a ship of this size.
00:41:04This is the port.
00:41:06I mean, here is just a big coral reef that we enter from this direction.
00:41:13As you may see, a vessel is docked here.
00:41:16The reefs are here.
00:41:17If you just delay a bit, the moment that you start to change your route,
00:41:23you can easily hit something.
00:41:25Or if you don't control your speed, you can easily ground, which is even worse.
00:41:31The vessel at the end finishes very close.
00:41:34There are no marginal mistakes.
00:41:37So how do you navigate something this complex?
00:41:41While out at sea, the ship travels on autopilot.
00:41:45But as they approach land, the captain assumes full control.
00:41:49OK, we can keep proceeding with this course and speed, no problem.
00:41:53OK.
00:41:54Now, if anyone on the bridge makes a navigational error,
00:41:58the ship's computer will not correct it.
00:42:01As the seaside enters the narrow port, the key is to slow down as much as possible.
00:42:08Mission to the wheel.
00:42:10Yes, mission.
00:42:11It approaches first at three, then two knots.
00:42:16Any faster, and the 300-meter-long ship will be almost impossible to control.
00:42:25By this point, the ship is less than 200 meters from another vessel
00:42:30and 150 meters away from surrounding reefs.
00:42:33It now needs to pivot 45 degrees towards the dock, without any forward movement.
00:42:40The ship is so big that the team move to the bridge wing.
00:42:43Underward the wheel.
00:42:45Underward the wheel.
00:42:47Take over the wheel on the stubble wing.
00:42:50And take over all the control.
00:42:53Here, they have a better view of the pier, while maintaining full control of the ship.
00:43:00Underwater, the ship's seven thrusters kick into action,
00:43:04rotating the vessel towards the dock with inch-perfect precision.
00:43:10And that's the most complicated moment, because the vessel weight is 160,000 tons.
00:43:15The water around is not really very much.
00:43:18There are a few meters of water under the queue.
00:43:20The ship is so close to the seabed that the thrusters force the silt to the surface.
00:43:25Any more speed, and the ship could sink lower in the water and run aground.
00:43:31This last part of the job is the most delicate of the entire job.
00:43:37Slowly, slowly, softly, softly.
00:43:40That's up.
00:43:41Yes, the bridge on forward, is it on the shore?
00:43:43Stop us.
00:43:45Despite the fact that maybe you have a residual speed of 0.2 knots, maybe 0.5,
00:43:50if you hit with that residual speed, any concrete things, you risk to create a serious damage to the ship.
00:44:00Meters away from the pier, all the thrusters stop turning.
00:44:04And inch by inch, the ship drifts into position.
00:44:08You should really land softly with zero residual speed.
00:44:13In practice, I used to say it's like kiss the pier.
00:44:174-0-5, clear.
00:44:19We are in position.
00:44:28While most of the passengers are off the ship, the crew have a vital duty to perform.
00:44:33Every week, the ship's officers run a full emergency drill.
00:44:38Check on aft part.
00:44:41During the manoeuvring, we hit the pier.
00:44:44On the compartment, approximately 4 and 5.
00:44:48Today, the officers have come up with an emergency scenario to test all the crew.
00:44:54Captain, we understand the compartment affected are 5 and 4.
00:44:58Safety officer Marco is dispatched to assess the extent of the imaginary damage.
00:45:04Yes, you're right.
00:45:05Bridge, I'm closing down on compartment number 4 by the vertical escape.
00:45:10For speed, Marco uses the ship's vertical escape ladders.
00:45:15Bridge, bridge, fancy.
00:45:16Hidden passageways running from deck 1 to 4.
00:45:20Bridge on deck 1, compartment number 5.
00:45:23We have 2 metres of water on deck 1, compartment number 5.
00:45:27Compartment number 5, we have 2 metres of water.
00:45:30The ship is divided into 10 vertical zones.
00:45:34In an emergency, they're designed to be watertight, to contain any breach of the hull.
00:45:39For today's drill, two of these compartments are supposedly taking on water.
00:45:44Charlie, Alpha. Charlie, Alpha.
00:45:48As soon as the bridge sounds the crew alert, every member of staff has to drop what they're doing.
00:45:55All the crew members on board, they have second duties in case of emergencies.
00:46:00They can be people in charge of the evacuation, people in charge of the medical team, people from the fire
00:46:06team, lifeboat preparation.
00:46:09They have many, many different duties all around the ship.
00:46:12The safety officers check that the crew are confident with their duties by pretending to be lost guests.
00:46:19Can I stay here?
00:46:21No.
00:46:22Why?
00:46:23I want to just talk with you.
00:46:25A few minutes.
00:46:27We try sometimes to scare them, to give them pressure in order to maybe feel what can happen in a
00:46:34real emergency.
00:46:35It's the only way.
00:46:36What are you doing?
00:46:37You are waiting there?
00:46:38Yeah, remaining calm.
00:46:39Yeah, of course.
00:46:40When you can leave your position?
00:46:43When it's over?
00:46:45No.
00:46:46Never?
00:46:47No.
00:46:48A few of them were really under pressure during the test.
00:46:52We need to work in order to improve their performance, but it's okay.
00:46:57The drill is over. The drill is complete.
00:47:00This is a good day.
00:47:12With the drill over, the crew can return to their normal jobs.
00:47:17But what's daily life like for the 1,500 crew members living on board?
00:47:23Hidden within the ship, there is a second city, one that passengers never get to see.
00:47:29Here, in a maze of corridors, there are three crew restaurants, two private crew bars.
00:47:36Mi casa es su casa. Come in, come in.
00:47:39And 740 crew cabins.
00:47:42So this is my cabin. I'm a senior officer, so it's a larger cabin and I don't have to share
00:47:47it, which is a big perk on ship life.
00:47:50But you can see, really, it's not the biggest space in the world either.
00:47:55But on a big ship, this is all that I get to call my own.
00:47:59The officers are lucky.
00:48:01This is our cover doll.
00:48:02Most of the crew live in less luxurious surroundings.
00:48:06Here we are, home sweet home.
00:48:08When you're in these cabins, you're a bit, like, stuck.
00:48:10You feel a bit stuck and confined.
00:48:14Beds. Jess is on the top bunk. I'm on the bottom bunk.
00:48:18I miss waking up and, like, looking outside of the window.
00:48:20It is a bit strange. Not having a window in here and we don't really see daylight for quite a
00:48:24while.
00:48:24But then when you do go outside, your eyes are a bit like, like, ahh!
00:48:29But then when we want to have a nap, it's good because it's pitch black in the rooms.
00:48:35There is the bathroom, sink toilet, and then the shower.
00:48:42For us guys, the only real time we're here is when we're sleeping.
00:48:45It's just a base, you know?
00:48:47We are very rarely in here.
00:48:50I think crazy is the word we'd use to sum up this whole experience.
00:48:54Yeah. Crazy.
00:48:55It's like living in a little bubble.
00:48:58We call it a ship bubble, don't we?
00:49:00Ship bubble, yeah.
00:49:02You're in your complete own little world.
00:49:05We work together, eat together, we do everything together.
00:49:08And life on a cruise ship can be a lot of fun.
00:49:15Oh, so nice!
00:49:17So nice!
00:49:19All of us entertainers are getting off.
00:49:22Woohoo!
00:49:23Hey!
00:49:24Freedom!
00:49:25This is a privilege of doing a cruise, guys.
00:49:30I promise.
00:49:31It's done the shots.
00:49:32Oh no, it's not the TV!
00:49:40Misses!
00:49:42No!
00:49:46Little ladder for stupid little people.
00:49:50Now it's back to the ship.
00:49:51Back to our little floating home.
00:49:54After a few hours off the ship, it's back to work.
00:49:58Then, with all passengers and crew back on board,
00:50:02the seaside sets sail again and heads out into open ocean.
00:50:09With one of the biggest live theatre shows at sea,
00:50:12what does it take to entertain 5,000 passengers three times every single night?
00:50:18Costume after costume, headdress after headdress.
00:50:20We have trees.
00:50:21We have trees.
00:50:22Oh wait, hold on, I'm out!
00:50:30Early evening on the MSC seaside.
00:50:34While the passengers enjoy the last of the sun,
00:50:40the ship's in-house theatre company are in the midst of rehearsals.
00:50:47Tonight is the premiere of a brand new show, and there's some last minute work to do.
00:50:52Ladies and gentlemen, you've been watching Timeless!
00:50:58We are the dancers of MSC seaside, and we're part of a cast of about 40.
00:51:04We live more in the changing room than we do in our families.
00:51:08We spend more time here than anywhere else.
00:51:09Like everything on this ship, the entertainment comes supersized.
00:51:15Every single night, the company performs to up to 3,000 people across three shows.
00:51:21That's a bigger audience than in any theatre in London's West End.
00:51:26There's a full-scale lighting rig, a state-of-the-art sound system, and a dedicated backstage team.
00:51:33Even the props and costumes have been specially commissioned for the ship.
00:51:38And here we are greeted by the dinosaur.
00:51:42Do you know the dinosaur?
00:51:43Do you know the dinosaur?
00:51:44There we go, we've named it.
00:51:45And it has a camera, so the peasant was inside.
00:51:47He's inside.
00:51:48Oh wait, hold on, I'm out!
00:51:50No, it's spiky!
00:51:51It's true!
00:51:52But his eyes move as well.
00:51:53Guys, it has a little fan in there.
00:51:55Yeah, it does.
00:51:55It's a little fan in case he gets hot.
00:51:57These are some of the costumes.
00:51:59Yeah.
00:51:59And it's just like costume after costume, headdress after headdress.
00:52:03Trees we have.
00:52:04Trees.
00:52:05This is like how we get from one side of the stage to the other, quickly.
00:52:10Our secret passageway.
00:52:12That's what we call it.
00:52:14All of you...
00:52:16The cast rehearse for up to seven hours a day, then go straight into performing.
00:52:22We usually work around 60 hours a week.
00:52:25Long hours.
00:52:26Long hours.
00:52:26Hard work.
00:52:27Get ready, warm up.
00:52:29It's just then a continuous rehearsal.
00:52:32But we do it because we love it.
00:52:33Yeah.
00:52:46With rehearsals over, the cast have just over half an hour to get ready for the premiere.
00:52:53I get nervous, but I think I've always been at that, but it's always good to have a bit
00:52:56of nerves.
00:52:57Still, every time we pop curtains off, you might need a little week.
00:53:00Why was it all late?
00:53:01They were excited.
00:53:03Yeah, yeah.
00:53:03I'm looking forward to it.
00:53:04We've worked for it.
00:53:05Do you know what I mean?
00:53:05We've worked, so I feel like it's finally time to show an audience.
00:53:08Yeah, to show what we've done.
00:53:08You feel the new one's, like, going to be amazing.
00:53:11Ladies and gentlemen, this is Titus.
00:53:21Once the show begins, the biggest challenge isn't the dancing.
00:53:25It's four costume changes in half an hour.
00:53:41After the show, the cast have no time to celebrate.
00:53:45There are two more shows tonight.
00:53:47One, two to go.
00:53:49Yeah.
00:53:51Once we've finished doing our make-up, again, redoing our make-up, it's straight to show again.
00:53:5515 minutes later, it's curtains up again.
00:54:12By 10pm, the last show is over.
00:54:17The cast have been on the go for 12 hours straight.
00:54:26No sleep.
00:54:27Yeah.
00:54:28I'm having a drink.
00:54:29No beer.
00:54:35Eight storeys above, on the bridge, the atmosphere is very different.
00:54:41The vessel is still motoring through the ocean at 22 knots, but the captain can't work 24 hours a day.
00:54:48So who's in charge?
00:54:51Throughout the night, three-man teams work shifts on the bridge.
00:54:55Their job is known as the watch.
00:54:58We are just outside the bridge.
00:55:02I'm first officer, and I'm head of the watch.
00:55:06The bridge must remain pitch black at all times throughout the night.
00:55:09The first five minutes are not easy because it's all black.
00:55:13You cannot see now.
00:55:14Each shift lasts just four hours.
00:55:17Any longer, and there's a risk that the watchers could lose their concentration.
00:55:22Current is pushing.
00:55:24It's pushing.
00:55:24Yeah, pushing.
00:55:25Do not.
00:55:26I take the charge at the going, okay.
00:55:29The bridge is equipped with millions of dollars' worth of modern equipment.
00:55:35But at night, the watch relies on some much simpler technology.
00:55:39We are watching the other vessels moving.
00:55:42So with the binoculars, we can see their light, especially with the small boat, the fishing
00:55:47boat, that many times are not plotted on the radar screen.
00:55:52Looking after this billion-pound vessel is a huge responsibility.
00:55:57We have 1,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members.
00:56:01So if we make any mistake on the bridge, there are many people here.
00:56:07And our job is to let them feel safe.
00:56:14The bridge isn't the only place that has to operate throughout the night.
00:56:19Across the ship, a secret nighttime army is at work, making sure the seaside runs smoothly
00:56:2524 hours a day.
00:56:27Four floors of outside decking needs to be scrubbed.
00:56:31Every restaurant's given a deep clean.
00:56:33And every public space, hoovered from top to bottom.
00:56:37On board, more than 100 staff work through the night.
00:56:42And one department in particular is a hive of activity.
00:56:47The ship's in-house bakery.
00:56:51Fresh bread has to be made from scratch all night, every night.
00:56:59The bakery is working 24 hours.
00:57:01The night people are coming at 8 o'clock.
00:57:03Preparation, all bread for the breakfast.
00:57:05Croissant, panchobolato.
00:57:07All the breakfast is night people.
00:57:10All the bread you eat on board is fresh.
00:57:13In one night shift, this bakery will make 5,000 croissants and 3,000 pano chocolat.
00:57:19And that's just for breakfast.
00:57:22Over the course of a week's cruise, the bakers will produce 7,000 donuts, 10,000 pizzas and 70,000
00:57:29bread rolls.
00:57:32To make life easier for the crew, the bakery is stocked with state-of-the-art equipment, like this, which
00:57:38cuts cakes using a high-pressure water jet.
00:57:42It can slice more than 1,000 cakes every hour.
00:57:46Everybody, collaboration.
00:57:48For example, one people meet the dog, one people work on the table, one put the proving, one put the
00:57:53oven.
00:57:55When you're coming outside, I want to see the bread. It's perfect.
00:58:02The final task of the night, to prepare the decks for another busy day.
00:58:07Then, as the passengers begin to get up, the night team heads to bed.
00:58:13Another shift finished, on the ship that never sleeps.
00:58:20The ship is on its way back to Miami, but there's one final challenge to face.
00:58:26They all agree that this is one very narrow, very fast, crazy place.
00:58:39It's the final evening of the MSC Seaside's Caribbean cruise.
00:58:45But as the ship heads back to Miami, the crew still have one major event to put on.
00:58:52Party night.
00:58:53Well, ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening and welcome to our Asian area.
00:58:57Tonight is the main event of the cruise.
00:59:01We're going to be dancing until the early hours of the morning.
00:59:04This is the event you've all been waiting for.
00:59:07Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is our white party. Here we go.
00:59:11It's the biggest night of the cruise for the guests, and for the ship's tireless 12-person entertainment team.
00:59:19They're kind of like the front line. They're the ones doing all the events, and they're the ones that are
00:59:22pretty much responsible for making sure that all the guests have an amazing holiday.
00:59:26With crowds of up to 2,000 people, the seaside's white night is one of the biggest parties at sea.
00:59:34The guys on my team are incredible. They work really hard. To do it for eight months straight, every single
00:59:39day, no weekends off, you know, it takes a special person to make that happen.
00:59:43If they're happy, then all the guests are happy.
00:59:48In just one week, the ship's 5,000 passengers and 1,500 crew have eaten 160 tons of food and
00:59:57drunk 8,000 bottles of wine.
01:00:01On the way, they've used 100,000 pool towels and thrown away 70 tons of garbage.
01:00:08And the huge ship itself has used more than 1,000 tons of fuel and 2 million gallons of water.
01:00:18But the journey isn't quite over.
01:00:22After all the passengers go to bed, the bridge team have to prepare for perhaps their most difficult challenge yet.
01:00:28How to bring a 160,000 ton ship into one of the narrowest ports in America, in the pitch black
01:00:36night.
01:00:38By 4am, the ship is one mile outside the port of Miami.
01:00:43They might have all the latest technology on board, but to get into port safely, they need some expert local
01:00:50help.
01:00:52Captain John Nitkin is a Miami port pilot.
01:00:56It's his job to guide these massive cruise ships safely into dock.
01:01:05This morning, he's meeting up with the seaside.
01:01:09MSC seaside. Good morning. We are outbound to you now.
01:01:14What side is your pilot ladder?
01:01:17Port side.
01:01:20Okay, we copy. Port side. Very good.
01:01:24We are headed to you now.
01:01:26We always ask the captain, have you been to Miami before?
01:01:29And if they say no, we tell them you're in for quite a ride.
01:01:33And after, they all agree that this is one very narrow, very fast, crazy place.
01:01:43There she is. She's a beauty. She's the biggest one in Miami right now.
01:01:51First, the most dangerous part of the whole manoeuvre for John.
01:01:55He has to jump from his moving boat up onto the seaside.
01:02:00There have been a lot of accidents and pilots lost climbing that ladder.
01:02:11Alongside this ship.
01:02:14We continue.
01:02:15The giant cruise ship has to make sure it holds its course precisely,
01:02:19so it doesn't smash into the smaller boat alongside.
01:02:23Safety.
01:02:25Captain, hold the port. Hold the door.
01:02:26Hold this, please.
01:02:28Okay, we hold this, please.
01:02:30Okay, we hold this, please.
01:02:41Once on board, John heads straight to the bridge.
01:02:47Hello, good morning.
01:02:48Hello, good morning.
01:02:48Where's my captain?
01:02:49How are you? Nice to see you again.
01:02:50I hear you.
01:02:51Happy to see you.
01:02:51Good to see you.
01:02:52Every port has its own pilots.
01:02:55They're the world experts in their own small piece of the ocean.
01:02:59We know the waters here and the conditions better than anybody.
01:03:05On the bridge, John takes control of the con, the movement of the vessel.
01:03:11Thank you, captain.
01:03:12You're welcome.
01:03:14Excellent.
01:03:15The pilot is like the conductor, and it is one big symphony, and everything has to be timed just right.
01:03:22But bringing something this size into Miami isn't easy.
01:03:26Port Miami is very narrow.
01:03:29When I started 30 years ago, we didn't know what is the capacity, the largest ship that the port could
01:03:35handle.
01:03:35We're now there.
01:03:37Starboard five.
01:03:39Yes.
01:03:40On the surface, Miami port easily looks wide enough for the seaside, but beneath the water, it's a different story.
01:03:48To allow these huge ships to enter the port, a shallow channel has been dug out of the rock seabed.
01:03:56But it's only a hundred meters wide, leaving very little space either side.
01:04:02John has to get it right, or the massive ship will run into the side of the channel.
01:04:07The ships have grown and changed, but the thing that hasn't changed are these narrow rock channels.
01:04:13In these ports like Miami, everything is feet and inches.
01:04:17The huge ship is also susceptible to small changes in wind conditions.
01:04:22A cruise ship is a giant sail, and they call each balcony with the little partitions, parachutes.
01:04:29They all catch the wind, so when the wind is on the side of the ship, the big challenge is
01:04:34keeping these ships safely within the channel boundaries.
01:04:38John has to make sure that the vessel stays dead straight to avoid hitting the side of the channel.
01:04:45Then, over 20 minutes, the seaside has to execute a perfect 180 before it can come into dock.
01:04:57The weight of the responsibility is really heavy.
01:05:01Everybody's watching me do this, it doesn't look that hard.
01:05:04That's because we're doing a good job.
01:05:06It takes a lot of patience, skill, and you have to have pretty much ice water in your veins.
01:05:15As the ship approaches the dock, the officers have one final job to do.
01:05:25Safety officer Marco has to line up the ship perfectly alongside the gangways.
01:05:31We are moving the stairs and we are almost in position.
01:05:36Altometer.
01:05:39Altometer, all done up.
01:05:41Inch by inch, they guide the seaside home.
01:05:45At 5.15am precisely, the ship docks.
01:05:49Marking the end of its 2,000-mile journey.
01:05:54Then, as the sun comes up over Miami port, the ship's hidden army readies itself for another turnaround day.
01:06:02Another 5,000 passengers.
01:06:05Another week at sea.
01:06:07The cruise comes to an end and then the guests go home.
01:06:10The guests re-embark and then we do it all over again.
01:06:13Just big satisfaction.
01:06:15Know that, okay, it's done again.
01:06:18Okay, now we go.
01:06:19It's the beginning of another week in the secret life of the cruise.
01:06:24Have you lots of fun?
01:06:36See some more around the looks.
01:06:37Bye.
01:06:40Bye.
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