Behind-the-Scenes on a Cruise Ship

Millions of Americans will set sail this year on cruise ships like the Norwegian Epic.

All guests will see is luxury, spectacular shows, and incredible water slides—but while they're soaking up the sun, there's a whole lot more going on behind the scenes.

An army of maids is swinging into action. And talk about dirty laundry! A mountain of sheets and towels ends up piled in front of two massive washing machines the size of cement trucks. They wash more than 14 tons of laundry every day! And the machine spits out the sheets already fluffed and folded!

As the dance party rages on the decks above, in the kitchen, another army works through the night, baking pies hundreds at a time!

The smell in the ship's bakery is intoxicating as thousands of loaves of freshly baked bread come out of the oven.

And when these chefs go to market, they don't mess around. Check out their shopping list:

-13,000 lbs of potatoes

-15,000 lbs of steak

-38,000 lbs of fresh fruit

-More than 72,200 eggs

It all gets stored in massive walk-in refrigerators below deck.

And here's something most passengers will never get to see. Norwegian Cruise Lines gave INSIDE EDITION exclusive access to the bridge! With giant panoramic windows, it's got the best view on the ship. There's no wheel, the captain uses computers controlled by a track ball to steer his ship, which is the size of a floating skyscraper.

In all, there's a staff of 1,700 people quietly working behind the scenes. At the end of every cruise, the staff gets to come onstage and take a well-deserved bow.

Bon voyage!