Former Cruise Ship Employee Reveals How to Save Money on Wine and Why an Extra Tip Goes a Long Way

Before you book your next cruise, one employee is dishing about secrets of the sea. 

“You work seven days a week, every week, no days off, for ten months a year basically,” Brian David Bruns, a former cruise employee, told Inside Edition.

For years, he was a waiter on cruise ships and now he's revealing in his best-selling book, "Cruise Confidential," what really happens after your ship leaves the dock.

He suggests making your crew happy by giving extra tips in addition to what's included in your bill.

“Money goes a long way for the crew members. These crew members are from second- and third-world countries. So an extra $5 or an extra dollar for your barista is huge money,” he said. 

He also says there's a secret language the crew uses to communicate problems without worrying the passengers.

“‘Oscar’ means somebody went overboard. ‘Operation Brightstar’ means there is a medical emergency. The one that mattered to us in the dining room the most was, ‘Mister D,’ which stood for diarrhea,” he said. 

He says you can save big money just by buying a bottle of wine.

“At the beginning of a cruise if you want to buy a bottle of wine you don’t have to worry about downing the wine in one night. They will return the bottle night after night,” he said. 

There's another secret on how to save big bucks ashore.

“Follow the crew. Go onto port and see where they are going. You can find the bars and restaurants that are fantastic, that might not be advertised by the cruise lines,” he said. 

He says that the cruise staff also gets intimate because, “you get very lonely, isolated,” adding, “there is a strong sense of camaraderie.”

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