I'm a cruise ship worker - here is the BIGGEST mistake passengers can make when coming onboard

A cruise ship worker has revealed the biggest mistake passengers make when they come aboard. 

Lucy Sotherton, 28, from Birmingham, has been working on cruise ships for nine years.

She recently opened up about what life is really like at sea - the good, the bad, and how you could be getting on the crew's nerves without realising it.

The crew member highlighted some of the most frustrating problems brought on board by a small number of guests: having bad manners and being rude.

Lucy Sotherton (L), 28, from Birmingham, has been working on cruise ships for nine years, since she was 19

Lucy told the Daily Star: 'I think the biggest mistake that people can make when they are on a cruise is not being polite to every crew member.

'You don't know what you're going to need and which crew member is going to be able to solve your issues and it has happened before where a passenger has been incredibly rude to a crew member that they have later needed during their cruise.'

If you're nice to the staff, it could even bag you some free luxuries.

The 28-year-old shared that the best way to get free things and upgrades is to 'make genuine connections with crew members'.

She added: 'And this goes for your cabin Steward your waiter and any crew member really.

'If you are a nice person and you have a connection with a crew member they are more likely to go above and beyond for you.

'This is why it makes me laugh when passengers are rude to the crew members because they're only doing themselves a disservice.

'No crew member is going to want to go above and beyond for a passenger who is disrespectful and rude.' 

The crew member highlighted some of the most frustrating problems brought on board by a small number of guests: having bad manners and being rude

Lucy warned: 'No crew member is going to want to go above and beyond for a passenger who is disrespectful and rude'

The cruise ship worker claims that the worst type of passenger are those who are 'determined to be miserable' no matter what you offer them and that 'happy passengers are the best.

So, if you're heading to sea this year, make sure to wear a smile and keep your feet in check if you want to make a good impression.

It comes after a guest revealed she was almost sent to 'cruise jail' for fighting with a fellow passenger - sparking a fierce fascination into what really happens to those who misbehave while out at sea.

Theresa Rowley, from Dallas, Texas, recently went viral after she admitted that she nearly came to blows with another woman on a seven-day Carnival Cruise she had taken with her mom.

But when she said that the events could have landed her 'locked up in the belly of the ship,' it left people wondering if cruise ships really do have a place to detain unruly travelers, what it's like, and what you would have to do to be sent there.