Working From a Cruise Ship: My Alaska Experience

During my eight-night Alaska cruise on Azamara Pursuit, I spent about two hours a day working on Solo Travel by Design. Every couple of days, I also spent about an hour checking email for my full-time job, and I worked on a project without having full access to my employer’s network. The cabin supported real work alongside the vacation, although there were limits to what I could do and how easily I could move between devices.

Working from a cruise ship was possible for the writing, editing, and email I needed to do. The internet occasionally slowed down, and a larger upload was not possible with my plan. The more persistent complication was access on only one device at a time, particularly when something I was doing on my laptop also required my phone.

Between the cabin, balcony, and quieter public spaces, I had several places to work. The trip helped me identify what supported my routine and what I would need to arrange differently before bringing work on another cruise.

What I Actually Tried to Do Onboard

I brought my laptop, iPhone, chargers, GoPro, microphones, a light, and a tabletop tripod. Some of that equipment was for writing and keeping up with work; some was for gathering material for Solo Travel by Design. Carrying it all meant thinking about charging and storage as well as having somewhere to open the laptop.

My STBD work included writing, making notes, editing, and gathering material for future content. For my full-time job, I checked email and continued a project without full access to my employer’s network. The ship’s internet gave me a connection, but I still did not have everything I would normally use at work.

That distinction is worth making before booking a cruise around a work commitment. I need to know which parts of a project I can complete with the materials available to me and which depend on access I have not confirmed. On this trip, I could make progress, but I was not recreating my usual office setup.

Capturing Photos and Video Onboard

Taking photos and video for Solo Travel by Design was another part of working onboard. The scenery was the easiest subject to capture. Photographing the ship’s shared spaces took more thought because I wanted to show the setting without making other passengers the subject. Early morning provided opportunities to capture those spaces with fewer people around and less of the awkwardness of taking photos or filming in an occupied room.

I did not always have my phone with me, though, so I missed some opportunities. Having the equipment in the cabin was certainly not the same as having it available when I saw something worth capturing. Next time, I plan to keep my phone with me more consistently and use the early hours deliberately for a few photos or short clips. That would give content creation a small, planned place in the day while leaving room to capture something unexpected.

What the Internet Allowed Me to Do

My suite included internet access for one device at a time. At the time of this sailing, my Azamara loyalty status also entitled me to a 75 percent internet discount if I did not have the suite inclusion. Those were the circumstances of this trip; I would check the applicable benefits and package details again before making another booking.

The connection supported my STBD work and email check-ins, with occasional slow periods. I also attempted a larger upload, but that was not possible with the internet plan I had. That limited what I could complete onboard, even though the connection was generally usable for my other tasks.

I did not test a large download, and this experience does not tell me whether I could depend on the connection for scheduled video meetings. For a future trip, I would check those requirements separately, along with access to the work systems I needed.

The one-device allowance affected the way I worked. I use both my laptop and phone, and switching between them became difficult when multi-factor authentication involved text messages. Having internet included was helpful, but the device arrangement did not match the way I naturally use my equipment. That is a detail I would give much more attention to next time.

Where I Worked Around the Ship

The electrical outlets were limited to the desk area, with USB charging available in the lights beside the bed. That made the desk area important even when I wanted to use the laptop somewhere else. With a laptop, phone, camera equipment, and accessories along for the trip, the location of charging access was part of how the cabin functioned.

Desk and chair inside my Azamara Onward cabin. — The seating area and desk in my cabin on an earlier Azamara Onward cruise. This illustrates the type of chair-and-table arrangement I preferred for laptop work on Pursuit, where I could watch the passing scenery.

For most of the trip, I used the wide chair and table as my workspace. That arrangement let me look up from the laptop and watch the scenery, while the desk and its chair faced the wall. The chair was comfortable both for settling in with a book and for sitting upright to work on the computer. Having a place that supported both made it useful throughout the day.

During the week, I also worked in the Living Room and spent one port-day afternoon editing in the Den. There were sometimes other people around, but I found enough quiet to get work done. Port days were particularly useful because many passengers were ashore, and I sometimes had the space almost to myself.

Having usable public spaces gave me alternatives to working in the cabin. That is something i would consider alongside the room itself before paying for an upgrade. In When the Cabin Becomes Part of the Cruise Experience, I explore how writing, resting, scenic cruising, and longer stays change what I need from a cabin.

Where the Balcony Fit In

I used the balcony for making notes, taking pictures, and writing on my laptop. It was part of the space where I could do things for STBD, as well as somewhere to enjoy Alaska. In this case, the balcony had a practical role alongside the view.

The balcony gave me another place to write, while the desk area remained the place to plug in and charge equipment. On another sailing, I would want both arrangements to work: an indoor space for the tasks I needed to finish and outdoor seating I could use when conditions suited it.

The distinction matters when comparing cabin costs. I did use the balcony for writing, but that alone would not tell me how much more I should pay for one on a different trip. I would want to consider the itinerary, expected use, and the rest of the cabin before deciding whether the extra space justified the difference.

How Work Fit Around the Cruise

The port-day editing session in the Den was one example of how work fitted into the cruise. With many passengers ashore, the quieter ship gave me another place to settle in and get something done. That experience would influence how I planned work around a future itinerary.

There was also time to read, watch the scenery, and spend time with other passengers. Those parts of the Alaska trip mattered to me, and they belong in the decision about how much work I would bring on another cruise. The fact that I can get something done onboard does not settle whether I want that work to occupy the time available.

For a future sailing, I would put the work commitments beside the itinerary before deciding that there was enough room for both. A task I can move has a different effect on the day from a meeting scheduled during a port visit or scenic cruising. My Alaska routine gives me a concrete amount of working time to consider; it does not establish that any fixed schedule would fit equally well.

What I Would Check Before Doing This Again

The first question would be whether I could connect my laptop and phone at the same time, and what that would cost. The one-device restriction was difficult because of the way I use the two together, especially when authentication involved a text message. I would want to understand how the complete login process would work before relying on it for something important.

I would also check whether the internet plan supported the uploads I expected to make. Because a larger upload was not possible with my Alaska plan, I would want to understand the available options and their cost before relying on file transfers during another sailing.

Access to work files and systems would be a separate check. I would identify what I could prepare before leaving and what required access while away, so I knew which parts of a project I could realistically complete onboard.

Then I would look more closely at the physical setup: the desk surface, chair, lighting, outlets, and where the equipment could go when I finished. Cruise Cabin Location or Cabin Category considers those functional differences within the broader cabin decision. For a trip involving work, I would give them more weight than the category name alone.

Finally, I would include any additional internet cost or cabin price difference in the complete trip budget. The free Cruise Cost Planner helps compare those choices alongside the other costs of getting from home to the ship and back. An included benefit can be useful, but I still want to see what I am paying for the whole arrangement.

Who This Experience May Help

This experience is most relevant to someone bringing a limited amount of work that can fit around a cruise: writing, planning, periodic email, or a project whose requirements are understood in advance. It may also help someone considering how a small amount of ongoing work could fit into longer travel. The task, the available access, and the time it takes all need to be part of that decision.

Work built around fixed meetings, large transfers, or continuous access would need a different level of preparation. My next booking would depend on whether the internet plan, device allowance, and access to work systems matched those requirements.

If work needs to fit into your next cruise, tell me what you need the trip to support. I can help you compare cruise and cabin options and identify the questions to resolve before you book. Visit Book with Me to learn more about cruise-planning assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you work remotely from a cruise ship?

I was able to spend about two hours a day on Solo Travel by Design during my Alaska cruise, along with periodic email check-ins and some project work for my full-time job. Writing, editing, and email were possible, but a larger upload was not possible with my internet plan, and I did not have full access to my employer’s network. The work you need to complete determines what you should check before booking.

Was the internet included with your Azamara suite?

On this sailing, my suite included internet access for one device at a time. That helped with the cost, but the device limit was inconvenient when I needed to use my laptop and phone together. I would check both the inclusions and the number of simultaneous connections before another booking.

Could you upload large files from the ship?

I attempted a larger upload, but it was not possible with the plan I had. Anyone expecting to transfer substantial files should check the specific plan’s capabilities before relying on it. My experience does not establish whether a different package would have supported that upload.

Did you have to work in your cabin?

No. I also worked in the Living Room and edited in the Den during a port-day afternoon. I found the public spaces particularly useful when many passengers were ashore and the ship was quieter.

Was the balcony useful for working?

I used it for making notes, taking pictures, and writing on my laptop. The electrical outlets were in the desk area inside the cabin, so the balcony was an additional place to work rather than a complete replacement for the indoor setup.

What would you check first before working on another cruise?

I would start with the ability to connect my laptop and phone at the same time, support for the uploads I needed to make, and access to the required work systems. Then I would compare the workspace and itinerary with the amount and timing of the work.

Working From a Cruise Ship on My Alaska Trip