Ship Moms

by Jen Winsor

Lust, love, and pregnancy—hidden from the luxury and leisure of cruise ships, the lives of crew members play out below deck. Ship Moms is a collection of these beautiful, complicated, behind-the-scenes true stories of crew members and the babies they brought into the world.


The lives of cruise ship crew members don’t stop when they are below deck. Ship Moms is a collection of behind-the-scenes stories about the relationships that bloom between crew members and all the wonderful mixed-nationality babies being brought into the world as a result, representing nearly forty countries and ten cruise lines. Here are the stories of these ship moms—stories of their strength, their endurance, and their tenacity in making it work against all odds. Beautiful and complicated, heartwarming and heart-wrenching, this collection spills the dirt on the ship life experience, telling real-life stories about connections that result in real-life babies.

288 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2025

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes far beyond its tag line of "true tales of love and lust at sea." Part memoir and part interview/collection this book gives true, emotional, vulnerable, and poignant stories of women on cruise ships who have had ship-babies. The underlying themes of love, hope, resilience, and advocacy are paramount. I applaud Jen on her own amazing vulnerability and using this book to draw attention to amazing women, as well as the systemic struggles and supprts available (or not) for so many women. I am honored to know the writer and love what she has accomplished with this book.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ If you love the show Below Deck, you're going to LOVE this book!! This was such a beautiful collection of true stories from moms around the world who worked on cruise ships and wound up pregnant.

The lives of cruise ship crew members don’t stop when they are below deck. Ship Moms is a collection of behind-the-scenes stories about the relationships that bloom between crew members and all the wonderful mixed-nationality babies being brought into the world as a result, representing nearly forty...  countries and ten cruise lines. Here are the stories of these ship moms—stories of their strength, their endurance, and their tenacity in making it work against all odds. This collection spills the dirt on the ship life experience, telling real-life stories about connections that result in real-life babies.  

I was completely captivated by this book and all the incredible moms who shared their vulnerable, heartwarming, and sometimes heartwrenching stories. The drama that happens below deck on these cruise ships is unmatched! I could've kept reading more stories like this for days, the writing was riveting and the insight into this world was fascinating!

[Cathy Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former crew member.who married my ship board casino dealer boyfriend, loved this book. We never had children but could relate to so much of this book. PS after 27 years, we are still together and happy.

[Riannon Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the author personally and it was beautiful "hearing her voice" while reading. Nice, quick read. Enjoyable from start to finish. So interesting getting an insider's look to ship life!

[Linda Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book! Well done!