Top News

There's one passenger on Royal Caribbean cruises who seems to be really popular - every day 'Bill W' has an event scheduled on the popular cruise liners' daily itinerary. The 'Friends of Bill W' events are held on Royal Caribbean cruise ships every day and the real reason is actually extremely important.

Bill W is actually not a real passenger, though he has friends to call on each cruise. In fact, Friends of Bill W is a covert meeting for Alcoholics Anonymous on board.

The events are named after AA founder William Willson ('Bill W'), one of the founders of the recovery group for those battling alcohol addiction. Cruises can be a difficult place for passengers in recovery and on the wagon, with thousands of passengers all enjoying free-flowing booze, often with all-inclusive drinks packages (even though there are plenty of great non alcoholic options too).

At Friends of Bill W, those who need support can go to meet with other passengers in the same boat, so to speak, and form a support network with other guests.

• State pensioners lose £69,900 each after pension change

• State pensioners can get £1,500 extra on top of DWP benefit

The coded name, though, shields participants from potential awkwardness or embarrassment from turning up at an AA meeting on board.

Usually, the Friends of Bill W events are held every day on board, some in the mornings and some around 4pm, and usually in quieter and less crowded areas.

They are free and open to all passengers, with no need to sign up in advance and no Royal Caribbean staff present.

Friends of Bill W is often found on other cruise liners, too.

Wilson House, a museum at the birthplace of Bill Wilson, explains more about the man behind the meeting name. It explains: "As the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson was named by Time Magazine one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. In creating the 12-Step program, Bill has been instrumental in literally saving the lives of millions of people across the globe and created a transformative, universal support system for those in recovery. Aldous Huxley called him the greatest social architect of our time. The legacies of both him and Dr. Bob continues to do the same in the 21st century."