Carnival Cruise Line is taking steps to terminate and/or not renew the contracts of employment of several thousands of officers and crew members throughout its fleet, according to several crew members who wish to remain anonymous.

Today, several crew members provided internal documentation indicating that Carnival is sending as many as 7,000 termination letters to

Like any employee, crew members are not immune from being terminated. But termination on a cruise ship is a bit different from being fired at a regular job. It’s like being fired and kicked out of your apartment all at once.

Better known as the "6 AM knock," crew members wake up to the ship’s