Personally I always get the deck items first RS Gold, because there are two. If you plan to take the Seafaring trip, for instance it's far more efficient for you to own two Seafaring boosting deck items than just the bonus the hull gives. Some argue that the rudder is better since it'll help you save time, allowing you to do more voyages/day It's not hard to believe this, but I've been doing ports in a much more relaxed than efficient manner therefore I always choose it last.

Then then, the ports themselves: What are the benefits of upgrading? I've noticed that the majority of upgrades are expensive. I've tried to upgrade my workstation to unlock a third ship, however, it's extremely slow to collect bamboo.

It is best to prioritize the upgrade that unlocks new ships due to obvious reasons, so you're on the right track. I'm convinced that all upgrades are worth the money (except for the instances where that you own more than one, as you can unlock all of them, but you only have one activated at a time so make your selection carefully).

Regarding the team, I have 4 bureaucrats (well it's best to choose the most effective ones available to you at the time, I can't remember the names of any others so I chose bureaucrat - which is the one who improves the performance of the other crew members) crew members. And there are 4 Morale, 5 Seafaring, and 4 Combat crew members 2007 RS Accounts; 4 Special crew members (the ones that unlock through special journeys, such as Feral Chimera)