Daily life of cruise ship personnel?

Question

what is the daily life of cruise ship personnel?

Answer 1

Terrible!, They have to sign their life away for 6 months at a time.  They work all the time they are on cruise and have very little personel freedom.  Those I know don't even get time to tour the ports as they always have to be on duty.  They get paid fairly well if you are willing to give up having any personal life or freedom.

Answer 2

They get paid well but they work very very long hours.

Answer 3

It depends on the cruise line and the job.  I just took a cruise on Holland America Line and met several of the cruise staff (we hung out in the night club).  The assistant cruise directors worked 6-8 hour shifts.  They got to eat in the lido restruant (I often saw them at 'late night dining')  Many of them had their own stateroom, or they shared w/ someone else.  They had room  stewards who cleaned their rooms and their laundry was taken care of.  Most of the cruise staff were Canadian or European.  Most of the crew works on 8 month contracts, however, a few were only on 12 week contracts.  The will often work one boat for a few months then get switched to another.

The spa staff worked 8 hour days and got 1 and a half days off per week.  

The room stewards and dining staff were all Indonisian, and I'm not sure what kind of hours they worked or the accomodations they had.

Depending on their schedules, they often get time to go ashore while the ship was in port.

If you're intrested in working on a cruise ship, research the lines and find one that's most compatible w/ you.  If possible, sign up for the shortest contract you can--that way if you don't like it, you're not stuck for 8 months.

Keep in mind that most cruise lines offer international cruises.  You won't be able to make phone calls from sea unless you're willing to pay a ton of money because you must use a satalite phone.  Internet charges can also be expensive.  Many of the crew I talked w/ knew where all the internet cafes were in port because that's where they'd go to check their email.

Answer 4

i think they are paid fairly poorly , but , they do not have rent to pay.  they are crammed in small roooms to share.  the foood is leftover from what passengers eat. they are away from family for extended period and work 12 hour days or more.  they are exempt from american labor laws since they are at sea.  you do not see many americans doing the job , we expect more pay and higher labor relations/ treatment.

as bad a job it is ,  it is better than what they can get in some countries.  they work hard.  for the most part , i think the cruise companies take advantage of them.