Thinking of working for a cruise line...what's it like?

Question

I'm at a crossroads in my career and I want to do something completely different and exciting. I love to travel and I thought that perhaps working for a cruise line might be an exciting change of pace. I know that you work a lot of hours (10 hours a day, 7 days a week) for large stretches of time (several months), but what is it really like? How do the other cruise lines compare? I was looking at Disney or Norwegian, but what are some of the best liners to work for?

Answer 1

Don't have experience with it myself, but I do have some info on my Travel Blogspot about some other possible opportunities that you might consider doing, or maybe combine with for example an

online business?

You can find some info on my Travel Blogspot at: http://hpshappytravel.blogspot.com/2008/... about a way of working way less hours on a cruise ship while having a lot more time to enjoy the cruise.

All the Best,

To your Happy - Travel - Inspiration,

HP

Answer 2

VERY HARD trust me i been on 9 ships(not working)

Answer 3

i think i would call the cruise lines and ask them about their job openings.

best of luck

Answer 4

I have not worked on a cruise ship but I have been on about 20 cruises and I usually talk to the staff, and usually about how work is going. A few things I have learned are that if you are hired you have to sign a contract to work for 8 or 9 months straight. And that means 7 days a week and usually 10 to 12 hours a day and sometimes with a split shift that starts early in the morning and does not end until 10 or 11 PM. There are no Saturdays and Sundays off and you may get to go ashore in port stops on on occasions but not at every stop. After you complete your initial tour then you get 2 or 3 months off before you are to report back to the ship.

All of the cruise lines operating out of the US have jobs information and a link on their web home page. So You need to contact the cruise lines directly. On their web sites you will find a link to jobs, employment, human resources or some such link that will give you information about their positions. Some sites even have current vacancies they are recruiting for. Several cruise lines have new ships coming out soon so opportunities will be there. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Disney and some others will have new ships launched in the next couple years.

Here are some links:

Carnival Cruise line is the parent company for several cruise lines including Princess, Carnival, Holland America, Cunard, Seabourn Cruise, and Costa Cruises. Carnival's Corporate offices are located in Miami, Florida. So if you contact carnival you can also ask about the others.

CARNIVAL:

http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/

PRINCESS:

CUNARD:

HOLLAND AMERICA

COSTA:

http://www.costacruise.com/B2C/USA/Def.....

Royal Caribbean is the parent cruise line for its partner cruise lines, Celebrity, Azamara, and some others. Their corporate offices are located in Miami, Florida. So in contacting RC you can ask about the others

ROYAL CARIBBEAN:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/gohome.d.....

AZAMARA:

CELEBRITY:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/home .

NORWEGIAN:

http://www.ncl.com/

DISNEY:

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/dcl/.....

Answer 5

I work on the cruise ships and I would suggest as some of the others have said, contact the main cruise lines and find out more. Also on the company web sites there are buttons to the vacancies, but all are not apparentt, some are called 'about us' etc. so keep searching. I also contacted a company that supplied a very good guide book with job profiles, how to get work, contact addresses etc and you got a bi-monthly news sheet with all latest vacancies. They are based in Glasgow, so plug it into a search engine, they were helpfull. The service does cost a few quid but in my mind well worth it.

But be prepared for some long work hours and not large pay as its made up with tips in the areas you are looking at.

Just done some research for you as it was a couple of years ago I used them and the company can be found on www.cruiseservices.co.uk

The other thing to think of is 10 hours a day is a good day in some jobs on the ships with 11 and 12 being more like it, with the accommadation and bar work, other jobs have less work time, or if you have experience in something and get offered a supervisors position, or go for administration on the Pursers side of life, the working hours are less. but the company I mention will check your CV and suggest the options.    

Good Luck