What is it like to work on a cruise ship?

Question

My friend and I are graduating from high school this year, and next year will be working aboard a cruise ship. My friend's mother has great connections and has landed both of us jobs on the Royal Caribbean line. As 18-year-olds, we hope this will be a fun and enjoyable experience.. But what will life really be like aboard for the both of us? Answers will be most helpful from those who have personally worked on a cruise ship before. Thank you and we hope to hear from you! :)

Answer 1

First, congratulations on the job!

I haven't worked onboard, but a bunch of my friends have.

Cruise ships are like a small town. On the one hand it's great because there's a "family" feeling since you all spend so much time together. On the other hand, there's not a lot of privacy. So be nice and make friends, and try not to do anything too embarrassing because you'll be seeing a lot of these people!

Since your room, meals, and uniform are provided, you have the opportunity to save almost everything you earn. Be careful not to spend it all when you're in port -- the phrase "spending like a drunken sailor" has a basis in reality!

One nice thing with RCI is that people come from all over the world.  So your roommate might be from the UK, Canada, the Caribbean, Spain, Eastern Europe, the Philippines.  That can be a challenge because everyone has to be understanding of different cultures, but people quickly adjust.

Also, be prepared for hard work. It's definitely no vacation. But it can be a great way to get job experience and see the world.

A lot of other factors depend on what your job is.  For example, if you're part of the entertainment staff you'll usually have privileges to spend time in the guest areas.  If you're a fry-cook (I'm guessing you're not) you'll have to stay below decks.

If you want to update your question to say what your job will be, or what ship/part of the world your first contract will be in, I can get into more specifics.

Good luck to you!