You will be successful and in your work on cruise ships if you’re motivated, energetic, friendly and professional.
- Cruise companies issue for employees with positive attitude and commitment to customer service excellence. Contracts vary between three and nine months and in most cases you may extend the contract. You can apply employment with a major cruise line no matter where you come from and what your nationality is. All the major cruise lines hire employees from all over the world and they do it every single day. Very often your previous job will give you the needed experience to perform various cruise ship jobs – especially if you have worked with customers. Once being hired on-board, you will have full health coverage after passing some medical examinations designated by the particular cruise line physicians. We recommend that you buy a travel medical insurance before joining a ship. The cruise lines are also responsible for the return air transportation between the nearest international airport and your country. If you are not a U. S. citizen, you will be responsible to declare incomes earned while working on a cruise ship. Food, accommodation are free for staff on-board the cruise ship – this is the main reason that the cruise ship career is so financially attractive. You will almost have no expenses while on-board a cruise ship. Every-day arrangements are slightly different of course, but generally you will share a cabin with another one of the employees. If you are a crew member who works in passengers areas, you will be expected to follow the dress code – there are uniforms required. Crew members will also have the chance to see the ports the ship is visiting when they do not have duties. Leisure time is different for the different positions - some of them take six to eight hours a day and it’s a hard work! But do not worry – recreation areas onboard are really fantastic! You will be able to use a fitness center for the crew, recreation room and a deck with a swimming pool and jacuzzi. Modern cruise ships take care of the well being of the crew members, because it affects the quality of their work. Crew members may also enjoy duty free prices onboard and get a discount on goods purchased in the onboard boutique shops. The standard length of a contract for working on a cruise ship is minimum four to six months. The contract could be renewed by mutual agreement between the employee and the cruise line. Cruise lines offer destinations all over the world, but the biggest markets for cruise industry are the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe and after one or two contracts employees may choose ships and destinations.
Work on cruise ships is not suitable for everyone because of the great amount of discipline and hard work required. You should be ready to work in team and enjoy working with people, to be able to live and share limited space with other crew members, work away from home for a long period of time. And, above all, you will have to be service orientated. The most important thing onboard is the quality of service – passengers are always right!
Why a cruise job?
What are the types of jobs on a cruise?
The cruise ship is one giant entertainment hub. A city made for fun, adventure and entertainment. There are hundreds of different activities taking place at the same time and all these activities require people to organize, manage and conduct them. As a result a myriad of working professionals are required on the cruise. There is opportunity for people from almost all types of working backgrounds.
Want to know where do you fit? Just choose from the different types of ship jobs enumerated below:
1)Engine department - This is the department that runs the ship. The engine personnel look after the operation and maintenance of various machinery of the ship. The jobs offered by this department are: Chief engineer, 2nd, 3rd and 4th engineer, trainee or 5th engineer, motorman, electrician, fitter, wiper and plumber.
2)Deck department - The deck department looks after the navigation and other necessity of the ship. The jobs offered by this department are: Chief officer, first, second and third officer. safety and security officer, cadet, seamen and boson
3)Hotel operation department - This department looks after the hopitality of the whole hotel department of the cruise. The jobs offered are: purser, chief purser. assistant purser, receptionist, crew purser. shore excursions manager.
4) House keeping department - Cleanliness and maintenance of accommodation and entertainment areas is done by this department. Jobs offered are. stewardess, steward, room service attendant, laundry staff, pool attendant etc.
5)Food and beverage department - Looks after the supply, arrangement and serving of food and beverages. Jobs offered are: Director, Maitre D'. waiter. bartender. bar staff. buffet steward etc)
6)Galley department - Looks after the all types of food preparations. Jobs offered are. Chef, executive chef. first cook, second cook. pastry chef. butcher. dishwasher etc
7)Medical department - Provides medical facilities to passengers and crew. Jobs offered are. doctors. physicians. nurses etc
8)Information technology department - Deals with IT system of the ship. Jobs offered are. hardware and software technician. internet services technician etc
9)Entertainment department - Represents highest number of working professionals. Jobs offered are. actors, comedians, singers, dancers, musicians, disc jockeys. stage managers, event managers, sound and light technicianetc
10)Beauty Salon department - Jobs offered are. beautician, hair stylist, hair dresser. masseuse, masseurs, cosmetologist etc
11) Casino department - All cruise ships have casinos and there is a huge demand for experienced people. Jobs offered are. casino manager. cashier. slot technician. accountant etc
12) Cruise staff department - It comprises of managerial positions and professional trainers. Jobs offered are. cruise director. assistant cruise director, aerobics and fitness trainer. golf instructor. scuba diving instructor etc
13) Photo and gift shop department - Deals with onboard shops and photography department - Jobs offered are. photographer. shop manager, shop assistant etc.