Cruise Ship Jobs

There is a large variety of jobs on a cruise ship and at cruise line corporate offices. The good news is that there is a good chance that a job that you have had in the past will give you enough experience to perform a number of the jobs onboard a cruise ship. Some examples include: previous jobs at hotels, restaurants, bars, night clubs, libraries, gift stores, boutiques, grocery stores, convenience stores, health clubs, beauty salons, museums, coffee shops, and just about any hospitality related job.

For a detailed list of Cruise Ship Job Positions, <<Click Here>>

Here are some of the positions that are commonly needed by cruise lines:

2009 will be an outstanding year to find jobs on cruise ships!

From 2000 to 2008, major cruise lines launched 81 new cruise ships! Each of these cruise ships employ between 500 and 1,500 crew members and support staff. That means over the last six years over 85,000 new cruise ship jobs have been created! In addition, cruise lines are planning on introducing another 24 new cruise ships over the next three years creating over 28,000 more cruise line jobs. All but one of these cruise ships scheduled to launch over the next four years are "mega" ships carrying over 2,000 passengers.

The cruise industry is absolutely booming and provides working vacations for thousands of people worldwide. Last year there were 12.6 million embarkations from U.S. ports which was a 9.8 percent increase from the year before. It is estimated that over 14 million North Americans will take a cruise next year.

What does all this mean to you? That's simple; there has never been a better time to be looking for work in the cruise line industry. Whether you are looking to work on a cruise ship for a short-term job change or a long term career, the cruise industry has a place for you.

The average ratio between crew to guests is about one to two, meaning it takes about 1,000 crew members to man a cruise ship that carries 2,000 guests. In addition, for whatever reason, turnover on the cruise ships is generally pretty high, so cruise lines need to fill an awful lot of positions every year and thus they are ALWAYS HIRING!

Turnover is high because people get promoted, change ships, change cruise line companies, go on vacation, return to school, or just take their savings and settle down back on land. The average initial contract generally ranges from three to nine months. With all of your living expenses, medical insurance covered by the cruise line, a high percentage of your earnings can be banked, thus giving you a nice little nest egg after each contract.

Cruise line employees also usually get excellent perks and benefits. These benefits often include:

1. Free room on the cruise ship. Usually either a single stateroom or a shared stateroom with another employee.
2. Free meals
3. Air travel en-route and homeward bound
4. Free laundry
5. Free medical insurance (which is required by maritime law)
6. Discounts at ship board and often land based stores, bars and restaurants
7. Reduced cruise rates for family and friends

CruiseJobFinder will provide you will all of the resources you need to land an exciting career in the cruise industry.

Is a Cruise Ship Job for you?

Most people love working on a cruise ship, but we are the first to admit that a job on a cruise ship is not the right job for everyone. So we put together a list of pros and cons about cruise line employment. To view this list click Cruise Ship Jobs Pros and Cons.

Here are a few other things to consider before deciding to work on a cruise ship.

Do I need to be a United States Citizen to work on a cruise ship?

No! To work on most cruise lines you do not need to be an American citizen. This is because most cruise lines are foreign flagged and thus are not regulated by United States labor laws. So in many cases, cruise lines can hire people from any country they choose.

There are a handful of cruise ships that are flagged in the United States and hire almost all their crew from the United States. These cruise ship usually sail around Hawaii, Alaska, the Great Lakes or on US rivers. We cover all of the US flagged and foreign flagged cruise ships in the members section of CruiseJobFinder.

Answers to common Cruise Line Employment Questions

To find out more questions to commonly asked questions about working on a cruise ship, please read Cruise Line Jobs FAQ.

Start your cruise ship job search today!

Membership Includes:

Access to our exclusive list of Featured Jobs. Many of which are not listed anywhere else!

List your resume and profile in our proprietary JobSeekers Database that employers can search to fill open positions on their cruise ships, beach resorts and tour companies.

Detailed up-to-date information about working on cruise ships, at cruise line corporate offices, for land tour companies, for cruise ship concessionaires and at destination beach resorts around the world (including detailed descriptions of the work; lots of insider tips on how to find the best jobs; worker interviews; maps; etc.)

Detailed profiles of hundreds of cruise lines, beach resorts, cruise ship concessionaires and tour guide companies.

Links to online and printable employment applications

Insider tips on how to get hired and how to maximize your earnings

Lots of photos, maps and graphs showing valuable information about these industries

Instant access!

Also, we have produced a video to show you exactly what you get with your Cruise Job Finder Membership. Watch the Cruise Job Finder Video.

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