Cruise SHIP EMPLOYMENT - Other Considerations
Sometimes working aboard a cruise ship
has nothing to do with entertaining
passengers, visiting faraway shores,
or relaxing during your free time. International
law, fleet regulations, and a rich maritime
tradition mandate that life at sea be
quite different from life onshore. There
is a military-like hierarchy of authority
that must be respected and obeyed. Government
and fleet regulations require constant
safety and general emergency drills.
Sanitation standards are applied with
an almost religious zeal. It's not the
Navy, but you can expect liberal doses
of protocol, rigmarole, officers, stripes,
and "yes sirs" from the crew. The captain
of the ship has ultimate authority.
He or she may remove or detain any crew
member for any reason deemed necessary.
The captain and the deck officers take
their jobs very seriously, which is
a good thing, since every year there
are maritime mishaps. These rarely affect
cruise vessels, but it's better to be
safe than sorry.
Sailing the Mighty Seas
The ocean itself is unpredictable. Even
in the balmy Caribbean, swells can continue
for weeks on end. Many new crew members
are surprised by how much a ship bounces
once it hits the open water. Ironically,
rough seas and the regimen of maritime
traditions are often more alluring to
employees than the travel and entertainment
aspects of the cruise industry. When
it comes down to it, salt spray in the
wind and orders from the captain are
what going to sea is all about. Working
on a ship will give you a sense of team
participation that can't be replicated
on land. We hope you are looking forward
to the ship experience as much as anything
else. Working on a cruise ship is less
a job and more a way of life.
Cruise Ship Job Living Conditions
If someone came up to you on the street
and asked if you would like to live
in a twelve-by-twelve box with a total
stranger for six months, you'd undoubtedly
say, "No thanks." Yet, at sea, this
is done willingly. It's true that accommodations
are sometimes cramped, especially on
smaller vessels, but the ship's company
is generally interesting and friendly.
Many people compare it to their first
year in a college dorm, without the
homework. On the larger cruise ships,
most employees share cabins on one of
the crew decks, and some people, especially
the cruise staff, actually have living
quarters in the plush passenger areas.
Although some employees get single cabins,
these are usually reserved for cruise
staff with more seniority. Employees
are usually separated by department,
at least on the larger cruise ships.
Cruise staff live on the same floor,
kitchen and maintenance staff on another,
and often the crew is further divided
by nationality. Generally, the higher
the quarters the better, since on some
ships cabins below the water are somewhat
noisy from the splash of water and hum
of the engines. Food for the crew gets
mixed reviews from most employees. Some
crews on smaller ships actually eat
the same food as the passengers, but
on the large ships, the crew almost
always has their own mess hall. According
to one recent cruise worker:
"We
had several different messes on the
ship: one for the Koreans, one for
the American and European crew, and
a couple of others. The food wasn't
very good and was always smothered
in some sauce or another that I didn't
recognize, but it was certainly bearable.
The bright spot was that we got lots
of leftover dessert from the regular
passenger meals, and once a week we
were allowed to eat dinner in the
restaurant free of charge, though
we did have to tip and buy a drink.
I guess it couldn't have been too
bad, because I still managed to gain
some weight."
Another cruise ship worker explains the entertainment
that was provided for employees:
"There
were movies for the staff, crew bingo
games, and live shows to see. After
you've seen the same shows a few times,
though, it's not so much fun anymore."
Some cruise ships provide extra amenities for
employees, such as televisions for each
room and special recreation lounges
near the crew quarters. One employee
even reported that her ship provided
twelve new movies per week, all available
on closed-circuit TV in the employee
cabins.
Always Being "On"
Another possible drawback is that you,
as an employee on the cruise ship, must
be "on" nearly twenty-four hours a day.
Contracts are generally three to eight
months long, depending on the position
and the company. For all that time,
you will be expected to represent your
company to the public, which means that
you must always show a sunny personality.
For many passengers, the week or so
that they spend on the ship is one of
the best times of their lives, and you
will be expected to share their enthusiasm.
As one aerobics instructor for Norwegian
Cruise Lines describes it, always being
on duty is probably the most distinguishing
characteristic of ship life:
"You're
always 'on' when you're out of your
quarters area, regardless of whether
it's your time off or not. We were
part of the cruise staff, so after
leading fitness classes all day, we
had to greet people at shows and generally
be available in public areas at least
five nights per week. This wasn't
always hard work, though; it was kind
of like socializing and getting paid
for it. We even got a $75 per month
bar allowance, to encourage us to
mingle with passengers and buy them
drinks. "Eventually, though, we learned
to avoid the public areas of the ship
during our true time off, because
it got tiring having passengers constantly
approaching us and asking questions.
And they ALL knew who we were, because
the cruise staff was always introduced
at the beginning of the cruise, and
we had to wear uniforms and name tags
anytime we were in the public areas."
Because employees are considered on
duty any time that they're in public
areas on the ship, off-duty recreation
can be somewhat limited. However, you
also don't have to commute to work,
cook a meal (unless that's your job),
or do laundry. All these needs are fulfilled
for you, which means that the free time
you have is completely your own and
free of mundane chores. Activities also
vary depending on whether the ship is
at sea or in port:
"We
didn't have lots of free time, but
when we did find some, we watched
TV, took a lot of naps, and read.
On 'sea days' we stayed away from
public areas on our days off, because
otherwise you were basically on duty.
When we were in port, though, the
passengers were pretty much off the
ship, so if we didn't have any shore
duties, we could go hang out by the
pool, sunbathe, or use the spa without
our name tags and uniforms."
For more information on working on a cruise ship. Read Cruise Ship Worker Profile: Teen Director
Also, please review the Pros & Cons of Cruise Ship Employment.
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