Celebration Cruise Line Interview

Celebration Cruise Line is based in Palm Beach, Florida and offers 2 night cruises to the Bahamas, where passengers have the option of adding a 2 night or 4 night stay at the Grand Lucayan Beach and Golf Resort. The Bahamas Celebration cruise liner offers various types of cabins, a casino, fun shore excursions, kid’s activities and other luxurious amenities.

A company HR rep explains their hiring process in this exclusive interview.

About the company.

Celebration Cruise Line has been operating since 2009 after the company took over Imperial Majesty Cruise Lines. We offer 2 or 3 day cruises to the Bahamas and pride ourselves on offering outstanding service and providing our passengers with wonderful cruises to the Bahamas.

How many vessels does your company operate?

We have one vessel, the Bahamas Celebration.

Describe a typical ‘cruise’ if there is such a thing. What would the shipboard experience be like for a typical employee?

We offer 2 and 3 night cruises. Employees can expect a great working environment that is busy and where professionalism and attention to detail are revered.

What are some of the common job titles you advertise for?

We look for all kinds of employees, some of them include jobs in the Deck and Engine Departments such as: Safety Officer, Second Safety Officer, Chief Security Officer, Security Officer, 1st Engineer, 2nd Engineer, 3rd Engineer, Chief A/C Engineer, Assistant A/C Engineer, Chief Electrician, and Assistant Electrician among others.

In the Cruise Department we look for: Cruise Staff, Youth Counselor, Shore Excursion Manager, Sound and Light Manager, Hostess, and Disk Jockey among others.

And then we also recruit for the Housekeeping Department.

Are some types of jobs more difficult to fill than others? If yes, then why?

Yes, definitely. Those that require degrees and more levels of experience are harder to fill and it also just depends on the time of year and who is around at the time we hire. It is different each time.

What are some of the selling points you use to get people onboard to work with your company?

We offer a fun filled, magical experience that will benefit employees tremendously, whether you are just looking for a part time job, or want to make cruise line work your full time career.

You are a local operator. Do you only hire people from the immediate area or do you occasionally hire people from other areas or even other countries?

We do look at different areas as long as they have the relevant visas and legal documents, but generally most of our staff are sourced from the Florida and surrounding areas.

Do you have a ‘season’ or ‘seasons’ where you’re busiest? Describe the seasonality aspect of your business.

Holiday periods are obviously busiest, so Christmas time and New Year are popular. Otherwise summer months are also popular, between April and August.

How many seasonal staff do you typically hire, and for which positions?

We hire as many staff as we need at the time, as people come and go, so this always changes. Mostly the dining staff such as waiters and bar tenders change quite a bit, but we also look for deckhands and housekeeping staff more so than other positions.

Do you have a lot of college kids/students working for you? If yes, then what attracts them to your jobs?

We do, and I think it has a lot to do with the flexible hours. Many also love the experience of getting out and about, working on board a cruise ship, and getting paid for enjoyable work.

During what times of the year are you recruiting the most?

We recruit all year, but just before our busy season we recruit more often, so October is busy, but February and March are probably the busiest as we gear up for our main season.

Describe your perfect candidate. How can someone best make a great first impression with you?

We look for someone with confidence and enthusiasm. We need to make sure that all our guests’ needs are met and that a high quality of customer service is maintained, so we look for impressive service and interpersonal skills.

What advice can you offer about resumes? What are the qualities of a great CV? And what are the most common mistakes you see in CVs?

Make sure that you follow the correct procedure and send through your application to the correct place. Many people just send their resume anywhere and hope that we get it. We are a large company, so it could get lost if you just email it to anyone.

Other than that, just ensure that your resume is up to date, laid out in an easy to read manner and that you have some contactable references that we can chat to.

Are there any common traits people should have in order to get hired, and then to succeed in the cruise industry?

The cruise industry is all about how you get on with others, so a magical personality is the key to your success. Being positive, outgoing, friendly, genuine, and ready to help others is important if you want to make cruising your long term career. Even if you are just in it for a few months as a part time or temporary gig, you need to still have these characteristics so that you know you can handle the work. You are constantly on show, constantly needed, and must therefore be able to handle the pressure and responsibilities perfectly.

What are the typical terms of employment offered?

Our cruises are 2 days, but you will need to also take guests on shore excursions, so some trips can be a week or so. Employees are usually contracted for 3 months and then have some time off.

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