working on cruise ships

monty_python

does any1 know any agincies or cruise companys i could send my cv to apply for a job on a cruise ship???

im a chef if it helps.......

also if any1 has any experiance working aboard cruise liners i would like to hear it

Tabnabs

Many of the big companies hire directly, be very careful using agencies, many are unprofessional.

http://www.pocruises.com/Careers.axd
http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/ourCompany/career.do

The majority of crew onboard a cruise (or most other) ship will be third world nationals as they are cheap and willing to work for months on end, so don't expect too much...

321654

Have you ever seen the conditions the staff of a cruise ship live in?

Check it out before you even think about it.

Tabnabs

I've worked on a variety of ships, but none as glamorous as a large modern cruise ship. But I've never seen any crew cabins that could be described as rough or uninhabitable. I would be very interested in hearing your experience of these conditions and which companies or ships you saw them on?

321654

Dyflin wrote: »

I've worked on a variety of ships, but none as glamorous as a large modern cruise ship. But I've never seen any crew cabins that could be described as rough or uninhabitable. I would be very interested in hearing your experience of these conditions and which companies or ships you saw them on?

Just out of interest, how much space did you have for yourself. And did you not feel crammed in during whats usually a 9 month contract on this ships.

Was it a tiny cabin, shared between 2 people and hardly any space at all. ie if the 2 of you were in it at the same time you both couldnt freely walk around?

Tabnabs

Most of the cabins I have had were "tiny" when you considered how long you had to be onboard. However, your cabin was for sleeping, washing and dressing. Most of your off duty time is spent in the mess or the gym, the pool or the bar. Even when sharing cabins, more often than not you were on different watches and so didn't see much of the other.

So which ships have you seen this squalid conditions then?

321654

I worked on a couple of the big cruise lines about 12-13 years ago. I consider it wasted time. You make almost all of your money from tips, which are taken automatically mos of the time.

The cabins. You couldnt even turn sideways in them. Not everyone wants to go to the gym every day to have some space.

But you do get all the food you want. Dont even think about the internet. Most of the time its really expensive and worse than dialup all of the time.

You are worked very, very hard. 7 days a week.

Shore leave is also a problem. Sometimes you get time off to go ashore, but most of the time you dont even bother as its so short.

The pay is really bad.

OP, just check it out yourself before you do it. You might think you get to see the world but its not quite that good. Im sure there are a million forums on the web where staff will tell you what its like.

Good site here

http://www.cruiselinesjobs.com/eng/life-on-board/

Tabnabs

What did you sail as? (i.e. what job did you do onboard?)

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

I've heard they're workhouses. I did a massage course once, and the instructor told me of a job she took once that involved six ten-hour days a week doing massage.

She mentioned the catering side was even worse, because it's not as physical.

Tabnabs

If you don't have highly sought after skills or a managerial position then the pay will be pretty poor compared to Ireland, the upside is that you will be unable to spend your money (and therefore save massive chunks), receive room and board for free and so your outgoings will be minimal. If you can combine this with a good position onboard, then it's a win-win situation.

The hours on ships are always long, it's the nature of the job. I used to work 12 hour days, 7 days a week for 4 week trips, but then I was home for 4 weeks, essentially it was a job where I worked six months of a year, but got well paid for the full 12 months...

jhegarty

I was talking to a poker dealer in the casino on my last cruise.

It was 4 people living a cabin the size of an inside cabin. They had their own gym , bars, buffet , swimming pool.

He was scheduled to work 12 hours a day, but we he was very lucky because he got time off when in port. (The casino closes when the ship is docked). People working in the buffet or room stewards don't get this luxury.

He worked 9 months without a scheduled day off (that's 7 days a week for 9 months). There was the odd day off as a reward for something , but might only be a few days off during the contract.

shannon guy

I have an up coming interview with steiner. It is for fitness / personal training. Has any one done the interview with them in this field. I am a bit nervous as they didnt describe what they wanted very well.

Can some one tell me about the personal training class you have to do for the interview.

Also, has anyone worked for steiner. I have a friend who has a few friends who work for them and loved it. some are on their 3rd and 4th contract.

Please let me know as irish interviews are soon.

Pluse all other info would be fantastic.

Cheers guys

nogoodnamesleft

I have lots of experience working on merchant maritime vessels and commonly meet engineers who service equipment on board cruise liners. For crew retention reasons cabins tend to be bigger now a days but this depends on the company. Similarly dialup is a thing of the past on board any modern cruise ship they most likely have VSAT (always on satellite connection) for passengers and crew to email etc. Im fairly sure that some companies have policies in place regards interaction with passengers when crew are off duty as well as seperate service corridors for crew to go about their dutys. Hours are a bit of a killer from what I hear from crew.

shooter1978

hiya mate , norfolkline have a job as a chef on there ship from dover to dunkirk route . the job is 2 wks on , 2 wks off as far as i know . not sure if this of interest to you . best of luck either ways