5 Unusual Job Positions on Cruise Ship (2023)

FAQs

What are the crew positions on a cruise ship? ›

There are in general two different types of positions - Deck Officers (Captain; Staff Captain; 1st, 2nd, 3rd Officers; Safety Officer; Security Officer; Deck Cadet) and Deck Ratings - Boatswain/Bosun, Carpenter, Able Seaman Unlimited, Ordinary Seaman Entry Level and Deckhand.

At the bottom are crew members, who are generally responsible for serving guests. They include servers, bartenders, and cleaning staff.

While the difficulty of the utility galley job exceeds all others on a cruise ship, waiters and room stewards, who clean passenger cabins, also have some of the most difficult jobs, Guilford said.

Yes, you can work onboard a cruise ship if you have a child. A huge percentage of people working on cruise ships have kids. Most of those kids are not onboard though. The majority of crew member that have children have family members at home taking care of them while the crew member works onboard.

A ship's crew can generally be divided into four main categories: the deck department, the engineering department, the steward's department, and other.

On many cruise ships the crew totals over 1,000 people and there are generally three or even four passengers to every crew member. It's a lot of bodies – from many different backgrounds – in a relatively small space.

A crew is an organized group of workers. A crew might keep a ship sailing smoothly or pave a road smoothly.

starboard side of the ship is best to stay on. Your decision will depend on a variety of factors, from your stateroom type to your cruise itinerary. Here are helpful tips for choosing which side of the ship will suit you best.

The lower and more central you are in a ship, the less roll and sway you will feel. Even if you choose a balcony room, choose a low level and a room closest to the ship's center. The higher decks and cabins at the front (forward) or back (aft) of the ship will rock and roll the most.

Is it better to be higher on a cruise ship or lower? ›

The higher the deck, the better and, often, more panoramic the view. Cabins on top decks aren't always the best on the ship, but many suites and specialty cabin categories are typically located on upper decks.

The Captain (or Master) of the ship is the final authority of the ship and is the highest rank that one can achieve onboard. He shoulders total responsibility and oversees all shipboard operations.

Dancers scored 100 out of 100 in the stamina, flexibility and coordination categories, and 87.8 out of 100 for strength. Athletes and sports competitors took third place—though whether this ranking will settle the dancers-versus-athletes debate once and for all is yet to be determined.

After each contract you will receive approximately 60 days of vacation before your next assignment. Your daily work schedule while onboard will depend on your particular position, but you can expect to work seven days a week and anywhere between 10-13 hours per day.

Staff members often expect to work around 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Some employees may work early in the morning, like those who prepare food, while others work late into the night, like bartenders and entertainers. Your work schedule might depend on the specific cruise line and your position.

Do cruise ship employees get free food? Yes, crew members receive free food for working onboard a ship, along with a cabin to sleep in (more on that later). Similar to the guests, crew members have their own buffet style restaurant to get their meals from throughout the day.

All Cruise Lines offer internet access for crewmembers by using Wi-Fi access and access from the onboard crew internet cafés. Unlike before when crew members had only access per minute, today cruise lines offer various packages such as Social media package and all internet access charged by Megabytes.

Employment found on ships is not typically glamourous, as one might expect. Additionally, some of the salaries aren't that high. Members can expect to work 10-12-hour days, and up to seven days a week. However, your room and board are completely covered.

What are the four positions of a ship? ›

Forward: Forward on a ship means toward the direction of the bow. Aft: Aft on a ship means toward the direction of the stern. Port: Port refers to the left side of the ship, when facing forward. Starboard: Starboard refers to the right side of the ship, when facing forward.

Deck Cadet

However, some organizational charts place him at the bottom of every department either deck or engine. A Deck Cadet's duties depend on the culture of the ship. On some vessels, he spends his time mostly on deck doing maintenance together with the ratings.

As of Nov 17, 2022, the average annual pay for a Cruise Ship Worker in the United States is $48,891 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $23.51 an hour. This is the equivalent of $940/week or $4,074/month.

Generally speaking, mainstream, U.S.-based cruise lines automatically add gratuities of about $14 to $15 per person, per day, to your onboard bill. These tips are divided among the dining staff (waiters, assistant waiters and head waiters) and housekeeping staff (such as cabin attendants).

Cruise ship stewards clean and service cabins on board cruise ships.

The first mate of a ship is the captain's right-hand man, and often takes control of the ship when the captain is unable to give orders. It's the first mate that takes care of the day-to-day problems, including paperwork, assisting in navigation, making sure the ship stays clean, and assigning the crew to tasks.

The best cruise ship deck for many people is a lower deck because less movement will be felt here. However, for the best views, you should choose a higher deck. If you want to avoid taking the elevator, a mid-level deck would be best.

Cruise cabins near the elevator or stair access points are some of the noisiest staterooms at sea and their location will lead to a lot of noise during most parts of the night and therefore, should be avoided.

What is the roughest part of a cruise ship? ›

Number one most dangerous place on the cruise ship are defiantly the watertight doors. These Doors are mounted on board a cruise vessel in the crew corridor. Many Crew members have lost their lives trying to pass this doors while they were closing from the bridge.

Balcony cabins are great for giving you that much needed bit of personal space when you're both in the room. If he wants to nap but you're wide awake, a balcony offers you a place to hang out without worrying if you're making too much noise or using too bright lights.

If you'd rather see the sunrise while sailing south or east, staying on the port side is your ideal choice as well. Choose the starboard side for the opposite situation: sunsets are visible on southbound and eastbound sailings while sunrises are visible on northbound and westbound cruises.

Essentially, a cruise ship stays upright because they keep all of the heaviest equipment below deck. This has the effect of keeping a low center of gravity. In addition, the shape of a cruise ship's hull is wide and rounded, which helps it move through the ocean smoothly and with minimal drag.

The back of the ship tends to be considered the next best cabin position after midships. Whilst the front of the ship gets the most movement the back also does get some. Whilst it's nowhere near as bad as the front of the ship, you may still notice some movement in rough seas.

A marine environment educator or an oceanographer is primarily a biological oceanographer, chemical oceanographer, or even a physical oceanographer. There are different job descriptions based on the type and work environment. These professionals work on researching and studying the ocean and sea life.

A cruise director is a high-ranking or senior officer of a cruise ship with responsibility for all onboard hospitality, entertainment and social events, who acts as the public face of the company.

How much do bartenders make on a cruise? ›

How much does a Cruise Ship Bartender make? As of Nov 19, 2022, the average annual pay for a Cruise Ship Bartender in the United States is $43,527 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $20.93 an hour. This is the equivalent of $837/week or $3,627/month.

1. Military. Coming first on our list of the hardest jobs in the world is the military. Being in the military is a prestigious honor for many people who aren't afraid to take risks and who are looking for a high paycheck.

There are no formal requirements, but experience of working in a hotel, restaurant or bar can be useful. GCSEs in English and maths will be helpful. Customer service is an important part of the role, so most cruise liners will expect you to have worked in a customer service job before.

As of Nov 19, 2022, the average annual pay for a Cruise Ship Worker in the United States is $48,891 a year.

You can apply directly to a cruise line on their website or to their official hiring partners throughout the world. You can apply through a concessionaire - a company contracted to operate spa, retail, photography or entertainment on the ship. You can apply online via a dedicated job board such as All Cruise Jobs.

The 35 current and former cruise-ship employees who spoke with Business Insider had average monthly earnings of about $3,233 and median monthly earnings of about $2,600.

After each contract you will receive approximately 60 days of vacation before your next assignment. Your daily work schedule while onboard will depend on your particular position, but you can expect to work seven days a week and anywhere between 10-13 hours per day.

If you're interested in working on a cruise ship, there are a variety of positions you can pursue—even with no experience. Whether you want to work in human resources or as part of the crew, you can find a position that suits your skills.

What is an entry level position on a ship? ›

Primary Duties: An ordinary seaman (OS) is an entry-level member of the deck department crew in cruise ships. Primary responsibilities of an ordinary seaman include general maintenance, repair and sanitation of material, equipment and areas that fall under their responsibility.

Cruise ship crew life can be intense: long hours, no days off for months, lots of rules, demanding guests, small living quarters and little to no privacy. But working on ships also allows you to travel to places some only dream of while making some amazing connections with fellow seafarers from all over the world.

Crew members live on cruise ships while they are working onboard, and they have an entire area of the ship just for them. How much different are crew areas from guest areas, and what do these facilities look like? In some cases, crew areas are a lot like guest areas because some crew have guest privileges.

Entry level positions start at £20,796 per year while most experienced workers make up to £35,030 per year.

Certain cruise lines have rooms designed for full-time living with six month and yearly lease options. Others simply allow you to book out a room for a specified period of time. Certain cruise lines have special programs for retirees.

£127 - £874

The typical P&O Cruises Waiter salary is £850. Waiter salaries at P&O Cruises can range from £127 - £874.