So what is it really like to work on a cruise ship?

[BoiiMcFly]

Back when we were studying hospitality management, a friend and I wanted to do an internship on a cruise ship, but unfortunately we never ended up doing it.

 

I would, however like to know what it is like working aboard the cruise ships. I have heard good things and terrible things.

 

Also, which cruise line treats its employees the best?

[mom says]

Working on a ship. In what capacity? Ship side or hotel side? Officer or crew? Bridge crew are going to work under very different conditions, and enjoy a very different pay scale, than the guys down in the laundry. The hotel director and his immediate staff will have a very different life than the guys scrubbing toilets and emptying your trash.

 

Which company treats its employees best? define "best".

Edited January 26, 2017 by mom says

[navybankerteacher]

There are a number of different "classes" of workers on ships. Ships' officers are well paid and have decent accommodations and conditions, seamen and engine room hands - not quite as good; hospitality and entertainment staff -

longer hours and less comfortable accommodations; housekeeping and food service people range from executive chefs and maitre d's to cabin stewards and assistant waiters -- long hours, low pay unless on a US flagged ship.

 

A lot of uninformed people who were weaned on "Love Boat" episodes have unrealistic views --- don't you think that, if pay and conditions were good, the lines would hire locally rather than East Asians and others with limited opportunities at home.

[BoiiMcFly]

Working on a ship. In what capacity? Ship side or hotel side? Officer or crew? Bridge crew are going to work under very different conditions, and enjoy a very different pay scale, than the guys down in the laundry. The hotel director and his immediate staff will have a very different life than the guys scrubbing toilets and emptying your trash.

 

Which company treats its employees best? define "best".

 

I guess I'm curious to hear from all different departments. And best pretty much means highest pay, safest and most sanitary living and working conditions, overall fair treatment of the employees.

Edited January 26, 2017 by BoiiMcFly

[BoiiMcFly]

There are a number of different "classes" of workers on ships. Ships' officers are well paid and have decent accommodations and conditions, seamen and engine room hands - not quite as good; hospitality and entertainment staff -

longer hours and less comfortable accommodations; housekeeping and food service people range from executive chefs and maitre d's to cabin stewards and assistant waiters -- long hours, low pay unless on a US flagged ship.

 

A lot of uninformed people who were weaned on "Love Boat" episodes have unrealistic views --- don't you think that, if pay and conditions were good, the lines would hire locally rather than East Asians and others with limited opportunities at home.

 

Great post, yes isn't that the reason why cruise ships are not based in the US so they can avoid all the strict regulations.

[Bonnie J.]

Crew members work LONG hours for 7 days a week. No one gets a day off - except the entertainers who get a night off every 7 days. They work for from 6-8 months with no time off. Waiters and room stewards count on tips as they are paid $85 a MONTH- not day or week.

Carnival is the ship that keeps couples together- married, gay or just couples. Some ships will send a husband to one ship and wife to another!

Crew vacations are 1 -2 months but they can't be sure if they will come back to the same ship unless their old department head requests them.

 

It is a very hard life on a cruise ship for most of the crew.

(We have been on 100+ cruises since 1985.)

[Sequim88]

isn't that the reason why cruise ships are not based in the US so they can avoid all the strict regulations.

 

Mostly it's taxes. There are still many US regulations that apply to any line/ship that stops or ports in USA. Especially US Coast Guard regs.

 

There are a number of books written from crew/staff perspectives "Cruise Confidential" (and rest of the series) and "The truth About Cruise Ships" come to mind. Check Amazon.

[chengkp75]

I guess I'm curious to hear from all different departments. And best pretty much means highest pay, safest and most sanitary living and working conditions, overall fair treatment of the employees.

 

Particularly since the implementation of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC 2006) in 2013, the minimum pay, safety conditions, and working/living conditions on all ships are mandated by international code. These are the minimum standards, and many positions onboard will have different accommodations based on rank, but the cruise lines are pretty consistent across the industry.

[chengkp75]

Mostly it's taxes. There are still many US regulations that apply to any line/ship that stops or ports in USA. Especially US Coast Guard regs.

 

There are a number of books written from crew/staff perspectives "Cruise Confidential" (and rest of the series) and "The truth About Cruise Ships" come to mind. Check Amazon.

 

Actually, USCG regulations do not apply to foreign flag ships. Most people confuse the fact that USCG inspects the ships with the application of USCG regulations to those ships. The USCG inspects foreign ships under their "port state" authority, but only to ensure that the ship meets the international SOLAS requirements, not the more strict USCG regulations applicable to US flag ships.

 

Both of the books cited are somewhat fictionalized and sensational, and should be taken with a few grains of salt.

[chengkp75]

Back when we were studying hospitality management, a friend and I wanted to do an internship on a cruise ship, but unfortunately we never ended up doing it.

 

I would, however like to know what it is like working aboard the cruise ships. I have heard good things and terrible things.

 

Also, which cruise line treats its employees the best?

 

I don't think any cruise line offers internships on the ships, only at the corporate offices.

 

As stated, virtually all positions work 12-14 hours per day, 7 days a week, for the length of the contract, ranging from a couple months for senior positions to 10 months for entry level positions. Additionally, safety drills and training are mandatory and are usually outside the normal working hours. You have to learn other abilities besides the duties of the job you are hired for, like these safety duties, and doing work on turn-around day like wait staff and bar staff handling luggage.

 

Crew cabins for the majority of staff are smaller than the smallest passenger cabin, and house 4 crew. You have two sets of bunks, 4 drawers under the beds, and 4 lockers for the 4 crew. There is a 2' wide desk and chair, and a bathroom. Some staff have single or double cabins that only have private sinks, and share a toilet and shower with the cabin next door. Single cabins for lower staff are so small you can stand in one spot and touch all 4 walls. Naturally, the more senior the position, the larger the cabin. Some cabins for staff like casino dealers will be 6 man cabins.

 

Crew areas do not have carpeting, it is steel decks and linoleum. Crew dining is all cafeteria style, with the sole exception of the senior officers' dining room. Food is prepared in different galleys than the passengers, and the variety is far less.

[BoiiMcFly]

I don't think any cruise line offers internships on the ships, only at the corporate offices.

 

As stated, virtually all positions work 12-14 hours per day, 7 days a week, for the length of the contract, ranging from a couple months for senior positions to 10 months for entry level positions. Additionally, safety drills and training are mandatory and are usually outside the normal working hours. You have to learn other abilities besides the duties of the job you are hired for, like these safety duties, and doing work on turn-around day like wait staff and bar staff handling luggage.

 

Crew cabins for the majority of staff are smaller than the smallest passenger cabin, and house 4 crew. You have two sets of bunks, 4 drawers under the beds, and 4 lockers for the 4 crew. There is a 2' wide desk and chair, and a bathroom. Some staff have single or double cabins that only have private sinks, and share a toilet and shower with the cabin next door. Single cabins for lower staff are so small you can stand in one spot and touch all 4 walls. Naturally, the more senior the position, the larger the cabin. Some cabins for staff like casino dealers will be 6 man cabins.

 

Crew areas do not have carpeting, it is steel decks and linoleum. Crew dining is all cafeteria style, with the sole exception of the senior officers' dining room. Food is prepared in different galleys than the passengers, and the variety is far less.

 

Wow, hats off to the crew. I wish cruise lines would offer the employees more humane living conditions, sounds close to modern day slavery. Are all cruise lines the same when it comes to employee standard of living?

Edited January 26, 2017 by BoiiMcFly

[chengkp75]

Wow, hats off to the crew. I wish cruise lines would offer the employees more humane living conditions, sounds close to modern day slavery. Are all cruise lines the same when it comes to employee standard of living?

 

While the living conditions may not be "humane" to someone from the US, most of the crew adapt to living onboard very well. I had junior engineers who lived in the small singles (touch all 4 walls, shared toilet and shower) in a single bed, with their wife onboard as guest (a perk for officers) for 5-6 months at a time.

 

You have to realize that all seafaring jobs are 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. A ship doesn't stop at night, or on the weekend, so work has to continue. Seafaring is a hard profession, and being a cruise ship dishwasher does not change that basic fact of life. Not everyone likes going to sea, but if you do, you adjust to the existing living conditions. Most cruise ship crew and staff accept the time away from family and the cramped living conditions in exchange for a better salary than they could get in their home countries. Most staff are content with their jobs, typically the complainers are the first time employees. No one is forcing the crew to sign on the ship, and they don't have to come back again if they aren't satisfied.

 

"More humane" living conditions would require more space in the ship (i.e. a larger ship or less passenger space, resulting in higher cruise fares), or more crew (resulting in higher cruise fares). Yes, you could walk from one line's ship to a ship of another line, and feel right at home, there is very little difference.

 

The crew are not living in dungeons and eating swill. If you saw the "bazaars" that pop up in areas around the crew spaces weekly, where those who can get ashore barter the goods they bought with those who couldn't get ashore, you'd see a vibrant culture. Or the "neighborhood" barber shop or seamstresses who service the crew on an ad hoc basis in these bazaars. There are crew parties, sometimes for instance, the engineering officers will pay for the snacks and beverages to the Food & Beverage department to host a party in the engine room for our crew, to show our appreciation.

 

To see the effects of what "more humane" policies would be, just look at the NCL Pride of America, a US flag cruise ship. The crew has to be mainly US citizens, paid US wages, and meet all US regulations. A 7 day cruise around Hawaii is generally more expensive than a 14 day cruise on a foreign flag ship from the West Coast to Hawaii and back to the West Coast. And the cruise from the West Coast burns 3-4 times as much fuel as the POA puttering around the islands. So, to get US standards on the ships would raise cruise fares double or triple what they are now.

[whogo]

There are a handful of German interns aboard the Artania, according to Verrückt nach Meer, a German TV documentary that follows passengers, crew, entertainers, and the interns on and off the cruise ship. http://www.ardmediathek.de/tv/Verr%C3%BCckt-nach-Meer/Sendung?documentId=3583382&bcastId=3583382

[vmom]

A lot depends on the position a crew member holds as to the working conditions.

 

So many good posts already with some great points and info.

 

Just to add my two cents:

 

I had dinner last week was someone who had worked as a massage therapist on a ship for two years and loved it. She said her contracts were for 6 months at a time and that she was treated very well. She got two days off per week which rotated. She was able to go off ship if it was her day off and it was a port day. She said the spa staff is typically treated very well since it is such a money generator for cruise lines.

[chengkp75]

Spa staff are typically not cruise line employees, but employed by the company that holds the spa concession, like the gift shop staff, and the art auction staff.

[zoncom]

Lots of questions from you. Have you cruised yet? Ship/ itin? Wheres H-Town?

[cb at sea]

I have a friend now on a ship...and one who USED to do it...both are musicians...so it's not the same as a waiter, or attendant, or laundry person...

 

Both of the musicians had LONG hours, and had to "pitch in" to do other chores when not playing music. The itinerary gets old, after awhile...and you aren't "hobnobbing" with the guests...you aren't allowed to do that.

 

You have the "crew" dining room...and exercise space....you don't get to use the "guest" areas.

 

It's not like cruising as a passenger...that's for sure!

[SadieN]

Wow, hats off to the crew. I wish cruise lines would offer the employees more humane living conditions, sounds close to modern day slavery. Are all cruise lines the same when it comes to employee standard of living?

 

 

My theory is that if working onboard was so horrible we wouldn't have met some room stewards who have almost 20 years onboard. Have sailed many times over the years with the same waiters on the cruises out of Los Angeles. It can be a family business, met one room steward who was named Noordam. The ship his father was on when he was born.

Don't see many Americans because of our tax laws. Many countries have income tax exemptions, US doesn't. Have to pay no matter where you are worldwide.

[Underwatr]

Deleted.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Underwatr

[AussieOmni]

Lots of questions from you. Have you cruised yet? Ship/ itin? Wheres H-Town?

 

 

H-Town = Houston. "H-Town vicious!"

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[BoiiMcFly]

Lots of questions from you. Have you cruised yet? Ship/ itin? Wheres H-Town?

 

Yes I am very interested in cruise ships but have only cruise once so far. We will be going on our second cruise this spring. And H-town is Houston, Texas.

[gooch47]

I'm fairly certain room stewards and servers get time off. I've seen them ashore, returning to the ship and they sometimes comment about what they did that day.

 

And in New Zealand once, our waiter actually missed the ship due to a terrible traffic jam. He caught up at the next port.

Edited January 27, 2017 by gooch47

[BoiiMcFly]

H-Town = Houston. "H-Town vicious!"

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

You know it baby!

 

Yeah, it's the city that's slowed, the city that's throwed

The city where them boys get they candy painted lows

The city where they build big killer and stay blowed

Hustlin' ass D-boys got the game sold

Where they sip that drank (sip that drank) and drip that paint (drip that paint)

And drop that top (drop that top) and grip that grain (hold up)

6-10-I-10-59-45 in the belt

This clutch city where we play what we dealt

Welcome my H-Town

 

That's a verse from the late Houston rapper **** C.

[chengkp75]

I'm fairly certain room stewards and servers get time off. I've seen them ashore, returning to the ship and they sometimes comment about what they did that day.

 

And in New Zealand once, our waiter actually missed the ship due to a terrible traffic jam. He caught up at the next port.

 

Because their work shifts are split (waiters do breakfast/dinner, lunch/dinner, or buffet/dinner)(stewards have time off between morning cleaning and turn down), they will get a couple of hours off, but many times it depends on what is available in port, and how close, as to whether they will go ashore.

[Flatbush Flyer]

About a decade ago, the California Maritime Academy did an alumni survey which found that the average longevity of recent "deck" grads going into "blue water" service was five years. It's a tough life - even for officers. And even for those who stick it out for years, those often most-coveted home-based positions (e.g., major US port bar pilot), are few and far between.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums