Wannabe HAL captain

[kingfleshking]

I just returned from my very first HAL cruise.....and I loved it!!!

I really really would like to be the captain of one of those ships....Any idea anyone how much these guys make? It's gotta be up there!

Wannabecaptain

[kakalina]

Not a clue! But what a dream job. Glad you enjoyed your first HAL cruise. Have you booked another yet?

[lippylulu]

It takes a lot of education and experience to rise to that level. They surely do enough to earn a bundle! Its jst amazing how they they kee it all running smoothy and safely.

[bdcbbq]

I really really would like to be the captain of one of those ships....Any idea anyone how much these guys make? It's gotta be up there!

Wannabecaptain

 

According to Cruise Ship Jobs the salary can range up $120,000 annually. I'm sure there are some significant benefits too, which include housing and meals. I doubt if they have any or very few expenses while on board. Although, from what I've seen everyone works pretty hard.

[dforeigner]

In addition, you must work your way up the ranks. You just don't graduate from Cruise ship captain school and get the position. I have noticed though, that most captains are European.

[bdcbbq]

In addition, you must work your way up the ranks. You just don't graduate from Cruise ship captain school and get the position. I have noticed though, that most captains are European.

 

Probably because there are more opportunities and exposure to the shipping industry in Europe.

[bishop84]

On a serious note anyone thinking of applying for cruise ship work should be very wary of websites offering jobs on cruise ships - especially those who charge a "processing" fee. There has been a lot of fraud in these areas. Most cruise lines have an employment page on their websites with the address of who to contact at the company or the relevant approved agency.

 

Also remember ships crew work very hard and have long hours so guests can enjoy themselves. Its not an extended vacation.

[SWeaster]

... what a dream job.

My dream job in the travel industry would be the one Samantha Brown has for the Travel Channel. She and her crew go just about everywhere to do programs about resorts, restuarants and other famous and not so famous travel destinations that many people won't ever have a chance to experience. Yeah, there's still work involved but there is for most of us with our current jobs as well.

 

Second best would be that of an officer on a cruise ship other than the captain. The captain is certainly the most visible member of management on the ship and the stress level would be consistent with the salary cited above. Hotel manager is probably right up there for stress as well.

 

There are other cruise ship positions that might be more viable. For example, we had dinner a couple times with members of the medical staff and their spouses on the Westerdam last year. With these two couples, the cruise ship position was a part time job. They work most of the year specializing in emergency medicine at hospitals back home and part of the year on cruise ships. It seems that the big difference from their regular jobs was that they are very busy on the ship but only part of the time.

 

Not being medical professionals these positions wouldn't apply for many of us. But, there must be other skills needed by a cruise ship just like there would be at a large luxury hotel. That's essentially what a cruise ship is. A thousand room hotel that floats from one port city to another. Accountant, concierge, clerk, facilities engineer, radio technician, who knows?

 

Bill

[jtl513]

the salary can range up $120,000 annually.

I was thinking higher than that. A senior Jumbo Jet Captain gets more and works a lot less IMO. :D

[PRINSENDAM]

I was thinking higher than that. A senior Jumbo Jet Captain gets more and works a lot less IMO. :D

 

 

 

In fact.... think lower, not higher.

 

If you are looking for film star wages, the sea is not the place.

 

The renumeration is good, no doubt about it, but figures like $120,000 would be the exception rather than the norm.

 

The high paying jobs for captains are on oil tankers, chemical tankers, bulk carriers, container ships etc. Passenger ships usually pay less. The ressponsibility is there for sure but the job is less demanding.

 

Take a large crude oil tanker, the responsibilites and work involved in loading, say 300,000 tonnes of cruise oil, delivering it safely to the next port, discharging and ballasting without breaking your ship in half,, tank washing on the return voyage, general maintainance, safety etc etc is a lot more involved that what happens on the average cruise ship. I sailed on tankers in the early 70's. It was considered nothing to be out on deck in the Persian Gulf, mid summer for 36 hours while loading oil at 8 to 10,000 tonnes per hour. In the late 70s I sailed in banana boats, as chief officer I thought nothing of spending four or five days in a loading port and not be able to get to bed at all... nothing but cat naps sitting in a chair in my office. Normal shipping operates 24 hours a day. Cruise ships keep their laid back 7 am arrivals and 4.30 departures. Cargo ships arrive and depart at any hour of the day or night. But it was all good..... damn good. Best life in the world. Wouldn't not have changed anything!

 

I'm not saying that the chaps on the cruise ships don't work, they do and they work damn hard and they earn every penny they receive.

 

So, to the young man who is seriously interested in going to sea.. professionally.... high grades in school, be prepared for lots of time in college, be prepared to start on the bottom rung as an apprentice with low pay and in twenty years you might get promoted to captain.

 

In the old days, if you had 100 cadets start off on a seagoing career only about two or three would ever get command.

 

Stephen

[u4ea]

Thank you for your comments Stephen.

I hope to be a passenger on a freighter in the future. I think it would be a great experience.

I also heard the command position requires tons of daily paperwork esp. post 9/11.

Mark...

[Chivalrygirl]

In fact.... think lower, not higher.

 

If you are looking for film star wages, the sea is not the place.

 

The renumeration is good, no doubt about it, but figures like $120,000 would be the exception rather than the norm.

 

The high paying jobs for captains are on oil tankers, chemical tankers, bulk carriers, container ships etc. Passenger ships usually pay less. The ressponsibility is there for sure but the job is less demanding.

 

Take a large crude oil tanker, the responsibilites and work involved in loading, say 300,000 tonnes of cruise oil, delivering it safely to the next port, discharging and ballasting without breaking your ship in half,, tank washing on the return voyage, general maintainance, safety etc etc is a lot more involved that what happens on the average cruise ship. I sailed on tankers in the early 70's. It was considered nothing to be out on deck in the Persian Gulf, mid summer for 36 hours while loading oil at 8 to 10,000 tonnes per hour. In the late 70s I sailed in banana boats, as chief officer I thought nothing of spending four or five days in a loading port and not be able to get to bed at all... nothing but cat naps sitting in a chair in my office. Normal shipping operates 24 hours a day. Cruise ships keep their laid back 7 am arrivals and 4.30 departures. Cargo ships arrive and depart at any hour of the day or night. But it was all good..... damn good. Best life in the world. Wouldn't not have changed anything!

 

I'm not saying that the chaps on the cruise ships don't work, they do and they work damn hard and they earn every penny they receive.

 

So, to the young man who is seriously interested in going to sea.. professionally.... high grades in school, be prepared for lots of time in college, be prepared to start on the bottom rung as an apprentice with low pay and in twenty years you might get promoted to captain.

 

In the old days, if you had 100 cadets start off on a seagoing career only about two or three would ever get command.

 

Stephen

 

Ahhh but to be a young Kiwi cadet on the QM2 and on the bridge to bring the ship into your home port, how cool would that be? Me thinks he might very well carry on to make Captain one day. :D

[bdcbbq]

In fact.... think lower, not higher.

 

If you are looking for film star wages, the sea is not the place.

 

The renumeration is good, no doubt about it, but figures like $120,000 would be the exception rather than the norm.

 

Stephen

 

The $120,000 figure I quoted was rounded up to 120,000 from about 117,000 which was the top monthly salary times 12.

 

While Samantha Brown's job looks interesting I bet she gets a lot of hurry up wait. She is also at the mercy of her producers and many other people.

 

When I think of dream travel jobs I would rather be an independent writer/photographer for the travel industry. I would like to have some control over the assignments I choose.

[Grumpy1]

When I think of dream travel jobs I would rather be an independent writer/photographer for the travel industry. I would like to have some control over the assignments I choose.

That is the job that one of my coworkers and his wife had in their spare time. She wrote for several RV and Travel mags. He took the pictures. Yes, they enjoyed it immensely. Since they were free lance, they could decide when and where they wanted to go, and there was almost always a market for their reports.

[tenminutesnooze]

The quoted $120,000 per anum is probably not correct as pay is in this industry is based on months worked and not on 12/mo/yr. Throw in there no 401k's and very basic healthcare compensation than the picture becomes a little bleaker. The real figure is around 90,000 to 100,000.

 

Comparing the responsibilities of Capt's of VLCC's (crude tankers) and cruise ships is very difficult. Certainly 300,000 tons of crude is a huge environmental responsibility. But thinking of the 3000+ souls on board a 450 Million dollar vessel puts it all in a different perspective.

 

As for hours worked, tankers spend weeks at sea crossing oceans, cruise ships typically make 4-6 portcalls a week and no, it isn't always a leisurely 7 am to 5 pm. Certain operating areas, like Northern Europe, South America and Alaska have long stretches where the capt spends many night hours on the bridge. Today's cruise industry is very competetive and a lot of pressure is put on the capt to make all the targets so to speak.

I disagree, very respectfully, with Prinsendam's statement that the job of a cruise ship capt is less demanding than that of a cargo/tanker capt.

[jtl513]

Welcome to the HAL board, Captain. (My guess. :D )

[PRINSENDAM]

The $120,000 figure I quoted was rounded up to 120,000 from about 117,000 which was the top monthly salary times 12.

 

quote]

 

 

Where did you find the the figure for top monthly salary? Your figure is about 20% too much... at least.

 

Some figures quoted as a 'monthly' salary include leave pay as well. It could work six month on, six month off or eight months on and four months off. Worked either as four months on and four months off or four months on and two months off. And there bonuses... in some cases which amout to an extra 10%.

 

Please bear in mind that we are talking in very general terms and not specifically HAL or any other company.

 

I very well remember 20 years ago when captain's salary on QE2 hit the 20,000 pounds a year mark.

 

I also remember very well in 1970 when captains in my company hit the 5,000 pounds a year mark. My pay as a cadet was 27 pounds a month!!!!! Take out tax and insurance I was left with about 18 pounds. I was rich!

 

Stephen

[sail7seas]

Welcome to the HAL board, Captain. (My guess. :D )

 

 

:) The 'public profile' the poster lists says he/she is 34 years old. ???

[PRINSENDAM]

The quoted $120,000 per anum is probably not correct as pay is in this industry is based on months worked and not on 12/mo/yr. Throw in there no 401k's and very basic healthcare compensation than the picture becomes a little bleaker. The real figure is around 90,000 to 100,000.

 

Comparing the responsibilities of Capt's of VLCC's (crude tankers) and cruise ships is very difficult. Certainly 300,000 tons of crude is a huge environmental responsibility. But thinking of the 3000+ souls on board a 450 Million dollar vessel puts it all in a different perspective.

 

As for hours worked, tankers spend weeks at sea crossing oceans, cruise ships typically make 4-6 portcalls a week and no, it isn't always a leisurely 7 am to 5 pm. Certain operating areas, like Northern Europe, South America and Alaska have long stretches where the capt spends many night hours on the bridge. Today's cruise industry is very competetive and a lot of pressure is put on the capt to make all the targets so to speak.

I disagree, very respectfully, with Prinsendam's statement that the job of a cruise ship capt is less demanding than that of a cargo/tanker capt.

 

 

Well, lets put it this way. Having been at sea... in VLCC's, cargo ships, reefers, bulkers, container ships and a few tugs, in all ranks, including master and a very limited period working on a passenger ship... which I did not care for at all.... plus an additional 1,340 days as a passenger I feel I can make a fair comparison!

 

The numerous port calls in any given week are fairly common for many ships.... one of my ships was on a 28 day circult around the Atlantic.. Glasgow, New York, Baltimore, Wilmington, Charleston, New York, Le Havre, Zebrugge, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Glasgow. The 7 to 5 calls are the norm in many cruise ships... of course there are exceptions. In heavy traffic areas such as Alaska, North Europe, Singapore Straits etc etc... the cruise ships operating there probably amount the less that 5% of the traffic... the rest being the rest of the world's shipping. Large tankers are not always on leisurely 35 day runs to the Persian Gulf. Some of them, in particular ships like Chemical tankers are almost port hopping on a daily basis. Demands to meet targets are just as strong for the staff on other ships as well. One big difference is that on a passenger ship you have Hotel Managers and a full Purser's department to take on a lot of the administrative work... paperwork, port papers, crew documentaion, pay Port State etc that is most done by the master. On the bridge there are a team of officers for watchkeeping and keepng up with all of the other admin responsibilites... on the cargo ship you have a master and three mates... if you are lucky.

 

In the end, cargo ship or passenger ship, the job is very difficult and the pay certainly is not up to the standard that it should be. Some ships are easy, some are difficult. The secret is to find one paying high wages, but at least gives a relatively easier existance while on board.

 

Stephen

[bdcbbq]

The $120,000 figure I quoted was rounded up to 120,000 from about 117,000 which was the top monthly salary times 12.

 

quote]

 

 

Where did you find the the figure for top monthly salary? Your figure is about 20% too much... at least.

 

Some figures quoted as a 'monthly' salary include leave pay as well. It could work six month on, six month off or eight months on and four months off. Worked either as four months on and four months off or four months on and two months off. And there bonuses... in some cases which amout to an extra 10%.

 

Please bear in mind that we are talking in very general terms and not specifically HAL or any other company.

 

I very well remember 20 years ago when captain's salary on QE2 hit the 20,000 pounds a year mark.

 

I also remember very well in 1970 when captains in my company hit the 5,000 pounds a year mark. My pay as a cadet was 27 pounds a month!!!!! Take out tax and insurance I was left with about 18 pounds. I was rich!

 

Stephen

 

The figure came from the linked website in my first post. I did multiply the monthly salary by 12 and rounded up $300. I was not trying to imply that the figure was the result of an exhaustive research on my part. More like a quick Google and a few clicks. The figure was intended to be general and at the top end.

[PRINSENDAM]

 

The figure came from the linked website in my first post. I did multiply the monthly salary by 12 and rounded up $300. I was not trying to imply that the figure was the result of an exhaustive research on my part. More like a quick Google and a few clicks. The figure was intended to be general and at the top end.

 

 

For the most part the wages that are paid are kept confidential.

 

Some years ago one could read 'The Telegraph', the official news magazine of the Merchant Navy & Airline Officers Association (MNAOA) where dozens of companies were advertizing for officers, deck, engine, catering etc. The starting salary was listed in most cases. Today you might find the salary listed, sometimes not.

 

In the 70's my company Denholm Ship Management Limited of Glasgow was the highest payer in Britain. They had to in order to attract the staff. We had a fleet of some 80 (eighty) ships ranging from a couple of small coastal ferries, through Ro Ro's, mini bulkers, large bulkers, reefers, container ships, Oil/bulk/ore carriers, general cargo (break bulk) ships, car carriers, wood pulp carriers, chemical tankers, large tankers, very large tankers and ULTRA large tankers... the largest in the fleet being the BURMAH ENDEAVOUR and BURMAH ENTERPRISE... some 450,000 deadwiight tonnes. At one point they had something like 350 navigating cadets under training... more engineer cadets. The company still exits, but is now under the name of Anglo Easter Ship Management Limited and I believe the fleet is up to about 125 ships.

 

Anyhow, they were good payers and conditions were good. By the late 70's I was working four months on, four months off on continuous pay.

 

But back to teh fim star wages... I do believe that when Disney started up their operation the master there were getting some fantastic figure like $200,000 pa. (Cannot remember the eact figure but I remember thinking to myself, "WOW"! Of course you had to be willing to wear Mickey's ears on stage at Captain Welcome Aboard Party. No way!

 

Stephen

[Sea King]

why be the captain if you could be the "owner"?:)

 

believe Stephen has it right: the salary + bonuses are not what many believe them to be .. in all probability, lower than many "jumbo pilots" but with a lot more pressure

 

life on a cruise ship isn't as "perfect" as the passenger sees ..

 

we don't see USPH inspections, the hundreds of emails daily, CG inspections, weather reports, the pressure to get to port(s) on time, load and unload provisions (and inspect each one for quality) and the best part: being available 24/7 when aboard and even then "being on" at every reception and party .. no time for a "bad mood" when you're in public

 

the list goes on and on

 

is being captain of a luxury liner a plumb position?

 

IMHO, it's the pinnacle for those who've paid their dues over the years as they have moved through the ranks and reached the "top of their profession" (the same holds true for Hotel Managers and Chief Engineers)

 

on the other hand, when you really break it down, there are "easier ways to earn a living" IMO

 

I'd still rather be the owner:)

[kingfleshking]

And I probably should stick to being a paying guest! ;-) Being a cruise ship capt must be great but it doesn't seem to pay very well!

[Funny Daddy]

I just returned from my very first HAL cruise.....and I loved it!!!

I really really would like to be the captain of one of those ships....Any idea anyone how much these guys make? It's gotta be up there!

Wannabecaptain

 

It's between $110K and $150K depending on years of experience, and don't forget they only make $15.00 per hour more than the first officer, who is in charge of the bridge!!Rgds PD:cool:

[sasha666]

#1 - be born in Holland (Netherlands)....attend nautical school there.....be male, LOVE the sea, work like the devil, be patient..........good luck!