What is it like to work on a Cruise ship?? Only answer if you have or are working on a ship.?

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stephanie s

i actually went to a dance audtion for a cruise line and was offered a contract. the contract was for 6 months and i would have to reaudtion. after talking to other entertainers on the same line i was informed how they make them clean and such while they arnt peforming and have to teach lessons to passengers. the big draw back for me is since i am american they wanted to send me on cruises that go to europe etc.. sounds nice but when u are in your early twenties you miss home. they said you can leave port when you are off and you have a room that is the same size as a passenger cabin. they did not offer any classes for techniqe etc.. and the chroegrapher was horrible.(which might explain why some cruise lines have bad dancers) even though you might not be trying to dance on a cruise ship im sure that there are positions that they are treated in simular fashion. i would try to find someone that works the postiton you want on message boards and such

Britty

They treat their employees (especially those in food services and laundry) like crap. Many of those types of employees are from poorer countries, and don't speak much English.
You are unlikely to get a good position (like the person above me who is a photographer) unless you have those very specific skills.

BcAquatics.com

just alittle info on contracts.

i was just on a RC cruise 3 weeks ago and we asked our waiter what the contacts where.

they sign for 8 month contracts, and then MUST take 2 months off, and then they can resign for another 8 month contact...over and over.

My waiter said he liked the job, but i agree with the first post, it must be hard work.

Rath

I worked as a pianist for Carnival when I was in college. It was a six month contract and my job was to play in the ship's jazz club/piano bar, as well as the ship's band that plays in the main ballroom/floor show stage. I liked it very much, but I realized that musicians and others who have specific skills are treated much better than general laborers. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the conditions are horrible, but food service workers and behind the scenes folks like cabin stewards, laundry workers, and general maintenance people really get the short end of the stick.
I will echo what others here have said - everyone works VERY hard and usually has side jobs. For example, the dancers on the ship worked as assistants to the cruise director during the day. They ran the bingo games and other ship activities, worked in the child care or teen club areas, or worked in the gym/taught aerobics classes, etc. Then, in the evening they would dance in the shows, which were every night. We musicians had it easy by contrast. All we did was play music.
The schedule was pretty intense, too. We would go out on a Sunday for a four day cruise, come back early on Thursday, and then sail again for a three day cruise on Thursday afternoon. The ship docked at 6 am, everyone usually cleared the ship by 9am, and then the first guests were allowed to board by 1 pm that day. We were allowed to get off the ship to buy some essentials and such for an hour or so, but no more. And if you miss the ship? Consider yourself fired. time is money and those ships are never idle.

rusvaltas

Hello my name is Ruth. I used to work on Carnival as a photographer. I will never forget the first contact I had with the office they told me do not expect to come down here and work two hours and spend the rest of the day basking in the sun. You do work long hours. with my job as a photographer I was classed as ship staff. Ship staff are allowed on the passenger decks when they are off duty so i was allowed to go to the disco or whatever lounge I wanted when I was off duty provided that you give the paying passenger first priority.
The average contracts on a ship are six to eight months. Mine where all eight months. I worked for Carnival for eight years and there are times when I feel I am sorry that I left. I will give you my e-maill address which is goruth@amtelecom.net
you can e-mail me with all the questions that you want and I will be glad to answer them for you because if you are going to work on a cruise ship let me tell you yes it is hard work but it is also very rewarding also you will meet people from all around the world. There are approximately 90 different nationalities that work on board ship. Hope to hear from you.

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