Cruise Ship Jobs
There is a large variety of jobs on a cruise ship and at cruise line corporate offices. The good news is that there is a good chance that a job that you have had in the past will give you enough experience to perform a number of the jobs onboard a cruise ship. Some examples include: previous jobs at hotels, restaurants, bars, night clubs, libraries, gift stores, boutiques, grocery stores, convenience stores, health clubs, beauty salons, museums, coffee shops, and just about any hospitality related job.
For a detailed list of Cruise Ship Job Positions.
Cruise Ship Jobs:
Positions that are commonly needed by cruise lines
| Administration Assistants
Air/Sea Reservation Agents |
Bar Stewards
Bartenders Beauticians Bedroom Stewards Booking Agents |
Casino Staff
Cosmetologist Cruise Directors Cruise Staff Customer Service Representatives |
| Dance Instructors
Deck Department Deckhands Disc Jockeys |
Entertainers
Expedition Leaders |
Fitness Directors
Fitness Instructors |
| Gentleman Host
Gift Shop Positions |
Hospitality or Hotel Managers
Hosts and Hostesses |
IT Staff |
| Junior Assistant Pursers | Lecturers
Lifeguards |
Massage Therapists
Medical Staff |
| Naturalists | Personal Trainers
Photographers Production Managers Pursers |
Sales and Marketing Positions
Shore Excursion Managers Shore Excursion Staff |
| Water Sports Instructors | Youth Counselors |
2010 was an outstanding year to find jobs on cruise ships!
From 2000 to 2010, major cruise lines launched 92 new cruise ships! Each of these cruise ships employ between 500 and 1,500 crew members and support staff. That means over the last six years over 100,000 new cruise ship jobs have been created! In addition, cruise lines are planning on introducing another 23 new cruise ships over the next three years creating over 26,000 more cruise line jobs. All but one of these cruise ships scheduled to launch over the next four years are “mega” ships carrying over 2,000 passengers.
Cruise Ship Jobs:
The cruise industry is absolutely booming and provides working vacations for thousands of people worldwide. Last year there were 12.6 million embarkations from U.S. ports which was a 9.8 percent increase from the year before. It is estimated that over 14 million North Americans will take a cruise next year.
What does all this mean to you? That’s simple; there has never been a better time to be looking for work in the cruise line industry. Whether you are looking to work on a cruise ship for a short-term job change or a long term career, the cruise industry has a place for you.
The average ratio between crew to guests is about one to two, meaning it takes about 1,000 crew members to man a cruise ship that carries 2,000 guests. In addition, for whatever reason, turnover on the cruise ships is generally pretty high, so cruise lines need to fill an awful lot of positions every year and thus they are ALWAYS HIRING!
Turnover is high because people get promoted, change ships, change cruise line companies, go on vacation, return to school, or just take their savings and settle down back on land. The average initial contract generally ranges from three to nine months. With all of your living expenses, medical insurance covered by the cruise line, a high percentage of your earnings can be banked, thus giving you a nice little nest egg after each contract.
Cruise Ship Jobs:
Cruise line employees also usually get excellent perks and benefits.
These benefits often include:
- Free room on the cruise ship. Usually either a single stateroom or a shared stateroom with another employee.
- Free meals
- Air travel en-route and homeward bound
- Free laundry
- Free medical insurance (which is required by maritime law)
- Discounts at ship board and often land based stores, bars and restaurants
- Reduced cruise rates for family and friends
My Holiday Cruises will provide you all of the resources you need to land an exciting career in the cruise industry.
Is a Cruise Ship Job for me?
Most people love working on a cruise ship, but we are the first to admit that a job on a cruise ship is not the right job for everyone. So we put together a list of pros and cons about cruise line employment. To view this list click Cruise Ship Jobs Pros and Cons.
Here are a few other things to consider before deciding to work on a cruise ship.
Do I need to be a United States Citizen to work on a cruise ship?
No! To work on most cruise lines you do not need to be an American citizen. This is because most cruise lines are foreign flagged and thus are not regulated by United States labor laws. So in many cases, cruise lines can hire people from any country they choose.
There are a handful of cruise ships that are flagged in the United States and hire almost all their crew from the United States. These cruise ship usually sail around Hawaii, Alaska, the Great Lakes or on US rivers.
Answers to common Cruise Line Employment Questions
To find out more questions to commonly asked questions about working on a cruise ship, please read Cruise Line Jobs FAQ.