Yes, I used to work on a cruise ship. More specifically, I worked in the onboard  spa. I remember being absolutely terrified to even apply, but I wasn’t working anywhere else at the time and had nothing to lose, so I eventually managed to pluck up the courage to go along to an open recruitment event. To my amazement I was offered a position just a few days later.

Only then did the excitement kick in. I was young, hungry for adventure and independence. I wanted to feel like a proper adult, and I was ready for some hard work and real life experience.

But I mainly did it for the travel. I pictured myself being somewhere new and exciting every few days, the beautiful capitals of Europe during summer and the tropical islands of the Caribbean during winter, perhaps. Or maybe I’d end up being even further away from home…there was no way of knowing, you don’t get to pick where they send you!

I completed three weeks of training in the UK before being flown out to Miami. I spent the night in a hotel before heading to my ship, and I remember calling my Mum in the morning in a complete panic because I was so nervous.

Ship life was like being on a completely different planet. It is a truly unique environment which is difficult to describe…you just have to live it!

Working at sea is an incredible experience, but like most things in life it most certainly is not for everybody. This is a lifestyle that takes a certain type of person to sustain, and that is why I have put together a list of 7 reasons you SHOULD work on a cruise ship, and 7 reasons you SHOULD NOT. I have tried my best to be as open and brutally honest as possible, because I want to help anybody who is considering this career move to make an informed decision.

7 Reasons you SHOULD Work on a Cruise Ship

1. You’re from a poorer part of the world and you want good money. 

For me, the money I earned working at sea could be very good, if unsteady (more on that later). I’m from the UK, so the fact that I thought the money was good goes to show how far it can go in less wealthy parts of the world.

If you’re from a developing country, working on a cruise ship can make you some VERY SERIOUS MONEY.

You don’t need to spend much while living onboard, so this is a great opportunity to save some cash up for your future. Many crew members have children and other family at home who are reliant on them, and they do an amazing job of providing for them.

2. You want to save money and/or pay off your debts.

As I said in my last point, you don’t need to spend much while living and working on a cruise ship. Your food and accommodation is provided free of charge, so you can spend as little as you want and save as much as you want.

In theory, you could get through your entire contract without spending a penny! However this is extremely unlikely to happen, you will always spend a little at the onboard eateries and in the crew bar, plus you will want to have fun when you get some well deserved time on land!

LOTS of people working at sea are in debt, and having a such a large chunk of time where they have practically no expenses helps speed up the process dramatically.

3. You’re from a country where you can’t always be yourself. 

When I say this, I’m mainly talking to people from the LGBT+ community. A HUGE amount people working on cruise ships do so because they come from parts of the world where it is not socially acceptable (or even legal) to be part of this community.  Most of these crew members are gay men. They get to spend the majority of their time onboard where they don’t have to keep their sexuality a secret, and they can be their true selves.

But it’s not necessarily just LGBT+ crew who are able to enjoy the liberal environment onboard. For example, my roommate came from a country where women are typically married off at a young age, and not to a man of their choice. One of the best things about ship life for her was the opportunity to date any man she wanted, and to be as sexually liberated as she pleased…good on her!

4. You’re a performer.

Are you a singer, dancer or actor/actress? I HIGHLY recommend ship life for you. On my ship, the performance team were pretty much the only people who had any time off! They would do a few rehearsals and a show most nights, but other than that they were free. They got to get off almost every time the ship was in port, and had plenty time to socialise, go the gym etc. I’m not certain that this is the same on all ships so please do your research!

 

5. You don’t want a “normal” lifestyle.

Some of us just don’t quite fit into a box do we?

Working on a cruise ship is a great option for those who want their life to be a little bit unusual! There are a lot of these types onboard. Some of them quit because they get frustrated and decide they want a “normal” life…only to get bored and return a few weeks/months later!

 

6. You want to learn discipline.

Ship life is tough, it’s basically a floating boot camp. Seriously folks, this shit is right up there with the Army, so if you want to strengthen your work ethic and grow a thick skin, this is the place!

 

7. You’re already a total hard-ass (or a bit of a sociopath). 

You have to be a resilient person in order to last on a cruise ship, especially if you plan on doing contract after contract, living at sea for years.

Only the hardiest, most determined crew members will be able to climb the ladder and make it into management positions. To be honest, a lot of these people (well…actually most of these people) aren’t very nice. Many of them are absolutely vile. If you are a sociopath who is happy to trample over others in order to get what you want, you will do well working on a cruise ship. It pains me to write this…but it’s the truth.

 

7 Reasons you SHOULDN’T work on a Cruise Ship

1. You don’t like hierarchies or crazy people 

As I’ve just said, there are a lot of nasty people working on cruise ships. This is a high pressure environment, and many (but not all!) managers are simply incapable of  hitting their targets or getting their jobs done properly without acting like complete dicks.

There are other crew members who are lovely people at heart, but they are so stressed and sleep deprived that they can’t help but take it out on their colleagues. Those colleagues retaliate and a vicious cycle is created – it can be a very tense environment.

It is also extremely hierarchical, which feels a bit like being in a Dickens novel. Officers (the “most important” people working on the ship) get to do what the fuck they want, go where the fuck they want, eat what the fuck they want, and mingle with the guests. They even get their own cabin (just incase you were wondering, the vast majority of crew share a cabin with one other person). If you’re more of a regular-ass person, there are a lot of restrictions. You get treated like a second class citizen. It’s a bit bizarre.

 

2. You value your sleep 

This is a big one. There are very few cruise ship workers who manage to get enough sleep. Working hours are extremely long, and there are very few days off (if any! I worked around 90-95 hours per week with zero days off). Most nights I managed to get around 5 hours of sleep. Seeing these working hours and reading about how little sleep I got may be shocking to some, but believe me when I say this is very normal on a cruise ship.

 

3. You’re in a (happy) relationship 

This is where happy relationships and monogamy go to die.

There were countless married men on my ship, and I am in no way exaggerating when I tell you that ALL of them were cheating. Wives would come and visit, spending a week onboard for a holiday. Sometimes they would have children with them. We would all have to act like everything was normal, and the guy hadn’t been shagging some girl who worked in the kids’ club from the moment he joined the ship.

There was this Swedish officer who was the ultimate arrogant prick. His GORGEOUS wife came to visit (I’m sorry but she was so much hotter him, she looked like a young Helena Christensen) and she brought their beautiful baby girl with her. I just couldn’t believe he was cheating with some idiot girl half his age. What a fucking moron.

4. You want steady money

Some people can get steady money working at sea, it just depends on your job.

I’m really talking to customer service people here, anybody who is thinking of going for a job at sea where they can earn tips. If you’re a waiter/waitress, bar tender, spa therapist or anything similar, it’s pretty much like a floating USA when it comes to money. They pay you fuck all, and you’re reliant on tips.

Of course this has the potential to work out for the better, but it also means that things are unsteady. The spa would often be DEAD for days at a time. No clients meant we earned peanuts during those times.

5. You like to break the rules

This really isn’t a great place for rebellious types.

If you are late to work, your manager will make your life hell. If you are in a target driven job and you fail, your manager will make your life hell. Even speaking your own language in the wrong place and at the wrong time will give you problems.

You have to be extremely careful about how much you drink – yes, people do get drunk but if you are seen by the wrong people or do something stupid (especially in a guest area) you will be sacked.

You also cannot shag the guests (they are often quite disappointed by this).

6. You suffer from cabin fever

Unless you’re at the top of the Victorian-esque hierarchy, you’re going to be living in a glorified shoebox whilst working at sea…usually with a roommate. You need to be able to handle this.

It’s also good to note that little things will frustrate you. Things you usually take for granted. Fancy driving up to your local takeaway and treating yourself to a pizza? Sorry mate, you’re on a boat in the middle of the fucking sea.

7. You want to travel

Okay, I realise you are probably confused by this one but please just stay with me!

First of all, when it’s your first contract you don’t get to decide where you will go, or what the itinerary will be. It might be a great one, it might not. My itinerary was as follows:

Miami – Key West – Nassau – some random island in the Bahamas owned by the cruise line – Miami.

This was repeated over and over. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but it became extremely boring, very quickly.

You might get lucky and find yourself on a ship that has an amazing itinerary, perhaps even a world cruise! However, the reality is that when your shifts are extremely long and you’re completely exhausted you often choose to spend what little time off you have catching up on sleep, too tired to get off the ship and explore.

Below is a good representation of a typical morning off!

Do you get to see some great places when you take a job on a cruise ship? Yes, of course! However, if the opportunity to travel is one of your top priorities whilst job hunting, there are far better options out there. There are endless blog posts out there which list the best jobs for people who want to travel – look there for some ideas!

 

Conclusions! 

It’s an overused expression – but working on a cruise ship really, really is like marmite. You absolutely adore it, or you hate it with a passion. There is very little room in-between.

My advice? Research, research, research. Talk to as many people as you can who have worked on ships and get their opinions. I have tried to be as honest and as balanced as I can, but I am sure there are many who would disagree with some of the points I’ve made – this is a massive industry and everyone will have different experiences and different views!

If you’re still not sure – just give it a bash! You’ll never know if you don’t try. If you hate it you can always quit. If you don’t want to pay for your own flight home, you have the option to deliberately get yourself fired – then they have to pay for it! Yay!

What do you think?

Have you worked on a cruise? How did you find it?

Or are you considering a career on the Seven Seas?

Let’s chat in the comments!

Lots of love xxx