5 Unusual Job Positions on Cruise Ship (2023)

FAQs

What are the crew positions on a cruise ship? ›

There are in general two different types of positions - Deck Officers (Captain; Staff Captain; 1st, 2nd, 3rd Officers; Safety Officer; Security Officer; Deck Cadet) and Deck Ratings - Boatswain/Bosun, Carpenter, Able Seaman Unlimited, Ordinary Seaman Entry Level and Deckhand.

You want to be as close to the pivot point as possible to feel the least movement. Avoid cabins near the front (bow) or back (stern) and on decks higher than the middle deck of the ship. So, on a ship with fourteen passenger decks, your best options are below deck seven.

One of the main reasons people choose to work on cruise ships is the chance to travel to many places they might not otherwise have the opportunity to see. Since they live on the ship, they receive room and board as part of their compensation. They travel the world without paying for expensive hotels and food.

Cruise ship crew life can be intense: long hours, no days off for months, lots of rules, demanding guests, small living quarters and little to no privacy. But working on ships also allows you to travel to places some only dream of while making some amazing connections with fellow seafarers from all over the world.

Show that you have skills and experience to do the job and deliver great results. You never know what other candidates offer to the company. But you know you: emphasize your key skills, strengths, talents, work experience, and professional achievements that are fundamental to getting great things done on this position.

Answer “what is your greatest weakness” by choosing a skill that is not essential to the job you're applying to and by stressing exactly how you're practically addressing your weakness. Some skills that you can use as weaknesses include impatience, multitasking, self-criticism, and procrastination.

A ship's crew can generally be divided into four main categories: the deck department, the engineering department, the steward's department, and other.

What is a crew position? ›

A crew member is part of a team that performs specific roles and duties across a wide range of industries. Their work primarily involves customer service and/or physical labor on a seasonal or year-round basis. Crew members typically work for airlines, restaurants, resorts, and on ships.

At the bottom are crew members, who are generally responsible for serving guests. They include servers, bartenders, and cleaning staff.

They want to eat better than they do at home, receive better service than they typically do in their day to day life, and want to be comfortable. Dining, cabins and service are the three pillars of the cruise experience, and if they're not done right, the rest doesn't matter.

FAQ on Cruise Staff Salary

A cruise ship crew member for Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or Norwegian Cruise Line can earn an annual average between $16,000 to $20,000. For leadership staff onboard cruise ships, the annual salary can be much higher from $30,000 to $100,000.

The higher the deck, the better and, often, more panoramic the view. Cabins on top decks aren't always the best on the ship, but many suites and specialty cabin categories are typically located on upper decks.

The intent of the interview question "Why did you choose this job?" is to make you think about how you might fit into the company culture and if this position is the right choice for you. Employers want to understand your motivations for applying to the job to know if you plan to grow with the company long-term.

Talk about specific examples of how you can help this company achieve their goals and highlight any relevant transferrable skills that will make you stand out as the right candidate. Write down any recent achievements you can talk about or any challenges you've faced recently that might be related to this new job.

They know that the more skills they learn and apply, the better they will do their job. That is why most cruise lines employ permanent trainers and human resource managers on their ships and spend money to continually develop training programs for all employees on board.

What are the greatest challenges in working in the cruise industry? ›

While the difficulty of the utility galley job exceeds all others on a cruise ship, waiters and room stewards, who clean passenger cabins, also have some of the most difficult jobs, Guilford said.

Cruise ship workers provide services to passengers on cruise ships. Besides assisting in the operation of the ship, they may serve food and drinks, maintain cabins and public areas, lead shipboard activities, and provide entertainment.

There are people-intensive occupations at all income levels that would be hard to send offshore, such as child care providers, hair stylists, police, firefighters, chefs, interior designers, attorneys and financial planners. The people you interact with don't necessarily have to be living.

The ocean is the trading route for the planet.

Fourteen percent of U.S. counties that are adjacent to the coast produce 45 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), with over three million jobs (one in 45) directly dependent on the resources of the oceans and Great Lakes.

Oceanography is one of the great environmental jobs for people who love nature. An oceanographer studies the ocean. Normally, you'd specialize in a field like marine ecology, marine geology, physical oceanography or chemical oceanography.

When answering, mention what your top strengths are, provide examples on how you've used them in the past, and finally, describe the results you've gotten. Be super specific with your answers. Don't just say “I'm good at X” - really dive deep and give the interviewer a comprehensive answer.

Detail your job and responsibility to overcome the challenge. Detail the steps you took to rectify the issue. Talk about the "action" you took to overcome the situation. Explain your thought process for choosing the actions you did, being as specific as possible.

What can you bring to the company? ›

How to (and how not to) answer the interview question 'What can you bring to the company? ' The simple answer to this question is you : you bring all of your skills, qualities, values, interests, academic knowledge, internships and life experience to the company.

Greet your interviewers and tell your name to start the formal introduction. It is always a good idea to prepare for this most expected question beforehand. Do not hesitate to include some informal, personal information, such as your hobbies, or what you do on weekends.

Forward: Forward on a ship means toward the direction of the bow. Aft: Aft on a ship means toward the direction of the stern. Port: Port refers to the left side of the ship, when facing forward. Starboard: Starboard refers to the right side of the ship, when facing forward.

Commonly Available Positions on Cruise Ships:

Deck Crew. Cruise Directors. Disc Jockeys. Expedition Leaders. Hosts and Hostesses.

A Production Assistant, or Production Crew Assistant, serves on film, television or theater sets assisting the Producers and Directors of a production. Their main duties include printing and distributing scripts, relaying messages between crew members and running errands for Directors and Producers.

starboard side of the ship is best to stay on. Your decision will depend on a variety of factors, from your stateroom type to your cruise itinerary. Here are helpful tips for choosing which side of the ship will suit you best.

A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the ship's cargo and deck crew.

What are the 3 types of cruises? ›

Singles or solo cruises. Family cruises. Adults-only and couples cruises. Luxury cruises.

Common interview questions might include 'Can you tell us a bit about yourself? ' or 'Why do you want this job? ' Meanwhile, job-specific questions could include: 'What skills can you bring to this cruise line?

One of the main reasons people choose to work on cruise ships is the chance to travel to many places they might not otherwise have the opportunity to see. Since they live on the ship, they receive room and board as part of their compensation. They travel the world without paying for expensive hotels and food.

Do cruise ship employees get free food? Yes, crew members receive free food for working onboard a ship, along with a cabin to sleep in (more on that later). Similar to the guests, crew members have their own buffet style restaurant to get their meals from throughout the day.

Unlike guest staterooms, crew cabins are pretty small and usually located on deck 0, or below the sea level – deck A and B. Most of the crew cabins don't have portholes (windows) – this luxury is reserved for some staff and officers – so for first-time crew members this might be a little confusing.

Your daily work schedule while onboard will depend on your particular position, but you can expect to work seven days a week and anywhere between 10-13 hours per day.

The orlop is the lowest deck in a ship (except for very old ships). It is the deck or part of a deck where the cables are stowed, usually below the water line.

You may smoke on a cruise ship, but only in designated smoking areas. On most ships operated by U.S. cruise lines, all indoor public spaces are off-limits with the exceptions being the casino (or part of the casino), a cigar lounge (if the ship has one) and one or two other lounges.

Low and midship: Best cabin location to avoid seasickness

The best cabin location for those worried about seasickness is midship on a low deck. As a ship rocks and rolls in the waves, it is most stable at its lowest, most central point.

“Success is what motivates me to do a good job. Knowing the fact that my hard work and perseverance will help me achieve greater professional success is what keeps me going. I feel that aligning the company's vision and values with my own is one way to achieve that.

Why should I hire you sample answer? ›

I understand your job description and I have good knowledge, quick learner, improve my communication skills, I'm trying to be in the best level I do the best value and your company's growth.

Entry-level kitchen positions usually have the lowest wages found on cruise ships.

There are three different segments in the industry: luxury, premium, and contemporary. For example, Radisson is the largest in luxury cruises, even though Carnival is the largest in the industry. Disney is a competitor in both land-based vacations and vacation cruises.

In 2021, the cruise market recovered to levels last seen in 2006. In 2019, the global cruise industry welcomed 29.7 million passengers, created jobs for 1.8 million people around the world and contributed over $154 billion to the global economy.

After each contract you will receive approximately 60 days of vacation before your next assignment. Your daily work schedule while onboard will depend on your particular position, but you can expect to work seven days a week and anywhere between 10-13 hours per day.

As of Nov 17, 2022, the average annual pay for a Cruise Ship Worker in the United States is $48,891 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $23.51 an hour. This is the equivalent of $940/week or $4,074/month.

How many hours do you work on a cruise? ›

Staff members often expect to work around 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Some employees may work early in the morning, like those who prepare food, while others work late into the night, like bartenders and entertainers. Your work schedule might depend on the specific cruise line and your position.

Cruise ships have four types of cabins (also known as staterooms) namely, inside cabins, outside cabins, balcony cabins, and suites. Inside or Interior cabins are the smallest of the lot and have no windows, this usually makes them the most affordable.

It's a common misconception that life as a cruise ship worker is just one big holiday. Regardless of the role employees take, they can expect to work hard. Crew members work every day of their contract, taking time off in hours rather than in full days.

The highest-paying job at Carnival Cruise Lines is a Food Operations Manager with a salary of ₹34.3 Lakhs per year.

Cruise lines cover the cost of food and a place to stay for crew members working onboard. On top of their pay, crew members on a ship can expect to receive a variety of benefits, such as: Accommodations.