Working on a cruise ship

[GenCan]

Originally posted by avenger:
I've seriously been considering working on a cruise ship. Has anyone ever done this? If so, can you give me some input, i.e., where's the best place to apply, what cruiseline do you recommend, what type of work is the best to apply for, etc.? Anyone who can help me out would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

I recently cruised on the Inspiration and had a blast. I had a few spa treatments and had several conversations with some of the people that worked there. I would have to agree with Dave. It does not seem glamorous and nothing like the Love Boat.

The spa crew only got 1/2 a day off in a week. Most of the crew had not seen their families/friends in months. If you want to use the internet to write emails to loved ones, you have to pay just like we do. If you happen to have a 1/2 of a day off and are in port, you may seek out a pay phone to call home. You could share a cabin with up to three people.

It seems like a tough job but it would be an ideal job for some. Personally, It would depress me seeing people on vacation every week having fun while I'm working. I love my 9 to 5 with weekends off :-)

[penny3333]

GenCan, it is really hard work and long hours. However, it can be viewed another way. When I drove a tractor/trailer years ago, the only way to make money was to stay on the road. We didn't get weekends off, never worked standard hours, and it was a physically demanded job. However, I looked at it as I was being paid to see the United States, Canada, and some of Mexico. The road was my office. I wasn't couped up in a cube. It was a great learning experience and a great way to save money. The only thing out of pocket were meals and clothes, which could be written off on taxes, so most of the money I made paid off bills and went into the bank. If I could have stuck with it a few more years, I would have had a nice nest egg. It just didn't work out.

[Dwayne]

I have noticed there are very few crew members fron the USA. They mostly work in the entertainment dept. as dancers, or musicians. I've had many conversations with bartenders over the years, about what they refer to as "ship life". It is not an easy life by any means. One would have to be really well suited for this for it to work out.

Dwayne

[haidee]

Good day!

Please help me to contact Island princes,i need to know the satellite number so i can call my love ones working there..
it will be a great help for me!
thanks!

haidee

[TrvlPro]

Originally posted by haidee:
Good day!

Please help me to contact Island princes,i need to know the satellite number so i can call my love ones working there..
it will be a great help for me!
thanks!

Ocean Code + 413-12-5000

The Ocean Codes are as follows:

874 - Western Atlantic, Caribbean, South America & Mexico
873 - Indian Ocean
872 - All other Pacific
871 - Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean


Be aware that the cost of such a call is $8.95 per minute and includes not only the call time but the time needed to contact and get who you're calling to the phone. It'll be quite a tab for calling.

Cheers, Neil

haidee

[haidee]

Good day Neil!

Thank you very much about the information u gave to me. it will surely a big help for me to contact my husband working there.

have a nice day!


haidee

[cubs720]

I have worked for a cruise line a few years back. I started in 2005 for almost 2 years and then quit to come back to the US. The life onboard is hard and it (in my opinion) is very hard to break into the industry. I ended up getting used to ship life and ended up actually meeting my current boyfriend and for us it has worked out great. We are both professional dancers and I am now actually thinking about going back because I now have to go on vacation to see him (poor me) unless he is off on break. It's great for us because we are both young and don't have any other committments and have saved a ton of money doing that.

[avenger]

cubs720 that's great! That you met your boyfriend and all! I put my resume into a cruiseline and haven't heard a peep. Oh well.