Is working on a cruise ship worth it

Cruise lines are one of the best paying organisations of the hospitality industry.

Table of Contents Show

Advantages of working on cruise lines
Disadvantages of working on Cruise Ship
Do cruise ship workers make good money?
Is it hard working on a cruise ship?
Is working on a cruise ship stressful?
What are some of the pros and cons of working on a cruise ship?

It is one of the most exciting as well as demanding section of the hospitality industry.

However, there are various pros and cons of working in Cruise Lines.

We have tried to cover the advantages and the disadvantages of working on Cruise lines.

Let’s get on with it then.

The crew life is not as easy and exciting as it seems from outside.

It is different and amazing at times and thoroughly difficult at other times.

The cruise crew responsibility and life could be of different phases. They can be good, bad or ugly sometimes.

Read on for a quick list of the Good and the bad of working on Cruise ships.

Advantages of working on cruise lines

Let’s begin with the pros of working on cruise ships.

Here are a few reasons why a lot simply love Cruise line jobs.

The crew members love their job as they will come to experience another trip in their life.
New places, new cuisines, new people and you get paid to travel.
You will be able to meet new people, new staff and can make friends. Their social life can get better.
There is a feel-good factor involved in Cruise jobs. If you are a fun-loving person, you will enjoy the excursion.
Money is great in the Cruise jobs. That helps as well. Doesn’t it?
The different origins, language, regions and other aspects of people create a unique mix of the crowd at cruises. You get to learn about different cultures.
People with a successful career at Cruise Ships know to deal with uncertainties, boredom, pressure and team management.
Hospitality industry appreciates the experience of Cruise ships. You will be valued a lot higher after a stint at one of your favourite Cruise Line.

As part of the package, the added benefits of working on a cruise ship are:

To and from air travel of the employee to the home destination
Cruise vacation and hotel stay discounts from employees and their family
Food coupons and discounts
Comprehensive medical insurance
Holiday pay

and lots more. It all adds up to make cruise ships work more exciting and lucrative.

If you are looking to work in the Cruise lines, one of our posts discusses all about cruise line jobs.

These are some of the great things about working on the Cruise lines.

Have you ever wondered how the crew comes out of every phase smiling to you and offering the services?

Those smiles on the faces have different stories behind them.

Yet, a lot of the crew members call their lives exciting, fun and most importantly different.

The job and responsibilities of the crew are not easy.

But, the people who love Cruises have the best times of their lives on board. Their life is all about working onboard.

Here’s a video on the advantages of working on Cruise Ships.

So, working on Cruise Ships does add wings to your career.

When we speak about perquisites, one can envy the same in the hospitality and travel industry.

Even those who are working at best-paid hospitality positions would envy the perquisites enjoyed by those working on cruise ships.

Some of the Job Diaries of the Cruise Ship employees will help you know about their typical day at work.

There are various job roles on cruise ships and the above resource covers the job diaries of each of these.

You can check the pros and cons of working on cruise lines by going through the job diaries of a role relevant to you.

Here’s what the job role typically look like and a snapshot from the website. Quite a comprehensive list, isn’t it?

Now that was all about the advantages of working on cruise lines.

But, is there a flipside to working on the cruise ships?

Let’s explore the same as well about the cruise jobs.

While we discussed the pros, it is also crucial to discuss the cons of working on cruise ships.

Disadvantages of working on Cruise Ship

The bad part is about being stuck on a cruise for a longer time period.

It depends on the duration of the trip.

You may find it exhausting to work on a cruise for that long.

Cruise ships jobs are certainly not for everyone. There are also a few disadvantages of cruise jobs among all the excitement around it.

Listed below are some of the cons of working on a Cruise Ship

Employees long for a change at work, but if you are on a ship, it’s a small world out there. You are short on options to fight the monotony.
If you face some rude guests, unlike hotels you would need to bear with them day and night for the whole trip. Painful isn’t it?
At times you might end up doing that you don’t love, but you can’t walk out or resign. You cannot run away from the fact that you are locked up on a cruise where the only part of the focus is your work.
Those facing sea sickness can face their worst nightmare of spending months working while on medication.
This is not a job for the homesick guys and gals of the hotel industry. So, if you are seasick or a family bird looking to meet your parents every weekend; working as Cruise ships isn’t your cup of tea.
The shifts can at times be very long and there are seldom any holidays while on a Cruise ship. So, you need to push the bar regularly.
If you are a foodie you might soon run out of options to eat, drink and socialise.
You would need to get used to staying alone while at work. You are sure to miss your friend reunions.

The flip side of cruise line jobs can be daunting.

However, for the extroverts and those who love challenges, this can be a small hurdle in making a decision to work on cruise ships.

Working on a cruise ship is not your cup of tea if you are homesick, are not self-motivated, are seasick and get bored easily. Yes, it’s as simple as that.

To explore the pros and cons of working on cruise ships further just assess yourself based on the below questions.

Do you love travelling? Are you an extrovert and an extremely sociable person?
Do you love to be in the company of strangers? Is money an extra motivation for you?
Do you want to see the best sunrise and the most beautiful sunset from arm’s length? Are you a hospitality industry superstar?

If you answered ‘YES‘ to most of them, you are tailor-made for a Cruise job.

Conclusion

Here you go, some of the advantages and disadvantages of working on cruise ships.

While these jobs is not for everyone, these are certainly some the most exciting jobs available within the hospitality and travel industry.

They are amazingly well paid as well. So, consider the pros and cons before taking a plunge in this industry.

Do cruise ship workers make good money?

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.

Is it hard working on a cruise ship?

In a nutshell: cruise ship work is actually really difficult. To be honest, it's already hard enough to work at a restaurant on land. But at sea, it's a whole other story. In fact, most cruise ship servers have to take care of up to 30 diners at the exact same time.

Is working on a cruise ship stressful?

Some cruise lines do give employees the opportunity to eat at one of the onboard restaurants once a week. You will work long hours, and the work can be stressful and demanding. This is especially true if you work as a server in a restaurant or in housekeeping.