The Most Unusual Cruise Jobs

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Jan 10 2012

When many people think of working on cruise ships, they automatically think of jobs such as housekeeping, waiters, cooks, guest services, gift shop associates, and entertainers. Then there’s the people who have started their hunt for a cruise job and realize there are also jobs such as cruise staff, hair stylists, photographers, cruise sales managers, art auctioneers, and port and shopping guides.

Now let’s broaden the job field even more with some jobs that you wouldn’t expect to find onboard a ship. Not that these jobs would be considered unusual in the land-based world of employment, but the fact that you can find these types of jobs on cruise ships is good to know.

Here are some of those unique jobs:

Dive Instructor – A few cruise lines teach a PADI certified dive course and therefore employ dive instructors.

Recreation Staff – Royal Caribbean recruits staff to manage their outdoor facilities which include climbing walls and surfing simulators.

Lifeguards – Disney Cruise Line is one of the only cruise lines that has lifeguard positions.

Desktop Publisher – Most cruise ships put out a daily activities newspaper for their passengers as well as print other literature such as menus. For example, Crystal Cruises has a position called an Editor.

Party Planner & Event Managers – Consider that many cruise lines offer onboard weddings, meetings and parties for special event groups. Holland America Line hires party planners and Royal Caribbean recruits for Group Coordinators.

Personal Trainers – Part of the spa department, personal trainers are hired to teach fitness classes.

For more information about these jobs and other cruise job vacancies, visit WorkOnCruiseShips.com.

 

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Do You Love to Travel? Get a Cruise Job!

General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Jan 08 2012

Many people dream of traveling to exotic destinations around the world. But, the cost of airfare, hotels and cruises make the opportunities few for most of us. This could be the reason why so many dreamers make it a goal to get a cruise job.

Yes, there’s the reality that you have to actually work and that you aren’t onboard as a guest. Yet, getting to visit these destinations if only for a few hours of our free time per day is a great taste to satisfy our travel bug.

Unfortunately you don’t get to choose which ship to work or the itinerary you are sent to. Although, the longer you work for a company and the more contracts you do, you may be sent to your dream destination. Or, you could be lucky and end up in your dream destination on your first contract!

Cruise ships travel to practically every destination that you can think of. But, there are some cruise lines that only concentrate on a select number of itineraries. For example, Disney Cruise Line currently concentrates only on the Caribbean, Bahamas, Alaska and the Mexican Riviera.

So, if you want to see more than just the Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska, you’d need to work for a cruise line that offers more exotic itineraries. For example, cruise lines such as Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Holland America offer cruises to Asia, Australia, South America, Europe, Hawaii.

For more information about which cruise lines to work for and how to get a job with them, visit WorkOnCruiseShips.com.

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How Many People Work on Cruise Ships?

General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Jan 06 2012

Earlier this week, I discussed the new ships that are on the horizon for 2012 which equate to new jobs created within the cruise industry. But, do you know how many shipboard employees there are in total?

If we combine the two largest cruise corporations, Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, their combined total of shipboard employees is more than 120,000 crew and officers.

Carnival Corporation includes the cruise lines Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, and a few others. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. and London, England, the company operates a fleet of more than 100 ships, with another 10 ships scheduled for delivery between now and March 2016. They have approximately 70,000 shipboard employees.

On the other hand Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) includes the cruise lines Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and a couple others. In total, those cruise lines employ approximately 52,000 shipboard employees.

Consider that a cruise ship is like a giant floating hotel, each carrying between 100 and 2,000 crew and officers at any given time. Apart from the technical jobs (deck and engineering officers), the jobs on a cruise ship are very similar to jobs in five star hotels and resorts.

And, there are always cruise job vacancies. Although some people do make a career out of a cruise job, others do it for a few years then move back to a career on land. In short, this means that opportunities to work on cruise ships are always available. To find out more about getting a job on a cruise ship, visit the site, WorkOnCruiseShips.com.

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Growth of River Cruising: More Cruise Jobs

General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Jan 04 2012

When many of us think of cruising we only think of big ocean-going cruise ships. But, if you limit your search for a cruise job to only the major cruise lines, you may be missing out on other opportunities. River cruising is a growing segment of the cruising industry and with that growth is a demand for crewmembers.

River cruise ships are quite different from the ocean-going ships, though. Not only are they smaller which means fewer passengers, but the life onboard offers its own distinct cruise experience. River cruising is offered through Europe, Russia, Egypt, and China. Most boats carry between 100 and 300 passengers and require between 20 and 100 crewmembers.

River cruise companies include Viking River Cruises, Avalon Waterways, AMA Waterways, Tauck River Cruising, Oberoi Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises, and a few others. In 2012, Viking River Cruises will be launching six new Longship-class river vessels, each carrying around 200 passengers. AMA Waterways will also debut a new 164-passenger vessel this year.

Here’s an interesting article about Viking River Cruises moving into the ocean cruising market.

In addition, WorkOnCruiseShips.com members can read the article, Do You Want to Work for a River Cruise Line? The article discusses each of the river cruise companies’ fleets and how to apply for their job vacancies.

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New Ships for 2012: Cruise Job Opportunities

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Jan 03 2012

Although the economy has slowed down, cruise lines continue to build ships for their fleet. New ships mean new cruise jobs and 2012 is expected to debut thousands of new opportunities.

Two mega ships are expected to launch in spring 2012. Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy will be the sister ship to the Disney Dream and will debut in March 2012. It will be 128,000 tons, have 2,500 berths and will require around 1,500 crewmembers.

Disney Fantasy Construction Process

In addition, Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Breeze will be another Dream-class ship for the mega cruise line. Making her debut in June 2012, the ship will be 130,000 tons, carry close to 3,700 passengers. She will require around 1,367 crewmembers. Here’s a video featuring Cruise Director, John Heald talking about Carnival Breeze’s itineraries in Europe.

Carnival Breeze in Europe

Celebrity Cruises is launching yet another Soltice-class ship in 2012. The Celebrity Reflection will make her maiden voyage in October 2012, making it the fifth ship in this class. She will be around 126,000 tons, will carry 3,030 passengers and will need at least 1,500 new crewmembers.

Steel Cutting the Celebrity Reflection

Other cruise lines bringing new ships into the cruise market in 2012 will include Costa Cruises (Costa Fascinosa), Oceania Cruises (Riviera), and MSC Cruises (MSC Divina).  And, that’s just the ocean going cruise ships.  There are plenty of river cruise ships making their debut in 2012, too. For more info on getting hired in the cruise industry, check out the website, www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com.

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New Year’s Resolution – Get a Cruise Job

Cruise Job Tips, General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 27 2011

With New Year’s Day just around the corner, you may be trying to come up with a resolution that you can actually stick to. In general, one of the reasons for New Year’s resolutions failing is that you don’t have a specific plan of attack. To land a cruise job in 2012, it takes more than just wishing you had one. Here are a few basic steps to get hired as highlighted by WorkOnCruiseShips.com.

1.  Choose the Right Position:  Look at the different cruise jobs and their descriptions and make a list of what you would like to do onboard along what you think you may be qualified for.

2.  Choose the Cruise Line to Work For:  This isn’t the moment to resume blast. Although you may want to work for whoever will hire you, you will need to do your research about each company you want to apply to.

3.  Craft a Winning Cover Letter:  Cover letters that are customized, focused and sent to the right person get interviews and then jobs.

4.  Craft a Winning Resume:  Starting with a killer Career Objective, your resume must present skills experience and accomplishments that show you are the ideal candidate for the job.

5.  Ace the Interview:  Preparation is the key to a successful interview. Get to know what you will be asked and be prepared in how to answer.

6.  Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-Up:  Follow-up after you send your cover letter and resume until you get an interview. And, make sure you follow-up after you’ve had your interview.

For more detailed information, WorkOnCruiseShips.com members can read the New Member Training, a 16-module tutorial to help land a cruise job.

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Your Cruise Ship Family

Cruise Job Tips | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 26 2011

One of the best parts of working on cruise ships is the friends that you will make. Perhaps it’s the camaraderie that comes with sharing this unique lifestyle and work environment. From similar interests to an understanding of how difficult it is to land a cruise job, it’s inevitable that crewmembers will make friends that feel like family.

For many crewmembers, the passion to work on cruise ships as a venue to travel and experience adventure is a common thread. For others, working hard to cover the bills back at home while at the same time missing their wife/husband/kids is also a shared feeling. Add in the journey that it takes to actually get a cruise job (via WorkOnCruiseShips.com), and you can see why crewmembers share lots of circumstances.

Most crewmembers stay in contact with their at-home family through phone calls, emailing and social media (members can read, Staying Connected at Sea) . Unfortunately, this is only for a small portion of the day. You will soon understand that during your rest periods you will find yourself sharing meal times and going ashore with your colleagues. It’s these conversations over lunch or dinner or while spending a couple of hours ashore that build new friendships.

Although many of these friendships tend to only last until a contract ends, it is common that some friendships beat the odds. Emailing and adding friends to your Facebook or Google+ circles is a common way of keeping in touch. Plus, you never know when your paths may cross again and you end up on the same ship for another contract together.

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Christmas on Cruise Ships

General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 24 2011

Just as a cruise job is a unique career choice, Christmas on a cruise ship is definitely an unconventional way to spend the holidays, even for crewmembers.

A cruise vacation for passengers at Christmas is a way to relax and possibly get together with extended family members. On the other hand, for crewmembers, it’s just another cruise (aka: work week) with a few exceptions.

It certainly feels like Christmas on board. Santa (a dressed up crewmember) visits the ship. Turkey is served. And, decorations adorn the public spaces. But, just like any other cruise…passengers will complain about lost luggage, their cabin being too small, and not being able to find a deck chair on a sea day.

Thankfully, your new friends and colleagues will make Christmas feel special. There will be departmental Christmas parties, secret Santa gift exchanges and opportunities to spend Christmas in some exotic locale.

Imagine your email to your friends back home…’It’s Christmas today and the ship’s in Aruba. I had four hours off during the afternoon and I went to the beach with some friends. So, how’s the snow back home?’

Although it may feel strange to be away from home for Christmas when you work on a cruise ship, it’s definitely a memorable experience.

WorkOnCruiseShips.com members can read, “Christmas Cruises – Life Onboard“.

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Homesickness and Cruise Jobs

General | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 23 2011

Working on a cruise ship comes with the reality that crewmembers must leave their friends and family for six or more months at a time. Yet, homesickness is more than just missing people that you are close to. Missing the comforts of home is actually what most crewmembers think about the most.

Homesickness can be missing sleeping in your own bed. Homesickness can be missing the taste of certain foods that you like. Homesickness can be the missing of the opportunity to drive your car. Homesickness can be missing the consent to party on a Friday night.

Working on a cruise ship means you have to give up your at-home lifestyle for the duration of your contract. You’ll need to adapt to a different bed and cabin mate each contract. You’ll have to adapt to the food that is served onboard. You’ll have to curb your after-hours partying because it could actually get you fired.

On the other hand, this new ship life can be an exciting adventure. You’ll quickly make new friends who will soon become like a family. You’ll appreciate the food onboard and consider passengers pay big bucks to cruise and eat the same gourmet food that you get to eat. Not to mention you don’t have to prepare your own meals. You’ll be travelling the world and most likely your contract will fly by.

Coincidently, back at home on leave you may actually start feeling “homesick” to get back onboard.

WorkOnCruiseShips.com members can also read, “Overcoming Homesickness When Working on a Cruise Ship“.

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Cover Letters That Get Cruise Jobs

Cruise Job Tips, Cruise Jobs Resumes and Cover Letters | Posted by Renee Ruggero
Dec 22 2011

We’ve all heard the expression, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.” That rationale holds true for job hunting and the cover letter is the tool that will get you noticed over the other applicants.

It’s amazing how so many applicants think that if they just send out a great resume that it will be enough. It’s not! If you want to have a chance of getting a cruise job, let alone an interview. You must include a customized cover letter.

Furthermore, your cover letter needs to get the attention of the recruiter, thus landing you an interview for that coveted cruise job. In the WorkOnCruiseShips.com article, Tips to Wow the Hiring Manager, it emphasizes three main points. Make a killer first paragraph. Create visual impact. And, do your research.

Your resume’s job is to point out all your experience, skills and accomplishments. Whereas, the cover letter is the tool to let the employer know exactly which job you are applying for and why you are the perfect candidate for the job. Cover letters that sell your resume help you get the job!

For more information about cover letters for cruise jobs, read:

Top 10 Cover Letter Mistakes

Do I Really Need a Cover Letter

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