Working On Cruise Ships
Many people who are stuck in their daily grind dream of adventure and fun. Many decide to go backpacking, from place to place. However their are many taking advantage of working for the many different cruise ship operators. Whilst backpacking usually entails staying in one spot and earning enough to move onto the next destination, working on cruise ships means you are getting paid to travel.
Allot of people have the impression that working n a cruise ship is full of fun, adventure, alcohol and sex. Speaking as one who has done it, these things and more are all true
When you work on a cruise ship you eat, sleep and breathe life on the seas. A major bonus of being part of a cruise ship crew is that you are being paid to have fun and adventure. Alcohol is cheap as chips (as little as a dollar a drink), and you’ll find yourself amongst likeminded people who all want the same things. Not to mention that there is a lot of room swapping and sleepovers.
One of the great advantages of working on a cruise ship is that everything is paid for; your food, your board and the pay can be quite substantial. Individuals who have done it for a few years often one there houses outright and people who have made careers out of it could be considered quite wealthy.
It must be mentioned that cruise ship life is not always for everyone and there have been people who have signed on only to catch the next plane home again. Yet those that are more willing to give things a go and get along with people, find that they have the time of their lives. As part of working on the ships, you end up making friends with people from all over the world. One thing to keep in mind that cruise ship life can be intense. Allot of cruise ships operate 24/7 and therefore you could find yourself having time off rather than whole days. However the people I have come across do not find this to be an issue as the work they do is totally an enjoyable experience.
One important thing to consider is that different cruise companies have different levels of freedom or privileges whilst on the ship. Cruise companies such as Disney, which is a Christian Family Values type of Company, can be quite restrictive on their crewmembers. In example I believe that you have to be a non-smoker and alcohol is heavily frowned upon when working for Disney. From what I can tell, the best Cruise company to work for in terms of freedom and rates of pay is Princess Cruises.
If you find yourself thinking that working on cruise ships might be for you either for the money or adventure. It’s not a decision one should take lightly. You must weigh up the fact that there is an initial expense that includes getting a full medical, sea safety training as well as travelling expenses to meet up with the cruise ship, after this initial expense, the company generally pays all these expenses including flights to your home country and back if you choose to do another contract. You must remember that signing on means being separated from your friends and family for 6 - 8 months. (Although most cruise ship companies offer very cheap deals for family members to visit). If it still sounds enticing and you decide to take on the experience then you will surely have an experience of a lifetime.