The first major benefit of working on a cruise ship is that it allows you to travel the world without spending any of your money. Your place of employment is constantly sailing from port to port, allowing employees to experience all sorts of foreign lands as they work. Moreover, cruises cover a lot of area quickly, so in a week’s time you might be able to set foot in multiple foreign countries. Even the most frantic traveler will have trouble matching this rate of exploration. A typical contract for a cruise job might require about four to six months of service, and during this time you could see more than a lot of people see in their lifetimes. To be sure, you’ll be working as you move from one area of the globe to another, but you should at least have a little bit of free time to appreciate the far-flung places to which your cruise line has taken you.

As we mentioned above, you’ll get to travel without spending any money, and this hints at another major benefit to working on a cruise: you basically don’t need to spend any of your earnings during your contracted period of employment. Room and board are provided to employees, and you’ll spend so much time working while on board that you won’t have much time to spend your salary. You also won’t have to pay for medical expenses, as cruise lines are required to provide their employees with health insurance. So, when you finish your contract, you should have plenty of money saved. Essentially, in working on a cruise ship, you’ll in a very real sense get paid to see the world.

A lot of people don’t realize just how multicultural the staffs of cruise lines are. Employees are hired from a broad range of cultures and countries, so you’re guaranteed to meet people of many different backgrounds if you work on a cruise line, and this strikes us as a great benefit. You can never fully appreciate your own culture and heritage without contrasting it against the cultures and heritages of others, and nor will you ever appreciate the diversity of the human species without meeting people very unlike yourself. People travel to great lengths and pay huge amounts of money to have these culturally enriching experiences, but if you work on a cruise ship, you’ll be to achieve this in the course of your work. You might even learn helpful skills for future employment, like the ability to communicate in another language, by working for a cruise ship.

Finally, there are a number of added bonuses to working on cruise ships that aren’t covered by the main categories listed above. For example, you could get your family and friends cruise vacations for reduced prices, and you might also get plenty of discounts for yourself, like at the stores on a cruise ship.

While the work can be challenging, there are tons of benefits to working on a cruise ship. You get to earn money while traveling the world and experiencing different cultures, and this will no doubt seem ideal to a lot of people.

Of course, this is a highly subjective judgment, but in the course of writing about cruise ship jobs in some detail, we’ve come across a few that sound particularly cool. Before we discuss these, though, a general point is in order.

What one regards as the best cruise ships jobs will depend on his or her personal feelings about forms of employment. If you are passionate about, say, bar tending, then the best cruise ship job for you may well be fixing drinks for people in one of the many bars or restaurants that large cruise ships have on board. If you are mechanically minded, then a job in the engineering department of a cruise ship might suit you best. This reveals an important principle: cruise ship jobs are nothing more than regular jobs with a twist, namely, you are working on a vessel that is sailing around the world. Thus, the best cruise ship jobs are the types of jobs that would be desirable to have. Period.

With this in mind, some of the best jobs on a cruise ship have to be those related to entertainment, at least in our opinion. Many cruises offer live entertainment to their passengers, and thus cruise lines must hire live entertainers, like actors for plays and musicians for concerts. Or, many cruise ships have clubs on board, giving rise to a need for DJs. These are the types of jobs that people chase after in general, so it stands to reason that some may feel that they are among the best cruise ship jobs.

Cruise lines also entertain their passengers with activities (like rock climbing, ice skating, and so on), and the jobs associated with these activities would be ideal for those who are interested in these pursuits to begin with. The same could be said for the employees charged with organizing sports games and tournaments, which are also very often a part of the cruising experience.

Finally, cruise ships of course have to be able to address the health needs of their passengers, so cruise ships employ medical professionals, like nurses and doctors. These generally aren’t regarded as the most fun jobs in existence, but those who work in medicine are highly respected, and so the positions filled by medical personnel on cruise ships could be said to be among the best cruise ship jobs for those in the medical profession.

Clearly, none of the jobs we listed are necessarily associated with cruising, but of course this doesn’t mean that they are disqualified from being the best cruise ship jobs. A desirable job is a desirable job, on land or at sea.

Carnival Cruise Lines jobs come in various forms, which makes sense given the many different positions that cruise lines must staff. A ship with thousands of passengers needs to offer a wide array of goods and services, and offerings lots of goods and services requires lots of employees.

Carnival Cruise Lines jobs are split into two basic categories: land-based employment and on-board employment. The former category includes jobs that many wouldn’t necessarily call “cruise ship jobs” because they are performed in standard business settings, like offices (in particular, offices in Florida, where the majority of Carnival Cruise Lines’ land-based employees work). Such jobs for Carnival Cruise Lines, which can be part-time or full-time, include positions in marketing, sales, accounting, public relations, and so on. These are the jobs of any given business, so people looking for cruise ship jobs won’t necessarily seek these out, unless they are particularly taken by the business operations at Carnival Cruise Lines.

What a lot of people mean by “cruise ship jobs” are the positions that require you to sail around on an actual cruise ship, and of course, Carnival Cruise Lines has plenty of these positions available as well. In fact, there are over 100 distinct positions available on board the ships of Carnival. Obviously, we can’t cover them all, so we’ll list the broad categories instead.

Of the on-board employment opportunities, there are two main categories, the first of which is called “Hotel Operations.” Positions in this category are very people-oriented and include jobs in the ship’s restaurants, bars, clubs, and casinos. “Hotel Operations” also covers housekeeping, laundry, and guest services, as well as entertainment and photography, among several other areas – basically any position that you would find in an upscale, land-based hotel counterpart. Think ‘hotels in Vegas.’ So, bartenders, blackjack dealers, musicians, and housekeepers all work for the same division of Carnival Cruise Lines. Even so, the many different positions listed so far should give you a good idea of just how many different positions are available on cruise lines. A passenger’s vacation experience, which can last for well over a week, largely takes place on a single ship. As a result, this ship must have employees who can perform various tasks, and hence the great diversity of cruise ship jobs.

The rest of the on-board jobs offered by Carnival Cruise Lines’ falls under the category “Marine and Technical.” This category is much smaller than “Hotel Operations,” but offers plenty of employment opportunities just the same. Deck Department, which is one part of the “Marine and Technical” category, employs people who are responsible for security and deck safety (like maintaining life boats), as well as the medical staff of the ship. The captain of the vessel is also part of the Deck Department. The Engine Department is the other part of the “Marine and Technical” category; this department is responsible for operating the ships engines and maintaining the engine room.

Clearly, there is no shortage, in number or variety, of Carnival Cruise Lines jobs. You can contact Carnival about jobs here:

Carnival Cruise Lines Jobs

Let’s begin with a practical topic: healthcare on board a cruise ship. To get a cruise ship job, must you meet certain health requirements, and if you are offered a job, will you have health insurance? With respect to the first question, yes, you will have to pass a medical examination once you are accepted for a position, and often you will have to pay for this out of pocket (although many employees are reimbursed). However, once you have passed this exam, you will have full health insurance while on board the cruise ship, and U.S. citizens are covered ashore in the U.S. as well. If the cruise ship is traveling outside the U.S. (as most do), you might consider purchasing travel medical insurance in case you need to seek medical attention in a foreign country. In general, cruise lines do not provide dental insurance. (For more information, check our article about cruise travel insurance.)

Another practical concern: how are your earnings taxed when working on a cruise ship? U.S. citizens have taxes deducted from their paychecks, but other nationalities are personally responsible for declaring their income.

Speaking of money, how much can you expect to make working on a cruise line? It depends primarily on two factors: how long your contract is with the cruise ship (contracts tend to be four to eight months) and what position you hold on the cruise ship. The longer your contract is, the more money you can expect to make (for the simple reason that you will have worked more hours when it’s complete). The job you hold will also determine your pay, but in general the pay corresponds to about what you would make in a similar position on land (you will, after all, be doing similar work). The benefit of working on a cruise ship is that you get to save most of your money because your expenses are largely paid for during voyages.

Your expenses get paid? That’s right, if you work on a cruise ship, your two main expenditures, room and board, are covered by the cruise line. If you are working an entry-level position, the accommodations won’t exactly be luxurious – you’ll likely have to share a cabin with another employee, for example – but hey, you don’t have to pay rent or anything like that. In addition to your cabin, you’ll also have access to an employee fitness center and a recreation area (one that likely includes a pool), and when the ship is at port and you’re not on duty, you can explore the port, so it’s not like you have to spend your free time cramped in a small cabin.

As you can see, working on a cruise ship is a lot like working any other job in important respects. The main difference is that you get to keep more of your earnings because you don’t have to pay for food or rent, and you’ll also be sailing around the world as you perform your work.

Before listing some these positions, those seeking cruise ship jobs should consider two things: their prior work experience and the skills that they have acquired. Reflecting on these two things should help you determine what type of positions you are qualified for. Although the employee turnover rate is particularly high in the cruise ship industry, meaning cruise ships are always hiring staff, the positions offered are still competitive. (After all, lots of people want to travel around the world while working a job with good benefits and pay.) You need to make sure you are qualified for the positions you are applying for: if you haven’t served tables for a restaurant on land, for example, you probably won’t land a job serving tables on a cruise ship.

At the same time, don’t feel overly concerned about not having previous cruise ship job experience. With the exception of higher-level positions (generally those that are directly involved with the operation of a cruise ship), most cruise ship jobs don’t require previous cruise experience. Why? For one, this might limit the pool of eligible applicants to an unacceptable degree, but perhaps more importantly, cruise ships jobs are very often like jobs on land. If you know how to mix drinks in a bar on Sunset Boulevard, you’ll know how to mix them on a ship. (This isn’t to say that there aren’t significant differences between working on land and working at sea, but merely that the basics of your chosen field will remain largely the same.)

All that said, here are the main categories that cruise ship jobs fall under:

(1) Hospitality and Other Services. This department manages the restaurants, bars, and clubs on-board, as well as the passenger rooms and retail outlets. Jobs that fall under this category include bar tending, serving tables, and cooking. This department also encompasses accountants and lodging managers.

(2) Activities and Entertainment. Positions in these departments tend to go to outgoing people who like to entertain passengers. DJs, photographers, and production managers fail in this category, as do many casino positions.

(3) Personal Care. The department responsible for personal care encompasses numerous positions on-board. Fitness, spa, and beauty services fall into this category, and so do medical services. Thus, doctors, nurses, massage therapists, and many other professionals find work in this department.

(4) Engineering and Deck Maintenance. The engineering department of any cruise ship is charged with a very serious task: making sure the cruise ship operates. Many people who work in this department are experienced engineers and officers; however, there are less prestigious positions to fill, like those dealing with general maintenance.

In every one of these categories, there are far more jobs available than described. However, the jobs we list should give you a reasonable idea of the types of positions available on cruise ships.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that there are also land-based office jobs for cruise ships, but these are like other ordinary jobs, and hence lie outside the scope of this article.

With very few exceptions, cruise ships are enormous, they carry a lot of people, and they offer a ton of different services. Consequently, cruise ships are operated by a very large crew, sometimes one that numbers in the thousands. (One of the largest ships in the world, Oasis of the Seas in the Royal Caribbean International fleet, has a crew of over 2000 people.) The cruise ship industry also has a higher employee turnover rate relative to other industries, meaning that positions are always available on cruise ships. The cruise ship industry is literally always hiring. When you combine these two facts – the incredible number of jobs in the cruise ship industry, as well as the frequency with which these positions need to be filled due to employee turnover – it becomes clear that are tons of cruise ship jobs out there.

The fact that there is a high employee turnover rate in the cruise ship industry shouldn’t necessarily make you wary of jobs on cruise ships. Other industries that operate on cycles, like ski resorts, also experience high turnover, and this is simply because of the fluctuating demand for employees that is determined by the season. In most season-driven industries, there are definitive “down times” when there aren’t many jobs available. While this is somewhat true in the cruise ship industry, it is less so because there are different seasons for different destinations, and since most major cruise lines offer cruises all over the world, the off season is less pronounced. Furthermore, this doesn’t mean that people aren’t drifting into and out of the cruise ship industry – they are, and hence the perpetual availability of cruise ships jobs. And that’s exactly what is cool about the cruise ship industry: there are seasons, and hence employees are always coming and going, but there is never a period in which there is little need for new employees. The cruise ship industry has the benefits of a season-based industry, but not all the drawbacks.

With no prior work experience on cruise ships, isn’t it hard to land a job on a cruise ship? In a word, no, as there are so many jobs on cruise ships that lots of types of work experience, on a cruise ship or not, is relevant work experience. While a previous job on a cruise ship would surely be helpful, it is far from necessary. Work experience as a poker dealer in a casino is work experience as a poker dealer in a casino, regardless of whether the casino is based on land or a cruise ship at sea. And besides that, there are jobs in the cruise ship industry that are on land, like office positions, and for these positions it is even less relevant if you happen to have worked on a cruise ship.

To recap, there are tons of cruise ship jobs simply because of how large and complex is the operation of a cruise ship. These jobs are perpetually in need of filling because of the high turnover in the industry. Don’t assume you can’t get a cruise ship job just because you haven’t worked on a cruise ships before.

Just as film critics watch the movies they review and literary critics read the books they write about, cruise critics must experience a cruise before they can properly review it. One major difference is that books and movies are a form of entertainment and art, whereas cruises are more fundamentally oriented towards service. So, the cruise critic is really focusing on the experience that a cruise provides – the accommodations, the range of activities available, etc. – and in this regard they are rather like restaurant critics (because restaurant critics are writing reviews of one branch of the service industry, of which cruises are another). Again, though, the comparison is imperfect in that restaurant critics must only eat a meal for their reviews – a cruise critic must go on an entire cruise that could potentially take weeks.

Another characteristic that sets cruise critics apart is that they are overwhelmingly amateurs, by which we only mean that they do not make a living from their reviews. The New York Times, for example, employs numerous critics (not only for movies, books, and restaurants, but also for the fine arts, like opera and the theater, and a few other things as well), and several other major publications do the same, but these same organizations don’t employ cruise critics. This leaves this form of criticism to be practiced primarily by ordinary cruise travelers who are not employed by any media company (or, in any event, they aren’t employed by a media company for the sake of writing cruise reviews.)

In fact, you don’t need to meet any specific criteria to be a cruise critic, as some websites that provide reviews – probably the first place you’ll stumble across while searching for cruise reviews – invite users to write reviews for the cruises they have been on.

Of course, the fact that cruise critics are almost all unpaid amateurs is both good and bad. It’s good because readers are given an enormous number of reviews to read if they are so inclined, and they are primarily written by like-minded people with a serious interest in cruises. On the other hand, the quality of writing is often poor, and many aren’t very thorough (writing takes time, and if you aren’t being paid, the details might be scarce).

Two of the major, more professional websites on which to find cruise reviews (but certainly not the only ones) are http://www.cruisecritic.com/ and
http://www.cruisereviews.com/. The former has over 60,000 reviews organized in helpful categories. For example, there is a category that contains all reviews that are about particular cruise lines, like Carnival Cruise and Princess Cruise, and there is another category for reviews about cruise destinations, like the Caribbean or Alaska.

Cruise Reviews, which also has an enormous amount of reviews, is very much like Cruise Critic and offers a similar categorization scheme for its reviews.

The title “crewmember” refers to all ship personnel. Most people think only deckhands, the captain, and engineers fall into this category. They do, but so do the other staff members on the ship. Jobs on cruise ships are organized as follows:

-Activity/Entertainment Department
-Deck & Engineering Department
-Service & Hospitality Department
-Personal Care Department
-Office Positions

Jobs on cruise ships in the Activity/Entertainment Department are the most glamorous jobs on the ship. These positions deal with anything relating to passenger entertainment. This department includes: DJs, Production Managers, Photographers, Managers, Casino Staff, Host/Hostess and Cruise Consultant, to name a few. Those best suited for jobs in this department are typically enthusiastic and extroverted.

The Deck & Engineering Department is one of the most important departments on the vessel –without it the ship would never set sail. This department is responsible for maintaining and running the vessel. Please note that the positions in this department are not typically entry-level positions, especially on large ships. The department consists of deckhands, maintenance workers, engineers, and officers. These positions help to motor or sail the ship, attend to the physical maintenance needs of the ship, and keep it in accordance with fleet regulations and international maritime laws. Officers are in charge of passenger safety as well.

Staff members in the Service/Hospitality Department or Hotel Management Department have the responsibility of managing the bars & restaurants and passenger cabins, as well as shipboard retail concessions like gift shops. Just a few Service/Hospitality positions include: Hotel Manager, Cabin Stewards/Stewardesses, Accountant, Executive Chef, Wine Steward, Chief Purser, Purser Staff, Chief Purser, Bellman, Pastry Chef and the list goes on and on. Most service positions such as bartenders, waiters and cocktail servers can earn a good amount of extra money from tips.

No cruise would be complete without a department devoted to helping passengers pamper themselves. The Personal Care Department includes spa, fitness, beauty and medical services. It helps manage hair stylists, manicurists, massage therapists, fitness instructors, beauty therapists, spa attendants, nurses and physicians all dedicated to the well-being of passengers.

Most office positions are onshore — employees typically work in the main office performing administrative tasks, arranging cruises or performing general office tasks. Office positions generally fall under the following categories: Accounting, Administrative/Clerical, Air Operations, Marketing/PR and Reservations/Sales.

For more information about jobs on cruise ships visit Cruise Ship Jobs online. Here, you can:

-Download the latest cruise ship employment guide
-Review cruise line profiles
-Find out which ships are hiring and for what positions
-Apply for a cruise ship job right online

If you have a specific cruise line in mind, visit the cruise line website first. If the cruise line lists job openings, follow the application procedure to the letter. Applicants that do not follow directions are typically passed over in favor of those that do. If the cruise line does not list job openings on its site, send a polished cover letter and resume to the cruise lines Human Resources Department. The Human Resources Department is typically located at the cruise lines headquarters. This information is usually listed on the cruise line website. It is important to include the position you are interested in so that it can be directed to the appropriate department manager.

Cruise Ship Job Perks

Cruise ship employees will enjoy more than free travel to exciting destinations. Cruise ship employees receive free accommodations and meals. They also receive a competitive salary and health insurance.

On longer journeys, the dental assistant will assist the dentist with repairs, filings (if needed), and other emergency issues as well as assist with cleanings or minor cosmetic procedures such as whitening.

Dental assistants that work on cruise ships must have the same skills and licensing as assistants working on land. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Most dental-assisting programs offered by community and junior colleges, trade schools, technical institutes, or the Armed Forces take 1 year to complete. Two-year programs offered in community and junior colleges lead to an associate degree. All programs require a high school diploma or its equivalent, and some require science or computer-related courses for admission. A number of private vocational schools offer 4- to 6-month courses in dental assisting, but the Commission on Dental Accreditation does not accredit these programs. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) approved 281 dental-assisting training programs in 2009. Programs include classroom, laboratory, and pre-clinical instruction in dental-assisting skills and related theory.

For assistants to perform more advanced functions, or to have the ability to complete radiological procedures, many States require assistants to obtain a license or certification.
A period of on-the-job training is often required even for those who have completed a dental-assisting program or have some previous experience. Different dentists may have their own styles of doing things that need to be learned before an assistant can be comfortable working with them.

Because dental assistants must be a second pair of hands for a dentist, dentists look for individuals who are reliable, work well with others, and have good manual dexterity.

Dental assistants on cruise ships receive a salary ranging from $2,000-$2,500 per month, plus free travel to and from the ship, free accommodations, free meals, dental/health insurance, and retirement benefits.

To find a dental assistant job on a cruise ship, pick a cruise line and visit the line’s official website. You can find a directory of cruise lines here: www.shipsandcruises.com. Browse through openings at the cruise lines virtual employment center. If you find an opening that fits your background, simply follow the online application procedure. If the cruise line does not list job openings, send a polished cover letter and resume to the cruise lines Human Resources Department, which can be found on the “Contac Us” page. When submitting a resume, it is important to include the position you are interested in so that it can be directed to the appropriate department manager.

For more information about jobs on cruise ships visit Cruise Ship Jobs online. Here, you can download the 2010 cruise ship employment guide; you can read through cruise line profiles; you can find out which ships are hiring and for what positions — and you can even apply for a cruise ship job right online. Please note that this website charges a fee. You can apply for a job on your own, free of charge, sign up with a placement agency, or use Cruise Ship Jobs’ service.

Landscape specialists on cruise ships are responsible for maintaining plants, trees, ornaments, and other tasks related to the landscape. As such, aspiring landscape specialists on cruise ships must have experience plus degree in botany, horticulture, arboriculture, or ornamental horticulture. Ships also require thorough knowledge of horticulture requirements of ornamental plants and safe use of insecticides and fertilizers, including knowledge of integrated pest management methods.

Other requirements beside of horticulture experience include:

· Ability to read, write and speak English clearly and distinctly
· Strong communication skills in additional languages such as: Spanish, French, German, Italian and/or Portuguese preferred
· Must be able to accommodate a 6 months on / 6 weeks off contract schedule
· Must meet all physical requirements, including the ability to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation, including the participation in life-saving procedures and drills
· International applicants must have the ability to obtain a C1/D visa

To get started on a career as a landscape specialist on a cruise ship, stick to large Visit the cruise ships such as Royal Caribbean or Norwegian Cruise Lines. They are more likely to need a large crew of landscape specialists, and they often pay more. Next, visit the cruise line’s website and visit the employment page. If the line lists job openings for landscape specialists, simply follow the application procedure. If the cruise line does have any openings, send a polished cover letter and resume to the cruise lines Human Resources Department. Contact information is usually listed on the website under “Contact us” or “About US.” It is important to include the position you are interested so that it can be directed to the appropriate department manager.

Cruise Ship Employment Benefits

Cruise ship employees receive free accommodations and meals, competitive salaries, health insurance, and free air travel to and from the ship. Salaries for landscape specialists vary greatly by cruise line, cruise ship, experience, and other factors. In general, landscape specialists may earn anywhere from $2,000 per month up to $3,600 or more per month.