How hard is the job on a cruise ship?

Some people say that working on a cruise ship is amazing. While earning US dollars, you can travel around the world, meet colleagues from all over the world, and experience the cultures of different regions. Some people also say that working on cruise ships is dangerous, especially for girls. What is it like to work on a cruise ship? Is working on a ship really dangerous?

In fact, cruises are currently the safest way to travel in the world. Any cruise company will make ensuring the safety of passengers and crew its top priority. Let’s see if these common questions are true?

Are there any pirates?

Cruise companies will avoid routes where pirates are present. And because the cruise ship is so huge, pirates can't even climb on it. Even if they meet by chance, the pirate's boat can't do anything to the cruise ship, so they can only give way.

What should I do if I get sick or injured?

Cruise ships are equipped with medical staff, located on the first deck. If a problem occurs that cannot be solved by medical personnel, a helicopter will be sent to rescue.

Will there be a tsunami?

A tsunami occurs when a huge surge of sea water encounters a suddenly narrowing coastline, and usually occurs on the coast. Cruise ships sail deep in the ocean. And if the geology changes when reaching the shore, the cruise ship will also receive an alert and respond in advance.

Will you get seasick?

Modern cruise ships are basically oversized. Giant cruise ships have more than ten floors. Walking on it is like walking on flat ground. If you are really worried, you can go to the infirmary to get free seasickness medicine.

Does working on a cruise ship really mean that food and accommodation are included and you can easily earn US dollars?

Of course not. Working on a cruise ship is actually very tiring, working more than 10 hours a day. Moreover, working on a ship is boring because you are surrounded by strangers and you will miss home. Before boarding a cruise ship, you have to go through an agency, which costs a lot of money, and you have to get a certificate, and it takes six months to a year before you can board the ship. Many people give up easily at the first hurdle and put their cruise dreams on hold.

Of course, there are also many people who persevere, go through many tests, and come to the cruise ship with the fantasy of traveling around the world with a monthly salary of several thousand dollars. What greets them is the shocking reality: the cruise ship is not eight hours long. Work system? Sometimes you have to work 12 hours? Where is the masseur you agreed on? Why are you still sending out flyers to sell products?

In order to avoid your own unrealistic fantasies and avoid being deceived by the excessive publicity of some agents, I will now tell you about working on a cruise ship.

First of all, you need to know what conditions you have now. What purpose do you want to achieve. If these two are not figured out, you will probably quit.

How to choose a position?

Basic positions: As the name suggests, they are in ordinary service industries. The threshold is not high and no special skills are required. If you have no work experience, no special skills, no special hobbies, but you are not afraid of hardship. The main purpose of getting on board is to make money. Then the best position for you on board a ship is a basic position: Housekeeping and Catering.

The guest room and catering departments also have one thing in common: generally speaking, you need to start from a low-level position. English can generally work as a cleaner and be promoted from cleaner to room attendant. This tour takes the least time, with each flight only having a maximum of 3 hours to go out and have some fun. But you can earn a lot. Although a cleaner only earns 800 to 900 U.S. dollars, your salary will be more than 2,400 U.S. dollars after promotion, and there is little need for professional knowledge and assessment.

If your English is better, you can work as a waiter in a Western restaurant, and you will have more time to travel. Each cruise can be played for 6-9 hours on at least one day. Western restaurant waiters need to be promoted from food delivery waiters to assistant restaurant waiters, and then to restaurant waiters. The overall salary of Western food waiters is also very high, especially in fee-paying restaurants. Two to three thousand US dollars is the basic salary, and they will receive tips. But the English requirements are high, you have to memorize knowledge about Western food, and you have to pass the exam.

Bartenders are generally promoted from bartenders. Promotion is not difficult, especially when there are a lot of new ships being launched and people are in great need, sometimes promotions are done in batches.

If you want to do a basic position but don’t want to be too tired, then interview at a bar.

Especially on China routes, there are almost no people drinking. Bar waiters and bartenders also receive a minimum salary of more than 1,000 to 2,000 US dollars. There is basically nothing to do every day. They stand there and sway left and right, which is relaxing and enjoyable. . But if the bar goes to European and American airlines, it will also be very busy. Busy means that you will get a lot of tips and you will have the opportunity to go out and see it. Therefore, the bar can be regarded as a job that can make money and travel.

Of course, the catering department not only has basic positions, there are currently many senior positions open to Chinese people, such as wine tasters and restaurant managers, which require a foothold in the restaurant and strong professional knowledge. .

Some people say that I don’t go on board to make money, and I don’t want to do physical work. I just want to relax. The main purpose is to have fun. For students who hold this idea, it is more suitable to look at the Casino, photographers, duty-free shops, and SPA departments. Aren’t these positions profitable? Make money too. But these departments are sales positions and there is sales pressure. It takes love to withstand the pressure.

The Casino is only open on the high seas and will be closed soon after arriving in Hong Kong. So I have the most time for travel and rest, and the work is not too hard. I get a basic salary + second-hand smoke subsidy every month. About $1,500. This is the only one in the Revenue department that has no sales pressure. The disadvantages are staying up late and inhaling secondhand smoke.

The photographer also has a lot of rest time, and he can take a photo with his SLR every time he goes out. And girls love hanging out with photographers. The salary of a photographer is basically around US$1,000-1,500.

The duty-free shop is also only open during sailing, but sometimes you have to help the Immigration Bureau send and receive passports, or take inventory, so you have the second most rest time. You may be worried that there will be a lot of pressure on sales performance. In fact, it is not bad. Many duty-free shops have equal shares in performance. But one thing is that duty-free shops require a lot of conversation and communication with customers, so English must be good. The salary depends on the situation. For companies like DUFRY and Starboard, the salary is generally between US$1,500 and US$3,000. It is a position where you can play well and make relatively more money at the same time.

Since the SPA needs to be open during port hours, there is not as much play time as the first two positions. But you can work hard and exchange your performance for hours. If your performance is good, you can also take a break. There is a large wage gap between Chinese and foreign airlines. In China, because there are few people doing massages, the income is not high. If you are proficient in English and have a good work attitude, you can usually go to Europe and the United States for your second contract. Traveling to European and American routes, not only can you have fun, but the salary basically starts at 2,000 US dollars.

There are also some high-level service positions: such as network management, entertainment department, security check, front desk, etc. Each has its own benefits and is not so tiring. But it requires a certain amount of experience, and many are transferred from other basic positions within the cruise ship.

After saying so much, the purpose is to let you first figure out what you have and what you want. Choose a position carefully. If you have already gone there and feel it is not suitable, it will be a bit troublesome. Job adjustment is not a simple matter.

How hard is it to work on a cruise ship?

Working on a cruise ship is very challenging mentally. I can guarantee you that everyone who works on a cruise ship has their “blue skinny mushroom” moments. The difference is whether you persist or give up after wiping away your tears.

Generally speaking, the most difficult thing is the first contract. I was dumbfounded the first day I boarded the ship. After putting down my luggage and having lunch, I started to put on work clothes and work. I didn't get off work until ten o'clock in the evening. Yes, the pace on a cruise is so tight.

Cruise ship working hours do not follow the 8-hour work system, but follow maritime regulations, and the required rest time is only 10 hours a day. For example, in our current five-day and five-night voyage, each voyage has a sailing day. I have to work from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., excluding the two hours of meal and rest in the middle, which means I have to work 12 hours a day. . Other port days also require 4-9 hours of work per day.

A ship is not a home, you have to adapt to the environment.

Once you adapt, you will like this fast-paced life very much, because here, you can learn something, earn US dollars, and make yourself happy every minute you live. The meaning of cruise life is to work hard and play hard, and your time will become very valuable. The way to cope with work intensity is to persevere and find happiness in work.

The basic language on cruise ships is English, especially on European and American routes. English accents vary from country to country, and you may not understand or speak English at first. When I first started working, my colleagues all held meetings in English, and I couldn’t understand them at all, which put me under a lot of psychological pressure. Later, I recorded the content of the meeting and listened to it repeatedly. I quickly adapted to it. Coupled with the language environment, I had to work hard every day to understand other people's words and express my thoughts in English. Unknowingly, my English skills were greatly improved. improvement. Later, I was even able to translate for new colleagues, which was really a sense of accomplishment.

As long as you persist until the end of the first contract, the second and third contracts will be a matter of course. Many people got off the ship and originally wanted to find jobs in China to settle down, but after working for a while, they returned to the ship. There is a Chinese girl next to me who has done 9 contracts. She loves the cruise life so much that she can’t stop.

What are the options after disembarking?

No matter how good the cruise is, it is not a long-term solution. What kind of work can we do after returning from the cruise?

First: translator and tour guide. In order to improve the language skills of employees, international cruise ships will provide free language training: Spanish, Italian, French, German, etc. And some companies will reward employees who learn new languages ??accordingly. For example, on some routes of Princess Cruises, students who can speak Japanese will receive a language subsidy of US$200 more than others as long as they pass the company's review. Since there are guests and staff from all countries on board, you can use the language you have learned immediately and improve quickly. Therefore, after returning to China, it will not be a problem to work as a non-professional multi-lingual translator and international tour guide.

Second: star hotel management. To work on an international cruise ship, there will be quite a lot of vocational training: such as Western food service standard service training, red wine appreciation, etc., and every time you pass a training, an internationally recognized English certificate will be issued. With these certificates, you can directly apply for middle-level management jobs in many star hotels after returning to China. Qualifications and background working on cruise ships are highly sought after by international hotels.

Third: ground connection and ground handling. Now more and more ships are entering the Chinese market. This means that the number of staff on land will also increase significantly. Just like ground handling at airports, ground handling and ground handling work on cruise ships will give priority to hiring staff who have come off the cruise ship.

Fourth: Work at the headquarters of a foreign company or cruise company. For example, Steiner's beauticians and fitness coaches, and Image's photographers can work as trainers or supervisors in relevant foreign companies after disembarking.

Fifth: Train teachers. Almost all the training teachers for cruise agents come from cruise ships. Moreover, as the cruise industry develops in China, more and more students are being recruited, and the supply of trained talents from major schools exceeds demand. Many sea workers were even hired by agency companies to bring in new students when they were taking a break from working on a contract. Therefore, after getting off the ship and becoming a training teacher, you can bring your cruise work experience to future cruisers.

Cruise work is actually a new way of life: it will quickly pull you out of your comfort zone, grow and mature quickly. Your willpower and resistance to stress will be honed during the first few months of your cruise ship contract. The hardships and twists and turns involved are difficult to describe in words. Only by experiencing it yourself can you understand the joys and sorrows.