Ship Life: Working Aboard Cruise Ships

“Living the dream.”

I hear this a lot in reference to my job working aboard passenger ships. Yet, it has never felt accurate to my experience. Ship life is incredibly special and I don’t take it for granted, but it’s certainly not luxurious, nor easy. It can be quite challenging and not for everyone. For me, some of the biggest challenges are:

 

Workload

Every job I’ve worked on ships has left me laying in bed for a week to recover post-disembarkation. From early dawn until well after dinner, my days are full and scheduled. If I’m allotted free time in port, I go exploring or seize the opportunity to exercise rather than rest. It’s a work-till-you-drop culture and I’ve seen shipmates work themselves into the hospital from pure exhaustion.

 

Sleep

Sleeping on a moving object is a skill I’ve yet to master, especially during rough seas. Depending upon where on the ship you berth (sleeping quarters), noise can be loud. I’ve spent many days functioning on a mere 4 hours of sleep.

Toward the end of my previous contract, I was so spent that I didn’t realize I was wearing my shirt inside-out during the evening program. A coworker had to point it out. When I relayed this story to a fellow shipmate, she laughed and told me that she showed up for work one evening with eyeliner on one eye only, and her shirt was mis-buttoned and unaligned.

 

Food & Water

It’s so nice to have meals cooked for you, but food onboard is usually too rich for me and almost never organic. Drinking water is pretty bad. I pack a Britta water filter for long contracts, or carry a few gallons of spring water aboard for short contracts.

 

Ship Culture

It’s important to work for a company with like-minded values. If you don’t like the people you work with, you won’t be able to avoid them! Each department attracts personality types and they team up… lots of drama happening behind the scenes. If you work a solo position, you may find yourself lacking back-up in advocating for the needs of your department. Everyone is overworked and some will try to ‘pass the buck’ onto you.

 

 

Cruise Lines

I’ve never worked directly for a major cruise line, but I’ve worked on them as a contractor. Some positions for the cruise lines look fun: Ship artists, entertainers, lecturers/speakers, fitness instructors, acupuncturists and tour managers, to name a few. The best jobs have some autonomy and are passenger based. Meaning,  that when passengers are in port, you can go in as well.

 

 

I can’t imagine working on a ship and rarely getting off of it, which is often the case for cabin stewards and kitchen staff. I always made an effort to show them appreciation and camaraderie. A few confided that they felt held hostage by their contract.

 

 

 

Charter Companies

My first position working on ships was as a contracting massage therapist for a charter company. They chartered ships ranging from clippers in the Mediterranean to 2-3000 passenger cruise liners in the Caribbean and Pacific. I stayed with them for seven years and had some great adventures.

 

 

 

 

The company valued high-quality massage for their passengers, so they invited a hand-picked team on their cruises. Most ships already have spa staff and we were not permitted to use their facilities. Our team traveled with our personal massage tables, gear, and oil. We worked together as a team on deck with the wind blowing through our hair. We were lodged in passenger staterooms, the pay was great, and we were free to explore in port. I usually rented a bicycle or motorbike or hiked up a mountain.

 

 

For those contracts, I paid my own positioning (flights and travel expenses). Traveling with a massage table is no walk-in-the-park (not to mention baggage fees), and there were other drawbacks that lead me to resign from the position, but I have fond memories overall.

 

 

Private Hire

I’ve also worked as a personal masseuse for the owner of a charter company. All my expenses were paid. I had my own stateroom, and I was free to explore ports. Compensation was less than if working a full schedule of clients. Yet I was only responsible for one or two massages per day, so it was more like a working vacation than a job. This sort of arrangement is ideal if you genuinely enjoy your employer.

 

Contract Work

My current position has me working contracts of 2-6 weeks with no days off and very little time off.  I teach yoga on-deck in the early morning, then help facilitate shore activities ranging from leading a group of “aerobic” hikers, to helping launch kayakers and paddleboards. Later in the day, I operate the ship spa and am expected to entertain in the evenings.

The position doesn’t provide the generous lodging nor the great pay I’ve experienced in the past, but other perks make up for it. They cover positioning, the food is quality, and they provide an abundance of dependable income.

 

 

 

The company’s principles of ‘education, conservation and global stewardship’ are aligned with my values, so, for the most part, I enjoy the passengers and crew.

 

 

Ship Size

One advantage of a large ship is autonomy. When you’re off work, you’re truly off work. On a small ship, everyone recognizes you, so you’re unable to let down your professional persona. Passengers are curious about ship staff and can be insensitive to your personal space, especially when they’ve been drinking alcohol. But I still prefer small ships for their ability to get into small-town ports and out-of-the-way places, closer to wildlife. A small ship can easily change course in order to follow along with orca or humpback whales.

 

 

Ship life is not for everyone and it’s probably not a long-term existence for me because I love land! But the lifestyle satisfies my insatiable thirst to keep moving and see more. It’s never boring and I’ve had some of the most awe-inspiring moments of my life on these journeys. So for now, I’m a happy sailor.

 

 

“A ship is always safe at shore, but that’s not what it’s built for.”  ~ Albert Einstein