Ship Life Unveiled: My Experience Working on Passenger Ships

“Living the dream.”

I hear this phrase often when people refer to my job aboard passenger ships, but it’s never fully captured my experience. Life on the ship is incredibly unique, and I never take it for granted, but it’s far from luxurious or easy. It comes with its challenges, and it’s not for everyone. For me, some of the biggest hurdles are:

 

Workload

Every job I’ve had on ships has left me needing a week of recovery after disembarking. My days are packed from early morning until well past dinner, with little time to spare. When I do have free time in port, I usually take the opportunity to explore or exercise instead of resting. It’s a work-until-you-drop culture, and I’ve witnessed shipmates pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion, sometimes ending up in the hospital.

 

Sleep

Sleeping on a moving vessel is a skill I’ve yet to master, especially when the seas are rough. Depending on where your sleeping quarters are located, the noise can be overwhelming. I’ve often found myself running on just four hours of sleep.

By the end of my last contract, I was so exhausted that I didn’t even realize I had my shirt on inside-out during the evening program. A coworker had to point it out. When I shared this story with another shipmate, she laughed and told me how she once showed up for work with eyeliner on only one eye, her shirt misbuttoned, and completely misaligned.

 

Food & Water

It’s a luxury to have meals prepared for you, but the food onboard tends to be too rich for my taste and almost never organic. The drinking water isn’t great either. For long contracts, I bring a Brita water filter on board.

 

Ship Culture

Working for a company with values that align with your own is crucial. If you don’t get along with your coworkers, there’s no escaping them! Each department tends to attract certain personality types, leading to cliques and plenty of drama behind the scenes. If you’re in a solo role, you might find yourself without support when it comes to advocating for your department’s needs. Everyone’s overworked, and some will try to “pass the buck” on to 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, 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