The Pros and Cons of Working on a Cruise Ship

If you are thinking about working on a cruise ship, but want to consider the realistic pros and cons of shiplife, then this post is for you! There are many ups and downs when you work at sea (pun very much intended) but not all of them are super evident if you have not experienced them yourself. The pros and cons of shiplife depend on your company, the specific ship you are on, and your specific job on board. To provide you with the realities of living and working on cruise ships, here is a list of pros and cons I experienced while working on board for over a year.

Photo Credit: Anju Ravindranath

The Pros of Working on a Cruise Ship

1. Free Travel

The most obvious perk of working on a cruise ship is the free travel. You get to visit various destinations for free with the only extra expense being optional souvenirs, meals on shore, or personal excursions. Everything else is paid for by your company, including flights to and from your port of call and your room and board.

Some ships even offer their crew the opportunity to join guest tours/excursions. I've personally had the opportunity to take part in excursions like city tours in Estonia, canal tours in Russia, and many more. And, while the guests only get to spend a day in these locations, you get the chance to really get to know a place because you are usually returning to the same location(s) once or twice a week for 3-6 months.

2. No Grocery Shopping, Cooking, or Paying Rent

When you sign your contract the company will pay to fly you to the ship at the start of your contract, set you up in a hotel the day before you join (if needed), and purchase your flights home at the end of your contract. Room and board is also included in your contract. This means you do not pay rent and all of your meals are provided. Your only on board expenses are laundry and wifi (if you are not assigned a ship where wifi is provided).

3. It Takes Ten Minutes to Walk to Work

Since you live where you work, there is very little worry about getting to and from where you need to be on time, and you can do so rather quickly. Thus, it's really easy to roll out of bed twenty minutes before work, throw on your uniform, and walk the short distance across the ship to clock in and start your shift. You can easily head back to your room to nap during your lunch break (which me and my co-workers got into a habit of doing) or go grab a coffee from the crew mess if you have a shorter break.

4. You Make Friends From Around the World

Working on ships means living and working with people from all over the world. These connections not only offer long-term friendships but provide you with the opportunity to learn a lot about different cultures, languages, and much more. Even after your contract ends it is quite common to see your shipboard friends again somewhere at sea. 

5. You Benefit From the Guest Perks

As a staff member you will have the opportunity to participate in some guest perks at no cost to you. There may be certain times you can dine at the guest buffet or restaurants and indulge in the impressive (and sometimes expensive) foods the ship has to offer. During your free time you can watch a musical performance, comedy show, or concert. You can even join land based excursions during your time off. I’ve had the opportunity to join many tours such as canal boating in Russia, ziplining in Mexico, food tours in Canada, and more… all for free! 

6. Crew Only Areas & Events

Every ship is a bit different, but many will have crew only areas that the staff can enjoy without the guests present. I don’t only mean the crew bar, crew workout room, or crew mess. I have worked on ships where they had a 24/hr crew deck where crew can sit out and watch the sunset or gaze at the stars after a long workday without any guests around. I've also been on ships that offer a crew only hot tub or coffee cart.

Now and then the HR/Staff Entertainment team(s) put on various crew events, such as; karaoke nights, dance parties, or movie and game nights. On rare occasions they may even close off guest areas for staff members to utilize (such as the spa or lounge areas). This is always a ton of fun and a great way to unwind. And yes, the crew do party a lot harder than the guests.

7. Cheap Drinks

If you choose to frequent the crew bar (yes, the crew only bar) you can usually buy a beer for $1 or a full bottle of wine for $5 (depending on your ship). Or, if your ship has a snack bar/crew convenience store you can also purchase really cheap snacks/drinks to enjoy throughout the week. Purchases are easy to make because you use your crew card to do so, so you don't need to worry about carrying cash or credit cards around.

8. Vacation Time Between Contracts

Generally you work a 6-8 month contract (depending on your job) and then have two months off before signing on for your next contract. This means you have two months to do whatever you want; travel, spend time at home, take on another short-term contract/job, etc... You can also adjust this time if you want to start your next contract earlier or (sometimes) you can extend this break if you need another month off.

9. Discounts & Shore Perks

As a crew member you can get discounts at various shops, restaurants, and tour providers at various ports of call. (Not to mention the discounts you receive on board as well). However, I honestly think my favorite perk of being a crew member at port was when I flashed my crew pass or simply told people I worked on board and any attempts at getting me to purchase something or sign up for a tour would automatically cease. It would often lead to some cool conversations with other locals/workers that understood what it's like working in hospitality.

Photo Credit: Tom Donders

The Cons of Working on a Cruise Ship

1. You Don’t Choose Your Itinerary or Ship

You are assigned your ship based on where the company needs you to go. In other words: you do not get to choose your ship or itinerary. If you have some seniority you may be able to request a specific ship/itinerary, but there is no promise that that request will even be considered (unless you are high ranking or are married to someone on the ship you are requesting). So, it's highly probable that you could get stuck in the Bahamas for 6 months or more when you would rather be in Europe. 

2. Not all Ports are Created Equal

Not all ports of call are amazing. Let me explain...

Havana, Cuba is a port of call where you walk down the gangway and are basically in the city. You can walk around easily, wave down a taxi if you don't feel like walking, and have access to tons of shops, restaurants, travel/tourist highlights, and things to do. However, if you have ever been to Falmouth, Jamaica you may have learned that there are only a few tourist centered shops and a couple of restaurants at that port of call. To do anything else you need to join a tour or take a taxi into the city/specific location. This means you may not make it back for the crew all aboard time and thus not be able to actually see anything in the country.

Overall, some ports feel like they give you direct access to some amazing places and others may feel too touristy or not allow you to explore that location in the time you have allotted as a crew member.

3. Boredom & Becoming Sir Crazy

Since you visit the same ports over and over during your contract, you may get sick of getting off at the same place. After spending 3 months straight visiting Nassau, Bahamas at least once a week, I ended up opting to stay on board and nap versus getting off the ship (something I never believed I would do).

When you are stuck at sea there are days where there is not a lot to do besides work, sleep, and hang out with friends at the crew bar. You are no longer a stranger to being stir crazy and the days become repetitive. Finding routine and creating healthy habits can be very helpful. It's especially important to make friends who you enjoy spending time with.

4. Sea Days Suck

A sea day is when the ship does not port but spends the day at sea. For the guests it is a ton of fun, but for crew it is a lot of work. You will most likely be working many more hours during a sea day. For example, my sea day schedule was 7:00/8:00am-9:00pm. During this time we would close the youth center for an hour around 12:00pm and again at 5:00pm so that staff could eat lunch and dinner. This usually meant we would lock the door and race to the other end of the ship to scarf down food in the crew mess before heading back to work. Sea days are exhausting and the amount of sea days you have on your schedule will vary by cruise/itinerary. You are also subjected to surprise sea days if the weather is too rough for the ship to port.

5. Eating Healthy Can be Challenging

Food is provided for you, but you have no say regarding the meals on the menu. The crew mess offers a lot of pasta, pizza, and stews with very little fresh fruits and veggies. Some days you may skip meals altogether because the options are just not appetizing. The guest buffets that you may have access to are great, but they offer a lot of rich and repetitive foods that are not the healthiest options. Eating healthy can be challenging and you will miss consuming fresher/healthier foods.

6. Itty-Bitty Living Space

The rooms are tiny, and with one or more roommates they feel even smaller. Expect to have a bunk bed and expect to be taking the top bunk until your roommate finishes their contract and you can move to the lower bunk. The bathrooms are even tinier and when they say you get real close and personal with the shower curtain they are not kidding. If you imagined having a port hole, think again, because those rooms are reserved for managers and higher ranking staff.

7. It’s Hard to Connect Back Home

I've lucked out and worked on ships where the crew gets free wifi, but it's more likely that you will need to purchase a wifi package or wait till you get off at port. Either way, this combined with a lack of service/international data can make connecting with friends and family back home difficult. Of course, time zones don't help either.

8. Seasickness is Real

Yes, crew do get sea sick. As gross as it is, I've spent a handful of work days trading bathroom runs with my co-workers to go vomit in the restroom during the work day. The smaller the ship, the rougher the waves, and if you work or live close to the bow of the ship, good luck to you! It’s not always like this, but rough seas make for rough days. 

9. You Don't Make Much Money

Your paycheck will vary depending on your job, your company, and the country you are from. Your first contract especially will be a lot lower than you want it to be. When you work on ships you work 7 days a week and get hours off rather than full days. When you break down the hourly rate of how much you work versus how much you get paid, you will probably be quite disappointed.

10. Crew Drills & Training

You know the passenger drill you need to attend at the start of your cruise to make sure you are aware of where your muster station is in the event of an emergency? Well, as a crew member you not only need to work/run the guest drill(s) but you have your very own crew drills to attend as well. There are also mandatory trainings that pop up at random (and happen way more often they need to). What makes this a con is that it can eat up a lot of time and even stop you from getting off at port depending on how long it takes.

Conclusion

It's completely up to you to decide if the pros of working on a cruise ship outweigh the cons. Personally, I think it does (at least for a time). Whatever you decide, I hope this list of the pros and cons of shiplife helped you in deciding if working at sea is the right job for you. If you have worked on cruise ships, please feel free to share your own pros and cons in the comments below!