What It’s Like to Work on a Cruise ship
People often ask me if it was difficult to work on a cruise ship and my immediate response is ” compared to what.” Because working on a cruise ship cannot really be compared to anything else.
First of all , your accommodations are all taken care of so you save a heap of money on rent and the money you save can be invested in real estate on land.A lot of crew members buy a house and rent it out while on the ship for 6 months at a time.
The food is taken care of while on board saving on that expense. The money you save can be used to buy souvenirs , sightsee when in port , or spoil yourself with a great lunch in a beautiful setting.
You need not worry about transportation as the ship will take you everywhere you need to go with taxis waiting at each port to take you to the sights. With 3-4 passengers the cost of using a taxi guide for the whole day is minimal. Also as well you need not own a car for the couple of months you are home as during your vacation you will most likely be traveling around visiting friends with whom you worked with or met on the ship.
On a cruise ship you will do things that you would not normally do on land working in a restaurant. Such as participating in the crew show and singing your rendition of “My Way” with a band behind you in front of a few hundred people or bungee jumping 50 metres in Phuket Thailand. Visiting the Lost City of Petra in Jordan , seeing the pyramids in Egypt , or having an overnight in St. Petersburg Russia and going out on the town are some of the other things one gets to do.
As well , getting as close to perfection one can possible get doing the same thing over and over again. That is providing 5* service to passengers who are just there to be pampered and treated like royalty for up to five weeks at a time. Demanding yes , but rewarding as well with income comparable to anything on land and better.
So in my opinion , if you want to do something you enjoy over and over again and live differently than most people ever will , try the cruise ship. I did and it still remains the longest time I have worked anywhere.
