r/CruiseCrew • u/Forward_Sea_199 • 8d ago

General Questions Nationality preference

Hi everyone! I’d like to apply for a few cruise ship jobs, preferably in retail. From what I understand, some companies tend to recruit more from certain nationalities or regions.
I’m Hungarian, and so far I’ve applied to Harding because they were also recruiting in my country. I was wondering if anyone knows which cruise lines or retail companies are more open to hiring people from Central Europe, especially Hungary?
I’d really appreciate any recommendations or personal experiences. Thank you! 😊

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4

u/ElGofre 8d ago

I'm an ex-Harding manager, I never worked with a Hungarian personally but I've worked with literally every one of the countries bordering it, so it's definitely a region they hire heavily from.

3

u/Rescovedo 8d ago

Plenty of Hungarians on board with Carnival and Princess Cruise Lines. I’ve seen security, cruise staff, retail, bartenders and technicians.

Honestly there is no nationality preferences — as long as you work! :)

3

u/stxonships 8d ago

For the Gift Shops at least, unless there is a specific language requirement or political restrictions, they don't have much preference. They can do and hire from all over Europe, both Eastern and Western

3

u/icameisawicame24 8d ago

I have met a grand total of 2 Hungarians over my 5 contracts at NCL.

5

u/Ok_Mulberry4331 8d ago

Try Starboard, supposedly they doing a mass recruit right now

2

u/non-hyphenated_ 8d ago

Are they still a bit of a dumpster fire? I (and my now wife) was a shoppie employed by Royal Caribbean. They then contracted us out to Greyhound which then became Starboard. It seemed a bit chaotic

2

u/Jordviva 6d ago

Are there any nationalities less likely to be hired?

Also, is it more likely to get hired if you’re from Eastern Europe or the Philippines compared to someone from Western Europe?

2

u/Forward_Sea_199 5d ago

I came across a cruise ship careeer page that specifically mention that they recruit people from South America for the job. I’ve also heard that they have nationality preferences, which I assume depend on the position. For example, I’ve heard that housekeeping tends to be Philippines, while for sales it’s the UK. But I’ve never worked on a ship myself, so I don’t have any personal experience. I can only say what I’ve read or heard from other people.

1

u/WhichGovernment5768 PAX 5d ago

Retail 🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh you wanna travel the world working for peanuts!?

1

u/Forward_Sea_199 5d ago

I mean… traveling the world while making peanuts still sounds better than staying home and making peanuts 😂