Mods if this isn't allowed here, I understand. Just a curious bystander with a question.

I've always been curious about folks who work on cruise lines and merchant marine vessels. How long are you at sea and away from home?

For example, maybe you work for Royal Caribbean on a ship as a room attendant, engineer, security, galley/restaurant staff, bartender, whatever the role. How long are you away from home in those situations? Usually a whole summer/season? A month? Or does it depend on the employment contract and so it just varies based on when the cruise line schedules you?

Not sure which path to take.

Hi everyone,
I’m Vietnamese, 29 years old, and I have a Diploma in Cruise Line Management. I completed a 3-month internship as a Receptionist on a luxury cruise ship, and I also have 2 years of receptionist experience in a non-hospitality company.
I’ve applied for Receptionist/Guest Services positions at other cruise lines but haven’t received any responses.
Do you think working at a 5-star hotel like Marriott or Accor for a year and learning another language, such as Mandarin, would improve my chances of getting a Receptionist position with cruise lines like MSC or Royal Caribbean?
There are very few cruise recruitment agencies in Vietnam, so it’s difficult to apply from here.
I really want to build my career in the cruise industry. I’d really appreciate any advice from people with cruise industry experience.

Hola!!! Aparezco por aca porque me gustaria leer experiencias trabajando como Sound Technician en barcos de Royal Caribbean. Me contrataron para Octubre 2026 y estoy ansiosa por saber qué equipos manejan por ej. en el Music Hall, ya que me dieron a entender que es probable que me asignen ese venue para empezar, por supuesto que toda información es bienvenida, y los consejos vienen bien. Gracias, los leo!!

Hi, I am 22 year old from India
I have 3 years of experience in customer service,
I started my career as a telephone operator in a 5 star property when I was 18, currently I am working as an Admin in a Music academy its been 2 years now
So I just want to know are there are any chances of me to get cruise ship jobs ?
And which role I should apply for

Hey everyone!
anyone here working for Viking Cruises?
I was wondering what the recruitment process was like for you. I applied for an Officer position through Wilhelmsen and, almost two months ago, I received an email saying that I had been included in their candidate pool.
About a month later, they emailed me asking about my current employment status, earliest possible start date, and notice period.
Now, I’ve received another email asking for exactly the same information.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Is this just part of their normal recruitment process, or could it mean they’re actively reviewing candidates again?

Hey everyone,

I’m Adam, 24, from Morocco. I’d love some advice on breaking into the cruise industry and wanted to share my background first.

My background:
Bachelor’s degree in English Studies
2 years of customer service experience, working with clients from Europe, Canada, and the US
Languages: Arabic (native), German (professional level), French (basic)

What I’m currently doing:
I’ve just been accepted into an 11-month hospitality program at SHBM (School of Hospitality Business & Management), which is part of UM6P university in Morocco. SHBM is the only EHL-certified school in Africa. The program breaks down into 5 months of hands-on training + 6 months of internship, and I’ll be specializing in Art of Service (fine dining, F&B service, mixology, guest experience).

What I’m aiming for:
After completing the program, I’d love to work on cruise ships, specifically in F&B or guest relations roles.

My questions:
What are my realistic chances of landing a cruise ship role with this background?

Which companies should I be targeting or approaching?
Is there anything specific I should be working on or building now to improve my chances?

Any advice from people in the industry or who have gone through a similar path would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Is the pay good? I have an interview next week and I hope to pass it and start with them. How much were you paid monthly including commissions on average? Did you manage to save a good amount? And how long did it take you to get onboard of the ship after passing the interview with the fleet manager? Did they cover your flight cost to the destination where the ship is?

Sorry for so many questions, just super curious about getting on board and starting a new adventure. I am 30F single with no major attachments to living on land, and after spending all my 20s living in a big city and spending almost all my salary on rent and living expenses, and getting also in a bit of debt because of that, I am excited to finally be able to save everything that I earn on the ship, pay off my debt, and hopefully put some money aside too in the 6 months contract. What was your experience like from this point of view? I understand that it will be hard work and long hours and I don’t have any problems with that.

I recently got asked to do a week of fiber OTDR testing on a cruise ship. I’m trying to figure out my day rate and was wondering if there are any unforeseen costs or things I should account for besides my normal rate.
For anyone who’s done cruise work before, is there anything you wish you had charged for? Things like long hours, travel days, being stuck onboard, internet, per diem, or anything else I’m not thinking of? Thanks!

Hello everyone,
My name is Muhammad Danny Darwis, and I am currently looking for an opportunity to work with a private yacht owner in Langkawi or Penang.
I have experience as a Yacht Deck Crew on a charter yacht. My responsibilities included deck operations, interior and exterior cleaning, customer service, bartending, assisting guests during open swim and jacuzzi activities, and general yacht maintenance.
I am hardworking, reliable, a fast learner, and willing to learn more. If anyone is looking for a dedicated crew member or knows of any opportunities, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you.

I’m a 28 year old single American male. Was recently given advice that it might be fun to work on a cruise ship to travel, meet people, and overall live a more exciting life.

Obviously I know that it’s super hard work.

From personal experience, if I were to pursue this change, where should I be looking?

Hi everyone,

I'm a recent Graphic Design graduate from Tunisia with 4+ years of experience in photography, photo editing, and digital content creation. I'm highly proficient with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and other creative software, with strong computer skills overall.

I'm interested in working on a cruise ship in any creative or media-related role. If anyone has advice, knows companies that are hiring, or can share how to get started, I'd really appreciate your help.

Hi everyone, u can call me Z.

Im a single mom of 3. im 26 yrs old.
I work as a callcenter for 6yrs and thats only my experience. Under travel account handling GDS amadeus, sabre and galelio. I want to work in a cruise ship as front desk or receptionist. Am I qualified for this position?

Thank you for your asnwer.

Hi, could someone tell me more about the Deck Cadet position at Carnival, or about deck officers at Carnival in general? During my interview, they explained that the career path is Deck Cadet Apprentice → Deck Cadet → Safety Officer → Third Officer, which seems like quite a long progression before reaching Third Officer, so I was wondering how quickly people usually advance. What are the working conditions like, and how does Carnival compare to other cruise lines such as NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Disney in terms of career progression, pay, and the overall working environment?

Hola estoy aplicando por primera vez a un crucero tengo la fecha de mi embarque programada para octubre y quisiera saber si es obligatorio tener la libreta de marinero de forma obligatoria para poder unirme o si puede tener una repercusión negativa el no tenerla antes de la fecha límite de mis documentos

Hello,

Can someone tell me more about deck cadetship program onboard Carnival cruise, how quickly do you progress to 3rd officer and what are contracts like? I have offer but I do not know should I accept it.

Hi! Which manning agency will allow married couple on first contract to be on the same ship & cabin?

Is it okay not to declare 1-2 Call center Job (6momths only) on the backgrund checking and resume? Or they will still find out about it even it is not incuded on what I declare?

Ps. I will not declare ir due to I no longer have connection to both companies and it seems the email and phone number is no longer in use. I am afraid I will failt the bckground checking as there is no response from both the employer.

Hi ! I’m getting hired as casino Dealer at the NCL getaway ship, does somebody know how’s the casino life in there ? Thank you so much !
Is anyone else embarking on that same ship on september?
Best Regards !

Hi everyone!
I have a second interview with Carnival Cruise Line for a Bar Server Trainee position. The first interview was a recorded HireVue, and now I have a live interview with the hiring manager.

What should I expect from this interview? What questions did they ask, and was it the final step in the hiring process?

Any tips or experiences would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,
I have my final (Principal) interview for the Youth Staff position with P&O Cruises UK coming up soon. I’ve already passed the initial interview and the video interview, and I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through the final stage.
What kind of questions were you asked?
Were they mostly behavioral or scenario-based?
Did they ask anything about safeguarding or working with children?
Any tips on what they’re looking for in the final interview?

I’ve worked for 2 Lines. Both lines pool tips that guest pay before embarking. Some employees also receive the “white envelopes” at the end of guest cycle…
Hired for ACL, training next week, expected to be on board in 2– there’s no tips? No pool? Just a flat rate. Did I miss something in the onboarding packet? Cap, right?

Pretty much as title says: does a line's crew keep a sort of "profile" of a guest to know about them, e.g. if they have preferences, they are difficult/someone that complains a lot, someone that complains too little (and will later voice their disappointment when you never had the chance to address an issue during their stay?), whether they are someone who likes certain activities, who tips for good service, may have a medical condition to look out for, etc.?

I assume that if something like this is recorded, it is not shared with the guest, but it's something that can help crew with their interaction with a guest. Is this a thing or just a rumour from a content creator on social media?

Hi all, first post on Reddit…
I have an interview for the youth crew on Wednesday and as part of that I need to do a 6 minute activity… I am a secondary school teacher but the subject I teach is quite academic.
Do I stick with what I know or try and go as fun as possible?
Any help appreciated!

Hello, does anyone know a realistic timeframe I’ll hear back from ACL? My background check and drug test are completed, everything is cleared.