Cruise Ship Jobs
The Right Way to Get Hired
By Renee Ruggero
If you are looking to change careers or just for a change of lifestyle, now is a good time to get a job on a cruise ship. According to Ocean
Cruising & Cruise Ships 2004 (written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz) by the end of 2006, there will be over 250 ocean-going cruise ships in service. The same publication reports that 8.65 million Americans took cruise
vacations in 2002. Getting hired by a cruise line requires making sure that the right person sees your carefully put together employment package.
Crew agencies are a waste of money. Even if the agency tells you it will guarantee you a job or your money back, it will require rejection letters from the cruise companies to prove that you haven't been hired. But
cruise companies don't send rejection letters.
To get hired, you first need to know what positions or jobs are available that fit your qualifications. Then, you need to know the right places to send your resume.
Americans and Canadians are generally hired for jobs that require passenger contact such as jobs at the front desk, boutiques, casinos, salons or spas, and work in entertainment, photography, or as youth counselors.
Positions in the galley, restaurants, bars, and technical departments are usually filled through agencies outside of North America.
The following websites have excellent information about their shipboard positions:
Carnival Corporation is the largest cruise vacation company in the world, operating 13 different companies or "brands." Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd operates two different brands: Royal Caribbean International
and Celebrity Cruises. Go to its employment website, www.hcareers.com/RCCL/, for further information.
Windstar Cruises and Holland America Line restricted who they hire for because of labor agreements in their unions. Go to their websites for employment addresses for photographers,
gift shop clerics, hair dressers, and entertainers: www.windstarcruises.com, www.hollandamerica.com.
Carnival Corporation hires all casino positions for all of its cruise ship brands. Go to www.oceancasinojobs.com for a listing of job
descriptions and contact information.
You should send your employment package directly to the cruise line, using the addresses and contact names that you find on their employment web sites. Do not send your resume via email; instead, put together a professional
package that will guarantee their attention. It should include a resume, a cover letter, two letters of reference, any diplomas or awards, and a picture of yourself. Send your folder either priority mail or courier.
Tailor your resume to highlight experience of interest to the cruising industry. For example, if you are applying for a junior purser position, you should highlight hotel (front desk), banking, receptionist, or customer
service experience. If you are applying for a youth counselor position, you should highlight your childcare, teaching, coaching, or nursing experiences.
The cover letter needs to be individually-targeted. Do your homework. Refer to current company information such as a new itinerary or the debut of a new ship. Also in the cover letter, say that you have a valid passport
and when it will expire.
Ships cruise 12 months a year, so there is no set time to apply for a job. The turnover in the industry is quite high since many people only want to work for a short period of time. Finally, a good source of information
for getting hired on cruise ships is Mark Landon's Cruise Ship Crews (revised and updated in June 2004), www.shipjobs.com.
Renee Ruggero and her husband Tony have worked on cruise ships and yachts all over the world. Renee writes for Work on Cruise Ships (www.workoncruiseships.com).
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