Tough Schedules Are the Norm Contracts can require
So many cruise ship crew members — especially the younger, unmarried service staff — blow off steam the way 20-somethings away from home for the first time typically do: by partying and hooking up with each other like it's the end of the world. “Think about when you went to college for the first time,” says Bruns.
Staff members are often not educated on recognizing and reporting signs of trafficking, and visiting so many foreign countries is easier than you think. Maritime law means nothing to these crooks. Human trafficking may also occur in cruising, and cruise ship crime is common.
Well, the major factor is that cruise lines do not have to abide by United States labor laws for their foreign flagged ships that also sail to international ports of call. This means that the cruise lines are free to hire people from just about any country in the world.
Among many difficult jobs on cruise ships, handpicking the toughest one is tricky. Still, one job will stand out in terms of horrific working conditions and cruel working hours-the galley steward.
A cruise ship crew member for Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or Norwegian Cruise Line can earn an annual average between $16,000 to $20,000. For leadership staff onboard cruise ships, the annual salary can be much higher from $30,000 to $100,000.
Most cruise ship companies hire crew members from Asian countries because they are known for their hardworking and reliable nature. They have a strong work ethic, which is essential in the hospitality industry.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $102,500 and as low as $14,500, the majority of Cruise Ship Worker salaries currently range between $30,000 (25th percentile) to $58,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $90,000 annually across the United States.
Staff members often expect to work around 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Some employees may work early in the morning, like those who prepare food, while others work late into the night, like bartenders and entertainers. Your work schedule might depend on the specific cruise line and your position.
According to Department of Transportation (DOT) data analyzed by Business Insider, sexual assault is consistently the most reported crime aboard major cruise ship lines, making up about three-quarters of all crimes reported from 2010 to 2022.
A particularly large number of employees come from developing countries in Asia and South America. People from the Philippines account for almost 30% of all employees in the global shipping industry.
What is the average age of employees at American Cruise Lines? The most common age range of American Cruise Lines employees is 20-30 years. 56% of American Cruise Lines employees are between the ages of 20-30 years. The least common age range of American Cruise Lines employees is less than 18 years.
Adults-only cruises are designed with adults in mind. From the staterooms, dining venues and lounges to the onboard entertainment and excursions ashore, adults-only cruises cater to adults 18 to 21 years of age and older.
Before I worked on cruise ships, I always wondered whether a lot of the crew hooked up. It was way more than I thought! In my estimation, 60% of single employees hook up with someone, and 40% of the “taken” people (those that are married, engaged, or in a relationship already) do as well.
According to CruiseCareers, the range generally goes between 1,700 AUD - 2,200 AUD per month. However, you can earn as much as 5000 AUD per month working on a cruise ship. Depending on the cruise line, you can be assigned a tipping job or a non-tipping job.
The highest-paying job at Carnival Cruise Lines is a Food Operations Manager with a salary of ₹40.2 Lakhs per year. The top 10% of employees earn more than ₹14.45 lakhs per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping ₹47.10 lakhs per year.
Bartenders, main show entertainers and third-party shop employees are some of the more obvious ones, but they're not the only ones. Most cruise ship employees that do not receive gratuities receive a salary instead. For example, a cruise ship captain won't receive tips, but they will receive a healthy salary.
People very rarely disappear on a cruise ship. On average it's around 19 people that go missing each year. This is out of the many millions of cruise ship passengers that travel aboard one of the 314 cruise ships that sail the world's oceans each year.
Another tradition is to consider ships as female, referring to them as 'she'. Although it may sound strange referring to an inanimate object as 'she', this tradition relates to the idea of a female figure such as a mother or goddess guiding and protecting a ship and crew.
Unlike guest staterooms, crew cabins are pretty small and usually located on deck 0, or below the sea level – deck A and B. Most of the crew cabins don't have portholes (windows) – this luxury is reserved for some staff and officers – so for first-time crew members this might be a little confusing.
There is an enormous amount of pressure that crew members deal with every single day at sea. It is essential to maintain sanity and a clear mindset when working on cruise ships, regardless of the daily difficulties and high-stress levels that life on board the ship inevitably brings.
Despite what you saw on "The Love Boat," passenger-crew romances are not permitted, with passengers banned from entering crew areas of the ship. Of course, romance still ignites between passengers and crew members from time to time.
As of Jun 11, 2023, the average hourly pay for a Princess Cruise Ship in the United States is $17.19 an hour.