Best Cruise Jobs

Cruise jobs are divided into two main categories

Cruise jobs are divided into two main categories: the onshore and the on board. The onshore careers include office positions that are usually made up of office staff, reservation agents, sales representative, marketing and public relations. The various departments that normally hire clerical staff in cruise line companies are the finance department, administration department, customer service department and sales department. Salaries generally start at $1200 monthly and promotions based on performance are a possibility.

Reservation agents are those…

…individuals who take in calls from customers and do the booking for them. Agents must have proper telephone etiquette and should have detailed knowledge of cruise lines and holiday packages so that they could answer any relevant inquiries to such. Since most tickets are sold via travel agencies, job opportunities for reservation agents are quite limited and most are part-time.

The sales representatives are in charge of maintaining good relationships with various travel agencies which sells majority of the holiday tickets for the company. Experience in sales, travel industry or customer services is a requisite.

The promotion of the company business to potential customers and partners is the main responsibility of employees in the marketing and public relations department. Such positions are: account executives, field representatives, media relations, brand managers, etc. Pay starts at $2,300 per month for this line of work.

Onboard jobs are divided into the following divisions: entertainment, service and hospitality, personal care and deck and engine jobs.

The entertainment division includes the cruise director, assistant cruise director, cruise staff, activity coordinator, casino staff, casino manager, casino dealer, casino cashier, slot technician, dive instructor, disc jockey/DJ, entertainer, guest entertainer, comedian, singer, dancer, musician, gentleman host, hostess/host, lecturer, share excursion manager, and youth counselor. The salary range for the employees of the entertainment positions commence at $1000 – $4200 depending on the responsibilities and position level involved.

The gentleman host ordinarily does not receive salary

Men who work in this capacity are either given a very small amount of compensation or are not given any salary at all but are compensated in a way that they are allowed to sail or tour for free on any destination of the ship. And as there are more females than males who go on cruise tours, most gentleman hosts hired by cruise line companies are single men who are retired and who should be good dancers with knowledge of formal dances, like swing, tango, foxtrot, etc. Their main function is to mix and socialize with the passengers and be able to dance for hours every night.

The service and hospitality cruise jobs are made up of the following departments: food and beverage, hotel, retail, purser/accounting and Information Technology. The food and beverage employees normally receive a little basic wage but from time to time receive tips from the passengers. The hotel staff is in-charge with the accommodations of the passengers onboard. The usual work details are similar to onshore hotels and inns. As for those who are assigned to the purser/accounting department onboard – employees in this department are responsible for currency exchanges, passenger tickets, etc. The Information and Technology staffs are accountable for all telecommunication and information technology on the ship.

For the personal care cruise jobs, the positions are: beautician, hair stylist, fitness instructor, lifeguard/pool attendant, nurses, doctor, dentist, spa attendant and massage therapist. The general pay for workers who are employed in this division is from $1800 to $7000.

The deck and engine profession include the captain, staff captain, chief/first office, chief radio officer, security officer, deckhand, able seaman, safety officer, first mate, chief engineer, chief electrician, electrician and plumber. Salaries range from $1,400 to $10,000 monthly – as per level and responsibility involved.

Additional Articles of Interest

• On board jobs are divided into the following divisions: entertainment, service and hospitality, personal care and deck and engine cruise jobs and employment. Of course, there are other employment opportunities available. Remember, these ships are almost like floating hotels!