More often than not I am asked about my time on cruise ships.  I look back on 2007 with the rose-tinted glasses of time and nostalgia.  I remember the bad times and how terrible I felt for about half my contract but the positive memories make me desire to return.  Below is a standard response I intend to direct someone to if they ask me about my time on the ship when they're considering a job onboard a cruise ship.

It depends on your position.  First, it’s difficult for Americans to get onto ships in the first place.  AT least be bilingual to open up more opportunities.  The ONLY area you will see an American on a ship is in entertainment in American ports.  The cruise ship business is a dirty, corrupt, abusive thing.  They hire Thai, Malaysian, Filipino and other poor nationalities because they can get away with paying them two dollars an hour for housekeeping and wait staff. This is also why most ships are registered in the Bahamas and Panama, where there are very lax labor laws.  So, working on the ship kind of sucks because corporate legitimately does not care how you feel about your job.  If you don’t want to do it or complain too much they will get rid of you knowing there are more people waiting in line to take the position.  This is why I do not still or did not continue working on a ship after one contract.  I gave my honest opinion on my job to the “wrong” people. I’m pretty sure I’m blacklisted by Carnival Corp.

The good things are you don’t have to pay rent, car payment, gas, insurance, groceries, utilities, etc …  The only bill you have to worry about on the ship is your cell phone so it’s a good time to build a savings.  However, this is also a bargaining tool they have to pay you about 20% less than you would on land. Also, It’s a vacation industry.  They sell relaxation and happiness and the best way to promote that is keep their employees happy enough to keep up the façade. The people who work on the ship are generally great, outgoing, fun people and always a pleasure to be around. The crew bar has the cheapest drinks you will ever find, causing many on the crew to give their paychecks back to the company by drinking way too much every night.

If you can put up with the extreme corporate bullshit it’s a great experience.  I would go back to a ship tomorrow if offered and it weren’t for many factors in my life right now (girl, pets, niece. Essentially responsibilities). It took me several months to settle into a sustainable routine, partially because of poor onboard management partially because it was hard for me to make sense of the weird regulations and way things are done on a ship.  Once I did get the routine, life was easy and great. I was happy with my social life and the most "in shape" of my adult life.  I lost 35 lbs during the 9 months of my contract. Finally, the ports are mostly vacation destinations and about 75% of the time you get to take off the ship and act like any of the other guests and enjoy the ports. Spending two days, one in New Orleans one in Cozumel, out of every five isn’t a bad way to spend a summer.

Article by Jeremy Osborne