Travel Advice

The popularity of cruise line jobs continues to increase at a rapid rate in fact, 2008 is an exciting time for those looking for work on a cruise ship.

The past year has seen close to 50,000 new jobs created as cruise lines continue to increase services and produce more ships. The popularity of cruise holidays comes as no surprise given the affordability factor of water-based holidays.

Once upon a time, planning a cruise vacation meant saving big time for a once in a lifetime holiday however, that has changed and it’s not uncommon to see people take a vacation on the high seas almost once a year.

One of the appealing factors about cruise line jobs is the ability to save money. In other words, while your accomodation and other day-to-day expenses are virtually taken care of, spending months on a cruise ship means you can put money away easily.

There are two main areas of cruise line jobs. Being part of the operations and maintenance crew and the entertainment and hospitality crew. Which are you best suited to?

A Brief Look At Cruise Line Jobs

Here are four categories of cruise line jobs which may suit you. If you are experienced in a particular area then your chances of landing work will be increased. Keep in mind, a cruise ship, like a passenger plane caters to people and safety is always a big issue. Landing a job on a cruise ship means satisfying several important criteria.

- Operations and Maintenance… you could work in the engine department or the deck department. These areas are responsible for the safe, mechanical running of the ship and include the captains, engineers, motor men, sea men, and security personnel.

- Entertainment…In the entertainment department you might work as an event planner, featured entertainer or behind the scenes as a stage hand or assistant to the event planner. Another area of entertainment is the casino, for which cruise lines have become very popular. Any job you could get in a land-locked casino is available on a cruise ship.

- Hospitality… how about serving food and drinks to all the happy cruisers? Many cruise lines are famous for their food and drink and the jobs available in preparing and serving them are numerous. Just imagine a floating restaurant and all the staff that would be needed to make it run smoothly.

- Specialized Fields… these would include areas such as medical. Not everyone is a qualified MD however support staff positions could suit your background. These specialized cruise line jobs will be a lot harder to get into than those mentioned above.