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In my life I have met so many people who said: “Oh, you are working on a cruise ship?! That must be an amazing job!” But is it?! Let me explain you how it truly works on a cruise ship from the point of an employee and what the pros and cons of working on cruise ships are.

Firstly some practical information how I got this job and when and where I started. My very first season started on RIVERS in France in 2014. I successfully completed the whole season – from March till November. This year (2017) I have started to work for the same river cruise company but we are sailing from Switzerland, through Germany to Netherlands.

I am very grateful for this opportunity to work on a cruise ship to Slovakian agency called BackUp Jobs Agency which helped me get this job without paying any fee. The only thing I had to pay was 80 euro which will be reimbursed to me after three months of working on a ship.

If you want to know WHY I decided to work on cruise ships, then read my articles “5 Things which Helped my Dream Come True” or “How I Quit my Jobs & Start from Zero“.

PROS & CONS

I will describe pros and cons of working on river cruise ships from my personal point of view, therefore, it may differ from your experience (especially if you worked on ocean liners).

WHY CRUISE SHIP JOB MAY SEEM LIKE DREAM JOB

• possibility of HIGH SALARY including tips from customers
• possibility of SAVING LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY IN VERY SHORT TIME (as the accommodation, food and sometimes even travel expenses are reimbursed and/or paid) – from the money I saved in 2014 I travelled almost whole South America, Thailand and some European capitals
• opportunity to travel the world (especially if it comes to ocean liners)
• getting to know new people and cultures as most people on board (customers and crew) are from the whole world
• one of the best test of your determination and patience
• an awesome life lesson which will make you stronger and more resistant to any life situation which may come up in the future

WHY CRUISE SHIP JOB MAY SEEM AS HELL

• working 10 – 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, months straight is not a dream job for everyone (day off is a matter of discussion but at most cruise ship companies such thing as DAY OFF doesn´t exist)
• everyday routine will (may) possibly make you crazy after couple of months of everyday work
• harsh physical and mental exhaustion (already after 7th, 8th week)
• so called “submarine disease” on cruise ships truly exists – even for people you really like
• listening to everyday complains of customers is part of this job – and as a bonus everything must be handled with a big smile on your face 😉
• forget about comfortable clothes – you will get strict uniform followed by strict appearance rules etc …

Very shortly I described 6 advantages and 6 disadvantages working on cruise ships. As I mentioned above, it may differ from your own experiences as each company has its own rules, vacation plan (if there is any), etc …

To conclude, I don´t regret my decision to work on cruise ships though I went through hell in some moments. However, thanks to job onboard I learned a lot about myself, my limits, I was given an amazing life opportunity but most importantly I was able to save large amount of money out of which I backpacked a lot. And travelling subsequently changed my way of thinking, widened my horizon and open my mind to new things. And MiliMundo blog is a result of all of this! 🙂

So my lovely readers, would you go for it? How does a cruise ship job seem to you? Dream or hell?

In case you would like to read about my personal experience with working on ships with more specific situations, click HERE and choose one of many articles based on my personal experience. 😉

If you have more questions, don´t hesitate to contact me on FB of MiliMundo or on email milimundo88@gmail.com

And has been the article useful and you want to buy me some chocolate in exchange?! No hesitation and do it! 😉

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