Myths About Cruise Ship Jobs

Learn about pitfalls and scams related to cruise jobs

Top 10 Myths about Cruise Ship Jobs

Cruise Ship Job Myths

This article describes the Top 10 Myths about Cruise Ship Jobs. Many of these myths have been circulating around the Internet and through direct mail for years. According to W.C. Fields, “There is a sucker born every minute.” Although some of these myths are outright fraudulent, others are just totally false. Getting a cruise ship job requires persistence and patience and its time to set the record straight and expose the myths…

Myth #1 – Online Resume Database

You have probably seen this one a lot. For example: you pay anywhere from fifty to hundreds of dollars to have your resume placed on Joe Shmoe’s Cruise Website.Com. In return, Joe promises you that all of the top cruise ship companies visit his website every day to look for new workers. Sometimes, it even requires that you pay a monthly fee.

If a cruise line needs fresh resumes, they’ve got them in mass quantity inside their hiring offices. They have thousands of resumes they could look at, just by opening their office filing cabinets, or stored on files on their computers.

Myth #2 – Advanced Fee Guaranteed Jobs

Probably the most ruthless of the Top 10 Myths about Cruise Ship Jobs is the advanced fee scam. Unless you are a good friend, or a close relative from a person who is in charge of hiring, there is no way that any company, or service can guarantee you a job. Some unscrupulous companies advertise on the Internet, and through newspapers and other media that if you pay an advanced fee, you’ve got an automatic job. Generally, you will never see your money again, nor will you get any job.

Myth #3 – Cruise Ship Schools

Another Top 10 Myth about Cruise Ship Jobs is that if you attend a cruise ship school, you are guaranteed a job. This is one of the biggest myths that are told to students of such schools in many countries around the world. Yes, some of these students do receive jobs after their training. However, there are usually hundreds of other students who will never get hired, or interviewed.

Myth #4 – Once an Employee, Always an Employee

After you finish your contract, there is no guarantee you will be rehired by the same cruise ship company, or any other. However, most companies will give you priority over others, because you already have working experience.

Myth #5 – You Can Socialize with Passengers

For the most part, your job is to serve all passengers. However, most people who work on a cruise ship are not allowed to fraternize with passengers. In other words, you can’t sit around drinking or partying with them.

Myth #6 – You Need Prior Experience

Prior experience always helps, but many young people get cruise ship jobs without prior ship experience, and sometimes without related job experience.

Myth #7 – You Can’t Apply Online

One of the often heard Top 10 Myths about Cruise Ship Jobs is that you cannot apply online. Some top cruise ship companies have online applications, so this is definitely a myth. If fact, this website was the original company to offer online application for cruise ship jobs.

Myth #8 – More Jobs during the Holidays

Most cruise ships are fully occupied most of the year, and many passengers book their tickets months, and even years in advance. It’s true that some crew members want to take holidays during these times, too, but it’s best to apply often.

Myth #9 – You Have to be a Professional Speaker to Get a Job as a Speaker

What you really need for getting free cruises as a speaker (through Onboard Enrichment Programs) is to have an interesting topic, and to prove that you can give a good speech. If you have any videos of you giving speeches at other events, this could qualify you for a speaking job.

Myth #10 – You Need to Apply Through an Agency

Unfortunately, this has been one of the Top 10 Myths about Cruise Ship Jobs for a long time. There might be some reputable agencies out there that can actually get you a cruise ship job. Some agencies might have connections with personnel, but there is usually a very high fee for them getting you a job. You need to ask yourself is it worth it, and what are their guarantees. The best option is to apply to the cruise lines directly.

By reading this list of the Top 10 Myths about Cruise Ship Jobs, it should help you in gaining understanding for how to go about finding employment on a cruise ship. Remember, the best way to get a job on a cruise ship is by being persistent, and putting for the best image by having a resume that is designed specifically for the cruise lines and apply to the cruise lines directly–which you can do from our member’s area. Please fill out the signup form in the upper right side of this page to get access to the online cruise application member’s area of our website.