STUART J. FABER is known as the "Business Traveler Advance Man". He pioneered the concept of conducting in-depth evaluation trips to cities so he could write and tell business travelers in advance which facilities to use and which to avoid. He is the editor-in-chief and hotel and restaurant editor of Business Traveler Magazine and the associate director of the National Association of Business Travel Agents. Since the late 1960s, he has traveled to, and written about, more than 80 countries. After 2,000 hotel visits, he stopped counting.
With his team of travel evaluators, he now publishes the Face Report, a concise outline of every major U.S. and foreign city with evaluations of hotels restaurants and other travel facilities.
1. Who are cruise lines looking for?
Cruise lines want "people, people!". There are opportunities for career changers, college students, and retired people. Cruise lines do their hiring for peak sailing periods, December through March, summer, and the holidays. Education majors Rick and Renee take summers off from college to work as youth counselors in the Caribbean. Paul Dickens went from being a local wedding photographer to a position as ship's photographer for the Sovereign of the Seas. Now he takes his passion for photography on location. Annie Fraraccio earned her aerobics certification, graduated from college, and travels as manager of a luxury liner health spa.
Career changers find new lives aboard ship: Suzann Christensen, a registered nurse, decided to leave hospital pressures and now travels Alaska and the Caribbean as a shipboard nurse. "My husband and brother are very supportive of me because it's something I've always wanted to do," says Suzann. Pam Jaye knew the nine-to-five office life wasn't for her. She combined her training as a dance instructor with her office management skills and now works as a member of the cruise director's staff. If you're an expert at something, you might be able to trade your talents for travel. The popularity of theme cruises has opened up jobs for entertainers and other specialists. Cruises often feature workshops and lectures on ports-of-call, finance, cooking, health, fitness, gaming, and many other topics.
For retired gentlemen, sailing for free as a host may be your best bet. Several cruise lines offer the popular "host program", where select retired gentlemen act as dancing and dining companions for single women passengers.
2. Is it difficult to land a job aboard on a cruise ship?
Yes, it is competitive it's a dream come true for many people to get away from it all, travel around the world, and get paid for it. To land your dream job, prepare yourself by becoming knowledgeable about the jobs and cruise lines, and follow the advice of employees and personnel directors.
3. What Ups do cruise employees and personnel directors go through?
I personally interviewed cruise line employees. How to Get a Job with a Cruise Line, and they tell how they got their job, their work and educational background, and specific tips that will help you get your dream job. I also interviewed cruise personnel directors who give their advice on how to stand out from the competition. Here's their advice:
- Learn about the cruise industry: read the travel section of your newspaper, ask your travel agents to lend you copies of travel trade magazines, and attend travel shows.
- Start preparing now. Take hospitality courses, work at a resort or restaurant, parks and recreation department or school, and polish your customer relations, language, communication, and entertainment skills. Get certification and training.
- Target your job search. Determine what jobs interest you and how your skills match those positions. Which jobs can you contribute to?
- Start your own personal sales campaign. Prepare a professional resume, with references, a photo, and possibly a simple video of your work. Review your personal contacts and let them know you're interested in working with a cruise line.
As a cruise line employee, you'll have an opportunity to see the world. Destinations vary by the length of the cruise and by season. A three night cruise may take you to the Mexican Riviera or the Bahamas, a seven-night cruise, to the Eastern or Western Caribbean. On the other hand, you may sail around South America or the South Pacific on a longer voyage. On her second cruise ship, gift shop manager Lee Ann Hansen traveled the Caribbean in the winter and Alaska in the summer. "People move around so they can see different parts of the world," says Hansen. Mike Messick swore he'd be an expedition leader by the age of twenty, and at age twenty-five, he had already traveled to 125 countries!
Some of the most popular Caribbean destinations include Cancun, Cozumel, Acapulco, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, San Juan, St Thomas, Aruba, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. Other hot ports of call are found in Orient, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, Russia, Hawaii, and Alaska. Southeast Asia has also opened its ports to cruise travel, and Cuba may be the next hot spot on the horizon.
5. How can you expect to be paid?
You travel for free and your accommodations and meals are free! As with any job, your salary will be based on your previous experience and the level of your position. The pay differs with each cruise line and for each job. You have the option of banking your money or spending it as you please. For example, cruise director Catherine Chastain sends her paycheck home to her mother. When I commented how generous she was, she laughed and told me she had already saved enough money for a down payment on her own house "shore side" and her mother deposits her mortgage payments for her. Cosmetologist Ann Taylor enjoys spending her tips in the duty-free shops of St Thomas.
"You can really put money away," says Larry Cavanaugh, Director of Casino Operations. "For your first couple years you like the travel the best and beyond a year and a half, it is the savings, the money you make."
6. What can I do with my time off? (Travel-Adventure-Romance)
You'll visit the places the rich and famous travel to, meet new people, learn new cultures, and of course, go shopping. You'll visit exciting foreign countries, tropical islands, and historic cities. Youth counselors from Royal Caribbean ships hit the beach and go snorkeling or parasailing. Most importantly though, "You'll make a lot of good friends," says Tess Blake, ship's hostess. "I know people from all over the world!" As your world expands, you'll grow personally as well. Joyce Gleeson, an assistant cruise director, now speaks conversational Greek, Spanish, and Italian.
7. Is it really like the Love Boat? How do I make my dream job come live?
There's camaraderie on a ship that you don't find in other nine to five jobs. As a member of the cruise staff, you are the one who makes the magic of cruising happen.
It's a job you can love. "I love working on a cruise ship," says Ronn McDonald, cruise director. "I'll be an entertainer until I'm so old they tell us we can't use canes." It's a lifestyle, not just a job, and it really is an adventure.
