If a career on the high seas sounds a little too exciting, consider working for a passenger ship that cruises the inland waters or the waters along the coast. A number of opportunities exist in this area. The Scotia Prince operates out of Portland, Maine, and goes to the Nova Scotia area of Canada; a number of ships traverse the Atlantic intra-coastal waterway--the Newport Clipper leaves Annapolis, Maryland, for Savannah, Georgia, at some times during the year and in cooler weather between ports further south on the coast--Palm Beach and St. Augustine, Florida. The America runs from Hilton Head, South Carolina, through Lake Okeechobee, Florida, to Fort Myers, Florida. Other ships follow a similar pattern, traveling to northern ports in warmer weather and southern ports in the winter. Likewise, this is true of the West Coast, where ships like the Royal Princess maintain an itinerary out of San Francisco, California, for Alaska and then return to Vancouver during the warmer months. As with most ships, which must remain active and income-producing, in winter the Royal Princess sails in southern climates.
A number of inland river cruises exist. The beautiful and historical Delta Queen and its modern sister ship the Mississippi Queen regularly paddle the Mississippi. The Glacier Bay Explorer provides inland water cruising on the West Coast in the Sacramento to San Francisco area. Further north, the Pacific Northwest Explorer regularly leaves Portland in the spring and fall for a tour of inland waters.
If long periods of time away from home are a concern, there are many cruises that run for only a few days. Some are just three days, such as the Canadian Princess, which runs from Kingston to Brockville in Canada. The Hudson River Day Line has a one-day cruise from New York City to West Point Military Academy and back.
Most large ports have undergone a major renaissance, and almost all offer short cruises--usually for a couple of hours--to tour the port area. For example, The Spirit of Philadelphia operates out of Penn's Landing in Philadelphia with a number of daily cruises; The Spirit of New Jersey, which calls Weehawken, New Jersey, its home port, sails the Hudson River daily; the Circle Line regularly takes visitors on a water tour around New York City; and Miami's Dixie Belle, a paddle wheeler, has patrolled the inland waters with three cruises daily since 1950! These offer some opportunities for part-time and summer jobs for persons wishing to explore a cruise career afloat. Not only will you get the flavor of shipboard life, but you will also gain insight into some of the careers available. However, there are major differences between ship activities in the harbor and those at sea; a visit to a cruise ship when in port will quickly make these evident.
A word of caution about cruise ship careers: Some ships hire mainly employees from the nation of the ship's registry. For example, the Song of Norway (Port of Miami) has primarily a Norwegian crew, but it does employ citizens of the United States and Canada.
See the following articles for more information:
- Find Your Calling: A Checklist
- 5 Ways To Build Your Career Outside of the Office
- How To Impress Your Interviewer When Making a Career Change
- 5 Tips For Successful Networking
