Blog Stuck On You

When people think about getting a job on a cruise ship, their first thought is to head directly to the cruise line and apply there. Unfortunately, this may not be the best way to apply for a position. Many cruise ship jobs, filled by concessionaires, won’t even be listed on a cruise line website or employment service.

Concessionaires are companies that own a business or service that contract with a cruise line to provide services or businesses on the vessel. They often sign contracts, paying the cruise line a flat fee or a percentage of their revenue, for prime space on the varying decks of the cruise ship.

A concessionaire may run the beauty parlors, medical center, or be thecruise photographer, to name a few. In fact, there are many positions on a cruise ship that are supplied by concessionaires. These employees work for an outside company but must comply with all of the rules and regulations that regular cruise ship employees must follow.

Don’t expect your experiences to be that different from those of a cruise ship crew member whether your focus is working on large ship cruises or a different variety. You’ll receive crew quarters, often shared with one or more other people, which are very cramped. Be prepared to share a cabin with people that may not speak your language. Quite often concessionaires are staffed by people who are from foreign cultures.

Beyond sharing cramped crew quarters, you will be allowed to eat what you like, but the fare will likely be a lesser quality than what passengers receive. You will have to work long hours, sometimes 10-12 hours per day, and will be limited in the amenities of the cruise ship that you’ll be able to enjoy.

There no question you’ll have to sign a contract. If you easily succumb to homesickness, this might be something to think seriously about whether or not working on a cruise ship is for you, as a cruise line employee or part of a concessionaire team.

Of course, if you do work on a concessionaire team, you do have one benefit that some crew members don’t have. Many concessionaire businesses, such as gift shops and spas, will close down while the ship is berthed. This encourages passengers to disembark the ship, enjoy the cities and areas in the port of call, and gives them the opportunity to explore which is the reason for a cruise in the first place.

If the concessionaire facilities are closed down, this means the employees will also have the opportunity to visit the ports of call. Quite often, this will also give these people a chance to shimmy out of their uniforms and relax by the onboard pool.

Ship employees, whether they are cruise line employees or through concessionaires, come from all over the world. Of course, many cruise lines are flagged outside of the United States, so this fact is understandable. Expect to see employees from Malaysia, Holland, Norway, Great Britain, and other Asian countries.

If you want to work on a cruise ship, your best bet may be to avoid applying with actual cruise lines all together. Since many, if not most, positions on cruise lines are held by concessionaires, applying with the various concessionaire companies would be a better course of action. Quite often you don’t have to have experience, however, any experience you do have will only increase your chances of being hired by cruise line concessionaires.

With most cruise ship jobs being filled by concessionaires, you may need to do some research to find out which companies to approach. When you find the companies, apply quickly and often. They hire year round, but will often have to hire people on short notice if a ship is about to sail. However you choose to approach obtaining a cruise line job, just remember to go to the source, and not just the cruise line itself.

Tags: Career, Jobs and Employment