After many years of traveling in the cruise ship industry I think that  Cruise ship jobs are the greates form of travel. While you are onboard the cruise ship, you will not only be working on the ship, but you will have the change to discover  many overseas countries and great cities and towns. Cruise ship jobs information. Information on cruise ship jobs, cruise ship employment application is not impossible to find, you just need to understand exactly where to search and how to apply. Does this make sense?

This has two benefits: firstly, it will help you decide if the job is really for you and secondly, it will help you decide how to put over your own personal skills and qualities to best effect.

Let’s take a look at exactly what cruise line employers are looking for in a potential candidate.

* Experience Don’t worry, this isn’t always a necessity! There are plenty of positions onboard where you don’t need any experience whatsoever. But having some kind of land-based experience in your desired job is always going to be an advantage. Cruise line employers especially like people who can show a broad range of experience. For example, if your job involves contact with the public then experience of serving the public in several ways will be an advantage.

* High Standards of Service All functions on board cruise ships are carried out to a high standard. So it is important that you can carry out your work to a high standard. For example, service in the Hotel, Catering and Bar Department is usually similar to that in a four or five star hotel.

* Professionalism It is important to be professional about your work. That is, you need to take pride in your work and in achieving excellent results every time. This is not always easy when you are working long hours in a fast paced environment.

* Reliability This is a big concern for most cruise lines. Interviewers are very wary of recruiting new crew members whom they suspect might ‘jump ship’ in an exotic port when the novelty wears off! They need to satisfy themselves that you will stay for the full duration of your contract (typically 6 months).

Obviously, once you have joined a ship you cannot easily be replaced in a foreign port, and the expense and hassle involved is something they really don’t want. You must give the clear IMPRESSION that you are highly reliable and have every intention of sticking out your contract. And preferably intend on making this a long-term career move. In other words, don’t make them think that you are just going to ‘give it a go’.

* High Standards of Presentation It is very important that you are immaculately turned out when you work onboard a ship. This applies particularly to crew who have contact with the passengers but also to behind-the-scenes crew too, to a lesser extent. Again, if you consider that many cruise ships operate to the same standards of service as a top-class international hotel then you will get an idea of the sort of people the employer is looking for.

* Enthusiasm You really do need to show that you are hard working and energetic. Shifts onboard can be much longer than on dry land. In particular, you certainly wouldn’t want to give the impression that you are a nine-to-five type person and couldn’t bear the thought of working weekends!

* A Cheerful Personality You may find this a strange quality for a cruise ship employer to place much importance on, but they do. Obviously, working in the confines of a ship - and living onboard too - can be quite stressful and demanding. But since many of the passengers have paid a lot of money for their cruise, it’s very important that the crew are pleasant and professional with them. It is equally important that you are fairly cheerful and easy going off-duty so that you can do your job professionally when you are on duty.

If you bear in mind what the employer is looking for at all stages of your application - then you will be doing a great deal to boost your chances of getting a cruise ship job.

Copyright 2006 Neil Maxwell Keys

Ventura, which cost £330 million to build, is the biggest cruise ship to be made for the British market.

The ship, which can carry 3,600 passengers, is the newest addition to P&O’s fleet and is regarded as a “next generation” ship at a time when cruise holidays are enjoying a surge in popularity.

It was named officially at a ceremony last night and while the Queen was not available, Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for portraying the monarch, was on hand to carry out the formalities at Southampton.

So, who is going to be the lucky reader to go first in this amazing Cruise Ship ! Good luck !

In a five-hour operation, 651 passengers - mostly elderly Germans - and 11 crew members were transferred from the 660ft-long Mona Lisa on to two naval ships, coastguard officials said.

They were taken about 22 miles to Ventspils, a port city in north-western Latvia, for onward travel to the capital, Riga.

I’ve been working on ships for over 6 years now. In my opinion it is a life changing experience that has many positives and very few negatives.

You will have the opportunity to spend time with like minded people with adventurous spirits and a common love for travel. Depending on the cruiseline, you will have the chance to see many countries around the world.

The pay varies depending on your experience, the cruise ship job you do and your length of service. The advantage is that you will not pay tax, have your accommodation, food, medical and return flights paid for. Due to this, you save 95% of what you earn. To give you an idea, when I started, I earned a measley US$1000 per month. Today, I earn about US$6000 per month and get paid vacations. Do you know anyone who can pay $5,500 a month off their mortgage? *If you are from the US, some cruiselines deduct Federal Taxes from your pay, others do not.

The negatives…
1) You will be away for your family for 4-6 months at a time
2) When you first start, you will share a cabin (a very small Cabin)
3) Long hours
4) Work 7 days a week

The cruise lines lately have worked out that happy staff that stay for a few years are more productive then staff that stay for 6-12 months. Therefore, there are retirement packages for long service, crew gym, crew bar, free tours in port, crew activities, crew parties (free beers etc), crew group tours. One thing you will never be is bored.

Cruise Lines jobs don’t just hire anyone that wants a cruise ship  job. You have to have several years experience in your field before you will be considered. Contrary to popular belief, there are not many Americans onboard (not because of the pay) but because not many Americans (with some exceptions) are willing to work the hours required. The minimum age to work onboard is 21.

The best idea is to see working for ships as a very fruitful and rewarding career rather than a good summer cruise ship job. If you do this, you will become very comfortable financially, will see the world and will make friends from all corners of the globe. Good luck.