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What Working on Cruise Ships is Really Like: Pros & Cons

Ever wondered what cruise ship crew life is really like or if working on ships is worth it? Keep reading to find out all the good and bad that comes with living at sea!

Working on cruise ships often sounds like a dream, and it definitely can be.

But there were also many times in my three-year career at sea where it honestly felt like a living nightmare.

If you’re considering a life at sea or you’re just curious about cruise ship crew life, here’s some information about the pros and cons from my experience as a pirate seafarer for your entertainment and/or research purposes.

My Experience Working on Cruise Ships

There are always advantages and disadvantages to every job and working on cruise ships is no different. 

Cruise ship crew life can be intense: long hours, no days off for months, lots of rules, demanding guests, small living quarters and little to no privacy.

But working on ships also allows you to travel to places some only dream of while making some amazing connections with fellow seafarers from all over the world.

Despite all the ups and downs of ship life, I wouldn’t change a thing.

You can party all night over international waters, fall asleep to the sound of the ocean, and wake up in a completely different country.

View this post on Instagram Please, please, please don’t ever let me take this for granted: the fact that I can work in the morning, run around Saint Petersburg for a few hours, go back to work until midnight and see this amazing sunset, and then get back off the ship to see people all over the world celebrating the World Cup together in the streets before I return to the floating tin can I call home at 4am. All summer long, every single week #serenadeadventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Jul 6, 2018 at 4:43am PDT

You’ll often hear crew members joking that they’re never coming back; that this is their last contract.

But the truth is that more often than not, we somehow always come crawling back for just one more contract because once you get a taste for life at sea, living anywhere else isn’t the same.

I’ve had the chance to live on foreign land abroad in Japan and even on the ice in Antarctica .

Related: How to Get a Job on a Cruise Ship: Tips from a Crew Member

They were amazing experiences that were less physically demanding than ship life with better pay and fewer work hours. 

But if given the chance to return to just one of my past lives in my journey across all seven continents and seven seas , I would go back to working on cruise ships without batting an eye. 

My heart will always be at sea.

View this post on Instagram Another farewell to this floating home, although I’m sure I’ll be back soon enough ?⚓❤️ #marineradventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Sep 30, 2019 at 12:42pm PDT

The Pros of Working on Cruise Ships

1. you get paid to travel.

This is probably the biggest and most well-known perk of getting a job on a cruise ship , and for good reason.

It is the ultimate work and travel job opportunity that has allowed me to travel to 35 countries, frolic on more Caribbean beaches than I can count, spend a month in the Mediterranean, sail through the Arctic Circle, dock in Russia all summer during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, cruise with Jazz legend Dave Koz, visit Greenland, and see endless prismatic sunsets at sea.

All while getting paid.

View this post on Instagram Day 17: Geiranger, Norway | Find the mop of hair by the cliff that just set foot on her 50th country today! ??? #serenadeadventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Jun 5, 2018 at 4:26am PDT

2. Little to no cost of living

On ships, you live where you work.

Unlike life on land, there is no rent to be paid or monthly utility bills that need to be taken care of.

All basic living expenses are covered at sea for crew members: accommodation, water, electricity, and food. 

3. Free medical care

This may not seem that special for most people, but if you’re American like me, this is such a huge benefit to ship life.

When I had an infection during one contract, I was able to get an exam done and receive the necessary antibiotics all between my work shifts, and all at no cost.

Back on land, I avoid seeing my healthcare provider unless I absolutely have to because I know how much it’ll cost me.

4. Flights to and from the ship are provided

While this varies by company and possibly by job, ships generally pay for crew flights.

5. Easily rack up airline flight miles

Because most of the flights my company books for me tend to be with either United or American Airlines, I’ve been able to get mileage credit for all of my flights just going to and from work and have used them to fully fund my vacation flights to Mexico on multiple occasions. 

6. Short work commute

Well, this is obviously after you’ve made it onto the ship.

But once onboard, your daily commute to work is just a few minutes.

I’ve had many late nights out with early morning start times where I rolled out of bed ten minutes before I had to be at work and made it to my shift on time.

7. 6-8 week vacation in between contracts

Times are changing, but typically, you can’t just take an extended multi-week long vacation from work.

One of the perks of working in Japan was that I had week-long vacations three times a year.

On ships, crew members must have a minimum of six weeks of time off between contracts, because, well you don’t have any days off for your entire contract.

While this period is unpaid, it does provide ample time to travel freely for more than just a week.

This is an aside, but for Americans to go anywhere out of the country, I personally find that one week is just not enough time to comfortably enjoy any destination abroad due to the amount of travel time that it takes to simply get out of the States and return.

With ships, I don’t need to request or arrange for extra time off.

8. Save money

If you’re smart, you can save the majority of your paycheck because there are no costs of living or large bills that need to be paid every month.

9. Crew discounts

In many ports, crew members can get discounts on nearly every service possible: taxis/shuttles, restaurants, bars, beach resorts, etc.

Lots of businesses understand that while guests are simply one-time visitors, crew members come back each time the ship returns to the area and can bring in a lot of regular business.

View this post on Instagram Day 44: Cozumel, Mexico | When things don’t go as planned, find a private beach club that doesn’t charge a cover for crew members and eat all the seafood for lunch ???? #navigatoradventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Dec 6, 2017 at 1:38pm PST

10. Escape reality

Working on cruise ships is like living in a floating metal bubble.

Because of the long work hours and limited internet access, I usually don’t have time to keep up with what’s happening back home or anywhere else in the world unless it’s major news that affects us, like a hurricane in the Bahamas or cruise ships no longer being allowed into Cuba. 

11. International connections

While the majority of cruise guests might be primarily from one or two countries, the crew area is like a small, diverse city with people from dozens of countries.

You work and live with people from all around the world, and it’s such a unique experience to learn about their lives and country through interaction.

After three years at sea, most of my closest friends are from ships and not living in the U.S.

While I can’t just drive a few hours to see them, I have an added incentive to vacation or travel to wherever they live.

12. Charter cruises

Sometimes companies or organizations buy out the entire ship for their employees or events at sea.

The guests’ demographics and atmosphere of the ship varies dramatically compared to typical cruisers.

Charters are always exciting for crew, especially if they’re music festivals.

While your rank dictates how much of the events you can partake in (if at all and more on that later), I’d say 70% of the charter cruises I’ve worked on have been very pleasant with better-than-usual guests.

Also dependent on your job position, sometimes charters are better for you, but also sometimes they’re worse.

As a youth counselor, charters that are adults-only tend to be wilder (that’s another story that will have to wait), but it also means that I get a rare break from the typical childcare duties.

View this post on Instagram Day 3: Stockholm, Sweden | Starting off this contract with a seven day Dave Koz charter with no kids ??? #serenadeadventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on May 22, 2018 at 5:55am PDT

13. You get to be part of meaningful humanitarian work

While being able to provide a guest with an amazing and memorable vacation is of course satisfying, the proudest I’ve ever been to be a crew member working for Royal Caribbean was when we were giving back to communities in need and looking out for our neighbors.

Royal Caribbean and other major cruise lines have a history of providing aid and humanitarian relief in times of disasters, from evacuating hurricane-stricken islands like Puerto Rico and the Bahamas to supporting those affected by wild and bush fires in California and Australia .

During Hurricane Dorian, the ship that I was on ( Mariner of the Seas ) was called to provide assistance to the Bahamas.

The crew was briefed on the situation and we were informed that we’d be supplying food as well as evacuating as many Bahamians as we could.

Heartwarming: Crew members aboard @royalcaribbean ’s Mariner of the Seas are at sea preparing 20,000 meals to deliver to the people of Freeport in the Bahamas Saturday morning. Staff worked all day and prepared the meals overnight on their own time instead of sleeping. @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/p8hmsGtWRW — Vic Micolucci WJXT (@WJXTvic) September 7, 2019

Even though most of the packaging of meals took place late at night after everyone had finished work, there was not one crew member complaining about the extra hours of work being put in.

While evacuees were on board, the kids’ program staff was asked to entertain the Bahamian children who were evacuating with their families.

Us staff had divided activities and games to host between us, and I got to help out with face painting the kids.

It turns out though, the children wanted to paint as well, so I ended up letting the kids use me as a human canvas and I was left with some pretty sick body art for the rest of the day.

Especially in a job that can get mundane and frustrating from demanding and sometimes ungrateful guests, these small opportunities where we get to actually do something meaningful makes me happy to work at sea.

14. CV/Resume boost

Working on cruise ships requires a lot of skills that make crew members some of the most eligible employment candidates : international experience and the ability to work with a diverse team; skills in customer service and crisis management; and capable of learning quickly. 

Most of all, I think what makes crew members stand out is their mental strength.

It’s not easy to work long hours for months at a time, isolated from land and friends and family.

But if you can do that, there’s not much else you’re not psychologically capable of. 

I know that for me, this was the biggest selling point that made me a quick hire to work and live in Antarctica .

Related: How I Got Paid to Live in Antarctica: FAQ About Working on the Ice

Related: What to Pack When Working on a Cruise Ship

The Cons of Working on Cruise Ships

1. there are no days off.

On ships, weekends and holidays don’t exist.

You work every day of your entire contract and just have hours off between shifts each day.

On land, you can go hard on a Friday night and have a couple of days to recover.

On ships, you still have to get up and go to work the next day.

2. You work long hours

The most I ever clocked in in a day was about 13 hours, but of course this will vary according to job position and possibly whether or not it’s a busy cruise.

The majority of crew members work anywhere from 9-11+ hours every day, the average amount being on the higher end of the spectrum.

Shifts are also split, so you might start work in the morning and not finish for the day until late at night. 

3. Contracts are 4-9 months long

You will get tired and you will feel overworked.

You’ll be away from home for a long while and in that time you will also miss out on a lot of life.

View this post on Instagram All’s well that ends well. 151 days, 8 countries, 1000s of little screaming rascals, and some really great new friends. Thanks for the memories, Anthem ❤⚓️ #anthemadventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Jul 20, 2017 at 10:41am PDT

4. You’re on call 24/7

Every crew member is responsible for responding to designated emergencies: medical, fire, security threat, man overboard, etc.

No matter where you are or what time it is, when the announcement is made, you have roughly seven minutes to get to your emergency station.

In the shower? Better get dressed.

On the other side of the ship? Run.

In my three years onboard, I’ve been woken four times in the early morning hours between 2-5 a.m. to my emergency call, which I then had to run up 10 decks and the entire length of the ship to reach my response station.

And once the emergency was over, I still had to go to work at the regularly scheduled time just a few hours later.

5. Small living quarters

If you think guest cabins are small, wait until you see what crew cabins look like.

Unless you’re a higher ranked staff or officer, your room will be generally small.

Most crew typically live with one other roommate in a cabin that is just large enough for the absolute basics: a bunked bed, a small table with a couple dresser drawers and shelves, two small wardrobe closets, and a restroom where you can shit, shower, and shave all at the same time. 

As a 5’2″ fun-sized human who doesn’t mind confined spaces, the small cabins don’t really bother me.

I can fit comfortably on my bed with room to spare.

If you’re any taller or larger than me though, crew cabins can be claustrophobic-inducing and extremely uncomfortable.

6. No privacy

There’s nowhere to hide.

Sure, you have your room, but like I mentioned, you’ll probably have a roommate.

This can be extremely difficult for introverts such as myself especially if your job is a front of the house position.

Luckily, many crew cabins have bunked beds with curtains for each bed so you have your own personal coffin of solitude.

7. It’s like college all over again

With the confined quarters and small community of stressed out humans, you can only imagine how sloppy things get.

All those cruise ship crew hookup stories?

They’re all true and sometimes too horrifically real.

You’ve either walked in on your roommate on they’ve walked in on you.

Sometimes you wake up and your roommate is hooking up in the bunk above you.

          View this post on Instagram                   Day 5: Villefranche-sur-Mer, Nice, France | Despite the drama I’ve had with cabins and rooming issues since I’ve gotten here, today was a good one. Now to douse my room with Oxivir (AKA super ship bleach) and hopefully get some sleep #freedomadventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Oct 2, 2017 at 1:30pm PDT

8. The food is not the same for crew and guests

Crew members have their own cafeteria (“mess”) separated from guests and even sometimes split between ranks.

Because the majority of crew members tend to be from Asian countries (the Philippines, Indonesia, and India), a lot of the food in the crew mess is catered to their cuisine.

If you’re lucky, some ships will try to include both Asian and Western food options, but it’s not always the case.

View this post on Instagram Day 18: Barcelona, Spain | When you ask the gelato lady if you can just buy a banana because this ship don’t wanna feed this girl her potassium ??‍♀️ #freedomadventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Oct 15, 2017 at 3:28am PDT

9. It’s a bit military-esque

Everything is highly regulated and there are a lot of rules: what you’re allowed to do, where you’re allowed to be, and even what you’re allowed to wear.

There’s a dress code for everything: day, night, formal, smart casual, all black. 

Cabins are inspected regularly and beds must be made.

If we fail, our supervisors are notified.

Disciplinary action is super formal: verbal warnings, written warnings, hearings with the master (captain), and dismissal.

Your privileges depend on how many stripes you have (your rank).

There are typically three tiers in the ship social hierarchy: officer, staff (front of the house), and crew (back of the house).

As I mentioned above, some ships have separate messes, one for officers and staff and another for crew.

Depending on how many stripes you have, you may be allowed to be seen around the ship in the public areas such as the shops or eating at one of the restaurants.

10. Crew drills

Every cruise, crew members need to take part in mandatory emergency drills where you have to respond to a simulated incident and answer questions about crisis response protocol.

Sometimes this can last hours, especially if the crew fail to respond properly.

11. Trainings and certifications

If you’re a new hire, expect to spend the entirety of your first few weeks in training courses: basic ship safety, emergency response, evacuation protocol, lifeboat/life raft operations (aka flipping a raft in a pool with a life jacket on while guests watch you), crowd management, security certification, and more. 

You’ll need to attend all of these classes in addition to working your actual ship job.

When I was a new hire, I don’t think I had time to get off the ship until the second week.

12. Crew aren’t treated the same as guests

Ever notice that crew members have to go through extra security checks when arriving back onboard, like taking their shoes off and getting a pat-down but guests don’t?

This is because crew are often targeted by locals to smuggle drugs and security is checking to see if we’ve got any contraband on us.

But it’s not just ship security that treats us differently.

Sometimes, unfortunately, local port authorities give us a hard time.

Story time .

This happened when I was in Bermuda and multiple female crew members were stopped at the port security checkpoint by staff who requested a pat-down and weird strip search.

When I was stopped, they separated me from my partner and tried to usher me into a secluded room so that I would be out of public view.

I, set on making a scene in front of everyone, including guests, asked them what they needed to check, and they said they needed me to remove my dress.

They tugged my arm and tried to pull me into the office but I insisted on taking my dress off right there since I was wearing a bikini and I didn’t want to be moved to a secondary location .

They kept trying to convince me to cooperate until I, like the often spiteful child that I am, finally just pulled my dress up to my head like a toddler and asked if that would suffice.

Then they yelled at me for not following directions.

Once back onboard, I’d heard several other crew ladies had refused the antics and weren’t allowed shore leave there for the next few cruises.

While this definitely isn’t the norm, instances like this do happen unfortunately.

13. You’re always “on stage”

Prepare to smile a lot and always be “on” around guests.

Even if you’re off duty and walking through public areas of the ship, you are still a working employee if guests stop you to ask you a question or need help.

14. Customer service on ships can be demanding and is often brutal

I honestly don’t know what it is that makes some cruise guests the worst types of customers I’ve ever encountered, but it’s definitely helped me build up my patience and Resting “Are You Done” Face.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been yelled at for the most trivial things.

I think some guests think that if they make enough of a fuss, they will be rewarded with some discount or compensation.

Ok, I don’t think this is the case, I know it is as I’ve heard more than a few guests laugh about this. 

But us crew members build up a tolerance for poor adult behavior and find ways to cope with it, like corralling a parent into a corner akin to a farm animal after they’ve physically pushed you and barged their way into the secured kids’ facility, all while you talk to them like a child until they calm down.

Side note, if you’re a guest anywhere, please be a decent human to people providing you with services.

It’s not that difficult.

15. The seas can be rough

While guests might deal with seasickness by laying down in their cabins, crew members still need to be at their work areas operating the same as usual no matter what the weather or sea conditions are.

16. The air on ships is extremely dry

As guests, you can spend most of your day outside getting fresh air.

Most crew members work inside the ship though, and in addition to living in a floating metal can of recycled air for months on end, the dry air and dust will definitely affect your health. 

After a couple of years on ships, my eyes were completely wrecked to the point that I could no longer wear contacts without my eyes turning bloodshot and I had to have laser correction to remove the chapped top layer of my cornea as well as to restore my vision.

You’ve been warned.

View this post on Instagram Day 134: Curaçao ?? | 10 days left, get me off this ship ? Side note: any recommendations on places to get LASIK done in the Bay Area would be much appreciated. Ship air has dunzo’d these eyes #navigatoradventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Mar 6, 2018 at 1:44pm PST

17. Ship life affects your hormones and health

Blame it on the recycled air, the desalinated water, the fluctuating food quality, high stress, or close living quarters, but your health may take a hit while working on ships.

Some crew members gain weight, some break out with acne, and I, unfortunately, get my period every other week.

I’ve talked about this before in my post about my experience working with Peace Boat and circumnavigating the globe on a world voyage, but basically, be prepared for your body to change.

Related: How I Cruised Around the World for Free with Peace Boat

18. Internet is limited and expensive

I’ve had so many guests ask me if crew members get free Wi-Fi and the truth is that our internet packages actually tend to be more expensive than the guests’.

On Royal Caribbean, an hour of internet for the crew is USD 4 and expires within 24 hours.

While there are other package options for more time or over an extended period, the price per hour is generally about the same.

19. You rarely have control over your assignments

For many crew positions, you won’t be able to request a specific ship or itinerary for several years.

And even then, your preference request might not be granted. 

You usually stay with the same ship for the entirety of your contract but there are cases where you might be abruptly transferred to another ship and there’s nothing you can do about it.

They might not even give you 24 hours’ notice.

View this post on Instagram Day 91: Kristiansand, Norway | After a couple dramatic cruises and a near transfer with less than 24 hours’ notice, I’m grateful more than ever to call this floating tin can my home. Good days or bad, I’m not leaving ✊ #serenadeadventures #latergram A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Aug 18, 2018 at 4:44am PDT

20. Long-term relationships are difficult to sustain

Most relationships between crew members are short and limited to the length of the contract.

While it’s not impossible to get a following ship assignment together, it is very difficult and often unlikely.

This of course varies by company, but in my experience, couples need to submit official paperwork that proves they are in a formal, legally binding relationship of some sort and even then there is no guarantee that crew couples can be placed on the same ship.

It used to be easier to produce simple paperwork such as an apartment lease or utility bill with both names on the document to prove your relationship, but rules have since become stricter on many ships.

21. You’re away from family and friends for long periods of time

You end up watching life going on without you through social media: birthdays, weddings, kids growing, pet adoptions, game nights, brunch dates, etc.

Is Working on a Cruise Ship Worth It?

If you’re willing to put in the work and sacrifice the comforts of life at land, working on a cruise ship offers a lifestyle with travel opportunities you’ll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

Of all the jobs I’ve had that paid me to travel or let me see the world for free, my time working on cruise ships is the one chapter in my journey around the world that I look back on the fondest.

There is so much pride in cruise ship crew life, both the work and lifestyle.

While it’s definitely not the easiest travel job, it is the most rewarding.

View this post on Instagram Recovering from the best 147 days I ever worked at sea #serenadeadventures A post shared by Michelle Endo (@wandereatwrite) on Oct 16, 2018 at 1:03pm PDT

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Michelle is a freelance writer who has traveled to all seven continents and 60+ countries through various forms of employment. Over the last ten years, she’s worked as an ESL teacher in Japan, a youth counselor aboard cruise ships, and a hospitality manager in Antarctica.

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24 comments

I enjoyed reading this informative yet engaging post. Your mental strength is admirable and I love your honesty here. Thank you for sharing an insight into working on cruise ships.

Thanks for reading! Working on ships definitely takes some mental strength but you get used to– and addicted to– the lifestyle after a while.

Thank you for such a great and informatively written article on your experiences, and life working on a cruise ship, very helpful in my consideration. I appreciate your candor and humor as well.

Glad I could help!

A must read. Very well-written. Shared your article to my students who are cruise ship worker aspirants. 👏🏼☺️ 🛳

Wow, I’m flattered! I hope it’s helpful for them :)

Thank you for sharing your amazing journey! Your authenticity is both inspiring & appreciated.

Beautifully written. You answered many questions I had and even some I didn’t know I had :) I enjoyed your writing. I’ve applied to a few cruise ships. Wish me luck. Think we could possibly keep in touch through email?

Glad I could help and sending positive thoughts your way! Feel free to email me if you have further questions and I’ll do my best to help :)

I really enjoyed the read. I have been looking at what a day into he life would be. I wish I would have done this when I was in my 20s. This would have been perfect and to see the world.

i dont know how i got here but thank you its so informative. I have always wanted to work for cruises and I will safely say am still going to apply for it. hopefully will come back with some nice memories if I get it

Hi Michelle, it was very nice and informative to read your post! You could write novels on life on bord! Thank you for the time it took you to write it. Solange from London UK

This is extremely well written, informative, and enjoyable!

Love this because it answered questions I had and was written in a warm, relatable way. Great job and thank you.

Beautifully written, pros and cons are nicely explained, the way it is written with pictures made me to give a thoght about good and difficult times, this article can be an introduction for those who are thinking about pursuing cruise ship life. cruise ship life is really a hard nut to crack. You are a strong person, wish you happiness and more power to you. I enjoyed reading this article.

Thank you! Cruise ship life definitely has its challenges but I also found it to be a rewarding experience.

Wow. I really appreciate and admire you♥️ Im planning to apply for a cruise after experience of 5 star hotel. The disadvantage is too hard whether will i be able to fit. However, im gonna try since it’s my dream to work at cruise🙂 Thankyou so much you gave me alot knowledge about cruise♥️

I stumbled across your stories when I Googled crew life aboard a cruise ship. I will be joining the Pride of America ship with Norwegian Cruise Lines as soon as my MMC credentials have been completed. You are so detailed and the added photos have made this so enjoyable to read and your knowledge has helped me tremendously. Especially with what I need to pack, prohibited items etc. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences with all of us! I am very much looking forward to my life living and working on a cruise ship as a Bartender.

Hey!!!! This was a really great article and really helped with the questions I always had about cruise ship job. Thank you so much!

OMG I am so happy I found you. I will start my first contract in April. And this definitely helped me a lot. I wonder if you have a list of what to bring on board or some tips on what to pack. Thank you

Happy to help! Here’s an article I have for what to pack when working on a cruise ship .

Thanks for this interesting, well-written, behind-the-scenes look at working on a cruise ship!

Thoroughly enjoyed your stories and your views, great enlightenment on what to expect and what are the highlights and restrictions that you cover.

Keep writing

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So what is it really like to work on a cruise ship?

By BoiiMcFly , January 26, 2017 in Ask a Cruise Question

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Back when we were studying hospitality management, a friend and I wanted to do an internship on a cruise ship, but unfortunately we never ended up doing it.

I would, however like to know what it is like working aboard the cruise ships. I have heard good things and terrible things.

Also, which cruise line treats its employees the best?

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Working on a ship. In what capacity? Ship side or hotel side? Officer or crew? Bridge crew are going to work under very different conditions, and enjoy a very different pay scale, than the guys down in the laundry. The hotel director and his immediate staff will have a very different life than the guys scrubbing toilets and emptying your trash.

Which company treats its employees best? define "best".

navybankerteacher

There are a number of different "classes" of workers on ships. Ships' officers are well paid and have decent accommodations and conditions, seamen and engine room hands - not quite as good; hospitality and entertainment staff -

longer hours and less comfortable accommodations; housekeeping and food service people range from executive chefs and maitre d's to cabin stewards and assistant waiters -- long hours, low pay unless on a US flagged ship.

A lot of uninformed people who were weaned on "Love Boat" episodes have unrealistic views --- don't you think that, if pay and conditions were good, the lines would hire locally rather than East Asians and others with limited opportunities at home.

Working on a ship. In what capacity? Ship side or hotel side? Officer or crew? Bridge crew are going to work under very different conditions, and enjoy a very different pay scale, than the guys down in the laundry. The hotel director and his immediate staff will have a very different life than the guys scrubbing toilets and emptying your trash.   Which company treats its employees best? define "best".

I guess I'm curious to hear from all different departments. And best pretty much means highest pay, safest and most sanitary living and working conditions, overall fair treatment of the employees.

There are a number of different "classes" of workers on ships. Ships' officers are well paid and have decent accommodations and conditions, seamen and engine room hands - not quite as good; hospitality and entertainment staff - longer hours and less comfortable accommodations; housekeeping and food service people range from executive chefs and maitre d's to cabin stewards and assistant waiters -- long hours, low pay unless on a US flagged ship.   A lot of uninformed people who were weaned on "Love Boat" episodes have unrealistic views --- don't you think that, if pay and conditions were good, the lines would hire locally rather than East Asians and others with limited opportunities at home.

Great post, yes isn't that the reason why cruise ships are not based in the US so they can avoid all the strict regulations.

Crew members work LONG hours for 7 days a week. No one gets a day off - except the entertainers who get a night off every 7 days. They work for from 6-8 months with no time off. Waiters and room stewards count on tips as they are paid $85 a MONTH- not day or week.

Carnival is the ship that keeps couples together- married, gay or just couples. Some ships will send a husband to one ship and wife to another!

Crew vacations are 1 -2 months but they can't be sure if they will come back to the same ship unless their old department head requests them.

It is a very hard life on a cruise ship for most of the crew.

(We have been on 100+ cruises since 1985.)

isn't that the reason why cruise ships are not based in the US so they can avoid all the strict regulations.

Mostly it's taxes. There are still many US regulations that apply to any line/ship that stops or ports in USA. Especially US Coast Guard regs.

There are a number of books written from crew/staff perspectives "Cruise Confidential" (and rest of the series) and "The truth About Cruise Ships" come to mind. Check Amazon.

Particularly since the implementation of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC 2006) in 2013, the minimum pay, safety conditions, and working/living conditions on all ships are mandated by international code. These are the minimum standards, and many positions onboard will have different accommodations based on rank, but the cruise lines are pretty consistent across the industry.

Mostly it's taxes. There are still many US regulations that apply to any line/ship that stops or ports in USA. Especially US Coast Guard regs.   There are a number of books written from crew/staff perspectives "Cruise Confidential" (and rest of the series) and "The truth About Cruise Ships" come to mind. Check Amazon.

Actually, USCG regulations do not apply to foreign flag ships. Most people confuse the fact that USCG inspects the ships with the application of USCG regulations to those ships. The USCG inspects foreign ships under their "port state" authority, but only to ensure that the ship meets the international SOLAS requirements, not the more strict USCG regulations applicable to US flag ships.

Both of the books cited are somewhat fictionalized and sensational, and should be taken with a few grains of salt.

Back when we were studying hospitality management, a friend and I wanted to do an internship on a cruise ship, but unfortunately we never ended up doing it.   I would, however like to know what it is like working aboard the cruise ships. I have heard good things and terrible things.   Also, which cruise line treats its employees the best?

I don't think any cruise line offers internships on the ships, only at the corporate offices.

As stated, virtually all positions work 12-14 hours per day, 7 days a week, for the length of the contract, ranging from a couple months for senior positions to 10 months for entry level positions. Additionally, safety drills and training are mandatory and are usually outside the normal working hours. You have to learn other abilities besides the duties of the job you are hired for, like these safety duties, and doing work on turn-around day like wait staff and bar staff handling luggage.

Crew cabins for the majority of staff are smaller than the smallest passenger cabin, and house 4 crew. You have two sets of bunks, 4 drawers under the beds, and 4 lockers for the 4 crew. There is a 2' wide desk and chair, and a bathroom. Some staff have single or double cabins that only have private sinks, and share a toilet and shower with the cabin next door. Single cabins for lower staff are so small you can stand in one spot and touch all 4 walls. Naturally, the more senior the position, the larger the cabin. Some cabins for staff like casino dealers will be 6 man cabins.

Crew areas do not have carpeting, it is steel decks and linoleum. Crew dining is all cafeteria style, with the sole exception of the senior officers' dining room. Food is prepared in different galleys than the passengers, and the variety is far less.

I don't think any cruise line offers internships on the ships, only at the corporate offices.   As stated, virtually all positions work 12-14 hours per day, 7 days a week, for the length of the contract, ranging from a couple months for senior positions to 10 months for entry level positions. Additionally, safety drills and training are mandatory and are usually outside the normal working hours. You have to learn other abilities besides the duties of the job you are hired for, like these safety duties, and doing work on turn-around day like wait staff and bar staff handling luggage.   Crew cabins for the majority of staff are smaller than the smallest passenger cabin, and house 4 crew. You have two sets of bunks, 4 drawers under the beds, and 4 lockers for the 4 crew. There is a 2' wide desk and chair, and a bathroom. Some staff have single or double cabins that only have private sinks, and share a toilet and shower with the cabin next door. Single cabins for lower staff are so small you can stand in one spot and touch all 4 walls. Naturally, the more senior the position, the larger the cabin. Some cabins for staff like casino dealers will be 6 man cabins.   Crew areas do not have carpeting, it is steel decks and linoleum. Crew dining is all cafeteria style, with the sole exception of the senior officers' dining room. Food is prepared in different galleys than the passengers, and the variety is far less.

Wow, hats off to the crew. I wish cruise lines would offer the employees more humane living conditions, sounds close to modern day slavery. Are all cruise lines the same when it comes to employee standard of living?

While the living conditions may not be "humane" to someone from the US, most of the crew adapt to living onboard very well. I had junior engineers who lived in the small singles (touch all 4 walls, shared toilet and shower) in a single bed, with their wife onboard as guest (a perk for officers) for 5-6 months at a time.

You have to realize that all seafaring jobs are 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. A ship doesn't stop at night, or on the weekend, so work has to continue. Seafaring is a hard profession, and being a cruise ship dishwasher does not change that basic fact of life. Not everyone likes going to sea, but if you do, you adjust to the existing living conditions. Most cruise ship crew and staff accept the time away from family and the cramped living conditions in exchange for a better salary than they could get in their home countries. Most staff are content with their jobs, typically the complainers are the first time employees. No one is forcing the crew to sign on the ship, and they don't have to come back again if they aren't satisfied.

"More humane" living conditions would require more space in the ship (i.e. a larger ship or less passenger space, resulting in higher cruise fares), or more crew (resulting in higher cruise fares). Yes, you could walk from one line's ship to a ship of another line, and feel right at home, there is very little difference.

The crew are not living in dungeons and eating swill. If you saw the "bazaars" that pop up in areas around the crew spaces weekly, where those who can get ashore barter the goods they bought with those who couldn't get ashore, you'd see a vibrant culture. Or the "neighborhood" barber shop or seamstresses who service the crew on an ad hoc basis in these bazaars. There are crew parties, sometimes for instance, the engineering officers will pay for the snacks and beverages to the Food & Beverage department to host a party in the engine room for our crew, to show our appreciation.

To see the effects of what "more humane" policies would be, just look at the NCL Pride of America, a US flag cruise ship. The crew has to be mainly US citizens, paid US wages, and meet all US regulations. A 7 day cruise around Hawaii is generally more expensive than a 14 day cruise on a foreign flag ship from the West Coast to Hawaii and back to the West Coast. And the cruise from the West Coast burns 3-4 times as much fuel as the POA puttering around the islands. So, to get US standards on the ships would raise cruise fares double or triple what they are now.

There are a handful of German interns aboard the Artania, according to Verrückt nach Meer, a German TV documentary that follows passengers, crew, entertainers, and the interns on and off the cruise ship. http://www.ardmediathek.de/tv/Verr%C3%BCckt-nach-Meer/Sendung?documentId=3583382&bcastId=3583382

A lot depends on the position a crew member holds as to the working conditions.

So many good posts already with some great points and info.

Just to add my two cents:

I had dinner last week was someone who had worked as a massage therapist on a ship for two years and loved it. She said her contracts were for 6 months at a time and that she was treated very well. She got two days off per week which rotated. She was able to go off ship if it was her day off and it was a port day. She said the spa staff is typically treated very well since it is such a money generator for cruise lines.

Spa staff are typically not cruise line employees, but employed by the company that holds the spa concession, like the gift shop staff, and the art auction staff.

Lots of questions from you. Have you cruised yet? Ship/ itin? Wheres H-Town?

I have a friend now on a ship...and one who USED to do it...both are musicians...so it's not the same as a waiter, or attendant, or laundry person...

Both of the musicians had LONG hours, and had to "pitch in" to do other chores when not playing music. The itinerary gets old, after awhile...and you aren't "hobnobbing" with the guests...you aren't allowed to do that.

You have the "crew" dining room...and exercise space....you don't get to use the "guest" areas.

It's not like cruising as a passenger...that's for sure!

My theory is that if working onboard was so horrible we wouldn't have met some room stewards who have almost 20 years onboard. Have sailed many times over the years with the same waiters on the cruises out of Los Angeles. It can be a family business, met one room steward who was named Noordam. The ship his father was on when he was born.

Don't see many Americans because of our tax laws. Many countries have income tax exemptions, US doesn't. Have to pay no matter where you are worldwide.

H-Town = Houston. "H-Town vicious!"

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Yes I am very interested in cruise ships but have only cruise once so far. We will be going on our second cruise this spring. And H-town is Houston, Texas.

I'm fairly certain room stewards and servers get time off. I've seen them ashore, returning to the ship and they sometimes comment about what they did that day.

And in New Zealand once, our waiter actually missed the ship due to a terrible traffic jam. He caught up at the next port.

H-Town = Houston. "H-Town vicious!"     Sent from my iPhone using Forums

You know it baby!

Yeah, it's the city that's slowed, the city that's throwed

The city where them boys get they candy painted lows

The city where they build big killer and stay blowed

Hustlin' ass D-boys got the game sold

Where they sip that drank (sip that drank) and drip that paint (drip that paint)

And drop that top (drop that top) and grip that grain (hold up)

6-10-I-10-59-45 in the belt

This clutch city where we play what we dealt

Welcome my H-Town

That's a verse from the late Houston rapper **** C.

I'm fairly certain room stewards and servers get time off. I've seen them ashore, returning to the ship and they sometimes comment about what they did that day.   And in New Zealand once, our waiter actually missed the ship due to a terrible traffic jam. He caught up at the next port.

Because their work shifts are split (waiters do breakfast/dinner, lunch/dinner, or buffet/dinner)(stewards have time off between morning cleaning and turn down), they will get a couple of hours off, but many times it depends on what is available in port, and how close, as to whether they will go ashore.

Flatbush Flyer

About a decade ago, the California Maritime Academy did an alumni survey which found that the average longevity of recent "deck" grads going into "blue water" service was five years. It's a tough life - even for officers. And even for those who stick it out for years, those often most-coveted home-based positions (e.g., major US port bar pilot), are few and far between.

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14 Secrets of Cruise Ship Workers

From an outsider’s perspective, working on a cruise ship might seem like a dream job. What could be more glamorous than getting paid to travel the world by sea, without having to pay for housing or food? But as with many “dream” jobs, there are a few significant downsides to consider before you fill out an application. We spoke to a few cruise ship employees about what it’s like to live and work on a floating hotel.

1. Americans are the worst cruise workers.

On most large cruise liners, the majority of staff and crew are not American. “On any given contract, you’re working with about 64 nationalities,” says Kat, who spent three years working for a major cruise line. There are a number of possible drivers behind this statistic, but one is that cruise ship employees work really long hours and almost never get a day off, which isn’t particularly appealing to Americans used to a 40-hour workweek and relaxing on weekends. “On my worst contract, I was working close to 300 hours a month,” Kat says. “Yeah, you might be in beautiful places, but you’re so tired sometimes you don’t even want to go out and explore. A lot of times they won’t even hire Americans because the rate of people quitting is so high.”

Americans are also more expensive to employ, even if they do the same work as their counterparts from developing countries. Sam, who worked on Princess Cruises for two years, says her monthly salary of $1100 was higher than that of her Filipino boss. According to Sam, the official reason the ship gave was that the dollar is worth more to people from developing countries than it is to Americans.

2. Cruise ship workers are trained for pirate attacks.

It’s rare for pirates to take on a massive cruise ship, but it can happen, and if it does, the crew is prepared. Nolan, who worked for both Princess Cruises and Oceania Cruises, says he was trained to get all guests away from windows and spray the intruders with giant water cannons.

“Our ship can totally outrun their little dinghies,” he says. “We could spray them with water and they’d be helpless.” Other ships may be equipped with Long Range Acoustic Devices that emit loud, painful noises to deter attacks. That’s how a luxury cruise liner escaped a pirate attack off the coast of Africa in 2005.

3. Want to lose weight? Work on a cruise liner.

While passengers are feasting on steak and scrumptious seafood, the staff and crew aren’t so lucky. “Imagine eating at your high-school cafeteria three meals a day, seven days a week for a year,” writes one former cruise ship worker on Reddit. Kat recalls strange offerings like goat foot stew. The unappetizing food, combined with the many hours spent running the length of the ship, often mean crew members lose a significant amount of weight during their time at sea. “I would lose about 10 to 12 pounds per contract,” Kat says.

Gavin, who worked as a waiter for a major cruise line, said the crew would occasionally get treated to whatever leftovers remained from the passenger buffet, but “it would disappear so fast.”

4. Crew members sometimes mess with passengers.

Life at sea can get a bit monotonous. “It got mundane really fast,” writes one former worker on Reddit. “It was basically the same comedy of errors each day of the week, with a different ‘cast’ of passengers each week.”

Some crew members shake things up by getting a rise out of passengers in the form of good old practical jokes. According to another former crew member, “a favorite was while in a passenger area say to another crew member, loud enough to be heard by passengers, ‘Meet you in the bowling alley tonight!’” Of course, there wasn’t actually a bowling alley on board. “Then we'd wait for the comment cards to come in: ‘Why do crew get a bowling alley when we don't?’”

5. … and chance are the workers might be drunk.

When they’re not working, employees are probably drinking and partying. “We partied our asses off,” Gavin says. “We joked about how it makes a frat house look like a monastery.” The staff get their own designated watering holes on board, referred to as the crew bars, where the drinks are dirt cheap. “At the passenger bars they were charging like $15 for a drink and we’d go down into the crew bar and you could get a beer or mixed drinks for $1.25,” Sam says.

And what happens when you give copious amounts of cheap alcohol to people who are cooped up together for months at a time? “It seems like a cliche, but everyone was hooking up with each other,” Sam says. “In a lot of the crew areas there were these huge posters about STD prevention.”

The crew is regularly threatened with the possibility of random breathalyzer tests (and drug testing), but even this isn’t always enforced. “There was a strict limit on our ship of no more than .04 blood alcohol content at any time,” Gavin says, “but as long as you didn’t make a fool of yourself, you wouldn’t get randomly breathalyzed, so people would break that rule all the time.”

6. For the crew, hooking up with guests on the cruise is strictly forbidden.

So you spotted a cute crew member on your ship and are thinking of chatting them up? Good luck with that. Having sexual relations with a guest is one of the fastest ways for a crew member to get fired. This is mainly to protect the cruise line from reputation-damaging accusations of abuse. Ship security keeps a close eye on crew members day and night. That doesn’t mean hookups never happen, but if a crew member is caught in the act with a guest, they’re kicked off the ship at the next port.

7. Crew passengers are almost always being watched.

“It is safe to assume if you are outside of your cabin you are probably on camera,” Gavin says. “In the event of any kind of emergency, they could pull security footage at any time.”

8. Passengers have a lot of power over how much the crew gets paid.

At the end of a journey, you might be asked to rate your experience and share any praise or complaints on a comment card. These reviews are taken very seriously and often translate directly into salaries and bonuses for workers. “For most people, their salaries are quite low and they rely on those bonuses,” Kat says. So if you leave a bad review and mention someone by name, you can be sure they’ll feel the impact on their paycheck.

“The very best thing you can do for a crew member is to write a glowing review, mentioning them specifically on your comment card,” says a former cruise worker on Reddit. “Their superior’s superiors take note of that.”

9. Some cruise workers have double lives.

“You get a lot of married people that have their own separate lives on the cruise ship,” Kat says. “I’ve worked with couples that have wives at home and a whole different relationship while they’re on the cruise ship. It’s kind of like a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy.”

Gavin says one of his fellow employees lived as an out-of-the-closet gay man while on board, but was still closeted on land.

10. They have no idea what’s going on in the world.

“You stop following news and sports and pop culture,” Gavin says. “You’re really kind of isolated out there.” It can be difficult (and expensive) to find an internet connection while at sea, so many ship workers completely lose track of current events while on contract.

11. They speak in code.

Crew members have shorthand codes for everything from fires to medical emergencies, which they can announce over the loudspeaker without alarming passengers.

Code Adam: a child is missing Code Alpha: there’s a medical emergency Code Oscar: man overboard Code Bravo: fire on the ship

12. The cruise ship has many mafias.

But not the kind that will make you an offer you can’t refuse. According to Sam, the crew members on her ship were split into “mafias” based on their country of origin, and each mafia dealt in specific goods. For example, the Indian mafia was in charge of getting good food for the crew parties, she says. Because Sam worked in the youth center, she was tasked with providing art supplies for crew costume parties. “That’s just one of the economies of the ship,” Sam says. “Everyone is always trying to figure out what they can get from another person.”

One former cruise ship worker says the Filipino mafia was known for getting good booze at all hours. “If you wanted anything after hours, they would get it for you! The crew bar would close around 1 or 2. If you wanted to keep drinking, but were out of booze, you would just go to the Filipino mafia and get what you needed. You paid a huge markup obviously, but it was still pretty cool!”

13. There’s a morgue on board.

Roughly 200 people die on cruise ships every year, and cruise lines need some place to store the bodies safely until they get back to shore. As a result, many ships have small morgues on board that can hold five or six bodies. “We definitely had a morgue on board,” one former ship employee told me. “Because the line was for older demographics, we had people die on the ship pretty regularly.”

14. They will leave you behind.

If you leave the ship for an on-land excursion, make sure you get back before departure time. Cruise lines pay massive fines if they overstay their port time, so chances are high the ship will leave without you if you’re running behind. “You’re on your own,” Kat says. “They won’t wait.”

This list first ran in 2016 and was republished in 2019.

20 Facts You Should Know Before Working on a Cruise Ship

An occupation aboard a cruise ship may seem like a fantasy, and for some people it is. My three years at sea were filled with many exciting adventures, but there were also many occasions when life seemed like a nightmare.

If life at sea is something you’re contemplating, or if you’re simply wondering about what it’s like to be a member of a cruise ship’s crew, read on! Operating on cruise ships is not immune to the universal truth that every occupation comes with its share of pros and cons.

Work aboard a cruise ship may be tough, with long hours, few days off, strict regulations, difficult passengers, cramped cabins, and little personal space. However, it opens doors to destinations most people only imagine and introduces you to fascinating people from all over the globe.

This article will include both good and bad facts about working on a cruise ship.

Working on a cruise ship you’ll enjoy some things and also some aren’t that enjoyable. But overall it’s not that bad.

1. There are a lot of job opportunities

As the cruise industry grows and Royal Caribbean continues to construct new ships with capacities of 5,000 passengers or more, employment prospects for those interested in working on cruise ships are unlikely to diminish anytime soon. 

450 positions are available on a ship including commanders, care workers, performers, physicians, cooks, cruise directors, cabin attendants, and wellness therapists.

2. Little to no cost of living

People on ships often combine their living and working spaces. There is no reason to worry about rent or electricity payments as you would if you lived in the cities. Crew members are provided with free housing, utilities, and food when at sea.

There is a crew room, recreation room, library, and dining room. The cruise ship has a gym and swimming pool. The crew members also have access to the Internet and Wi-Fi. Crew members can also use the ship’s library and a game room.

3. New crew members undergo months of training

Intensive, aboard resident boot camps, are provided by the firms to incoming cruise ship employees as part of the company’s efforts to train such employees for careers at sea. 

Students participate in a training program that lasts for a total of thirteen weeks and gets instruction that is both general and position-specific, as well as an in-depth introduction to the industry in which they will eventually be employed.

These classes may be taken at any one of a number of training facilities, each of which specializes in a particular facet of crew training. 

For instance, Royal Caribbean ships its employees to a specialized facility located near Manila in order to complete training in areas like safety, housekeeping, and cuisine. 

4. Crew members do get promoted

It is typical for new crew members to start off in entry-level positions, but individuals who are driven have the opportunity to progress their careers on cruise ships. 

Employees are strongly encouraged to explore possibilities for additional education and promotion, and a significant number of them have already done so with positive results.

5. Short work commute

Now, obviously, this is going to take place after you have already embarked on the ship. To go to work each day won’t take you more than a few minutes after you’ve boarded the train, though, which is a significant time-saving. 

6. 6-8 Week Vacation In Between Contracts

Because there are no vacation days included in a seafarer’s contract, the norm for the sector mandates a break of at least six weeks between employment agreements. 

In spite of the fact that you won’t get paid during this period, you’ll have more than a week to discover everything at your own speed.

7. Crew discounts

It is very uncommon for crew members to be eligible for discounts at almost every business located inside a specific port, including taxis and shuttle services, restaurants, bars, hotels, and even beach resorts. 

There are a lot of businesses that are aware of the fact that passengers will only visit their location once, but crew members will come back each time their ship docks. This might result in a significant amount of recurring income.

8. International connections

The staff portion of a cruise ship is more like a little multicultural metropolis, in contrast to the relatively small number of nationalities that are likely to be represented among the guests. 

It is a chance that comes along just once in a person’s lifetime to meet and get to know people from all over the world, both in their professional and personal lives.

9. Charter cruises

If a corporation or other organization wishes to treat its employees to a special event or motivational cruise, they can decide to rent the whole vessel for the purpose. 

The demography of your guests and the atmosphere on board are significantly different from that of a traditional cruise ship, both of which are notable differences.

Charters are something that crew members look forward to, especially ones that include going to music festivals. Your participation in these activities is restricted depending on your rank. 

Depending on the line of work that you’re in, charters might either be beneficial or detrimental.

10. Cv/Resume Boost

As a result of their time spent at sea, members of the crew have a diverse set of skills that can be applied in other contexts. These skills include fluency in a number of languages, and professional experience working with a diverse range of people.

Expertise in areas such as customer service and strategic planning, and the ability to quickly pick up new information.

The most notable quality that sets apart members of the crew is the tremendous mental toughness they possess. It is challenging to put in long hours for a period of months at a time without seeing the sun or the people you care about.

In addition, cruise lines will often give their staff members an education that would equip them to compete effectively for positions in other industries should they ever decide to leave the maritime industry. 

For example, a significant number of chefs go back to their birthplaces and create restaurants there. This further improves their CVs.

11. There Are No Days Off

Weekends and holidays are nonexistent aboard ships. During the duration of your agreement, you will labor nonstop, with just a few hours off in between shifts. 

On dry ground, you can party like crazy on a Friday night and still have Saturday and Sunday to rest up. The following day still brings the same routine of labor and duty aboard the ship.

When you aren’t accustomed to the amount, this could seem like a lot. To tell you the truth, it is a lot even after you have been used to it. 

The fact that your time off is really calculated in hours rather than days is one of the factors that might be one of the most difficult aspects for a new group. It’s like striking gold to have a chunk of five or six hours off in the middle of the day.

12. Don’t Party Too Hard

Fun can be had on cruise ships—we’re talking a serious amount of fun here. However, there are those individuals who go a little too far with it. 

When working aboard, one of the numerous restrictions that you are expected to observe is to limit the amount of alcohol that you consume. 

There are various needs to fulfill based on whether you are already at work or are planning to go to work, and even within that, there are variations based on the job that you have, etc. 

In general, though, it is essential to keep it under control at all times.

13. Contracts are long

After successfully completing their training, crew members are eligible to get a job offer for a period of time that normally lasts between two and nine months. 

There are no vacation rights; rather, crew members have the ability to pick when they take the six- to eight-week vacation that is usually included with lengthier contracts. 

Although it is possible for them to operate for four months, then take two months off, and then come back to the ship to work on the second part of the agreement, the majority of people chose to complete the whole term at once.

Although there is a lot of conjecture regarding the wages of crew members on the Cruise Critic boards, cruise companies do not reveal rates of compensation or perks in public. 

However, one may extrapolate that working on cruise ships is a desirable occupation by looking at the large number of workers who remain with the same cruise company for a significant amount of time. 

14. You’re On Call 24/7

In the event that there is a medical emergency, a fire, a concern over safety, or a person who has been separated from the group, each member of the crew has to be ready to take action.

When the alarm goes off, it does not matter where you are or what time it is; you have about seven minutes to go to the spot where the emergency is taking place.

15. Small Living Quarters

Crew quarters are much more cramped than guest quarters. The rooms are tiny unless you are a high-ranking officer or member of the staff. 

The standard living quarters for crew members consist of a bunk bed, a table with a few drawers and shelves, two tiny wardrobe closets, and a bathroom big enough to poop, take a shower, and shave in.

19. Hidden Storage Places in Your Cabin

This one is going to completely alter the game for you, particularly if you are staying in a bunk cabin with a companion. There is a severe lack of storage space! The space under your bed is an excellent prospective resource, but you may not be aware of it. 

If you pull up the bed, you may often discover access to a room beneath the bed that is sufficient to store a bag. However, the majority of cabins will also feature a number of cabinets below the bed as well. That’s some serious room preservation right there!

17. It’s A Bit Military-Esque

All aspects of life, from where you may go and what you can do to what you can do, are subject to strict laws and regulations. Routine cabin inspections necessitate that all bedding be made. You will report back to management if we don’t make the grade.

When you work on a cruise ship, there are around one million different regulations. When working aboard a cruise ship for the first time, you may be taken aback by the sheer number of regulations that must be followed. 

There are an infinite number of rules, not all of them are compatible with one another between cruise lines, and rules may change over time.

For example, it is not a regulation on all travel companies that passengers are prohibited from consuming hard liquor while on board, and for other cruise lines, this restriction used to exist but has since been eliminated.

18. You Have To Be Mentally Strong

As was noted previously, working aboard cruise ships is not only taxing on one’s body but also on one’s mind. You are separated from your family and friends for a considerable amount of time, you are unable to find any time for yourself, and you do not have any close friends in the area.

In addition, life aboard cruise ships is governed by an abundance of regulations, and passengers lack the autonomy to plan their own schedules or make their own judgments. 

The requirements of the business must always come first, and you must not deviate from them.

19. Crew Aren’t Treated The Same As Guests

Security is looking to see if we have any illegal substances on us since crew members are often used as smugglers by locals. However, it’s not only the guards on board the ship that has been unfriendly. 

Unfortunately, we sometimes get into trouble with the port authorities in our area.

20. The Seas Can Be Rough

While passengers may rest in their cabins if they feel seasick, the crew must continue working as normal no matter the climate or the state of the waves.

Is Working On A Cruise Ship Worth It?

If you are ready to put in the effort and forego some of the amenities of living on land, working aboard a cruise ship may provide you with a culture and vacation chances that are difficult to obtain in other occupations. 

The lifestyle and the job that cruise ship crew members do inspire a great deal of satisfaction in them. Although it’s not the travel profession with the least amount of difficulty, becoming a tour guide is without a doubt the most gratifying.

Whenever you want to get some awesome experience you should go on a cruise . While some are workers on the cruise. No matter what, a cruise will give you a memorable experience in life.

Angel Portillo is an experienced tourism professional who has worked in the travel industry for many years. He has extensive knowledge of the different destinations that are popular among tourists, and is able to provide tips and advice on how to make the most of your visit. His passion for travel is evident in her writing, which is full of interesting and descriptive details about the different places he's visited.

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Cruise Employees Share What It's ACTUALLY Like To Work on a Cruise Ship

Alina Wang is a staff writer at Cheapism covering travel and personal finance. Prior to joining the Cheapism team, Alina worked as a U.S.-based correspondent for Vision Times and interned for several media outlets during college. She currently lives in Colorado.

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Aye Aye, Captain

Boasting relaxation, adventure, and all-inclusive amenities , it's no wonder that cruises rank among the most sought-after vacation choices. But while they attract millions of travelers  each year, the realities for those employed aboard these floating resorts are very different. While operating behind the scenes to ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience for guests, cruise ship employees face a distinct set of challenges that diverge sharply from the glamorous vacationer's lifestyle.

From working super long hours to being apart from family and loved ones for months on end, here's what life is really like for cruise ship workers. 

1. Long Working Hours

Cruise ship employees often work incredibly long hours, sometimes up to 12-14 hours a day without a day off for weeks. "Customers will treat you like a servant, and you'll work insane hours without ANY days off for 6-10 months," writes one former cruise worker  on Reddit. On top of the grueling schedule, the work can also be physically and mentally-taxing, with almost no time left for recreation and personal relaxation. 

"This is a job that has a LOT of hours of work and very little free time," writes another user  who worked as a bartender on a cruise ship. "You will get very little, if any, time in port if you work as a bartender. And you will work long and hard hours." Yikes! 

Related:   23 Things That You Should Never Do on a Cruise

2. Extended Time Away From Home

Employees on cruise ships are typically contracted  for several months at a time, meaning they spend extended periods away from family and friends. This separation can lead to feelings of isolation and homesickness — particularly during holidays or family milestones — which they have to miss. Cruise lines often also hire workers from other countries  to capitalize on currency conversion rates and pay lower wages.

"Cruise lines typically hire workers from Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe," writes one user. "That is because they can pay them a little as possible, the money does translate for them to be fairly good, and they aren't going to quit because they are far away from home." Well, damn. 

Related:   The Worst Cruise Ship Horror Stories

3. Subpar Living Quarters

The living conditions on a cruise ship can be cramped, with several employees sharing the same bathroom and living space. "The rooms are very small, the bathrooms are generally shared (with some exceptions)." writes one  former cruise worker. Staff quarters are typically also much smaller than guest accommodations and are often shared with multiple coworkers, several users pointed out. 

"If you want a job that will let you see the world, there are better options that don't involve living in a cramped space with hundreds of other people,"  writes another user.  

4. Strict Rules and Regulations

Working on a cruise ship also means having to adhere to a strict set of rules  and regulations. These mandates can govern everything from personal conduct and dress codes to what foods they can eat and where they're allowed to hang out. Employees must maintain a high level of professionalism at all times, which can add an additional layer of stress to their already demanding roles. 

"Depending on the line and ship, you aren't allowed to eat the same food as the guests," writes one user,  adding, "And you aren't allowed to be in guest areas (with some exceptions)." 

Related:   14 Types of People Who Really Should Never Take a Cruise

5. Limited Access to Communication

While at sea, internet access can be limited or expensive — making it difficult for crew members to stay connected with their loved ones ashore. This can enhance feelings of isolation and make it harder to manage personal affairs while working for months on end. In fact, some cruise lines don't even offer free wifi to their employees, says one user . 

"Newer ships are great for cabins and wifi, older ships cabins can suck and really make you not want to be there," writes another user , adding, "Most bar staff would just go to the cafe at the dock to use the internet, call home, or transfer money."

6. Low Compensation

Cruise ship employees often face very low pay , especially when compared to similar roles on land. Cruise lines may try to leverage favorable currency conversion rates to offer wages that appear competitive in the employee's home country, but are relatively low by international standards. This issue is then compounded by the fact that many workers are from regions where economic conditions make any job opportunity attractive, despite the low pay. 

As one user points out , "If you’re from the countries they get most of the crew from (Philippines for restaurant workers, Thailand for housekeeping), it’s a better living than many jobs back home, but by American standards, it’s nonstop grueling work from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed for next to no pay." YIKES! 

7. Physically Demanding Work

Many roles on cruise ships are physically demanding, from deckhands to entertainment staff. Physical exhaustion is common, users point out, adding that the constant movement of the ship and the need to be always "on" in public areas can also be mentally-taxing. "[Servers and housekeeping staff] really do work 12+ hours a day," writes one user  who worked as an entertainer on a cruise ship. "[They're also given] rare opportunities for time off, including port days."

"We had long hours and were always on call," writes another user  who worked on a Holland America Line with her husband 10 years ago. "We only lasted 3 years because ship life can get tiresome," she adds. No kidding! 

Related:   Don’t Sink Your Wallet: 7 Things You Should Never Buy While on a Cruise

8. Job Security and Seasonality

Cruise ship employment can be highly seasonal, with many contracts offering little job security and next to zero opportunities for advancement. This can lead to uncertainty about future employment and financial instability, especially when contracts end and there is a wait before the next embarkation. "Some contracts are 9 or 10 months [but] you work every day of it. EVERY DAY!" writes one user.  

Another Redditor who worked as a photographer  aboard big names like Royal Caribbean, Silja Line, and Holland America says, "It was very, very, hard work, and the working contract was only 4 months due to the pressure and work load." 

For more cruise news you can use,   sign up for our free newsletters .

9. Safety Drills and Responsibilities

Since safety is paramount on cruise ships, employees are expected to be well-versed in drills and emergency procedures. These responsibilities — while critical for the safety of everyone on board — add another layer of seriousness to their roles, which can be time-consuming and pressure-filled. 

"We did fire training a lot," writes one user , adding, "Maybe once a week there was a basic verbal training, as in what to do when you hear the alarm, what are the types of fire extinguishers etc, and once a month was a full-on training where they got into the fire suits and did full evacuation drill." 

Related:   Before You Set Sail, Learn these Surprising Cruise Ship Facts

10. Personal Growth and Unique Experiences

Despite these challenges, some users pointed out that working on a cruise ship provided them with unique experiences and memories that led to significant personal and professional growth. "Worked on a Carnival cruise line for 4 years in the spa," writes one user. "It is what you make of it — you can complain about long hours and little pay, or see it as getting paid to travel. I saw more of the world than I would’ve [been able to] and don’t regret a thing about it."

Other employees also noted the opportunity to travel the world, meet new people, and gain valuable industry experience as key benefits of their job.

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20 Crew Members Talk About What It's Really Like to Work on Cruise Ships

While you’re having a blast on your summer cruise – floating in the pool, sipping on florescent drinks, living it up at the buffet – know that the crew members are having a very different kind of experience and that they’re probably partying harder than you.

Twenty current and former cruise ship employees took to Reddit to open up about their experiences of “ship life,” and it sounds very, very intense.

1. “We don’t want you to know that we actually have more fun than the guests. Sure, we’ll work the big white hot party that you’re all going to, but once we finish our shift, all hell breaks loose in the crew bar.”

2. “You will never be alone. Relationships happen really fast. Your body clock changes. Grudges can fester. Everyone higher rank than you is an idiot.”

3. “You deal with three types of people: Newlyweds, over-feds, and soon-to-be deads.”

4. “Girls (and guys) go crazy over you if you have a solo room.”

5. “The younger kids employees humped like rabbits and drank like fish. Most people would blow every paycheck going nuts at each port and drinking on the cruise ship. The rooms were pretty small, and the vast majority of them were shared. The meals for the crews was pretty bomb, and you could also eat/drink anywhere you wanted on the ship as long as you were off your shift and not in your work clothes.”

6. “We had a saying: ‘Every night is a Friday night, and every morning is a Monday morning.'”

7. “Think of a time you did something embarrassing while drunk at a bar. Now imagine having to see every single person who saw you do that embarrassing drunk thing, every day for months and months. That’s what ship life is like.”

8. “The hours are very long, and the tiny cabins have walls thinner than paper, so you can hear everything your neighbors are doing. The crew food is bloody awful unless you like living on boiled rice. The crew bar is very cheap, but also full of creepy guys hitting on everyone and insanely gorgeous girls sneering at everyone. But none of that matters because in five years on cruise ships, I literally traveled the world. I visited every continent except Antarctica and went to over 75 countries.”

9. “Everyone sleeps with everyone. Clarification: Crew members sleep with crew members. Crew sleeping with passengers is strictly – like, kick you off the next day strictly – forbidden.”

10. “The rooms are tiny, and your shower curtain will always be trying to get to know you biblically.”

11. “The best way I could describe working on a ship is this: Work hard, play hard, work harder, play harder, die a little and do that cycle for almost a year.”

12. “Working for a cruise is either a great way to save money or an awful one. Your lodging and food is paid for, and you’re getting paid, so that’s great. But cruises are boring . Sure, cheap booze and free travel is great for the first little while, but the appeal fades. Wifi is usually anywhere from $5/day to $10/hour, and there is no cell service. So, when you’re not working, you’re trying your best to find anything to do.”

13. “Almost EVERY employee smoked weed. When we weren’t performing or sleeping, we were toking like there was no tomorrow. It was a great way to pass the time.”

14. “Crew members are super hard-working, and work weeks are 70 hours a week without a single day off for 6 to 8 months at a time. Most crew members rely on tips for their wages. My position was salaried for $58 a day. I was an officer on board working in the guest services office. It came out to roughly $1400 a month after taxes. No one else is taxed besides Americans on board. Every single day feels like a Monday morning.”

15. “Ship life is basically high school mixed with jail. Remember high school, where everyone knew everything about everyone’s business? Who was hooking up with whom, cheating on so-and-so, doing this-and-that, being a such-and-such? Well, that’s ship life in a nutshell. The bar is where we all congregate and commiserate, and it’s our only meat market option, because sleeping with guests is not tolerated. Now, let’s add in the jail factor – you’re in a tin can, and you can’t leave.”

16. “One of my friends plays in the cruise band. He said he practices like one to two hours a day and then plays a show. So there’s only about four hours of real work. After that, he just drinks at the crew bar and supposedly partakes in orgies or threesomes. He also said there’s no such thing as a ‘dry’ country. You can find somewhere to drink in port, even in strict Islamic countries.”

17. “I was a diving instructor on a cruise ship. The reason I quit was the relationship between the crew and the guests. We were expected to be ghosts. We couldn’t sit anywhere guests were and would have to move if they wanted to come where we were sitting. I’d see them for their dives and not be acknowledged for the rest of the time, except if they wanted something. It’s degrading.”

18. “There are basically 3 to 4 channels on the TVs, and they loop the same movies over and over. So you’ll end up watching a movie in chunks depending on when you turn your TV on, until they switch out the movies.”

19. “If crew are caught sleeping with guests, they’re put off in the next port with a ticket home. That’s the threat at least. I only saw it put into action once.”

20. “We would drink almost every night. I’d wake up in the morning and roll out of bed hungover and be on the job 5 minutes later, looking like death warmed up.”

All posts have been edited from Reddit for length and clarity.

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I quit my desk job to work on cruises 10 years ago. It has its drawbacks, but I've seen 79 countries.

• Years ago, I quit my desk job in NYC to work as an entertainment host for a major cruise line.
• The first few weeks were overwhelming, but I quickly adjusted to the lifestyle.  
• The living quarters were incredibly small, and there were mandatory weekly inspections.  

After I graduated from college with a journalism degree, I got a job at a highly regarded publication in New York City.

However, my two-hour commute and crowded cubicle were anything but glamorous. I started getting stress-induced bald spots  and endlessly scrolled through Instagram, desperate to find a way to make a living as a nomad .

When I learned that onboard cruise-ship employees get a paycheck while traveling and meeting new people every day, I auditioned to be an entertainment host for a major cruise line . When I got the job, I left New York for good on my first contract, which lasted seven months.

Now, I've worked on cruise ships for nearly a decade and have visited 79 countries. Here are seven things that first surprised me most about working on a cruise .

I've barely met any other Americans working on cruise ships

The first day I boarded a cruise ship, my crew members coined me "Erica from America" since I was just one of nine American employees.

I've noticed similar numbers since. Crew members come from all over the world, and I've always found a very small percentage of Americans working on board.

Even years later, everyone in my life calls me Erica from America — and it's the name on my TikTok handle .

The first week of working on a ship can be incredibly overwhelming and stressful 

Safety is the most important thing on cruises. So, whether a crew member is a brand-new hire or they've been working there for 20 years, they have to complete safety training during the first few weeks — and that's in addition to their regular job prep.

Between presenting all of my medical paperwork to officers to learning about fire codes, I've always found the crews' onboarding process intimidating.

The first day I walked on a ship, I learned how to operate a deadly, watertight door. I cried in the bathroom every day for a week straight. The requirements were a lot to handle, especially after hours of travel, but life on board got so much easier after the first few weeks.

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The crew cabins are seriously cramped

On the ships where I've worked, the crew cabins are about half the size of a walk-in closet, and the wardrobes have just enough space to fit five hangers on each side. Not to mention, I've usually lived in those tiny spaces with two other employees I don't know.

The cabins typically also have a mini fridge and a flat-screen TV that can swing to face the top bunk.

The bathroom is usually so tiny that I can bathe, brush my teeth, and use the toilet without taking barely any steps. Showers are often so small that the curtain clings to my butt when I'm in it.

My roommates and I also have to prepare for mandatory cabin inspections once per week, which is when staff checks that our quarters are orderly.

The dating culture is dramatic but can also be amazing

I expected to experience college-like drama on the ship, but the reality was even wilder.

As a crew member, I'm often surrounded by adults who are away from home for nine months at a time, working extremely hard, and trotting around the world.

Some are married, some are single, and some are married but "single" on ships. Many of the people I meet are truly amazing partners, but others are not. Life on a ship brings many heartbreaks, but it also leads to plenty of amazing love stories.

It wasn't hard for me to adjust to the lifestyle

Working on a ship isn't for everyone, and I've seen many people quit within their first month.

Some crew members work eight to 12 hours per day, with no days off, for seven months straight. However, my coworkers love this lifestyle and their jobs. If you don't, you probably won't make it very long on board. 

Working on a ship, we wake up in a different country virtually every day and appreciate every free moment. Being part of such an amazing group of people is the most special experience I've ever had. I feel such a sense of community and morale with the other crew members.

Contracts can vary, but I often have time to relax for a few months between them where I can eat junk food, sleep all day, and catch up on pop culture. 

Crew life is a blast, even after work

Cruise-ship crews are known for partying after work, and in my experience, that's partially true. However, there are very strict alcohol policies for the staff when they're working, so learning a level of self-control is crucial.

There's usually an onboard bar for crew members, where the drinks are cheap and the parties are so much fun. Ships usually have a human-resource team on board that plans events for the crew, offers support, and organizes onshore crew tours.

Some cruise employees, like entertainment hosts, get more time off in the ports than others because they don't interact with guests as much when the ship is docked. I've been lucky to explore parts of the world I never thought I'd see in person. I've gone dogsledding in Alaska, run around Petra, and gone cave-diving for glowworms in New Zealand.

This journey can feel full of love but also lonely 

Although I've made amazing friends who feel like family since boarding my first ship, I realized that I'm truly on my own throughout this journey.

It's special to be surrounded by hundreds of crew members and passengers, but no one will ever experience things exactly the same way I do.

I feel close to other crew members because of our shared lifestyle on the water. However, when I return home from a contract, I sometimes find it harder to relate to land-based friends and family. Still, I'm so lucky to have a supportive family who visits me a lot.

It's hard to describe my lifestyle to people who have never experienced ship life . The truth is that I can feel lonely at times, but living on the ships is the most enthralling and fulfilling thing I've ever chosen to do. 

This story was originally published on May 10, 2021, and most recently updated on July 9, 2024.

Watch: Why it costs $1 million a day to run one of the world's biggest cruise ships

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What it's really like to work on a cruise ship

Current and former cruise ship employees revealed their secrets in a new thread on the website Reddit. Photo / iStock

Cruise ship employees have revealed what it's really like to live and work at sea for months at a time.

In a new thread on the US-based website Reddit, current and former workers lifted the veil on their exploits as they explained what goes on behind closed doors or in plain sight when passengers aren't paying attention.

Anonymous crew members told tales of random hookups with colleagues, booze-fuelled parties, hatred for bosses and

Cruise ship 'hanky panky'

It's no surprise that cruise ship workers become involved in flings or serious relationships, given that they live and work in close quarters for weeks or months on end.

A Reddit user named MirtaGev wrote: "Everyone sleeps with everyone."

Another user, JMPBass, added: "Remember high school, where everyone knew everything about everyone's business? Who was macking whom, cheating on so-and-so, doing this-and-that, being a such-and-such? Well, that's ship life in a nutshell.

"The bar is where we all congregate, it's where we all commiserate and it's our only meat market option."

Hookups with passengers are a no-no

User heapsgoods worked on a cruise ship for three years and revealed they had three friends sent home for sleeping with passengers.

It's a strict no-no for crew members.

The Redditor wrote: "Essentially you get busted, you have a masters hearing and you're sent home at the next port (on your dime).

"The cruise companies don't want to be liable for anything and rape accusations are all too real. We aren't allowed to take elevator rides with guests if you're the only two people in it either, for the same reason."

Having your own cabin has its perks

Most employees sleep in shared cabins that are tiny and cramped, but officers tend to have their own rooms. It turns out there are a number of advantages, especially for those who are looking for love.

One user wrote: "If you have a solo room then you might as well write a blank booty cheque.

"Girls (and guys) go crazy over you as you have a solo room. Ugliest guys get prettiest girls if they have a solo room... I should know."

A female crew member said she enjoyed similar "benefits" as an officer, which meant she had a large cabin with a double bed and windows.

Your social life is better at sea than it is on land

Workers said a lot of partying happens when they're at sea or on their down time when the vessel is at port, although not every employee is into that kind of lifestyle.

Employees have access to cheap booze from the crew bar or event discounts at certain bars or restaurants on land.

Reddit user heapsgoods wrote: "There is a crew only bar, and beers are $1.50. Some ships have a crew only hot tub."

An engineer who worked four months at a time on cruise ships for three years added: "Alcohol (including spirits with my company) was very cheap and you would often find yourself buying drinks for an entire room of people for very little cost.

"I could, as an officer, order room service and there were even some crew cooking in there cabins and selling it to other hungry crew members.

"All in all it's a hard lifestyle to maintain and sleep is limited if you're social and want to go ashore at the same time but in my opinion, totally worth it. If for a few years in any case."

There is no such thing as privacy

User Seastar321, who worked on cruise ships for five years, described the joy of sharing a room with colleagues and working alongside them all day.

They wrote: "Long working hours, very small shared cabin with walls thinner than paper so you can hear everything your neighbours are doing."

User too-tsunami added: "Think of a time you did something embarrassing while drunk at a bar. Now imagine having to see every single person who saw you do that embarrassing drunk thing, every day for months & months. That's what ship life is like"

The food for crew is really bad

Several crew members wrote on the thread that the food served to crew is "almost inedible" or "really bad".

Workers also said they had limited options or had to eat food they weren't used to.

A user named too-tsunami wrote: "Food is provided, but the two most common ethnicities on my ship were the Philippines and India, so the crew cafeteria was usually full of food I wasn't used to, like pigtail stew & fish heads. I ate a lot of salad & mashed potatoes on my contracts."

It's not all play

Many employees complained they worked long hours for days on end and didn't get paid what they should have.

A user named teddersman wrote: "Crew members are super hard working and work weeks are 70 hours a week without a single day off for 6-8 months at a time.

"Most crew members rely on tips for their wages. My position was salaried for $58/a day, I was an officer on board working in the guest services office. Came out to roughly $1400 a month after taxes. No one else is taxed besides Americans on board."

Redditor JMPBass, a musician in a cruise ship band, called it the 'jail factor', adding: "You're in a tin can and you can't leave. Some people can never get off in port because their jobs don't allow for it."

It's a great way to see the world

Many people dream of having a job where they get paid while exploring the world. Even though they put in a lot of hours, cruise ship workers take in a lot of the sights.

User Seastar321 wrote: "In five years on cruise ships I literally travelled the world. I basically visited every continent except Antarctica and went to over 75 countries."

Their experiences included a sled dog ride in Alaska, white water rafting in Costa Rica, a day on a luxury yacht in the Caribbean, snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef and visiting the pyramids of Egypt.

The Redditor added: "None of the bulls*** you have to put up with on board matters compared to that."

There is a class system

User TickleMafia said things are very divided by position.

They wrote: "There is almost a caste system in place with officers at the top, then entertainment, then front-of-house, then the back of house.

"These groups are usually divided by nationality too, so there isn't a lot of interaction between them."

A user named BilliousN added: "Totally depends on which country you come from. My wife and I met working on ships. She's Indonesian, worked 10 month contracts without a day off, 12-14 hours a day... and made about $600 bucks a month.

"Lived in a shared room, ate food that was literally made from the scraps of what passengers didn't eat, never had time to get off ship in port.

"I'm American, worked 4 month contracts, had a solo room, usually worked about 6-10 hours a day, ate with the passengers in the lido, and made around $3000 a month."

Workers don't pay rent (but may have to pay for toilet paper)

Cruise ship employees don't have to pay rent on their cabins, although many are sending money back home to support their families.

User TickleMafia, a musician, wrote: "Paying zero rent or bills is a great deal and I've been incredibly lucky that that is an option, but... the pay is almost always less then what you make on land, and if you lose work on land it can be a wash.

"Some lines also try and suck the crew dry, charging extra for necessities like toilet paper, drinking water or over-charging for internet."

A user named teddersman added: "Wifi was $5 a day for 24 hour access to limited social media apps or $10 for 100 minutes unrestricted. I spent way too much money on the s***** wifi."

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Greek island working on tough new rules to keep out tourists

Millions of people visit the island every year, many of them UK holidaymakers and cruise ship visitors

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Santorini, a Greek island beloved by UK holidaymakers, is working on new restrictions that could make holidays more challenging - and possibly costlier - reducing tourist numbers. Local authorities on the island have put forward a proposition for new rules that would impose stringent constraints on the construction of hotels and holiday rentals.

The proposed legislation is designed to halt new construction endeavours, with a blanket prohibition on the establishment of new hotels, expansions, and swimming pools. The primary objective of these measures is to preserve the natural beauty of the island, preventing any further alterations.

Speaking to the press, Nikos Zorzos, Santorini's mayor, revealed that he has appealed to the national government seeking action: "halt the construction of all types of hotel units, short-term rentals, and especially strategic investments, not only for the caldera but for the entire island of Santorini."

With a population of merely 25,000 locals, the island welcomed an immense footfall of 3.2 million visitors in 2023. Mr Zorzos expressed concerns regarding the island's capacity for sustainable development, warning that continuous building will lead to insurmountable issues including utilities such as water and electricity, "which we have worked hard to get to their present level, and we keep working on".

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Concerns over safety on Santorini have escalated, with a landslide in April sparking worries about the island's delicate environment and the caldera slopes' stability. Efthymis Lekkas, head of the Anti-Seismic Planning and Protection Organization (OASP), commented: "This year, after the landslide in April, meetings of the intergovernmental committee were held specifically for Santorini, and, next, the issue of the stability of the slopes of the caldera was examined.", reports Bristol Live .

In response to these concerns, new legislation is being proposed that will require businesses within the caldera area to carry out structural adequacy studies within two years, as reported by the Express. Additionally, local planning authorities are set to reassess all current building permits in the zone before the year's end.

This legislative move follows announcements from Santorini and another top tourist destination, Mykonos, to limit the number of cruise ships permitted to dock. The Greek National Tourism Organisation noted that cruise ship arrivals into Greece and its islands surged to seven million in 2023, a significant increase from 4.38 million in the previous year.

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