I’ve been offered a job on a cruise ship as a video technician.
I’ve never worked on one before.

There are obviously plus points to this, sunshine, see nice places, save some money etc

But

I will have to work 10 hours a day 7 days a week for 6 months with no days off.

I will have to share a small cabin (2 bunks!) with an unknown for the 6 months.

I will not be able to ride my bike for 6 months.

It will cost me £700 in medical/visa fees, travel etc just to try it out.

Anyone done this before?

Should I?

Ok that’s the downsides what are the good bits? Obviously there’s an income you won’t have to touch (providing you can live in the UK rent free) and a captive audience on board. That’s pretty much a years work in 6 months without any overheads – it could be a good opportunity to stuff you wouldn’t have gotten to see and earn enough to keep you for the rest of the year. When would it start?

If I had no ties and was of an age it could work I’d certainly give it some good consideration.

Sounds like a bag of ank to me, all cooped up, no countryside, bike riding or time off. Depends on what the money is.

Some cruise ships have bikes on board for rides when they dock. There’s been jobs advertised on bikebiz for cruise ship bike guides

It’ll be an adventure, the hills will still be there to ride when you get back.

What tyres for a norovirus ridden floating hotel?

Seriously though it is a balance of workhard now and then have quality time off at the end having made good money. How do you cope when things are a grind? I worked similar hours for a shorter contract and felt a bit burnt out at the end of it. This was a different industry though.

Money is about £17k pa (so half that for the 6 months) but no board or food to pay for.
I don’t want to work out the hourly rate 🙁

I’ve been in the merchant navy (container ships and tankers) and can tell you that when the going gets tough – it gets to you. Bad. If you have a crap ship your life will be crap and you will feel like it even when walking down the plank for the last time. I did 3 months on and off and honestly, couldn’t of stuck a bad ship for 6.

That said, when it’s good it’s a riot. You’ll have plenty of crew to socialise with, plenty of impressionable young women (not all of them will be able to bag an officer) and you could have the time of your life. There’s also the tax break you get from being out of the UK and all the moneys waiting for you (if you’re sensible) when you get home.

I doubt you would be working without a break anyway, even at sea you have working time regs and no doubt you will get ashore in some awesome spots. If you let me know which company I could ask some questions and find out some answers as I know quite a few engineers still from college who work with the usual names and they may know what’s in store for you.

I don’t mind working hard but no full day off for 6 months is a bit hard to get my head around.

Also sharing a small cabin with a randomer for the 6 months is a bit weird.

Now I work long hours but 10hrs a day for 180 days in a row is not normal or sensible. Or even legal (though they could be operating under a different, non eu nation, flag I guess).

Whats the shore leave arrangements? IIRC they have to offer it

What country is the ship registered in?

Thanks Squirrelking, but i don’t want to put the name up here in case of any internet nonsense! Does STW have a PM feature?

You can have shore leave but never 24 hours off as I understand it.
I’m sure they comply with maritime working hours laws.

Not sure what country ship is registered.

One of my friends worked on the cruise ships for a couple of years. From all accounts he had an absolute whale of a time; really, really enjoyed it.

On top of that me manged to save an obscene amount of money over the 3(?) years. From what I gather he did not have to touch his tax free earnings at all whilst on the boat so they were all just sitting there on his return.

I have no idea what his working hours were like, but 10hrs a day for 180 on the trot feels unlikely.

If you have few commitments, I would be all over it, provided you can get at least one day off a week. WHat have you got to loose? If it’s crap you can jump ship at some random port after all and come home…

Oh hang on, I’m making a big fuss about nothing.
I’ve just read that you can take 112 paid hours leave annually.

So that’s 2.3 days leave for 6 months.

For sixmonths bonded labour id want to walk away with more than 8.5k

but if urn young and daft and not doing anything else it might be a laugh

Is that work hours or day hours?

I’d imagine it’ll be work hours which gives you 11.2 days per year, bear in mind you could be off for several months so call that 8 days per trip.
Still a hell of a job though, even the Filipinos didn’t work that hard!

Feel free to email me @ dangerousdave4395. My mail is hot with a .com.

aye-aye – Member
Money is about £17k pa (so half that for the 6 months) but no board or food to pay for.
I don’t want to work out the hourly rate

Ah that’s a different story, I’d want 17k (at least) for the 6 months but then again how old are you?

‘A girl in every port’ is true from what I’ve heard (My Uncle who was in the RN for 30 years)

I’d imagine it’ll be work hours which gives you 11.2 days per year, bear in mind you could be off for several months so call that 8 days per trip

Ah, that sounds a bit better.

I’ll email you, ta

I’m 44 so not really after the 18-30 thing.

The only reason I would do this job is to save enough money to get back to Whistler next year.

mate of mine did it, met a girl on one of the ships, now lives on the virgin islands, he seems happy, got a kid with her etc.
i wouldnt fancy it tbh, but each to their own, you might love it.

I tried it as a cadet officer (apprenticeship) when I was 18. This was with P&O cruises. It wasn’t for me, got a bit bored and didnt like thatafter work I generally had to go to to drinks with passengers etc, really I just wanted to hang out with mates etc. (Saying thatthe christmas cruise was great, loads of college/uni girls on holiday with there parents).

Generally only officers were allowed in passenger areas when not working, so dont think you will have all the luxury of a cruise avaliable. Probably a small gym, maybe some deck space, and a mess. All this probably depends on the company and ship.

It is very cheap living on board, you pay for drinks in the mess but thats basically just cost price, only thing else was occasional (very) trip a shore.

Also will you have to pay tax on that income?

Guess my situation was different, I was entering into a career not just a short time on board to save money

I wouldn’t do it. Worked worse than a donkey every day in an employment law-free zone? No thanks! (A transnational tourism company incorporated offshore employing casual employees on a flag of convenience-registered ship sailing between offshore jurisdictions through international waters? Pfft).

You should also try to find the documentary (and, I think, an accompanying article) on the remarkably high murder and sexual assault rate on cruise ships, precisely because there are rarely competent investigating authorities with jurisdiction and because the employers couldn’t give a monkey’s.

Are you **** mad OP?

Trapped in a box for 6months.

Having to smile and no personal space.

A shit wage regardless of tax to boot.

The army would be way be better.

Sure its a 10hr day…because once you are on your on. Sorry mate longer day today…plus what you going to do for the other 14hrs? Mingle with the guests? (No)

I wouldnt even go on a cruise ship for a holiday let alone as a working slave.

I knew someone who did it as a photographer and lasted just the outward trip to Miami. Long hours and a tiny cramped sweat-box of a cabin in the bowels of the ship. He was lucky that the purser just walked out of his office and mentioned that he might find the safe open and his passport in it – they took it from him when he boarded. He had to get money wired to him to get home. Some crew did very well, lived liked monks, worked every hour they could and after 2-3 years came home and bought a house. The rest drank and gambled away everything they earned.

It will either be great or a total nightmare, nowhere inbetween.

I don’t think I’d do it but then again, if I had nothing else to do, I would.

You should regret the things you’ve done. Don’t regret things you haven’t done.

Take your passport away from you?

Do it… Be something different to have done. Just think of the entertainment..

I would maybe do 6 months away over uk wintertime so that I could have summertime off work, wouldn’t do the reverse tho.

6 week trips is my maximum now, doing 12 hours a day when necessary, occasionally a bit more.

hora – Member
Take your passport away from you?

Normal on ships, makes immigration easier.

Ok £8.75 an hour if your at a normal company

So a 80hour week. I doubt you’d ‘clock off after 10hrs a day’ (which would be 70). Even if you only worked an extra hour day it’d be 77hours a week).

Plus why would you want to sit in your room with someone else there?

Better to work abit longer.

Works out at £4.42 an hour?

If you worked a strict 10hour day: £5.06 an hour.

OP- McDonalds pays its managers better.

I’m ex merchant navy as well. A lot of people commenting who’ve probably never been on a boat or have any idea of what it’s like. As said before, sometimes it might be shit but you do get runs ashore in some fantastic places. You will meet some superb people and create friendships that last for years and you will have some brilliant stories to tell. Get out there and enjoy it man. My friends have worked on cruise ships and loved it and some still do, my wife did as well. You are only young once bud. If I was still single and still in the Merch that’s where I’d be. Plus you’re not going in there as an officer so forget all that nonsense about socialising with guests, just get partying!!

I’m not meaning to be disrespectful but don’t listen to someone who hasn’t got a clue what it’s like either. You don’t go and ask a car salesman about what bike to buy, do you?

What sort of merchant navy though?

Paying passenger cruise ship navy or container/cargo vessel? Abit of a difference.

where do the cruises generally go? That’d be my first question 😀

6 months isn’t that long. The time will fly by, whether you’re working hard or enjoying the experience. If it’s bad, well, it’s a story to tell and you’ll have made some money.

Hora, cargo boats for me but lived in the similar conditions ( shared cabins, working hours etc) and had the same runs up the road. I had a whale of a time. Wished I joined when I was 16 instead of 23. The money could be better but you’re there for the life experience. My wife was all around the east and west coast of the states, all over the Caribbean on her ship. My step brother spent the last few years around Monaco, the south of France and the Med. Turning up to parties in Monaco where the door is opened by a crazy dude wearing sod all but his pants and a Viking helmet and the woman are wearing even less.

I went on a ferry to French France last year, which makes me perfectly qualified to give you advice on this 😆

If you’re unattached and young, life isn’t really going anywhere and you’re facing the dole or this… I’d pick this.

It doesn’t really change the fact that the pay is awful but then it’s probably better than signing on (if not financially then at least for your self esteem) and you’re more likely to get a job while you’re in one than not.

What I would say is, don’t worry about the sharing with a randomer, that’s exactly what day one of uni is like. Whoever they turn out to be they’re probably thinking the same thing as you.

Hora, McDonalds pays all it’s staff more than that. At least minimum wage.

OP. From the way you have listed all of the negatives, if you try it you’ll be starting with those in mind and expecting it to be as such. That’s a hard way to start a new job. You’ll end up counting down the days and just end up hating it.

I’ve done fixed term contracts, no way out without making a loss, that were absolute hell. Hated every moment and made myself ill. Wasn’t worth it in the long run.

Of course YMMV.

I wont touch a cruise ship or any ship with stick, unless i am going or wanting to be a career officer. If you just want to see loads of different people with that wage, i recommend working in McDonalds 😀