Ever wondered how is it like to work on one of the biggest cruise ships in the world? This is my experience, my life and my view as an employee on one of the many cruise ships sailing around the world.
Why am I doing this to myself? Do I get pleasure from inflicting pain to myself? These two questions are haunting me for a while and I still can’t get a reasonable answer to them. But more important that what am I asking myself, is why…why am I asking myself this…
First contract I had a good reason. I was assistant waitress for 6 months and in the last day of my contract they offered me the Yeoman position. I had to extend my contract 4 months, but it was well worth the bother. It was what I wanted from the beginning, to get an officer position, and of course I would sacrifice myself and do a 10 months contract. I would have done more than 10 if it wasn’t for me getting a replacement. The scheduler in Miami didn’t send anybody and I was onboard for over 9 months when I decided to choose somebody and train to replace me while I was in vacation. After begging all division heads to give me one of their crew, a good friend of mine, the Inventory Manager, gave me one of his storekeepers to train. I completed his training in 3 weeks and finally left home.
I got a good reason for the second contract too. I was just starting to get used to the position when, after 3 months of being a Yeoman, the Hotel Director asked me if I want to fill in for his admin for a week, until the replacement will arrive. He had problems with his visa and he was delayed for a week. So here I was, doing two jobs, working 12-14 hours a day and trying to please everybody. I guess I was doing well since the replacement never came and I did both jobs for almost 2 months. I was so burned up I finally said “That’s it!!!” I had to recruit another crewmember to be a temporary Yeoman until I finish replacing the Hotel Administrative Assistant and have my vacation. Nobody helped me; I had to beg again the division heads to give me someone to train. This time was the Dining Room Manager, and here I was again, training this assistant waitress to replace me. This time I was lucky enough to go home after almost 7 months.
This time, my third contract, I have absolutely no reason for why I’m doing it all over again except that it looks good in my CV (sort of anyways). I came back from vacation in mid May just to find out that the position has changed from Yeoman, which was something like a secretary, to Food & Beverage Administrative Assistant, which is not just a secretary, but more like and F&B Assistant. What they did was to merge the Food & Beverage Manager Junior with the Yeoman position and create the F&B Administrative Assistant which has the job description of both positions. It would have been ok if the salary and the living conditions would have been on the same level. But guess what? I have to share the cabin, even though I am a two stripes officer, and the salary is under $2000.
Anyways, like most of the managers onboard say it, this is it and this is what we have to work with. So I stopped complaining and just did my job. And then was when I start asking my self those questions: “Why am I doing this to myself? Why do I work 10-11 hours a day? Why can’t I just take the afternoon off and go out just like the others do? What makes me so obsessed with this job?”
Then, when I was on my third month onboard, I got asked if I would like to replace the Hotel Administrative Assistant while she is on vacation. My heart was telling me to say no, to relax, that it’s not worth the bother, but my mind started to calculate the pro’s and con’s and , just like in a dream, I saw myself saying yes. I got out of the office wondering what the hell is wrong with me. It wasn’t something that I wanted or planned to do… Besides, I was suppose to go in vacation in November and sped the holidays with my friends and family. I have no idea why I say yes. So here I am now, doing again a 10 months contract, just because I am a helpless workaholic.
PS: The pictures you see on this post are from when my sister was onboard with her boyfriend. As you might notice, I was wearing the uniform all the time for the simple reason that I was always working. I didn’t even go out with them once…Something has to change! And fast!
Out of the three divisions that the Food & Beverage Department holds, the Restaurant Division is the most popular when it comes to money. Its structure has changed recently, but it’s fairly simple and everyone knows who to report to. Described in a simple way, the structure goes like this:
1. Restaurant Operations Manager
He or she is a three stripe officer and is in charge with the entire restaurant operation. The Windjammer Manager, Portofino Manager and Assistant Dining Room Manager report directly to him or her and, of course, the position is got its own admin now.
The contract length is 4 months with 2 months off and, aside the thousands of dollars salary, he or she is got monthly bonuses from china and linen savings, wine gratuity and the big, fat bonus at the end of the fiscal year.
2. Windjammer Manager
The Windjammer Manager is a two and a half stripes officer and is in charge with Windjammer Buffet, Johnny Rockets (fast food outlet) and Café Promenade (coffee shop with snacks). Directly to him reports the following positions: Johnny Rockets Supervisor and Windjammer Supervisor.
Just like the Restaurant Operations Manager, the contract length is also 4 months on with 2 months off, and a big, fat bonus included.
3. Portofino Manager
Portofino Manager is in charge with the Italian specialty restaurant. Is a two stripes officer with a 6 months contract and sharing cabin. From 2 stripes below, no officer is entitled to the yearly bonus, but they got part of the cover charge. The Portofino waiters report directly to him.
4. Assistant Dining Room Manager
This position was introduced recently. It’s a 2 stripe position with a contract length of 6 months and sharing cabin. Their salary is based on tips, but don’t be fooled by it, they make a lot of money. There are 3 Assistant Dining Room Managers, each in charge with one Dining Room deck (our Dining Room has 3 decks/levels). They are responsible with the booking on their respective decks and the Headwaiters working in that deck report directly to them.
5. Restaurant Operation Admin
The admin reports directly to the Restaurant Operations Manager and basically does everything. He has 2 office boys/girls helping in the morning with paperwork. Is a one stripe officer with 6 months contract and sharing cabin.
6. Head Waiter
These guys are making more money than a 3 stripe officer because their salary is based on tips. They are one stripe officers, with 6 months contract length and a sharing cabin. Each of them has a station assigned (there are 3 stations on each Dining Room deck) and the waiters and assistant waiters working there report to him/her.
7. Johnny Rockets Supervisor
He or she is in charge with Café Promenade and Johnny Rockets and reports to the Windjammer Manager. This is a one stripe officer with a 6 months contract and sharing cabin. They get a fix salary with no gratuities. The Café Attendants and Johnny Rockets Attendants report to him/her.
8. Windjammer Supervisor
There are 2 Windjammer Supervisors onboard, both reporting to the Windjammer Manager. They are in charge with supervising the Windjammer operation and the Assistant Waiters working there are reporting to them. It’s a one stripe position, with fix salary, 6 months contract and sharing cabin.
9. Room Service Supervisor
The Room Service Supervisor reports directly to the Restaurant Operations Manager and is in charge with Room Service operation and Attendants working there. Is a one stripe position, with 6 months contract, fix salary and sharing cabin.
10. Room Service Operator
The position is pretty much self-explanatory. They are part of the crew with a 6 months contract, fix salary and sharing cabin. The Room Service Operator reports to Room Service Supervisor.
11. Mess Supervisor
The Mess Supervisor is in charge with both officer and crew messes and directly to him/her are reporting the Mess Attendants. Mess Supervisor is a one stripe position with a 6 months contract, fix salary and sharing cabin. He or she reports to Restaurant Operations Manager.
12. Mess Attendant 13. Dining Room Cleaner 14. Café Attendant 15. Johnny Rockets Attendant 16. Room Service Attendant
The above 5 positions are similar; the only difference is the place they work in. Except for the Johnny Rockets who get gratuities from the cover charges in the fast food outlet they work in, the rest have a fix salary and they also get gratuities from the beverages they sell (not too much though). They all have an eight months contract and sharing cabin.
17. Assistant Waiter
This is a much better position that the ones above because they have a salary based on tips. An average assistant waiter salary can be around $2000 or more a month. Also, the contract length is 6 months and they only work in the Dining Room or Windjammer during the dinner time and in Windjammer (during the day time).
During the diner time, they work 4 weeks in the Dining Room and one week in Windjammer. They get gratuities in the Dining Room, but in Windjammer they get only the gratuities from the beverages they sell. Might not make sense, but this is how the system is set up.
18. Waiter
Waiter position is a good position as well due to the amount of money they make and the 6 months contract length. An average waiter makes around $3000 and, during the diner time, works only in Dining Room (no free week in Windjammer).
As a first-timer, this structure might look confusing. Indeed there are a lot of positions in the Restaurant Division, but this is what makes it easier because everyone knows exactly what they are suppose to do.
When I decided I want to go back to working on cruise ships, first thing I had to decide is how to do that. I wanted an officer position and I was qualified for it, but unfortunately, most of the agencies are recruiting for entry level positions such as cooks, assistant waiters or bar servers. Few people are lucky enough to get an officer position from the first contract and that’s happening mostly because they come from a fist world country such as US, UK etc. or because they have connections either on the ship or at the agency. If you’re just a normal person, from a normal country, like I was, that’s very hard, and if you get it, you have to wait many months.
So I took the easy way in and I applied for a restaurant entry-level position, knowing that once I get there I will make my way up to a higher position. Well, lucky me, it took me one contract to accomplish that and only because the company requires that anyone who wants to apply for a different job within the company has to finish at least one contract in the current position. I did my 6 months and one day before going home in vacation the Food & Beverage Manager called me in the HR’s Office and gave me the good news. I got the job I applied for a couple of weeks before! Next day I unpacked my luggage, called my family and let them know I am not going home anymore and start working as a Yeoman.
Yeoman - strange name for an F&B Manager Assistant, don’t you think? To me it made no sense until one friend explained to me that long time ago, in England, they called yeoman the one who was in charge with the finances of the ships. That was me alright!
So, if it worked for me, it must work for you too! The cruise industry will always be in need of educated people that know more than just entry level English. Guys, you should be here to believe it! We get new hires that have no clue how to carry a basic conversation in English, not to say about writing it! We have old timers who made their way up because they have 5, 7 or even 10 years on ships, but when it comes to using computers or write a report, they are useless.
If you know how to use a computer for more than just playing games or sending emails, if you have a medium to high knowledge of spoken and written English and a hotel management or accounting degree, then you are most likely to get a higher than the entry level position. Three things you need to do to accomplish that:
1. Get on the ship
It doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you do. Food & Beverage Division is the easiest way to get onboard a cruise ship and once you’re there you can pursuit your goals.
You have to do a full contract and have a clean record before you can apply for a higher position. Many people here onboard started as a bar server or assistant waiter, just like me, and moved to Guest Relations Department, Crew Office or being the Food & Beverage Director’s Assistant.
In fact, I am currently looking for a reliever for when I am going in vacation and so far I could not find anyone qualified for this job. Every week I am looking at the list with sign ons hoping that “the one” will sign on. No luck so far!
2. Ask for what you want and prove that you can do it
Sometimes I go on the Back Deck for a smoke and sit with my old colleagues from the restaurant. Once, there was this assistant waiter, on his 4th contract, complaining that there are no promotion chances onboard for him. I asked him a simple question: “ Did you ever went to the Maitre D` and told him you want to be a waiter?” He looked at me with a dumb expression on his face and said nothing. His lack of words said everything!
Hey guys! Wake up! A ship has in average over 1000 crew, half of it being in the Food & Beverage Division. How do you think you’re boss will notice you if you’re not doing anything about it? Just go to your supervisor, or anyone you know in the office, and ask them what can you do or what you need to know to get the promotion/position. Is that easy!
Don’t assume that everyone knows what you know. Tell them your qualification, your education, your experience and what you want. Might not work with the first supervisor, but eventually you’ll find someone willing to help you.
3. Have patience and don’t loose your hope
The most important thing is not to lose faith in yourself. Hang in there, what ever is meant for you will come sooner or later. Sometimes there are no available positions and even though your manager wants to help you, there is nothing he or she can do for the moment.
Just make sure they have your CV and when a position will be made available, they will offer it to you if you’re qualified for it.
While Housekeeping Department’s responsibility to clean is in the inside of the cabins, cleaning the outside areas is Facilities Department’s job. That includes all the public areas the toilets, corridors, hallways, staircases, pools and jacuzzis. They are also in charge with the maintenance, from fixing a non-flushing toilet to upholstering furniture and refurbishing entire areas, guest and crew ones.
You won’t see many Europeans working in the Facilities Department unless they are part of the management because this department has the lowest salary level onboard. But that being said, the pay is still ok for some of the countries considering there’s no rent or food to pay.
So…who’s part of the Facilities Department? Let’s take the most important positions one by one.
1. Facilities Manager
The Facility Manager has the best contract deal out of the entire Hotel Department. He has 10 weeks on with 10 weeks off contract, fully paid vacation. Basically, while he or she is home, enjoying the vacation still gets paid full salary. The bad part is that the position doesn’t get a yearly bonus like the others, but I guess it compensates with the contract length and the salary, which is many thousands of dollars.
2. Cleaner
The cleaner maintains public and crew areas in a clean condition, including the public toilets. Also, he or she transports guests’ luggage to assigned areas during embarkation and disembarkation, and assists with specific loading. They have an 8 months contract and the salary is below $600 a month. Also, they need to pay for their uniforms, which I don’t consider being fair since they have such a low salary.
Many of them are taking up on side jobs helping out the Housekeepers during the embarkation day cleaning cabins, and many times, because they have to work at least 10 hours a day at their regular jobs, they fell asleep wherever they sit. I’ve seen cleaners sleeping in the staircase, in the changing room, in the crew bar, everywhere really, as long as the place is quiet and away from the supervisor’s eyes.
A Cleaner can be promoted to Head Cleaner, Assistant Cleaning Specialist and then to Cleaning Specialist.
3. Pool Attendant
The Pool Attendant position is similar to the Cleaner one. He or she maintains the pool area clean, provides towels to the guests, cleans the pools and, in embarkation day, they help with the luggage. They have an 8 months contract and the salary is the same as the Cleaner’s. A Pool Attendant’s next promotion is Head Pool Attendant.
4. Carpenter
Needless to explain what a carpenter does, I think it’s pretty much obvious. What I am going to tell you is how useful is to be friends with the Carpenter Supervisor.
As an officer, each of us has the same cabin assignment every contract and that cabin becomes your home far away from home. And like any other home, it needs to be a little bit personalized so we can feel comfortable in it.
In time, I personalized my cabin as well. The carpenters installed a nice big sofa in it which was left from refurbishing the guest’s cabins, they put a notice board on my wall so I can write my reminders, installed the cabin phone on the wall so I’ll have more room on my desk, installed a curtain that blocks the view when I keep my cabin door open to smoke and the list can go on and on.
A carpenter can be really useful and, if you tip him well, he will turn your cabin into a really cozy place where you can truly relax. They too take up on side jobs, aside from doing carpentry jobs for crew, because the salary isn’t that big. From what I’ve heard, they make around $1000 a month. Their contract is 8 months and, except the Carpenter Supervisor who has a single cabin, the rest are sharing.
5. Repairman
The Repairman, together with the Repair Supervisor, is responsible for the maintenance and repair of food preparation, galley equipment and machinery, plumbing and related equipment within the Hotel Department.
Both of the positions are on an 8 months contract, the only differences between the two being the salaries and the cabin assignments (the supervisor has a single cabin).
6. Dispatcher
The Dispatcher’s job is to answer and process the calls for maintenance from both crew and guests, and also acts as an admin for the Facilities Manager. The contract length is 6 months and he or she has to share the cabin. The pay is around $1600 a month.
7. Horticulturist
This position is in charge with all the plants onboard and also with the pest control. The contract length is 8 months and shares the cabin.
Whoever is interested in this department should know that they need to work hard and be patient, but the promotion opportunities are many and worthwhile. You don’t need to have a high education to be here, all you need, in my opinion, is to be able to deal with people and to learn fast since the procedures are changing constantly. All I can wish you is good luck!
You think that if you spend some amount of time with a certain person you became friends with that person. Correct? Of course, but this is happening only when you’re working in a stable environment, like a hotel on land for example. What about the ships? I wish I can tell you yes, but unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. Here, people spend time with each other mostly because they have the same schedules, their cabins are close to one another or just because there’s no one else to spend time with. Once you change schedule or move to another cabin, that’s it! They stop calling, then they stop stopping by for a smoke, then they barely say hello to you and finally you pass by and he or she just gives you a look and half of a smile.
I met these guys one by one during my last contract. First I’ve met the Provision Master through my boyfriend at that time. Same thing happened with the Inventory Manager. We had the offices one next to each other, the three of us smokers and same schedules. We start talking over a smoke and, slowly, slowly, we became friends. So I thought…. I’ve met the Australian Sous Chef during my smoke break in the Back Deck. We start talking about our lives and, again, slowly, slowly we became friends as well. At some point we use to meet in the Back Deck every evening, after we finished work, for drinks. It was the Provision Master, the Inventory Manager, my boyfriend, the Sous Chef and I. Then this guy showed up. Brand-new Executive Sous Chef from New Zealand, great personality, nice looking always making us laugh.
I don’t think I ever had more fun on the ships than I had with these guys. I was waiting every day to pass so we can meet for drinks in the evening. We were such a great team. We shared our lives, dreams, failures and successes to each other, we learned from each other and we helped each other as much as possible. Then I broke up with my boyfriend and got promoted as a Hotel Admin. All of the sudden, I had a different cabin and office and a different schedule. The Provision Master barely called anymore. We still use to meet in the Back deck, but that was it. But because my cabin was now close to the chefs’ cabins, we became even more closed to each other. We use to spend our nights drinking and chatting in the cabin. Great times! I really thought they are my friends! I told them how is my life home, who I am, what I did, what I can do. Nobody was judging and it was great.
Then I left in vacation. When I came back, The Inventory Manager wasn’t on the ship anymore. He got transferred to a different ship. The Provision Master wasn’t hanging out with the guys anymore, I don’t know why really. The Australian Chef was the only one who was happy to see me and the Executive Sous Chef from New Zealand was in vacation. The guys weren’t spending as much time together as they use to, just a drink or two and then they were going to bed. I thought, maybe when Lorenzo, the Executive Sous Chef will be back from vacation, will bring the gang back again. I tried to do that, but I failed.
So finally, the day came and Lorenzo was onboard. My God, I was so happy. I could not wait for the evening to come and meet for drinks. The evening came, but except Paul, the Sous Chef, and other 2 chefs, nobody came. It was really disappointing. They had a few beers and went to bed. I ended up chatting with Lorenzo in his cabin then he asked me something that really surprised me. Last contract I was telling him that I am planning to buy my third apartment and that my dad is a lawyer and mom worked in a bank until she retired, and his question was, how come, if I have all those things, I am still here. Basically, he was telling me that he doesn’t believe me and that I am a liar. I was really shocked! I told him about my education, about school, how I graduated both school and university with honors. And in return, he replied that I am showing off how smart I am. That wasn’t my intention at all, I just wanted him to really know me and what he said really hurt my feelings. Why do I have to constantly defend and justify myself? Only poor and uneducated people work on ships? Well, according to him, yes! And what does that say about him? That was the last time we really spoke. I thought we are friends and we can share things, but now I know and learned my lesson.
Since then, we barely see each other, and when it happens, he snaps at me with rude comments, trying to be funny. I am still friends with Paul, he seems to understand me and what I love about him is that he doesn’t judge me, he’s just there for me when I need him to. And I am there for him, helping him whenever I can.
One night I heard Lorenzo bad-mouthing Paul in front of one of the Senior Executive Chefs from Miami. That was the last drop. I look at him now and feel disgusted with him, but more with myself because I trusted him. I feel sorry I let him know me so well, because now he’s judging me and makes fun of my life and who I am. How lame! I am good at assessing people’s personalities, but this one really fouled me. It never happened in my life to judge one’s personality so wrongly and it makes me thing he was fake from the first moment he stepped on this ship. If it was happening at home I would have avoid him completely, but here I have to work with him everyday and see him in the Back Deck every night.
So, listen to my advice if you want. People around you don’t want to know that you are happier than them, that you have more money than they have or that you are smarter. The miserable you are, the more they will love you and want your company because that way they look better and smarter. If you are lucky enough to find someone who won’t judge you, don’t ever let him/her go. Those people are so precious and rare.
Anyway, coming back to the ship life. When you first come onboard, be careful whom you’re spending time with and what you tell them. Now they might seem to be your friends, but many of them will kill their mothers for a promotion and more money. Choose your company carefully and never talk about work and yourself too much. Might seem extreme, but remember, you’ll work in a close environment and you have to work with and see those people everyday. It’s not like on land where you go home and forget about it or change the bar you’re going to and never see the person again. So take my example and don’t learn this lesson the hard way like I did.
Name: Oana Home: Miercurea Ciuc, Romania About Me: Born in Romania, ended up working around the world. Love to socialize, see places, make new friends. Always there to help, even when nobody is asking for it :-) See my complete profile
