There are many different types of people who find themselves craving a bit of adventure, yet don’t have the funds to just go off into the wild blue yonder. Some go backpacking - working along the way picking fruit or doing bar jobs. Others choose to set sail on the many different cruise ship operators around the world. The major difference I guess would be that you are being paid to travel around the globe instead of going from place to place earning enough money to move on to the next destination.

Working on a cruise ship often invokes images of adventure, fun, alcohol and lots of sex. Speaking as one who has done it all this and more is all true.

When you work on a cruise ship you eat, sleep and breathe life on the seas. A major bonus of being part of a cruise ship crew is that you are being paid to have fun and adventure. Alcohol is cheap as chips (as little as a dollar a drink), and you’ll find yourself amongst likeminded people who all want the same things. Not to mention that there is a lot of room swapping and sleepovers.

One of the best things about travelling this way is that everything is paid for including your room, food and board and the pay can sometimes be quite substantial. People who have been at it for a few years or more often own their own houses outright and those that have chosen to do it as a career are often quite wealthy.

It must be mentioned that cruise ship life is not always for everyone and there have been people who have signed on only to catch the next plane home again. Yet those that are more willing to give things a go and get along with people, find that they have the time of their lives. As part of working on the ships, you end up making friends with people from all over the world. One thing to keep in mind that cruise ship life can be intense. Allot of cruise ships operate 24/7 and therefore you could find yourself having time off rather than whole days. However the people I have come across do not find this to be an issue as the work they do is totally an enjoyable experience.

One important thing to consider is that different cruise companies have different levels of freedom or privileges whilst on the ship. Cruise companies such as Disney, which is a Christian Family Values type of Company, can be quite restrictive on their crewmembers. In example I believe that you have to be a non-smoker and alcohol is heavily frowned upon when working for Disney. From what I can tell, the best Cruise company to work for in terms of freedom and rates of pay is Princess Cruises.

If the money or the thrill adventure is enticing you to think about applying, make sure to think about it carefully before signing up. Things that must be taken into account is the fact that you will have initial expenses that include a full medical check up, sea safety training as well as travelling expenses to meet up with the cruise ship, after which this initial expense the company generally pays. You are signing up for a contract period of about 6 - 8 months that will mean you will be away from your family and friends. (Although most cruise ship companies offer very cheap deals for family members to visit). If it still sounds enticing and you decide to take on the experience then you will surely have an experience of a lifetime.

Tags: adventure, cruise ship, Cruises, earn, fun, lifestyle, money, Travel News

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 at 7:59 am and is filed under Cruises. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.