Have you ever worked aboard a cruise ship?? Share your experience!?

Yes, back when I was younger I did 3 stints of 6 months each on ships of as many different cruise lines. I am a musician and was hired to perform solo and in the band. I really enjoyed the experience and have even thought about doing it again, now that I have retired from full time touring.

I could fill not just one book with that experience. It is hard work, 7 days a week, 12 and more hours a day, for 6 months and more. Guests can be unfriendly, mean and just unreasonable, so can be higher ranked officers. There is a great hierarchy onboard ships, a lot of rules and regulations and also safety training you need to go through. Yet it is also fun to meet people from different countries, travel and expand your horizon. Communication with family and friends is difficult at times, yet it is a good place to make a career, if that is what is wanted. One can safe money, since room and board is included, and life can be rather comfortable, depending on one's position. There is a big difference between being a waitress or a cleaning person and all depends for what reasons you want to go work on a ship. In reference to a comment you received earlier - I did not go onboard a ship because I could not find a job in my home country. I went for the experience and to broaden my knowledge, adding something special to my CV. I then just happened to make a career onboard and stay for 12 years. Yet one needs to realize that life is very different onboard and your co-workers also become your "friends". Like on a small isolated island. Yet one also learns that certain things we think are so important are in reality not so. And while the time onboard is not always fun and easy - it also is at times and we had a lot of funny stories happen. Other downfalls are, that there is not much of privacy and sharing a room with one or more people calls for some adjustment.

i don't work on one but i'm guessing its alot of hard work, when i went on my cruise everyone was working really hard none stop and some guest were really annoying and gave them a hard time . it's all up to you and the type of person you, can you cater to everyone elses needs ?

Where I live, we at least get a whole lot tourists from the yachts and cruise ships dumped on to the island for afternoons. They're very nice, happy to be where they are, but they're all pretty much weird looking white old folks. I mean, the weirdest. lol. A few young people, maybe. The newly wed and the almost dead. Personally, I might mind having to wait and serve the rich people, but I'm sure that's a flaw on my part. If you can do it, great. It's a good experience anyhow.