What is cruise industry?

What is the current job market like in the cruise industry?

• I've been considering applying for a few cruise lines but had 2 questions. First, has the economy made this virtually impossible at this point? I have 3 years of hotel ...show more

• Answer:

  Since you are in L.A. the first 2 cruise lines I would get in touch with are Princess and Holland America Lines. Go to their websites and look for the link for employment. There you should get a good overview what they are looking for. In most cases you can also register on their site, and leave your CV, even if they do not have an opening for a certain position right now. The economic situation also effects cruise lines, since less people are/ will go on vacation/on a cruise. Yet, the ships are still sailing and these positions need to be filled. And there are always things happening that positions open up. People need to go home for family reasons, they don't want to finish their contract, they get sick, they get promoted... For the hiring process, you an also go ahead and register with those companies in Florida. In most cases there is a phone interview. But this depends on the cruise line. I had to go for an interview as Bar waitress to Switzerland (from Germany) and was hired as Asst. Hotel Director without even a phone interview..... Yet, when I had to travel to Switzerland I got all my expenses re-imbursed. So in case someone woulld ask you to come to - whereever for an interview, ask immediately about re-imbursement of your expenses. In any case, if flights would be involved, normally the cruise line would book that for you, since they can get much cheaper flights. With your background I would go for a position at the front desk as a starting point. For higher positions, cruiselines normally require previous cruise industry experience. If you speak a second language, that would also help, yet is not always required. Be aware of staffing agencies, which promise the world and often do not deliver. For a position at the Front Desk, you should get in touch with the cruise lines directly. If they hire certain positions only via agencies, they will tell you. However, they would also rather safe the money they have to pay to the agency if they can. Good luck.