Working on a cruise ship can be a great way to save money while you’re traveling the world. Very few jobs we’ll pay you to travel and when they do it’s usually for a few days to a place that is not as exotic as cruise ships can take you. The beauty of working on a cruise ship is that your home is moving away with you. You sleep in one city and wake up in another. Your commute can be as short as a couple of minutes from your cabin to your workplace.
When working on a cruise ship one of the biggest perks is that you don’t have any fixed bills like you would have if you lived on land. On a cruise ship, you don’t have to pay for food, accommodation, laundry, electricity, heating, or medical insurance since it’s all taken care of.
We will discuss some aspects you should take into consideration before deciding that a cruise ship salary might be too low for you.
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The Illusion of Low Pay: Don’t Let It Fool You!
One thing you’ll notice right away is that cruise ship salaries vary widely depending on your role, experience, and the cruise line you work for. Let’s break it down:
Even though salaries are lower than comparable land jobs, cruise employees enjoy a unique benefit: no significant living expenses. That makes it easier to save money or splurge on travel and personal interests when you’re off-duty.
How You Can Make the Most of Your Cruise Ship Salary
If you think of a typical job on land where you have your gross salary, the money you get paid before all expenses are taken into consideration. Even before you get to see your money, taxes are taken out of your paycheck and other fees; then come certain fixed bills that most of us have to pay, like:
- Rent
- Water
- Gas
- Electricity
- Car payment
- Insurance
- Phone
- Internet
Cruise ships are more than just floating hotels; they’re bustling micro-cities, and the economy onboard is quite different from what you’re used to on land. Here’s why working on a cruise can help you save:
Which Positions Pay the Best?
If you’re wondering which jobs pay the most, here are a few high-paying cruise ship positions:
Ship Captain:
As the highest authority on the ship, a captain’s salary can range from $10,000 to $15,000 per month or more, depending on the ship size and the cruise line.
Chief Engineer:
Responsible for the ship’s mechanical operations, this role commands a salary of $8,000 to $12,000 per month.
Hotel Director:
Overseeing the entire hospitality operation on board, hotel directors earn between $5,000 and $8,000 per month.
Entertainment Director: Cruise entertainment is a big part of the experience, and cruise directors can earn between $4,000 and $6,000 per month.
You Can Choose To Save a Lot or Not.
There are some people that can save a lot of money during their contract onboard. I have heard of stories about crew members opening businesses back in their home country; and using the money to buy property; some people made good money that they didn’t have to come back to ships. While some people decide to go for the savings route, others decide to go work on ships for the experience. They do not save a lot of money but they do spend their money in a way that makes them happy, and fulfilled for most of the time.
if you were working an itinerary in Europe and making your salary in US dollars, you can expect to spend the majority of your money outside the ship like eating pizza around Naples, having coffee, or even splurging on a shore excursion.
Saving Money While Not Sacrificing Fun
If you take advantage of the onboard activities offered for the crew there’ll be little to no money involved on your part. There are a lot of activities catered just for the crew onboard like crew barbecues, crew parties with free alcohol most of the time, and special themed dinners like Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas among many other fun activities provided at little to no additional cost for the crew.
When you are in a Port of call you can be tempted to go blow all your money outside. Most likely at the beginning of a contract, you will want to go to explore and see as many things as you can, and saving money won’t be on your mind. Just remember that the places that the cruise ship goes to are well-known tourist places with inflated tourist prices.
Life as a Cruise Ship Employee
So, what’s it really like to live and work on a cruise ship? It’s a mix of hard work, long hours, and exciting opportunities. Working hours can be intense, with shifts often exceeding 10-12 hours a day, depending on your role. However, because your “home” is the ship, you’re always just a short walk away from your room, your meals are prepared for you, and you can even unwind in crew-only areas like bars, gyms, and lounges.
The camaraderie among the crew is one of the best parts of the job. You’ll meet people from all over the world and make lifelong friends. The social life on board is vibrant, with crew parties, movie nights, and other events designed just for the employees. Plus, when the ship is docked, you’ll have time to explore new places with your fellow crew members.
What’s the Catch?
While working on a cruise ship comes with incredible perks, it’s not for everyone. The hours can be long, the work can be physically demanding, and you’ll spend months away from family and friends. Living in close quarters with other crew members means privacy can be hard to come by, and adjusting to life at sea can be challenging.
That being said, if you love adventure, meeting new people, and don’t mind a fast-paced environment, working on a cruise ship can be an experience like no other.
You Will Not Get Paid While on Vacation
One of the great perks of working on a cruise ship is a long vacation that you get to enjoy. As a rule of thumb, for every month worked you get one week of vacation. When working on a cruise ship you are essentially a contractor for the cruise line, you’re not an employee. That means that when your contract ends, so does your pay. You will not get paid until you sign a new contract with the cruise line and only after the first 30 days of your new contract. Most cruise lines will provide you with the date of your next assignment before you leave your current ship, so you will know when you’ll be returning and to what ship you will be returning to.
You won’t get paid while on vacation so make sure that you save your money to last your vacation and at least for the first month of your new contract because again, you’re not going to get paid until the end of your first month onboard. For example, if you have a two-month vacation, you will need to make sure you save enough money to cover your vacation plus enough money to cover your first month back onboard. Based on this scenario, you need to save money to last at least three months. It is a horrible feeling when you run out of money during your vacation because that means you’ll be stuck at home with no money to enjoy, and during your next contract onboard, you won’t be able to spend any money because you won’t get paid until the end of the month. Trust me that happened to me before and it was not a good experience.
How does the Crew Get Paid?
Cruise lines will often pay once a month, on the first business day of the month. You have the option to request a cash advance of up to 50% of your salary to be paid on the 15th of every month. You will receive your full salary plus tips and commission, if you are on a tip or commission salary, at the end of every month.
When I started working on cruise ships, we got paid in cash, which was not an ideal scenario. Walking around the ship with a stash of money made me feel richer but vulnerable at the same time. Going to deposit that money later in the bank was a scary event. Walking around downtown Miami with an envelope full of cash was scary, to say the least.
Nowadays cruise lines partnered with companies that provide the crewmembers a prepaid debit card, where the salary is deposited on their account. Depending on the company, the crew gets one free ATM withdrawal a month and there’s a fee for subsequent withdrawals. You could also transfer money from your prepaid card to a bank account but depending on the country you’re from, you might have to pay transfer fees. If you have a US bank account, at least with Brightwell (formerly OcenPay), it was free to transfer from your prepaid card to your bank account as long as the account was based in the USA.
Going on Vacation with Cash? Make Sure you Declare that Money!
If you are traveling from the USA to your home country and you are carrying over $10,000 in cash, it’s important to declare the money to CBP Customs at the airport before departing. Failure to declare the money may result in it being seized. To avoid this, consider transferring the money to your bank account before you travel, or make sure to carry less than $10,000 in cash with you at all times. The last thing you want on vacation is to have issues right before you go home for your much-needed vacation.
“Failure to declare monetary instruments in amounts valued more than $10,000 can result in its seizure.”
Final Thoughts: Is a Cruise Ship Job Right for You?
If you’re passionate about travel, meeting new people, and experiencing life from a fresh perspective, working on a cruise ship could be a fantastic career choice. While the salaries might not seem high compared to land-based jobs, the cost savings and unique benefits often make up for it. You’ll have the chance to explore new destinations, enjoy unique experiences, and, if you’re smart about it, save a decent amount of money.
Remember, a career at sea isn’t just a job—it’s a lifestyle. The friends you’ll make, the places you’ll see, and the stories you’ll collect along the way will likely stay with you for the rest of your life. So, if you’re up for an adventure and ready to embrace life on the high seas, why not set sail on a new career?
“The art is not making money but keeping it”
Proverb