From gastronomy and technology to wellness or entertainment – the possibilities for working on deck are manifold. What to bring.
The vastness of the sea, discovering new places and earning money almost on the side – as an employee on a cruise ship, you work where others go on holiday. In the following, you will find out what different jobs there are on board and how you can roughly imagine the work.
Working on the cruise ship: small and intimate or large and colorful
There are a variety of jobs on board a cruise ship. Excursions on land can be a highlight. © Marcel Ibold/Imago
There are various shipping companies that have cruise ships and offer trips. There are a wide variety of routes and different price categories. The size of the ship is also not uniform. For example, Tui Cruises' Mein Schiff fleet currently consists of seven ships. According to the website, another ship is planned for this year, and the fleet is to be increased to a total of nine ships by 2026. Another provider, Aida, currently consists of twelve ships, as can be seen on the website.
| Tui Cruises | Aida | |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest ship | 1,912 passengers (Mein Schiff Herz) | 1,266 passengers (AIDAaura, AIDAvita) |
| Largest ship | 2,894 passengers (Mein Schiff 1 and 2) | 5,200 passengers (AIDAnova, AIDAcosma) |
Work on board: Employees must be able to work under pressure and speak good English
Of course, there are also office jobs with large fleets, for example in human resources or IT. However, colleagues on the high seas have a more irregular everyday life and always new impressions. What many professions on board have in common: very good German and good English skills. Employees must also be resilient and stress-resistant. In many areas, the so-called hands-on mentality is required – i.e. the ability to get involved and help implement projects.
By the way, it can be difficult if you quit at sea – employees speak of catastrophic circumstances, including the return journey.
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From the bar boss to the DJ – different employees are bellied on board
If you want to work on Tui's Mein Schiff fleet, you can do so as a bar chef, among other things. Among other things, you are responsible for creating rosters for the catering staff and ordering goods for the bars. You are the first point of contact for guests, writes seachef.com. In the first contract, you are employed for five to six months – follow-up contracts are possible.
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Aida, for example, is currently looking for a DJ with a focus on breweries. The person should like Schlager, as he is responsible for the Schlager parties. In addition, the person should be open and a team player. However, it is also important to have several years of experience as a DJ so that transitions and suspense work. The general length of the contract with Aida on board is about three to six months.
Benefits when working on board: Exclusive crew areas and excursions
When you work on board, you swap your home for an unsteady life on the high seas. This is associated with some hardships, but also with benefits. Among other things, there are various areas on board just for crew members, such as bars, a sauna or a fitness room. But there is also a separate sun deck on the various ships. By arrangement, the guest areas can also be used on some ships. When not working, shore excursions and excursions with the crew are also possible.
Earnings on the ship vary and are based, among other things, on position and area of responsibility.
"A lot of work, little free, you have to be aware of that...": That's what employees say
Where there is sun, there is also shade. On the rating portal Kununu, employees can rate their employer and different impressions come together. For example, an employee who worked at Aida Cruises as a receptionist on a cruise ship writes: "A lot of work, little free, you have to be aware of that. 14 hour shifts for the rezi [note: reception] every time the trip ends and a new one begins." Others praise the team cohesion and the training opportunities that are led by good external parties. "When things go well, you have a great time on board and yes, sometimes quite stressful. You can't compare it to a job on land," writes another employee. Based on a total of 474 Kununu reviews, around 47 percent say that the salary is rather poor.
Among other things, people who are employed by Seachefs work on Tui ships, and here too there are both positive and negative comments from employees. "Even when it's hectic, the cohesion works perfectly," writes one user, highlighting the team spirit on board. Further training opportunities and opportunities for advancement are also praised in some cases. One employee cites a lack of appreciation on board as criticism. Based on 68 Kununu reviews, 40 percent say the salary is rather poor.
On the Kununu platform, current and former employees can rate their employers. The information is not verifiable for our editors and is based on individual experiences and feelings of the commentators.
