Jobs on a luxury cruise ship and cruise line employment offer numerous rewards, but the most common reasons for obtaining them are:        

                                                                             

 

1. You can not only earn, but save a substantial amount of money for a short period of time, all your expenses are taken care of by the cruise line (food, accommodation, medical care, airline ticket to the port of embarkation and back home, regardless which part of the world you live).

2. Travel in style around the world aboard a luxury cruise ship for free (even getting paid for it).

3. Getting away from a boring job, career or every day routine and exchange it for rewarding and adventures cruise ship job.

4. Free medical insurance.

5. Unbeatable Monthly of $3,000.00 to $6,000.00 USD or more per month depending on type Job or qualification.

5. Cruise line jobs are the best form of overseas jobs, since aboard a cruise ship in fact you will be working in many overseas countries and places instead of one. Other travel jobs can not offer you visits to such a variety of places, counties, climates and continents as cruise ship jobs offer.

While working aboard a cruise ship you enjoy a wining combination - having a profitable and exciting job and cruise ship career, traveling all over the world and always following the sun and the good weather, meeting crew members, passengers and local people and in the same time saving substantial amount of money (since you do not have to pay for accommodation and food).

Cruise ship jobs are in fact so addictive, that many crew members find it quite difficult to live on land after completing a contract aboard a cruise liner. It feels kind of strange to eat in a restaurant and to pay the bill after when you've been doing it for free for months while working aboard a cruise ship. What a job? Cruise lines hire people from all over the world and you can get a job on cruise ships regardless of your nationality or citizenship.

Features:

Living Arrangements: Your cabin is provided by the company and most crew cabins and areas are located on decks below the guest areas and share their accommodations with one or more crew members of the same rank. The cabin is generally no larger than 125 square feet, has a small wardrobe storage area and a cupboard for toiletry items to be shared with your cabin mates. The beds are usually bunk-style.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided by the company at designated hours and in designated crew areas. A dress code to observe may apply.

Banking: Shipboard employees are paid twice a month in US dollars on board and are provided with several options for securing their money.

Phone calls: It is very expensive to place or receive calls from the ship. Phone calls can be made in the ports at calling stations or with phone cards. Emergency numbers are provided to employees in order to be reached on board the vessel.

Uniforms: Staff and crew are required to purchase a uniform. Uniform codes exist for day and night in guest areas. Crew members who are off duty can wear their own clothes in crew areas.

Airline ticket policy: All new employees are responsible for providing the initial airline ticket to join their assigned vessel. Upon successful completion of the contract, the company will provide an airline ticket to origin of hire. A round-trip airline ticket will be provided if contract is renewable.

Pre-employment physical: Employment is conditional upon passing a pre-employment physical by a company approved physician prior to joining a vessel.

Medical: Medical insurance and partial dental is provided while signed on a vessel.

Passport and Visas: Shipboard crew members must be in possession of a passport valid for a minimum of twelve (12) months. All Non U.S. and Non Canadian Citizens are required to be in possession of a C-1/D visa valid for a minimum of six months before entering the United States..

Probation Period: The first 90 days of employment are probationary.

Master Rules and Regulations: All employees are subject to the Masters Rules and Regulations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please, read carefully the following section before you e-mail us inquires. You might be able to find the answers here.

Considering the fact that most of the major cruise lines are based in the United States, the information and requirements listed below apply to these companies.

1. Can I apply for employment with a major cruise line in case I live outside the United States, South Africa, United Kingdom, Bahamas or Botswana?

Yes, all the major cruise lines hire crew members from all over the world. Although these cruise lines are based in the United States, South Africa, United Kingdom, and Bahamas. They are all registered in many countries and the employment regulations are slightly different.

2. What kind of official documentation is required in order to obtain employment with cruise line (i.e. passports, visas etc.)?

This mostly depends on where a cruise line is based or registered in a country. Applicants must have a valid national passport and a visa. Contact us for further information.

3. What are the health requirements i.e. immunization, medical examination etc.?

Once offered a contract by a cruise line, all applicants must pass a medical examinations by designated by the particular cruise line physicians (cruise lines have their own list of physicians for every country). Some cruise lines might reimburse crew members for that cost after joining the vessel. Immunization generally is not required; sometimes it is offered onboard the vessel.

4. What about healthcare coverage while onboard a ship?

There is full health coverage onboard the ship, U.S. citizens are covered ashore, as well (in the USA only). It is recommended to buy a travel medical insurance before joining a ship, which sails outside the U.S. (as most of the ships do).

5. Is the crew member responsible for transportation to and from the ship?

No, in case you are offered a contract by a cruise line, they will be responsible for the return air transportation between the nearest international airport to your home and the port of embarkation, wherever in the world that port will be. Since cruise lines are flying thousands of people every day (passengers and crew), they get tickets from the airlines at a very low price.

6. What is the tax laws regarding income earned on a cruise ship?

U.S. citizens get taxes deducted directly from their pay checks, any other nationality crew members have their own responsibility to declare the income earned on a cruise ship.

8. Is the food and accommodation free for crew members onboard a cruise ship and what are the living arrangements for crew?

Yes, this is what makes a cruise ship career financially attractive and compensates for the lack of employment benefits (paid vacation etc.). Crew members almost do not have any expenses while onboard a vessel. Living arrangements vary by cruise line, but mostly by shipboard position. Senior officers enjoy single cabins, in general two employees share a cabin with a shower, WC and a TV set. The best accommodations are reserved for passengers, of coarse.

9. Are there uniform requirements? If so, who provides the uniform?

Yes, there are uniforms required, provided by the cruise line with a very few exceptions (Guest Entertainers, Guest Musicians). There is a dress code for every evening onboard a cruise ship i.e. formal night, semi-formal night or casual night. Crew members, working in passenger areas of the vessel are expected to follow the dress code.

10. Do crew members get to see the ports which the ship is visiting?

Yes, crew members are free to visit the ports of call when they are not on duty. Leisure time varies between shipboard positions (Guest Entertainers could perform once or a few times a week, other positions require six to eight hours work a day), after all applicants get paid by cruise lines to work on the ship.

11. Are there any recreational areas on a cruise ship for crew members?

Yes, every modern cruise vessel is equipped with a crew fitness center, a crew recreation room (simply crew bar) and a crew deck with a swimming pool and Jacuzzi. In general cruise lines are taking a very good care of the well being of the crew members, since it could affect the quality of work and passenger service.

12. Are the employees allowed to purchase goods onboard cruise ships and do them get any discounts.

Yes, crew members enjoy duty free prices onboard a cruise ships, they also get up to 25% discount on goods purchased in the onboard boutique shops.

13. What are the policies of cruise lines towards use of drugs and narcotics?

Zero tolerance, crew members get fired, disembarked and submitted to local authorities immediately with no exceptions, regardless of ship's location. There are also frequent drug tests performed onboard, any applicant thinking of drugs use while on a ship, should simply forget about cruise lines employment. There is no way around!!!

14. What is the standard length of a contract on a cruise ship?

Most cruise lines offer minimum four to six months contracts, depending on the cruise line or/and position, contracts could be extended or employees could take time off and then go back for another contract.

15. What are the regulations regarding premature termination of employment?

The contract with a cruise line will be automatically terminated at the date stated on the contract as an end date. It could be renewed by mutual agreement between employee (contractor) and the cruise line. In case the employee (contractor) wishes to terminate the contract earlier than the end date, the employee (contractor) will be responsible for the cost of transportation going back home. In case a crew member gets fired from the job, the cruise line will be responsible for the return transportation, but in this case the crew member can not return to the same cruise line for employment.

16. What are the destinations for cruise ships and can employees choose a destination that they would like to work (Southeast Asia, Caribbean, etc.) or are that up to the cruise lines to decide?

Cruise lines offer destinations worldwide, but the biggest markets for the cruise industry are the Caribbean (all seasons), Alaska, Asia, Europe and United States. (All season). Most of the cruise lines do not offer a choice for first time employees, they hire wherever they have openings, and after one or two contracts employees get some choice of ships and destinations.

17. Are the crew members expected to perform some duties other than their work onboard?

Some cruise lines require all the crew members to participate in weekly safety drills (demonstrating safety equipment to passengers, life jackets etc.)

18. After all, what are the plus and minus sides about working on a cruise ship in general?

Cruise Ships Employment is not suitable just for every person. There is a great amount of discipline and hard work required. Applicants should be "team player" and enjoy working with people, to be able to live and share relatively limited space with fellow crew members, to work away from home for a long period of time (a few months) and before everything else to be very much service orientated. There is nothing more important than quality of service onboard of a cruise ship. Passengers are always right, even when they are wrong.

On the other hand there are numerous advantages about working on cruise ships. Saving substantial amount of money for a short period of time, traveling around the world, meeting people from many different nationalities and cultures, developing professional skills and gaining working experience.

How to apply? 

Interested applicant must request for application forms through email to: info@virginfieldtourism.com

After you have sent your application to us to process, we charge you a small fee of $59. USD equivalent to R 458.00 South African Rands.

Important Note:

This fee only applies to interested applicants from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Canada, United Kingdom and United States.   

All international applicants must pay $299.00 USD processing fee to cover our extra administration charges. These includes the application process, and DHL postage cost to send employment documents and important information that might be needed when applying for a visa to your nearest port assigned.  

Note that Virginfield Tourism reserves the right to change fees and conditions at any time.

We cannot to process any application without receiving any payment. 

Applications we have not received a payment for, will be kept on file for three days and will be deleted from our database.