Career Change - Cruise Ships

Maritime Employment
1

Hi Guys,
Just like a few others on here before me, I’m considering a mid-career, career change into the maritime industry. I have a masters degree in business/economics. Lived and worked in different places, but zero experience at sea.

I’m only interested in cruise ships (the big ones like all the Royal Caribbean brands, Virgin, Disney, etc) and only in Bridge jobs. Getting on a career path to Captain. I have no interested in Containers, Cargo, Tankers, Barges, Tugs etc.

Just trying to get some guidance from people what the best path is (2 yr maritime college as a grad student or maybe some of those companies have their own training programs?)

If there are any deck/bridge folks on here that have gone this route even fresh out of HS to a maritime college and then ended up on cruise ships, I’d love offline how to do this and/or how to navigate these companies

2

Where are you located in the world, ‘murica? I think it makes a difference in what advice people will give you.

3

Living in the US on the East Coast but also have EU passport

5

@gjpatil

" 2. What types of jobs are available on a cruise ship?
Cruise ships offer a variety of jobs including positions in hospitality, food service, housekeeping, entertainment, retail, guest services, and technical roles. Popular jobs include cabin steward, bartender, waiter, entertainer, IT technician, and customer service staff."

Unfortunately it doesnt talk about deck/bridge jobs. This information you can also find in the youtube videos of cruising crew members. I might be wrong but i dont think Deck/Bridge officers really work with recruitment agencies

6

@gjpatil
i kind of left it open ended which probably not the best thing but (in this case US specific):

  • Does it make more sense to do a 2yr grad student program so you graduate with 3rd mate license.
  • Is there such high demand that you can apply direct as say a 4th apprentice officer and pretty much learn on the job
  • Are typical contracts 3 months on, 3 off?
  • If you have no commitments and you work for a big cruiseline can you also work a year (almost non-stop) to get to your hours quickly or does the employer not allow that? (as in if you’re older, what can you do to get your hours quicker by working for example longer or multiple contracts in a year etc. Take the Celebrity for example. You could technically do a contract over the summer in the Caribbean, then move straight to Asia, Australia, do the summer season there. Come back for the spring in the Mediterranean and then back to the Caribbean. That is if the company would allow that).
  • And my understanding is that if you get licensed in the US it’s a USCG license for which you need to be a US resident or citizen, but what if at some point you move to another country and are no longer either. Do you then lose your credential or is it more like a driver’s license and can you then pretty much request a new credential in your new country of residence?
7

There’s only one US cruise ship so you chances of getting on that are almost non existent. The foreign cruise ships (from my limited contacts that have worked on them) are, IIRC, 4/2.

No.

If you’re refusing to work on deck that’s your only option.

You can but you’ll probably get burned out really quick. Cruise ship work isn’t fun or glamorous and the 3rd Mates have A LOT of safety items to inspect. It takes upwards of a week just to inspect all the fire extinguishers. Monotonous 12 hour days get old fast.

You just be a citizen to have a US license. Residents aren’t eligible.

If you give up your citizenship you’ll lose your license.

8

Cruise ship jobs as Deck Officer requires STCW approved licenses that is accepted by the flag state of he vessel.
PS> Most large cruise ships are registered in Bahamas, Bermuda, Malta etc.

Not many entrance level positions on offer at the moment. (You are a few years from being qualified for any such positions anyhow)

Here are two examples of what is required to be accepted as 3rd or 4th Officer:

9

You are mid-life and would like to become cruise ship Capitan? It’s a noble goal. But I would still advice you to try deck job somewhere less glamorous first.

10

@Alex63 But what if that is something that I have absolutely no interest in whatsoever?
I’m more than happy to send you a DM with the thoughts that have gone into this

11

@Capt_Phoenix mind if I DM you some additional information on the thoughts that have gone into this on my end?