Have you ever thought about sailing the world on a cruise ship? If so, a job on a cruise ship might be for you. It offers plenty of travel, entertainment and hospitality experiences. It’s also a highly rewarding job.
Cruise ships usually hire staff from the land through a recruitment process, where candidates are carefully vetted to see if they’re a good fit for the maritime industry and life at sea.
They have a host of job openings ranging from youth attendants, hotel staff and entertainers, to casino workers and even more specialized roles like medical staff. In short, there are many marketable positions available.
However, landing one of these jobs requires meticulous planning and preparation. The application process for some cruise lines is highly competitive as most applicants bring specialized skills and experience to the table.
There are several ways to secure a job with a cruise line, but before diving into the details, let’s first look at some of the world’s top names in luxury maritime travel.
Top Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Line
One of the largest and most popular cruise companies worldwide, Carnival offers job opportunities in hospitality, entertainment, and technical fields. Employee benefits include health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans.
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean frequently opens applications for roles in hospitality, administration, and more. They offer competitive benefits & opportunities and are known for supporting career growth.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line hires across hospitality, entertainment, and professional roles. Benefits include comprehensive health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans.
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is renowned for their customer service. They offer roles in hospitality, entertainment, and technology. They provide great benefits and prioritize employee growth and development.
Holland America Line
They have job openings in areas like hospitality and entertainment. They offer solid benefits and opportunities to grow in your career.
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Recruitment
To get a job on a cruise ship, one can either apply directly to the specific cruise line or through their authorized recruitment partner.
Before making the job application, it is important to be mentally prepared to stay away from home for extended periods as these jobs are long-term contracts in nature and involve living aboard a ship in the sea.
Also, make sure that you tailor your Curriculum Vitae to fit into the qualifications and experience that the hiring company is looking for.
Here are a few examples of authorized recruitment partners working to recruit Kenyans for cruise ship jobs:
1. MSC Ship Management Kenya Limited
They frequently post job openings on behalf of MSC & Explorer Journey Cruise Lines on their Instagram page. Interested parties should keep an eye out to regularly stay updated for jobs tailored to their preferences.
2. Kouzon Kenya Limited
The Kouzon Corporation is a recruitment partner to several cruise lines including the Princess Cruise Line. They regularly post job openings on their website. The application process is free. Final hiring decisions are made by the Cruise lines and not the Kouzon Staff.
3. Starboard Cruise Services
Starboard specializes in recruiting retail professionals for cruise ship positions through its website. Starboard has a fantastic reputation for placing candidates in Kenya and Africa in cruise ship retail positions.
