Cruise Ship Jobs for Officers & Crew
How careers work on cruise vessels - from deck and engine officers to the large hotel and hospitality department - and how to get discovered by the cruise lines and manning agents who hire them.
Who works on a cruise ship
A cruise vessel is really two ships in one: a working merchant ship and a floating hotel. That means jobs fall into three broad groups. The marine department - the Master, deck officers and ratings - navigates the vessel, handles mooring, and runs safety and lifeboat operations. The engine and technical department - engineers, Electro-Technical Officers and motormen - keeps the propulsion, power, air-conditioning and water systems running around the clock. And the hotel and hospitality department - by far the largest - looks after thousands of guests through guest services, food and beverage, housekeeping, galley and entertainment.
Certificates and requirements
Because a cruise ship carries so many passengers, safety training requirements are higher than on cargo vessels. Every crew member generally needs:
- STCW Basic Safety Training - Personal Survival, Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting, Elementary First Aid, Personal Safety & Social Responsibility
- Crowd Management and Crisis Management & Human Behaviour training (specific to passenger ships)
- A valid seafarer medical fitness certificate
- Marine officers: the relevant Certificate of Competency; hotel crew: proven hospitality or guest-service experience
Which operators hire cruise crew
Cruise and passenger-ship operators recruit continuously across ocean cruise lines, expedition and river cruise fleets, and luxury yachts. They hire both directly and through specialist cruise manning agents, and they value candidates who combine the right certificates with strong guest-facing service and language skills.
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