Working on cruise ships offers an array of positive opportunities. Work, travel, adventure and personal as well as professional development, to name a few.
You can expect to work very hard, but there are also lots of opportunities for fun and down time. Typically you will work 5 1/2 days out of 7 and commonly your full day off will be when the ship is docked in a port, meaning you get to explore some incredible places!
Ships will have crew quarters which is an area of the ship usually within the lowest 2-3 decks. This is where you and your colleagues will sleep, eat and of course, party! Ship crews are made of many departments with workers from all over the world. You will get to learn about other cultures and ways of life for more than just the countries you visit. And best of all you’ll make international friends for life!
When it comes to your working day, the spas usually open from 8am – 10pm. This is your working day. Within that time you will be given a lunch and dinner break. The days are long and often tiring but ultimately you must remember your main focus on board is to work. As is the nature of most spas, the most common treatment you will do is massage. As you can imagine, stamina is important but this you will build with practice and experience. The on board spas are very target driven. Each therapist is given a retail and treatment revenue target to hit, meaning you’ll get lots of practice in up-selling, cross-promotion and product recommendations. The targets are commonly incentivised with additional hours for time off.
Although you work hard on board, you really do have a lot of fun with it. You will also develop hugely as a therapist, gaining confidence in your skills and knowledge and treating all sorts of different clients. You can liken the experience to a finishing school for beauty therapists.
You will also come to learn a lot about yourself! Sometimes being far away from your friends and family can seem really scary. However you will make new friends and develop a ‘ship family’ whilst on board. You’ll support each other when times get hard and celebrate together when times are good, making memories that will last a lifetime!
If you are thinking about working on cruise ships we absolutely recommend you go for it. If you don’t try it, you’ll never know…..