First of all, obviously you'll get a lot of questions about how much time you can spend it ports. Specifically, did you have time to act almost as a tourist in some ports? Where you able to properly explore the areas you were in, or is it really almost impossible to actually see much of the places that you go?
The second question is about job competition. Clearly a job on a cruise liner is a dream job for many people, so is there a lot of competition for jobs? How would cruise liners pick who to employ out of a list of non-skilled applicants? Would it be better to train say as a bartender before applying, and therefore have a better chance of entry?
The third question is about the holiday time. You said that you get a couple of weeks of unpaid vacation for a 6 month contract. Would this vacation have to be on the ship? Or could it be taken while at a port, hence using the vacation time to explore the area? (Kind of linking into first question there) Would you be able to fly home and back for that vacation?
My next question is about personal space; I have this vision that on this huge cruise ship I'd be able to find a special personal place that most people wouldn't know about, and therefore be able to spend some personal time there. Would you think that things like that would occur?
My final question is surrounding computer and internet access on-board.
Would workers be permitted to bring laptops with them?
And would the internet on the ships generally be available while sailing?
Do not believe all those storied about hard work and 14 hrs day ... dependable on position, you will have more or less time in ports, but you WILL have time off, and you WILL feel and be a tourist, with the great advantage of being paid for your time onboard.
They will not take you as non-skilled for bartender's job, period.
You will have to have the knowledge of mixing drinks, cocktails, wines, wiskeys ...
I suggest you get at leat a short course before applying for position.
Feel free to inflate your CV with imagenary experiance, they simply do not bother to check with your alleged previous employer(s). Use your imagination, but have someone to answer the call you mention as a reference, just in case.
specifically, for you, what's your experience been on how long you've been allowed to explore ports?
Say, for example, if you stopped at London, would you be able to go into London and see some sites?
So say if I did a short course in the future, did a bit of experience and inflated that on the CV, combined with the fact that by then I'd already have worked on a passenger ship (not a cruise liner though, it's another story XD), and also that I've lived in turkey for 9 years so am i've been in loads of different cultures and met different kinds of people, do you think that wouldn't be too difficult to be offered a job?
About vacations, can you take a vacation at the port you are at? So say if you are in Sydney, then you stay in a hotel in Sydey for a week as you explore it?
hey man thanks a lot for replying again =)
i've heard that gift shop jobs are really good, because of international laws they are closed whenever the ship's in port, which means that u get all that time off!!
and it wouldn't be too hard at all to get work experience, especially ifi did experience in perfumes and fragrances then i'd stand a good chance right?
man you've really made me wanna go and work on a ship now; they should pay you for this!!
more of a personal question now lol, but what was ur favourite place to visit?
Favorite place to visit? I liked Nassau because of hot&sauer soup in Chinese restaurant and the biggest hotel complex I ever seen - Atlantis. They had a couple of European style coffees close to the peer in center of the City where one could get a real coffee and even the European newspapers ... Second best was Disneys' private island Castaway Cay and pristine beach in the middle of nowhere. The third was Cozumel, Mexico. Unlike in US, in Mexico is mass production of food still rare, and the prices were low. Lots of good hand made silver objects, alligator boots ... pristine beaches ... Got hooked on Mexican beer there (Sol) | (http://www.drinkhacker.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/sol-beer.jpg) |