Do cruise ship employees get free food? A majority of cruise ship lines offer their employees free food throughout the duration of their contracts. There's typically a special kitchen on the boat that prepares food for staff members. Employees may eat in separate dining areas, depending on their classifications.
As of Jan 4, 2023, the average annual pay for a Cruise Ship Worker in the United States is $48,916 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $23.52 an hour. This is the equivalent of $940/week or $4,076/month.
Is food on a cruise free? You can enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for free on a cruise. This includes access to all complimentary food venues onboard. Main dining restaurants feature versatile menus that cater to a variety of tastes and dietary preferences, which comes included in your cruise fare.
Most cruise lines offer their staff free room and board throughout the duration of their contracts. They often cover the costs of basic living expenses, such as water and electricity bills. This allows employees to travel wherever the ship goes, frequently visiting new countries during their free time.
After each contract you will receive approximately 60 days of vacation before your next assignment. Your daily work schedule while onboard will depend on your particular position, but you can expect to work seven days a week and anywhere between 10-13 hours per day.
Cabin space is at a premium. If crew were to have days off you would still need other crew to cover those responsibilities – this means more crew onboard taking up more cabin space. And, the more cabin space crew take up, the less space there is onboard the ship for passenger cabins.
Your cruise fare always includes food for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a cruise ship. However, not all venues that offer food will be free. The main dining room and cruise ship buffet will always be included in your cruise fare, though a few specialty items might cost extra.
Cruise ship crew are often restricted to the crew messes – a self-service buffet where they can eat their fill during the hours of operation. So if they are on shifts and absolutely must have a certain meal, such as breakfast, it is up to them to wake up early and get to the buffet in time.
According to CruiseCareers, the range generally goes between 1,700 AUD - 2,200 AUD per month. However, you can earn as much as 5000 AUD per month working on a cruise ship. Depending on the cruise line, you can be assigned a tipping job or a non-tipping job. Salaries are scaled according to gratuities.
Entry-level kitchen positions usually have the lowest wages found on cruise ships.
Crew and staff members often have one roommate, though they sometimes have three. Their rooms are furnished simply, giving occupants some combination of a bed, a desk, a closet, a few shelves, and a small bathroom.
Most cruise lines offer their staff free room and board throughout the duration of their contracts. They often cover the costs of basic living expenses, such as water and electricity bills. This allows employees to travel wherever the ship goes, frequently visiting new countries during their free time.
Staff members often expect to work around 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Some employees may work early in the morning, like those who prepare food, while others work late into the night, like bartenders and entertainers.
On a cruise ship, the secret symbol of an upside-down pineapple is regularly used as a code for swinging or “wife-swapping”. In most cases, an illustrated and upside-down pineapple is fixed to the cabin door of a guest interested in swinging and partner swapping.
Yes, there will food provided for lunch once you get onboard the ship. Depending on which ship you are boarding, the options can vary, but in general the Windjammer buffet will be your go-to spot for an embarkation day lunch.
Can you eat whenever you want on a cruise? For the most part, food is available around the clock on most ships. Even in the middle of the night, you can order room service (for a fee) or pick up free late-night nibbles at the buffet or from the 24-hour pizza shops found on many vessels.
On all Royal Caribbean ships, there is complimentary soft-serve ice cream on the ship. Usually, it is near the pools and there are ice cream cones available to pour the ice cream onto.
Food waste is discharged in the ocean. When food has been prepared but goes uneaten, it is ground up and mixed with water until it is liquified by an industrial grinder. This food mixture is typically pumped out of the ship while at sea.
You may smoke on a cruise ship, but only in designated smoking areas. On most ships operated by U.S. cruise lines, all indoor public spaces are off-limits with the exceptions being the casino (or part of the casino), a cigar lounge (if the ship has one) and one or two other lounges.
Cruise-ship crews are known for partying after work, and let me tell you, we (sometimes) live up to that standard. There are very strict alcohol policies for the staff, but the crew-bar drinks are cheap and the parties are so much fun, so learning a level of self-control is crucial.
Cruise lines know that happy crew members will stay longer with the company, and give married couples the opportunity to apply for contracts working on the same ship and to share a cabin.