Getting Hired as a Couple to Work on Cruise Ships
- Renee Ruggero
- April, 7 2014
- 3 min read
Many relationships start onboard and weather the challenges through the years, unfortunately getting hired as a couple to work on cruise ships is more difficult, but it's not impossible. What are the cruise lines' views about hiring couples and are there some cruise ship jobs that are easier for couples to get hired for?
Challenges for Couples Working on Cruise Ships
Some of the challenges that couples need to consider before deciding to apply to work on cruise ships are time spent together, cabin assignment, contract length, and the possibility of not working on the same ship together.
There isn't a lot of free time when working on board and therefore you may not have the same hours off as your partner throughout the day. You must also consider that you may not get to live in the same cabin. The length of your contract may also be different than your partner's, making the period of your vacation different, too. Finally, would you accept a contract on a different ship than your partner?
Cruise Lines that Hire Couples
Some cruise lines hire couples. On a couple of cruise line websites, they are very forthcoming about their views on hiring couples.
Carnival Cruise Lines' entertainment employment website states in their FAQ, "Carnival Cruises Lines is a very couple friendly cruise line, and endeavours to allow couples to work on the same ship whenever possible... for the first contract it may prove difficult to keep them together on the ship...Carnival prefers to assess employees as individuals before committing to hiring them as couples."
Comparatively, Royal Caribbean International states on their employment website that, "each applicant is assessed individually based on his/her qualifications, and although every effort is made to accommodate couples to be assigned to the same ship, we cannot guarantee that they will be assigned to the same ship within a certain period of time."
When trying to get hired as a couple for two separate cruise ship jobs, both applicants must prove that they are the best candidate for the job they are applying for. Even if and when you are both hired, you may not be placed on the same ship.
Best Cruise Ship Jobs for Couples
There are some cruise ship jobs that are more conducive for couples applying together such as jobs that can be done as a team. Musicians in a duo or band are one example, but Shopping Guides, Art Auctioneers, and Guest Lecturers are some of the other jobs that can be hired as a team. The downside is that you are paid only one salary since generally it is one job that is shared.