Working on a Cruise Ship

Rachael Grant works on the Norwegian Dawn as a daycare worker.

Courtesy of NCL

Imagine sailing through the Caribbean; palm trees on the horizon, the sun blazing down as you take a dip in a luxurious pool. Now, what if you could do all this while you were at work? Well that's exactly what Rachael Grant gets to look forward to with her job working on a cruise ship. The Norwegian Dawn is a 965 ft cruise ship that sails year-round from New York to a private island in the Bahamas - making stops in Orlando, Miami and Nassau. Find out what it takes to make a career out of vacationing in the Caribbean.

Working on a Cruise Ship - Getting Started

Rachael spends her time on the cruise ship in the daycare, where she runs programs for all the kids and teens on the ship. You might think that working on a cruise ship - especially in their daycare - would require a university degree or specific courses, but the truth is, all you need is some previous experience and a bit of post-secondary school. That means, if you start volunteering your time now, you could be on your way to spending your summer vacations cruising the Caribbean! You'll also need to have a First Aid and CPR certificate, so it wouldn't hurt to start taking some courses while you're in school. Most schools or community centers offer a babysitting course, which is a good place to start.

Working on a Cruise Ship - A Typical Day

"There are 2 different types of days on the ship, sea days and port days. Sea days are when we are sailing non-stop. On these sorts of days, I usually work for 10 to 12 hours a day. Sometimes it's more like 14 hours. On sea days I wake up around 8:30, get dressed and grab a bowl of cereal before work at 8:45. I run programs for the kids until lunch, then come back at two, and then break for dinner and run a program one more time," Rachael says about her job working in the cruise ship daycare.

Working on a Cruise Ship - The Upside

Do we really need to tell you what's cool about working on a cruise ship? First, you get to travel to some pretty cool places. There are a ton of cruise lines out there that you could work for and they go to places like the Caribbean, Mexico and even Alaska. Not only that, but you're going to meet a ton of cool peeps from around the world while working on a cruise ship - maybe even some life-long friends. Cruise ships also dock in different ports during the trip, so you'll be able to explore different cities all the time.

To find out about the cruise ship bling, and to hear what advice Rachael has to get into the cruise ship biz, click here.