Life Onboard a Cruise Ship

What to Expect

Not sure what to expect while working onboard a cruise ship? A career at sea affords you many unparalleled opportunities such as travelling to exotic locations, building meaningful friendships with diverse co-workers onboard, and gaining valuable professional skills in a world-class environment.

Unlike careers on land, however, life at sea has some unique conditions. Princess Cruises takes great pride in our efforts to make the adjustment to sea life as easy as possible so you can focus on being The Consummate Host for our guests.

Watch a video on what a day in the life of a crew member is like

Contract Lengths & Accommodations

Contract Lengths

With over 30,000 sea-going employees and a growing fleet of ships, it takes a great deal of coordination and strategic planning to keep operations running smoothly. Because of this, contract lengths vary based on a number of factors. Our contract lengths vary from 4 months (most senior officer positions) to 9 months.

Accommodations

Because of the nature of the environment, space is utilized very efficiently onboard. Most ranks onboard share accommodations with other sea-going staff in rooms that include a TV, phone, writing desk, and limited storage space. There are several dedicated cafeterias (referred to as the Crew Mess, Staff Mess, and Officers Mess) with a variety of menu items from different regions of the world.

Welfare Activities

Since the ships are in operation each day, you will be scheduled to work every day during your contract. We understand that after working long hours, it can be challenging to unwind. To help, we have a robust program of recreational and social activities in our Crew Welfare program to help you relax and enjoy your experience at sea!

• Discos
• Bingo games
• Port tours
• Murder Mystery Nights
• Department barbeques
• Football matches
• Karaoke
• International parties
• Holiday parties
• Deck parties
• Health Wise competitions