What Do Cruise Ship Jobs Pay?

Cruise ship staffs can earn good money while traveling the world.

Working on a cruise ship is, in many ways, a dream job. The pay can be good, lodgings and meals free and you get to travel. On the other hand, the jobs require from 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, with very modest accommodations. At least, working on a cruise line can be a life experience that exposes you to new places and cultures while helping you earn a lot of money.

Wait Staff

Wait staff, such as waiters and waitresses, busboys and bartenders, who serve the guests are tipping staff. In addition to getting a regular monthly salary, the guests are given appropriate suggested tips. These jobs are given to people who speak English well and have good customer relations skills. Bar waiters and waitresses earned from $1,000 to $2,500 a month as of January 2011; busboys, bartenders and assistant waiters from $1,500 to $3,000; waiters and waitresses earned from $2,500 to $4,500 a month.

Retail Jobs

Among the retail jobs on cruise ships are people who manage and work in gift shops and florist shops, as well as photographers. Retail sales employees tend to work long hours and their salaries depend on commission. They and florists earned about $1,500 to $2,000 a month as of January 2011. Retail managers are generally required to have previous cruise retail experience. They earned from $2,200 to $3,100 a month. Photographers use equipment owned by the cruise lines and take, develop and sell photos to passengers. They earned from $1,800 to $2,400 a month.

Pursers

The purser department is the ship's accounting department and manages costs as well as ticketing, currency exchange and immigration issues of staff. Pursers must have an accounting and administration background. Contracts are for a year with a break in between. The chief or first purser earned between $3,400 and $4,200 a month as of January 2011. Purser staff earned between $1,400 to $2,000 a month.

Entertainment Jobs

Entertainment jobs include everything from cruise director to performers to casino staff. These are among the most sought-after jobs in the cruise industry. Cruise staff got paid from $1,800 to $2,300 a month to be extroverts as of January 2011. They play games, chat with passengers, dance with passengers and generally keep people actively involved. Cruise staff members may gain enough experience to become cruise directors, who made from $4,000 to $7,000 a month. Assistant cruise directors earned from $2,500 to $3,000 a month.

Food and Beverage

Food and beverage managers are responsible for the restaurants, cafes, cafeterias -- all areas of the ship where people eat and drink. Cruise companies prefer to hire experienced food and beverage directors for these positions, which earned $3,000 to $4,200 a month as of January 2011. Other jobs in this area include executive chefs who earned $3,500 to $5,000 a month and pastry chefs who earned from $1,500 to $2,400 a month.

References

• Cruise Lines Jobs: Job Descriptions