Duties include: Daily maintenance, repair and cleaning of individual cabins, public areas; lounges, restaurants and overall structural maintenance; laundry and, yes, you will do windows. Helpful skills/experience: General housekeeping, janitorial/cleaning, painting, carpentry, miscellaneous "handyman" skills.
When Crystal Cruises' Thomas Mazloum, Ship Hotel Manager, interviews prospective employees, he first asks himself whether he would feel comfortable buying a used car from the applicant.
Qualifications: Previous hotel/resort/cruise ship experience and affiliation with janitorial concessionaires, such as Marine and Mercantile. See International Directory of Concessionaires. Apply first to the concessionaires or contact your local shipping/maritime union.
LECTURER/SPECIAL GUEST
Pioneers of a new frontier, cruise lines are expanding their ship board activities to entertain and educate guests. Upscale, deluxe, premium and adventure cruise lines often hire guest lecturers. Topics of interest include fine arts, sports and fitness, health and beauty, music, business and finance, world affairs, gaming or gourmet cooking. If you are an expert, published author or university professor, economist, nature and wildlife specialist or historian, you may be able to exchange your services for a discounted or free cruise. For a complete listing of topics, see Wanted; Presenters-Speakers-Instructors and Gentlemen Hosts.
Contact the Director of Entertainment or concessionaire with promotional material on your lecture, a photograph and a brief video or audio tape. See International Directory of Concessionaires. Hot Tip: Apply to cruise lines which offer theme cruises.
GREG CYLKOWSKI, LECTURER
M 111 sail the Western Caribbean on the Costa Allegra this February.
What a break from frozen Minnesota!"
"An associate of mine told me, 'Greg, you should customize your corporate and sports presentations for a cruise ship audience - there's a big demand for it.' I'll be sailing on the Costa Allegra for Valentines' Day.
"My Life Skills Seminar blends the same techniques and skills used by successful corporate executives, entertainers or athletes. I customize my presentation to meet the needs of the passengers with specific illustrations and processes. I'll teach emotional control, personal identity, higher level performance, stress management, self-discipline and increased ability to focus. Skills any individual can use to excel.
"The cruise line is stringent on specific restrictions for your presentations. No distributing business cards or flyers and no solicitation of customers for future presentations or personal consultations. In exchange for giving my presentation, I receive an excellent discount for both my wife and I."
"I've been pursuing the opportunity to lecture aboard a luxury liner for over a year. I saw an article in a tennis magazine about sports cruises like Norwegian Cruise Line's Sports Afloat and Royal Caribbean's Golf Ahoy program. I discovered that many cruise lines hire lecturers or presenters on a regular basis. I began researching who to contact, the timing and demand for presentations. How to Get a Job with a Cruise Line helped me get started on my contacts. I planted a lot of seeds and promoted myself."
CUPPER CRUISE UNE LECTURERS
Clipper's Susan Adie has a B.S. degree from Cornell University in environmental education and communication, and almost 25 years of experience as a naturalist Susan is an avid birder, whale watcher, wildflower enthusiast and a three time winner of the Conservation Educator of the Year Award.
Robert Lipson has explored and studied the Chesapeake Bay for more than 20 years, and has served as senior scientist and assistant regional director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries service. His research interests include blue crabs, fish, wetlands & ecology.
MORE WAYS TO TURN TALK INTO TRAVEL: THEME CRUISES
Crystal Cruises Food & Wine Festival hired Gourmet magazine Wine Editor, Gerald Asher; best-selling author, John Jakes, and makeup artist, Michael Maroon. Cigar Lovers cruises feature experts such as representatives of leading cigar makers and Avo Uvezian, "cigar composer". One Ultimate Rhythm & Blues Cruise promoted entertainers including Marcia Ball, Katie Webster, & Louisiana Red.
"Gin Rummy & Pinochle Tournament of the Sea" features experts/instructors. Sea bourn Cruise Line and Wide World of Golf offer a golf cruise with lecturers and clinics. RCCL's shipboard enrichment program sponsors former ambassadors, professors, marine biologists and geologists. The lecture schedule includes "Europe's Economic and Political Development," "Ocean Liners of Today and Yesterday," and "Handwriting and what it Reveals"
REGISTERED NURSE
Nurses are on-call 24 hours for walk-in and hospital care. Applicants must have a minimum of three years recent hospital experience, with two or more years emergency room, trauma, or critical care. Advanced Cardiac Life Support ACLS, certification and a second language are helpful but not essential. Apply with copies of your curriculum vitae CV diploma from an accredited nursing school, current state license, and a recent passport size photograph.
SUZANN CHRISTENSEN, REGISTERED NURSE
"I do it, because if you don't do it now you may never have a chance. Do it and enjoy it."
Suzann just knew when she was a passenger aboard the Song of America she couldn't wait to finish at the hospital, and travel as a ship board nurse. "I had just sailed on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line as a passenger; I returned to work and said 'I'm tired of this.' So, I sent in my resume to the medical staff I'd met on the cruise. Four days after I mailed my resume, Royal Caribbean called and asked me if I was interested in a position.
"I've had eighteen years of emergency room experience, so I feel qualified to be a ship board nurse. After graduating from nurses' training, I began working in a small emergency room outside of Chicago. My next job was with Massachusetts General in Boston for two years. I've also worked in the advanced cardiac life support unit and as a mobile intensive care nurse.
"The ship's hospital is set up to be a full emergency room. With Royal Caribbean there are two nurses aboard the ship, a North American nurse and a Scandinavian. The quality of the patient aboard ship is really different from on land. Working in a large emergency room outside of Chicago, you see more trauma accidents, alcoholism and drug overdoses. Aboard ship, you see more sunburn, some sea sickness and at most, passengers who have had motor scooter accidents in Cozumel and Grand Cayman.
"The passengers are here to enjoy themselves and they're more anxious about being ill because it's ruining their vacation. So you'll be doing a lot of public relations. You have to be outgoing, supportive and make them feel comfortable. It's different than what I had been used to, before I had to be very supportive, but it was more hustle-bustle. Now I have more time.
"The nurses are on call for twenty-four hours and then off duty for twenty- four hours. We're always available to help the other nurse. If there's a passenger who's a patient in the hospital for any length of time, we're on duty. The best part of my job is the travel and meeting people. I also love the shopping sprees in port. My favorite port of call for bargains is St. Thomas.
"I traveled aboard the Nordic Prince for four weeks and I'm finishing my six month contract aboard the Sovereign of the Seas. With all the benefits, the travel, the room and board; the pay comes out about equal to what you'd make on land. The most difficult challenge is being away from home."
Suzann is married and though her husband visited her last weekend, she misses him. She calls her family when she's in port.
"My husband and my brother have been supportive of me wanting to travel. When my chance came, they said 'Do it, because if you don't do it now you may never have a chance in the future. Do it and enjoy it.'
"This is something I've always wanted to do. I've always loved cruising. If you think you'd like to work on a cruise ship, get as much emergency room, intensive care, or operating room procedure as you can. Know life support and emergency techniques. Royal Caribbean recommends that you have five years' experience in either emergency, intensive care or the operating room."
Suzann plans to return to a ship for another six months after her contract ends. After that she'd like to do flight nursing aboard air evacuation medical helicopters! Pioneers of a new frontier, cruise lines are expanding their ship board activities to entertain and educate guests. Upscale, deluxe, premium and adventure cruise lines often hire guest lecturers.
