We've suggested these are the best entry-level or first-job positions for these four reasons:
A. High turnover, people promote up the ladder, creating job openings
B. Expansion of departments: When a cruise line expands, it has product or ships to sell; consequently, the most advertised positions are in sales and reservations.
C. Traditional starting positions - This is where you learn the cruise line's operations.
D. Seasonal hiring patterns. While cruising is increasing in popularity year-round, cruise lines add staff for holidays, Winter/Spring and summer sailings.
If you want to break into the cruise industry, prepare and educate yourself for these five top first jobs:
- Air Sea Ticketing Agent
- Gift Shop Staff
- Purser's Staff
- Reservationist
- Youth Counselor
Most cruise lines offer passengers special airfares from local airports to cruise port cities. Air Sea agents coordinate flight schedules with cruise itineraries and issue boarding passes.
Qualifications: Previous travel agency, travel school/hospitality program training, or airline experience in air reservations and ticketing. Working knowledge/experience with airline computer systems including System One, Saber, Apollo, see special feature: cruise line air/sea reservation systems for each line.
2. GIFT SHOP STAFF
Bored with your local mall, shopping center or major department store? Why not see the sights around the world on your time off?! Apply your retail, sales and customer service experience to a position in an international fashion designer's boutique, jewelry shop, perfume kiosk or souvenir shop.
One gift shop concessionaire's representative says, "There is definitely a demand for people with experience who will live aboard ship for six months."
Responsibilities for shop managers or assistants include inventory, display, storage, coding, pricing and sales, sales, sales; Qualifications: three years full time experience in a department store or a specialty shop. Most gift shop personnel are hired through concessionaires such as Greyhound Leisure and Alders International. Contact the concessionaire for specific employment arrangements and an application.
3. PURSER'S STAFF
The Operations Manager of Carnival Cruise Lines describes the ideal purser's staff member: "I look initially at hospitality experience. Education, like a hotel degree is helpful. A college degree is important Experience with a financial institution is also important because you will be handling a great deal of money."
The Purser Department is the nerve center of passenger services. As a member of the purser's staff you are the liaison between passenger, crew and headquarters. You represent cruise line policies and procedures. In addition to hospitality or finance experience, customer relations skills and computer skills will help you get a job on the purser's staff. Similar to duties at the front desk of a fine resort hotel, the purser's staff responsibilities are 50% administrative; dealing with official documents and financial matters and 50% passenger relations.
4. RESERVATIONIST
Tony Hernandez, District Sales Manager, says, "If you talk to any reservations manager, one of the hardest things for them to do is to keep good people. Because the best people always get promoted. There's a big turnover in reservations."
As a reservationist, you are the cruise industry's front line of sales. You'll provide travel agents with the facts and figures to close the sale; sailing dates, rates, itineraries, availability of cabins, special arrangements: dinner seating, honeymoons, birthdays, anniversaries and pre-cruise and post- cruise packages.
Vicki Molino of Dolphin Cruise Line says; "As reservations manager, I help reservationists build their selling skills. We train our reservationists to sell properly and communicate with travel agents. I look for applicants with the ability to be consistent, organized, dedicated, responsible and resourceful. Good reservationists know the product and can meet the customer's needs effectively and efficiently."
A former Premier Cruise Lines personnel executive describes the ideal reservation agent: "a graduate of a travel or tourism school, with computer experience and a 'people person,' outgoing personality. It's also very important that the applicant have some sales experience and a pleasant telephone voice. Most cruise lines offer in house training on their reservations systems. Reservations is a great place to start, we do promote from within, because you'll have the product knowledge that people coming off the street don't have. We promote into individual sales, group sales, tours and capacity control." See Cruise Line Profiles for each company's specific reservations systems.
5. YOUTH COUNSELOR
The 'you thing of cruising' has created a demand for experienced youth counselors. The increase in families sailing with children has made youth programs a standard in the industry. Most ship's offer children programs and facilities. Youth counselors are hired for holiday and summer cruises; however several cruise lines hire year-round. See Chapter 6: Cruise Line Profiles, Chapter 8: Youth Counselors: Child Care at Sea
Youth Counselors coordinate youth and children's activities and programs are often divided by age groups. Activities include games, contests, scavenger hunts, parties, dances and sports and fitness instruction. Cruise lines prefer supervisory experience either as a counselor or instructor. Previous training in child education, physical education or child psychology is desirable. Water safety certification is helpful.
