Because of the social nature of these jobs, they are best for people with enthusiastic and extroverted personalities who like dealing, speaking and working directly with people. Cruise staff positions tend to be some of the most abundant onboard with jobs varying from gift ship managers to casino dealers to assistant cruise directors.

When most people think about cruise ship employment they are probably thinking of cruise staff, or cruise ship activity and entertainment positions. This is because passengers most commonly deal with employees on a cruise ship who fall under typical cruise staff positions of this kind. While cruise staff positions are a better fit for someone who is socially outgoing and friendly, the specific requirements for each job encompass a lot of the same qualities. This generally means that if you have experience in one area you are most likely to be hired there, but will often times find yourself in a different cruise staff position that utilizes those same skills.

For example, if you have worked in a gift shop or retail store and have experience talking with customers, helping them with purchases, giving advice and answering questions it makes sense that you would be a good fit as a cruise ship gift shop or retail employee. However, you also have the social skills and experience that would make you a good fit as a hostess or concierge. Based on the job vacancies onboard you might find yourself in a new position drawing on old skills.

One of the most important cruise ship staff positions is the assistant cruise director’s job.

The assistant cruise director’s job description is to essentially spend a lot of time with passengers in social situations onboard the ship. This means mingling at cocktail parties (in the business, this is called "swanning"), taking part in activities like bingo and other onboard games, getting passengers involved and enthusiastic about shipboard activities and attending social events. Assistant cruise directors like cruise directors should be one of the most notable people onboard a ship and are likely to be seen during performances and social events by almost everyone onboard the ship at some point during the cruise.

Some of the other responsibilities taken on by the assistant cruise director include assigning tour dispatch and doing general public relations work for the cruise line. Social dance training is also preferred by someone in this position because some cruise lines expect cruise staff to sing or dance in shows as a part of their job.

Competition for an assistant cruise director position is stiff, so a lot of follow-up work is usually needed. Timing and determination are everything. We talked to some assistant cruise directors who applied continually for years before getting hired. Not only is this job fun and exciting, but also pay is also very good for assistant cruise ship directors, earning people in this position thousands of dollars a month for what amounts to socializing and having fun. Although it's hard work, like many cruise ship jobs, it is also very rewarding.

Contracts often last six months and pay is most often salary-based.

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