The ports of call reached by cruise lines today offer cruise employees an unparalleled opportunity for travel. For instance, Princess Cruises' Royal Princess has traveled from Acapulco, through the Panama Canal, around the Caribbean, across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, around Italy, down to North Africa, around the British Isles, through the Baltic Sea, back across the Atlantic to New York, and eventually to Acapulco again. Cruise line workers can really take full advantage of these travel opportunities. As one onboard employee explains:

"As gift shop employees, we had the great advantage of being closed when we were in port, so we were able to get off the ship and out of work virtually the entire time that we were in port. On my very first cruise, we visited South America, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Alaska. In the Caribbean I went swimming and SCUBA diving on beautiful white-sand beaches. At the South American ports I did a lot of shopping and just checking out the local culture and sights, and in Alaska I even got to go sport fishing! Probably the only drawback to visiting all of these ports is that I got carried away and spent a little too much money shopping."

Visiting different places is one of the biggest perks of being a cruise ship employee.

With so many different ports of call now visited by cruise ships, the ability to see new places and cities is better than ever before. A lot of the employees on a cruise ship love the cruise industry because it affords them the opportunity to travel in addition to excellent earning potential. But it is important to realize that not every job on a cruise ship will afford you time off the ship at ports of call.

Bedroom stewards, for example, are responsible for cleaning rooms and attending to guest living quarters. Therefore, a great deal of the bedroom steward's time is occupied while the guests are off the ship and out of their rooms. This happens to correspond to hours when the ship is docked at different destinations. As you might guess, bedroom stewards don't enjoy as much time off during ports of call as some of the other positions onboard.

Each of the many different jobs on a cruise ship will have it's own set of responsibilities and hours. Some will have time off while the ship is at ports of call and others will enjoy time off at other hours.

Although not everyone enjoys the ship's itinerary to the full degree of those employees who get to disembark periodically, travel is a major driving factor behind working a cruise ship job. Regardless of your position, anyone who works on a cruise ship will receive some time off at ports of call and get to enjoy the hundreds of beautiful locations around the globe that cruise ships access.

If you're interested in seeing or visiting a specific region, then take some time to explore the itineraries of different cruise lines. Keep in mind that being hired by a specific ship won't necessarily corner you into one itinerary. Often, employees will change ships within a company and travel to a number of different locations. Do your research and discover which cities across the world you will see as a cruise ship employee.

Cruise Ship Staff >>>