Cruise ships have workers from up to 70 countries working on each vessel at a time. This means that we're used to work with people from different culture, and thus means, we all have an international mindset. We have to work and live with people from very different backgrounds, and in doing so, we learn about their cultures and ways of doing things and become more open in general. This flows into every aspect of life and work attitudes.

I have been working on the cruise ship for a long time, and I can guarantee that the crew members are the most resilient, hard-working, and committed employees in the world. Therefore, I would sincerely recommend any business owner to consider employing a former crew member, as that will certainly boost overall business operations. 

Remember that there is a difference between a bad relationship and a bad boss. A bad boss is intentionally mean or unethical and is not receptive to dealing with you honestly and openly. A bad relationship is an inability to communicate or work together to achieve mutually-beneficial goals. When you approach your situation with your boss, you should focus on the relationship instead of the person. This will help you keep cool and find a productive way to address the situation.

When you are at home before your first cruise ship assignment, you don't know how many different things are going to happen when you board the ship. Everything you probably heard from those employment agencies back home is only the good side of the story. When you pack your luggage and finally set to join the cruise ship for the first time, just take a deep breath; in the end, everything will be ok. Be brave and prepare yourself for a unique, beautiful, challenging journey.

The Human Resources position plays a vital part in any business organization. This position is maybe the most vital in the cruise ship industry since crew members are away from their families for 6-10 months.

Generally speaking, if you are an extrovert, you will adjust much easier to the culture on the cruise ship. The ability to seek every opportunity to talk and create conversations is crucially important on the ship, especially when working in front of the house and dealing with guests.

In response to growing concerns about mental health on cruise ships, there have been several recent additions to the small body of research on seafarers' mental well-being, which has sought to examine the prevalence of mental health issues among seafarers, review the support that exists and offer recommendations on how to protect the mental health of seafarers.

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, which resulted in the confinement of a large part of the world’s population, a string of consequences not seen since the Second World War shook the social and economic structures of most, if not all, countries, prolonged confinements, limited mobility, and border closures affected all economic sectors to varying extents, however, hospitality and tourism were possibly the hardest hit of all despite their years of steady growth.

What's behind the increase in cruise ship violence? There are a few possible explanations.

More People Onboard

I remember one funny story when I was working on a cruise ship sailing out from Galveston, Texas. It was 2 am, and there was some emergency signal on the ship. Just because there is an emergency does not mean it involves you as a crew. One lady, a crew member, was running with her carry-on baggage at the muster station. Other crew members and officers were looking at her in disbelief; she thought the ship was sinking, packed her luggage, and kept running to her Muster Station.