Sweatships - Working Conditions on Cruise Ships - Part 1/2

[2armylife]

If you are lucky enough to get a job on a cruise ship, it would be a dream come true. Yes, you work a lot of really really really long hours, about 12-13 a day, with no days off, but you knew thats what you signed up for. People who just doss around don't deserve that job. You get to travel around the world, making other people happy, while having fun yourself. If you get into a job that you enjoy, its even better, because working those long hours wouldn't be a chore xx

[jonmtate36]

I meet a bar tender on Carnival that has been working on a cruise ship for 12 years and has put all his kids (4) threw school and paid off his house. He said these young kids complain a lot about work, But he was glad Carnival has given him the opportunity to give his family a better life.

[joelfrenette]

The Ugly Truth - He Is Spot On! I worked for Carnival Cruises as a Bar Waiter in 1996 - I was the first Canadian EVER to sign the contract - I had to register in Liberia (West Africa) and accept a wage of 45$ per month. We worked from 8am to 5am some days... We slept like chickens... sleeping 20 minutes every couple of hours... and we did work everyday for the entire length of the contract. I learned how to hustle.

[titohuertas]

I worked in a cruise ship for 2 years. What a horrible experience. Not glamorous at all. Glad I never came back.

[tigershad0w6]

These poor people working on cruise ships, I would hate to live in cramped conditions and work all the time, I feel for y'all

[anadolorify]

I've worked on a cruise ship too for around six months. This guy is not crazy.

Some people get lucky, and especially if they're North American or have any advantages, they might not run into problems with the authoritarian nature of the ship...but if you complain about anything your job is in jeopardy. And it was rare that anyone I knew worked as few as 11 hours. 13 or 14 was more common and those were intensive hours! No days off.

[martinholde]

If you settle for a low level job, yes you will work more than you get paid, but if you come with some form of skills you get better jobs. Also, you have the opportunity to climb the latter with most companies. One contracts alone isn't gonna do much for you.

[Sucramfree16]

umm why did you show a picture of a african slave ship?!? No, no, no cruise ship life may be pretty bad, but equal to being a african slave on a slave ship? NO!! Cruise ship crew get paid, albeit it little, and they chosoe to get on the ship AT THERE ON WILL! They have bathrooms, they have beds, and much larger living area space per person comparared to slaves. Are the crew quarters infested with disease?

[alex91387]

They must take passports to prevent people from illegally entering any countries. their must be some truth to this but again another exagerated story. i cruise with disney and i dont belive its that bad

[LumpiaRoll206]

The working conditions that these foreign workers are claiming are a real shame for the cruise ship industry. There are a lot of cruise ships in Seattle these days and it sucks to hear that they contain workers in these miserable conditions often kept out of the eyes reach of tourists.

[websuspect]

ALSO FRESH FRUIT IS NOT ALLOWED ON THE SHIP.

[websuspect]

I went on a cruise and for some reason brought Christmas cards. We had a staff of 4 to wait on us hand and foot the entire week.  On christmas eve we put a few dollars in an Christmas cards hand addressed and gave to out wait staff. Made them VERY HAPPY. DO IT.

[madesugriwe]

@marjeri i used to work on the cruise before. 2000 till 2011 and i know the ups and downs of this industry. i used to work 12 hours in a day until my company established a new policy under ILO ( international labor organisation), if not mistaken it was 2006 where regular working hour was10 hours, and if you are required to do over time it shouldn't exceed 14 hours in a day. so your normal working hour in a month will be around 308 hours and if u do more that this will be paid overtime.

[madesugriwe]

Things are getting better out there. Thank you so much for your afford to bring up this video. a lot of people thought crew got so much salary working on the cruise.

my full respect to the crew work as utility cleaner and galley cleaner. they are the hardest working and the least appreciated on the high seas.

[NYPDmos]

Try digging ditches!

[marjeri]

Its fair enough to post your opinion but unless you have worked on a cruise ship you cannot actually accurately make any judgements on the cruise ship industry.

I dont think I met anyone onboard that did over 11 hours a day.. 20 hours?.. really? I dont think so.

People aren't forced into it, they have to sign a contract that outlines working hours/pay etc, so they don't go into it blind. Having said that.. life on a ship isn't probably what anyone expects, but that is life.

[bohannon97]

Attention to the details.. You have a right to ask many questions before you sign any CONTRACT. do your RESEARCH on any job at home or abroad before you agree to anything. Read fine print, thats where the truth is in many contracts.. GOOD LUCK

[travis8683]

first...total respect for anyone on the ships. Im a teacher now, but I used to waiter for years, not same thing but customer service. second, my wife's SE asia, I know these people are picked. But...Lets say workers, with tips get only $600/month, which is what some have said. Take into consideration...they have free housing, free food, utilities. so IN REALITY, ur making more like $1500+ a month. (cheap apt $600, utility $100, $200 food)PLUS tax, soc security, etc free. Not bad

[crankylifter]

The fact is crews aboard luxury cruise liners are working in one of the hardest professions in the world -- customer service. So spare me the big, tough guy Ice Road Truckers and the crab fishermen from Deadliest Catch; if you want to see a group of people from third world countries put two hard days' work into one, watch your crew on a cruise ship. They are more underappreciated even by their own higher ups than some of the passengers. Good on you, folks! I hope your hard work is empowering!

[RAYJENKTY]

Oh! Look at me! I'm a dumbass with a PhD in bullshit and now I'm going to proclaim myself as a "cruise ship expert"! Yeehaw! Asshole.

[wandawizard1]

Hotel work is similar hours, but you get taxed on your money.

[MrMiles716]

i believe this videothey probably treat you like crap thats why the people are very friendly

[aashish619]

FAKE

[Boatdrunker]

bull shit!

[tinaw1969]

I find this a little hard to believe. This guy worked 20hrs everyday...7days a week for an entire year?? Who would ever apply for a job with a cruise line?

[Dankster312]

@tinaw1969: Lack of information, lies, and desperation.

[violentdelights27]

ive heard a lot of the bad water where the crew lives

[pzarpanely]

Completely False and mis-information, i have been information this industry since 94 and i am still.

Recruitment agent part is true to some extent, but the biggest issue is that crew member s do not report it to the companies while employed. If they did that then the companies would investigate and replace the agent, as i did on a couple of occasions - This does happen in the mainly developing countries, unfortunately.

This persons give our industry a bad name.

I spent 9 fun years on board

[davidlewis83]

This is such bs. I work for a cruise line on board. Contracts are usually 5 months and 1-2 months off. The pay scale is across the board for each position. The do not take advantage of desperate job seekers and pay them less. Ship life is a lot of work and it takes a certain type of person to be able to do it. That is why the screening process is so thorough. The tell you up front what it's like and what they expect of you. Cruise lines don't have the time or money to miss lead potentia

[geertmz]

I work on a cruiseship and sadly,lot of what you hear is true

[harry2kast]

This video is full of crap I've been working on cruise ships for 7 years. No fresh fruit please! Salary is good too, yes some companies are tougher to work and others are great. As for the 7 days a week so what it's contractual work. Oh by the way I'm Canadian and I work in the restaurant and the working conditions far out way the conditions on land. This person who made the video is the very same type of lazy dirtbag that you find on social security at 18 years old crying that they can't find

[Dankster312]

@harry2kast: Dude - if you're a North American, working in the restaurant, things are going to be very, very different for you. I know of people working above deck on these ships who had no idea what was going on with the workers from overseas who were under deck until they got to know those workers well enough that they could be trusted.

[MovieBuddah]

One truth is the recruiting agencies that get work for the Filipino guys do charge fees.

We also take everyone’s passports, its law. Passports on merchant vessels are held by senior officers also. These ships carry workers from poorer countries and there are instances of people jumping ship, this is illegal because of immigration laws. If they want to leave they can, but they must do it properly and arrange flights ect. Don’t they take the passengers passports?

[MovieBuddah]

This video is unreal! This man is making up facts and exaggerating things with his pseudo insider contacts in the shadows.

I've worked on the ships and its nothing like what this guy is saying. I did speak to one guy who earns $50 a month basic and lived off his tips, luckily his tips were $3000 - $4000 a month.

There are lower wages but the Filipino guys I work with build their own home and can start their own business back home after a few years @ sea.

[Dytex4]

why is he comparing these people to black slaves?



[wwfedup]

I can assure you that the crew in this video have done 5 or more contracts. Yes they complain but they always come back. Same as any land based job too, employees complain, it's a way of life. The creator of this video is a typical cruise ship dirt sheet.

[wwfedup]

This video is very untrue. I have worked on cruise ships for over ten years as a senior officer. Granted the pay fluctuates with the higher the ranked position but the same applies in land based jobs too. I deal with complaints from crew on a regular basis in regards to pay and I simply and always offer them the opportunity to resign and they NEVER do. Why? Because life on board is a great deal better than at their home and the pay is 100x more also.

[ibanmode]

they lie toyou all the time i hate royal caribbean i worked at liberty of the seas

[DJRomirez]

11 hours.Most of cruise ship crew are working 11 hours or less.And nobody is getting less than 550-600 USD a month.Sometimes food is not so good (but sometimes very good ).Cabins are really small.Sometimes you really don't have a time to go out.or you're simply to tired.Length of contracts may vary:6-10 monts(mostly 6 mths).

I've worked on the cruise ships for 3 years on different positions.Sometimes it is really tough job.Sometimes no.

But this guy on video is out of his mind))))))) Dumbass))

[VSLJ123456]

@DJRomirez what cruise ship have you worked on? I am interested to work in a cruise ship, but this video made me be scare about it.. :s

[marjeri]

@VSLJ123456 Nothing to be scared about, cruise ships are so much fun to work on.. there are negatives, but I'm sure there are with any job. Best positions I think are Youth staff (kids), Cruise staff (activities with Adults), Retail and Photographer positions. All of these have deck privelages.. meaning you are allowed on the upper decks.. which makes the time onboard less claustrophobic..and If you're interested you can apply directly to the website and their agent will contact you from there.

[madesugriwe]

@DJRomirez it depends on where you work bro. some only get as much as $370 in a month. I actually involve in recruiting crew member some cruise ship offer $370 in a month.

[zackthenam133]

@DJRomirez Seeing that in some countries, $100 is typical, so last time i checked 550-600 a month (USD) is pretty good. And also, I know talking to many crew members telling me that at the end of a contract they are able to buy a house. Not to mention that most onboard crew are repeat-signers and many re-sign and come back because they like it. It is a great opportunity for them and gives them a chance to live better and make a better life for their families and Cruise lines have enabled this.

[zackthenam133]

@zackthenam133 And keep in mind, it is 11 hours with breaks, with breaks. And I understand these can be long breaks, an hour or two on a few occasions per day. So tell me, is this not unlike typical woking hours in the US or Canada?

[gregpowers99]

They don't have to work on a cruise ship....... This is their choice I don't think they were sentenced to work on a cruise ship. I've had jobs I didn't like so I went to another job. If the job is not what they think it should be move on!!

[Jehosh27]

What sucks the absolute most about this vid is that it now has me second guessing the idea of applying for work with a cruise ship. Bs or no, now I've got that tiny voice going: "What if it's not all sunshine and lollipops?"

[mightyjet777]

whoever made this is a dick

[jenifersil]

This wouldnt happen if you were LEGAL!

[Dankster312]

@jenifersil: Legal what?

[dandrbizatsbcglobaln]

What crap. I've worked on cruise ships in, now, three different decades and know for a fact that for a lot of these allegedly "put upon, below decks employees" have died and gone to heaven in comparison with what they'd get in their home country. They send tons of money home and are thankful to get it. The shlub who put this together is just another hater of anything corporate.

DC

[lemonadekisses1]

Hope I'm not saying something stupid here, but aren't those kinds of wages considerably higher when exchange rates are taken into account?

[marcverburg25]

@lemonadekisses1 Wow, finally somebody who sees the light! Glad you brought this up....it is complete bs what this guy is saying. I am a Flag State Surveyor now after having worked on Cruiseships for 14 years. In my current job, among other things, I overlook the compliance of regulations for crewing issues. It's not bad at all. The crewmembers in this video feel to sorry for themselves but smile when they bring tonns of money home. Most of them own big houses in their counties.

[frizzzzzzal]

take this with half a grain of salt

[zahara11]

Part 1: I just returned from my first cruise and by the middle of it, I felt very happy with the staff I encountered: room stewards and waiters and people manning the various stations on the promenade decks. I would ask them direct questions about their job just because I was curious. What I found out made me feel sad for them and outraged!! They work absolutely every day - no days off! Here in 2010!!

[zahara11]

@zahara11 Part 2: One staff shift was 6am to 6pm. Then they had 4 hours off before having to report back at 10pm! They also have to work 6 months solid and are required to take 2 months off - then have to report to a different ship. I asked why - they said it was so they had different experiences...but I am thinking now, that the real reason prob'ly to do with the cruise line and agency getting around some regulation!

[zahara11]

@zahara11 Part 3: I increasingly felt bad as I talked with one worker after another as I became very interested in their stories. They are lovely people, so very nice towards the passengers but some are trying hard to make money to get married, others for their family, and others are on board from poor countries and searching for a new life. We paid the cruise's automatic tip but we also gave our own tips in person to the staff as we wanted to make sure they knew we cared.

[Nastju82]

1000 $ to take job with help of Agency...

[Nastju82]

9 month, no day's off...14 hours a day of work..1200 $ per month! you feel good, you feel bad-nobody cares! you can get day off only if you get some serious problem with spine. in free time trainings, meetings and etc....and....special cleaning and inventory after your working time! disaster!!!!!

[denernova]

thanks for this video, it really opened my eyes!