Work on a cruise, opinions?

[Headless Chicken]

OK, as the title suggests, I'm looking into working on a cruise after being on 1 for vacation
http://thetechzone.com/forums/showth...threadid=53461
(pictures and all, 56kers beware)
I understand that working for a cruise liner is on a 6-8 month contract but I don't know people who have worked in the kitchen of a moving boat. I was wondering if anyone here on ChefTalk could give me some insight.

FYI, I travelled on Royal Caribbean.

[mike]

I guess you mean cooking onboard rather than other jobs. It is usual for cruiseliners to start head & sous chefs on lower positions even if you have 5 star experience. This is because you will be overseeing large brigades .
Also its usually 18hour days 7 days per week.So expect footrot & being very tired.
The plus sides though is that its tax free usually & you do get good time off often paid.Its not for the feint hearted but if its your bag ...go for it.

[Mezzaluna]

This was my brother's experience: despite a culinary degree he was mopping floors and worse on Holland America. The hours were brutal. He jumped ship after 2 weeks.

That was about 20 years ago. Doesn't sound much different, judging from Headless Chicken's post.

Good luck... bon voyage??

[Headless Chicken]

Well, I've only considered it and since being back from a cruise, I came back with valuable info on how to get a job on 1. I probrably won't seriously consider it until I finish my schooling here and need to raise money to learn abroad (was hoping of looking up schools in the US within the next 3-5 years).

[mike]

Well good luck whatever you do decide.

[MeowMix86]

im also looking into working as a chef on a cruise ship and i was wondering what all i need to take before actully appliing for the cruise i took restaurant in highschool as a course do i need to go to cooking school also?

[devons daddy]

Best jobs in the world spent 3.5 years on board QE2 in the early 90s. wonderful. hard work. but so much fun and huge amounts of money.

single life of the wild man. do it when your young. expect 7 day week 15 hour day and some days work only 4 hours and have 12 hours ashore in really great places.
best time of my life.

only 2-10 make it past first contract. see the world earn lots of money. make friends you will have forever, due to intense nature of the lifestyle.
share a cabin. work like a slave, get a great tan and a body like an athelete.
4-6 months on and then go on leave for up to 2 months,
fly home tickets. though you can trade them for fly back tickets. so have a month in asia you pay differnence in cost of flight or get the difference back.

outstanding lifestyle. also offers you enough stories to keep lesser mortals engrossed for hours at dinner parties. truly worse things happen at sea.