Marco Goetz
Cruise ship chefs can make anywhere between $6,000 to $8,500 a month, Goetz told Insider. He typically works eight months out of the year and is not paid for the remaining four.
  • Marco Goetz has worked on some of the world's largest cruise ships as an executive chef. 
  • For the past 15 years, he's overseen the culinary operations on several Carnival cruise lines. 
  • He said a missed port or late food shipment can throw a meticulously designed menu into disarray.

The most difficult part of Marco Goetz's 20-plus-year career hasn't been the 14-hour shifts or living at sea for months at a time. 

Instead, he says it's been mastering the intricate system that enables 265 galley cooks and stewards to feed 4,700 passengers and crew members every day.