I love working on a cruise ship. I get free housing and food at the buffet, but it's definitely a strange way to live.

Tech Insider : Travel
Ann Knypl contribs

Courtesy of Ann Knypl

Cruise workers reveal what happens if you quit your job in the middle of the ocean

Tech Insider : Travel
Cruise ship Celebrity Solstice approaches Sydney Heads as cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas heads to sea from Sydney Harbour on April 04, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.
Some cruise worker salaries are as low as $600 a month. Under international maritime law, crew can work up to 14 hours a day with no guaranteed days off.

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Royal Caribbean's CEO made over $10 million in 2022 — 705 times more than company's median worker

Tech Insider : Travel
President and Chief Executive Officer for Royal Caribbean Group Jason Liberty
Shareholders can cast a non-binding advisory vote to approve the executive compensation outlined in Royal Caribbean's 2023 proxy statement by May 31, 2023.

LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

I work for a nude cruise. It's liberating — but there are rules. Passengers can't get too excited, and clothes must be worn to dinner.

Tech Insider
Kat Whitmire, the VP of sales of Bare Necessities a nudist cruise
Kat Whitmire is the VP of sales of Bare Necessities a nudist cruise where guests are

Kat Whitmire

I'm a cruise director for Holland America. Our crew lives in its own little world that passengers don't see.

Tech Insider
Kimberly Wells has been to Alaska and the Caribbean with Holland America, and will soon embark on a 73-day trip around Africa.
Kimberly Wells has been to Alaska and the Caribbean with Holland America, and will soon embark on a 73-day trip around Africa.

Kimberly Wells

I worked on a cruise ship for 8 months because I wanted to travel. The low pay and exhausting schedule weren't worth it.

Tech Insider : Travel
Chris Libreros (left) Spectrum of the Seas (right)
Miami native Chris Libreros told Insider he worked up to 11.5 hours a day, seven days a week and was paid $2,100 a month (before taxes).

Courtesy of Chris Libreros (left) PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images (right)

I'm a general manager on a $450 million cruise ship. I'm on duty 24 hours a day, but it's worth it to travel the world in a floating 5-star hotel.

Tech Insider : Travel
Alessandro Menegazzi
Alessandro Menegazzi says he's worked in some of the world's most exclusive hotels, but the sea always calls him back.

Claire Turrell

Subscribe to cruise workers