cruise ship jobs

Has anyone done Massage Therapy on a cruise ship? Is it hard to get a job? Do they work you to death? Are they good to work for?

I bet the tips are great!!!! I think..

i haven't actually talked to anyone who worked on a ship. most of the websites I've looked at seem to be pretty honest about how much you work and if you gewt time off. I think they say the average pay is around 2,000 a month. I don't remember if that was with tips or not. most of the LMTs are hired through an spa agency, not the cruise lines.

rubmstr in Columbus, Ohio said: Has anyone done Massage Therapy on a cruise ship? Is it hard to get a job? Do they work you to death? Are they good to work for?

I haven't worked on a cruise ship, but I did work in that industry 10 years ago in administration. Now I am a massage therapist and I had a woman in my school that worked on Carnival Cruise Lines. For virtually all cruise line positions on board, you work very long hours. The woman that was in my class was young and fit. She said that she enjoyed the work very much and didn't get tired like some of her cohorts.

Most people that work on ships do so to travel and see the world while saving $$ since they don't have extensive living expenses--they can just build up a nest egg. The pay on cruise ships for massage is no more competitive than if you were to work at a spa ashore.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT work for a cruise ship. Ever. I made this mistake and was so relieved when I got salmonella and got to leave!

It's slave labor. You work 16 hour days with no breaks, for very little money. Base pay is around $350/month, plus product sales commission & tips. Clients are very stingy tippers because they already paid between $90 and $150 for the massage the in the first place!

YOUR REAL JOB IS TO SELL PRODUCTS. Clients complain because we were trained to constantly talk during the massage to push products.

Thanks for the info. Do you mind if I ask which cruise line you worked for? I have heard some more positive stories. I kind of assumed it would be a lot fo work. I've worked in spas before where they kind of wanted you to sell products.

Has anyone worked for Holland America in the capacity of Cruise Reservations Sales Agent? I am looking into it and have some trepidation so any feedback would be helpful. Thank you.

Teresa

I use to be a dancer on Holland America and from what I saw and heard it wasn't that great. They make them all about selling products and the tips arn't even that great anyways if you get any. Also they had to work all the time. To me it seem like they only had 2 days off.

Thanks for the great info Evan. I thought I had read that there were places that did the hiring for cruise ships.I didn't see a listing for jobs on cruise ships specifically on the website you listed. You didn't work when they were in port did you? I also didn't understand what you meant by "you can save twelve grants"Do you get many breaks?

I think he means 12 grand, $12,000.

rubmstr in Columbus, Ohio said: Thanks for the great info Evan. I thought I had read that there were places that did the hiring for cruise ships.I didn't see a listing for jobs on cruise ships specifically on the website you listed. You didn't work when they were in port did you? I also didn't understand what you meant by "you can save twelve grants"Do you get many breaks?

Hello. WHY THEY ERASED MY POST????
I am Evanise......a woman!!!!!!!lol
12 thousand for 8 months average. It could be more if you work on ships in The Caribean or The Mediterrenean lines.Don't forget that you won`t have to pay for room and board.
Yes, you also work on Ports of Call and other ports. You might have time off depending on the volume and your maneger.Don't worry ..you'll have time to see all the places during the 8 months contract.
If you are approved you`ll have to fly (your expenses) to London(round trip tickets required....they will safeguard the return ticket for you). You ll stay at the YMCA and attend daily classes from 7 am til 5 pm. Usually people stay in London(northern suburbs) for a period of 2/3 weeks. Curfew observed...like going to a Catholic School... If they need people PRONTO they will send you (their expenses) to wherever that ship is at.
Beautiful people working on ships. Huge parties. Good friends to meet for life.
Good Luck.
PS.....usually they go hire people in Miami.....but i am not sure.

i have been working in cruise for 8 mounts,5 years ago.let me tell you the true story:/1st bad,then good/ prepeare to work 12 hours,per day.if you can not work 2 days,they will trow you out,my friend.there is no mercy!you have to sell product also,if you can not sell ,then you have 1 st warning,your rest will be,from 15 to 10 min,if you can sell ,2nd warning,your rest per week will be decrease,from 1day to half days!50% of staff after 3 mounts,was injured ,from repetitive movements.you start 8 am,1 hour rest,then you finish 8 pm,with massages,then you have to clean the spa,will be 9 pm,then the manager have to see,and you are free!how this sign to you?
the good story is :you see many country,your cruse staff will be with a lots woman,you eat good food,every night is party/avcourse if you can party after 10 massages?/there usualy not american massages therapist,usualy are from filipines,south africa,and east europe!it is not about quality of massage ,it is who will survived it?

olean hickman in Sumter, South Carolina said: I am looking for ship job as a massage therapist. This info was good and not so good, but thats life. which is the best ship line to work on?

As a massage Therapist working in a Cruise Ship you are NOT a employee of THAT Cruise Line Company, you are employed by STEINER LEISURE, ENGLAND....BUT YOU ARE A CREW MEMBER SO YOU HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE SHIP LAWS, ETC ETC AND MATES AND THE CAPTAIN HAVE THE AUTHORITY, OF COURSE, TO DISEMBARK ANYONE( of course, if that crew member is a pain in the ass). AS FOR THE cruise lines you ll work for it will no be up to you to choose .STEINER will do it during school time in London. Usually the best ones are Crystal, Holland(much older clientele), Celebrity and Princess. They usually cater for a variety of people and they provide ($$$$$$$$) a better service. Most of Cruise Companies are OK for Massage Therapists.
Good Luck

I just finished massage therapy school and I want to work on a cruise boat. I heard that Princess crusieline is the best for pay and the way they treat you, is this true? and is it easy to negotiate with the company in regards to the hours you work? Is it true that you have to share your bed with other workers during your time working and their time off? What are the perks to working on a cruise line?
What is the best time of the year to look for a job on one?

how i said before,i been working on cruise line,for 8 mounts/i,m europian,sorry for my english!/.If you work like cheap cruise like norvegian,for example,you can get big tips,becouse the guest paid,less,like for 8 days maybe-800dolars,then for them is easy to give you tips!but if you work on exspensive cruise like silversees/5star or 6,no sure/then they paid very exspensive for pacage/like per day for person is 2000-dolars/,thats why ,they can get massage without tiping you,becouse the ruls of the cruise ,allow them!avcourse if they wanna they will leave tips for you,white envelope.also the best for woman is to be estiashian,or cosmetology,becouse you will get more money then massage therapist.why?becouse,you will sell cosmetics products,one facial is teh same price like massage.you do not break your heands,and you make more money!!!!!!for party life is great,but 1st you have to survived it,during the day/12 hours,treatments!

How did you get on this ship? How long have you been on this ship? How much do you make on the average per week? Is it really that bad to work on ships?

Later,

Olean

i have been for 8 mounts,in 2 diferent cruise line one was cheap another exspensive.if you work in usa,in spa,what you making for 4 -5 masages per day,will be the same what you going to make for 12 masages per day,on cruise. the cruise is fun not bad,is the best ever expiriense,a lots of party,the best ever foot,but for massage therapist will be hard!estetian,or cosmetology,plys massage will give chance to survived it-for female,but for man will be like to be ver difucult!
if you like to go on cruise,the best is :barthender/in us-you can be get diploma for 10 days/or if you speak 3 langueges,you can be international hostess/they have the best job/,also working in casino,dancers teachers,all of this you will enjoy the cruise life!
for massage-this can be your last time doing massage,becouse of injury related,about 70%,maybe you you will be in another 30%,who will finish without injury.i was in this 30%,and stil working 12 years,like massage therapist,and personal trainer!
for personal trainer,also there is fun,but you not goig to make any money,like in usa/gym!
the last is very important,you can change your life after cruise line:you can get a lots of busness card,thath is ok,is not like in usa,when you work in spa is not ok!a lots of the guest if they like your treatment,will invated you to work for them on mainland/usa.also if you single,its very easy to marry for cruise staff member,you can start femaly,speshialy a lots of american girls ,maried for italian or french man...german..from the staff!
the last is :you can find job very easy,anywhere in usa,and europe,if said that you was working and finish your contract on cruise line,without injury!cioa

if you dont mind me asking what line did you work for?

Sharon in Vancouver, Washington said: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT work for a cruise ship. Ever. I made this mistake and was so relieved when I got salmonella and got to leave!

It's slave labor. You work 16 hour days with no breaks, for very little money. Base pay is around $350/month, plus product sales commission & tips. Clients are very stingy tippers because they already paid between $90 and $150 for the massage the in the first place!

YOUR REAL JOB IS TO SELL PRODUCTS. Clients complain because we were trained to constantly talk during the massage to push products.

I have not worked on a cruise ship yet, but I was looking to get a job on the ship soon. My school has some leads to give the students when we finish school. I have not heard anything this bad as of yet.
Thanks

I was wondering if anyone knows about jobs for massage therapy in Hawaii....is pay good? is it hard to get a job there if you're from Canada?

send some replys about ship massages, please.

Hi,

Steiner staff 80-90% of the world's cruise ships. This means you do NOT work for a cruise line, you work for Steiner.

I was always keen to work on ships when I first started massage, but I did some research, emailed past Steiner employees etc and they all had similar things to say:

Average 10 massages per day and the products sales are mandatory. You are expected to do a very hard sell, talking up products throughout treatments.

I recently had a client who used to do Hotel Management on cruise ships. He was chatty, so of course I asked him about the spa staff/conditions. He said he had an average of 4 - 6 therapists leave per month with injury. As he was the Hotel Manager (ie. the spa facilities fell under his power, but as they were staffed by Steiner, he didn't have much say in spa management), he would talk to the spa managers, try to help them improve morale/conditions for the spa staff, but usually it wasn't much help as Steiner has very high sales targets shipboard managers are required to meet.

Soooo, the short of it. 10 treatments a day, about 2 grand a month....at 20 work days per month minimum, you're only earning $10 a massage. That's painful. Not only that, but there is nothing healing/holistic/wellness oriented about assembly line massage - for therapists or the clients.

From my perspective, if you're Canadian or American, our sub contracting system is best (usually 35 - 50% of the treatment goes to the therapist, plus $10 and up tip client) If you work it well, you can work seasonally (summer resorts, then ski resorts) and havae 4 months off, plus the money to do it, to travel every year. Much better than earning a pittance for your hard work.

Europe is okay, if you're a subcontractor, as above, you'll earn 30 - 40% commission, plus not great tips. If you work full time for a spa, it's closer to the Steiner model (Steiner is a UK company). About 15/hr, 40hour work week, 20 massages a week. Not great.

In januari 2009 I'm going to London for the training academy to become a massagetherapist on one of the Steiner ships.
What can I expect?
For how long will I stay In london?
Does it matter on wich ship they will place you?
Are there any (ex)Steinermassagetherapists who can tell me more about thier life on a ship?

I Just recently graduate from the massage school in L.A . Could someone be able to tell me what the process are ,for someone like me to be able to apply for cruise ship job ,as a Massage therapist ? What are the requirement and such ? And is this a good start for my career, with cruise ship job ? Or should I look some where else ?

I heard a lot of things about working on cruise ships, and the biggest thing is that they overwork you, minimum 10 hours and at most i've heard up to 15 hours. The pay is something like $15/hr, and most ships you have to push their products during the sessions. Now personally I believe that you are located in one of the hot spots for massage therapy. LA has so many spas and clinics and the hotels that get huge income coming in...your tips would be killer there. I too just graduated from massage therapy college in toronto ontario and i was looking into a cruise job but the pain endured is just not worth it. Get yourself a table, put a sign on your car and do house house you can charge double for that...and then travel a little. if you go to www.craigslist.com you'll see all the countries there and you can click on one of their health jobs to see what's available...and in LA as well, people post up there all the time.
Goodluck!

No comment at this time, maybe later

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT HAS HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR STEINER AS A MASSAGE THERAPIST ??????????? AND IF SO, ON WHICH SHIP?

I worked as a beauty therapist for stiener. at first i was very excited to go to my training in london, england. when you get there, they put you up in the ymca, which houses not only steiners, but drug addicts, youth offenders, etc. it was a bit of a shock for me when i got to the academy. most, but no all of the trainers are full of themselves becasue they are so proud to have gotten to their cheesy position. their are very straight, and by that i mean if that don't like your hair or make up they'll tell you to your face and infront of everyone. they were actually pretty rude, and unprofessional. if you had asked them a question or challeged them their response would be, "why aren't you wearing enough make up?"
from the beginning they teach you how to sell, HARDCORE SELLING. you have to memorize a huge list of products. if i had known earlier that it was all about selling, then i probably wouldn't have joined. myself and others were stuck in a position. we had paid all that money to join steiner and it would be too late to go back now! i especially felt sorry for the people that came all the way from places like south africa and australia...when they realize whats really going on, they up and leave!
when you get on your ship, depending on your ship and your manager, it could be a good or a HORRIBLE experience. managers are absolutly crazy! they yell at you, make you feel horrible, embarress you in front of your team, make you read out your sales at the end of the day (which is embaressing to those who have a low percentage), make you work long hours etc. i had one manager who was a nut job! always lieing to your face and turning around and stabbing you in the back, putting any blame on you! even blaming his staff for not counting the inventory correctly when it was him who had lost the count on his computer! when you are sick, they're response is, "you're not allowed to be sick!" so when you have a fever, you're working!...

There was actually an article in Massage Magazine either this month or last about cruise ship jobs and they talked about Steiner. It wasn't really an expose'but it did mention the long hours and the fact that they want you to push their spa products. By the way, were you the person that mentioned working in spas and resorts? How do you find out about those jobs? Did you mostly work in Canada?

Thanks

No comment at this time. Thanks

As a male therapist what is it like working on the ships. Are you treated fairley. What is the training like at steiner.

as a male therapist you are treated just the same as everyone else. but most ships want females. but they will find a place for you. and remember, once you get there, they train you how to sell!

I WAS TALKING TO AN EX MANAGER WITH STEINER AND SAID THAT A MALE BEAUTY THERAPIST WOULD WORK WELL. WOULD I FIT IN! I AM CURRENTLY STUDDING FOR CIDESCO AND HAVE COMPLETED THE CIBTAC DIPLOMAS. BIT OF A WASTE OF TIME OTHERWISE.

Don't do it. the last time i saw a male beauty therapist they couldn't fine anywhere to place him, so they just sent him home. not a lot of ships want a male beauty therapist.

non at this time

Hi all, Im currently employed full time not as a massage Therapist, and looking for work on a Cruise ship getting paid while cruising the world. Can anyone suggest any legite web sites that can offer reasonable pay with good conditions
Melbbourne Australia

rubmstr in Columbus, Ohio said: Has anyone done Massage Therapy on a cruise ship? Is it hard to get a job? Do they work you to death? Are they good to work for?

Why don't you check out www.steinerleisure.com ? They recruit for over 80% of the luxurious cruise liners. If you are happy working hard, there are many different opportunities with them. I am starting with them early next year as a massage therapist. I don't know which ship I will be posted to. I have heard all the good and the bad comments re Steiner. And have made up my mind, I will find out for myself. I have an 8 month contract.

Best Wishes,

Cathy

Vincent in Eindhoven, Netherlands said: In januari 2009 I'm going to London for the training academy to become a massagetherapist on one of the Steiner ships.
What can I expect?
For how long will I stay In london?
Does it matter on wich ship they will place you?
Are there any (ex)Steinermassagetherapists who can tell me more about thier life on a ship?

Hello Vincent, I'm also going to London on genuary 2009 for the training academy though im going like a fitness instructor, we could be in touch by email for any question. its ok? my email is hormi83@hotmail.com , Toni.

I am Thai masaage therapist.I am looking for a job.Can you tell me how to get a job for a cruise ship?

I am currently studing massage therapy and I do it because I love the body and the theraputic value of natural healing I am currently studing massage and autism, and I currently practice detoxifications. I have seen so many therapist kill thier career by over working thier hands and bodies trying to make quick money.. A therapist can have a very long and rewarding life or a short painful career, I believe In working smart not hard I would never allow someone to use my skills as a selling tool for thier products, I am paying a lot of money to get my degree and spend a lot of time to become very educated in my field ,I love cruise ships to vacation on and I too looked into the market at one time.. but I have known therapist that has had that experience....all I can say is listen to the comments from people that has had the experience and then do some soul searching, figure out why you're in this profession and make your own decision......

Hello Toni,
thank you for your message,
I am going to London the beginning of Januari(5th).
I am curious to go there,I have not much idea what to expect.
The end of november I have to go to the US embassy for my visa.
Stay in touch,
Vincent

Hello Cathy,

I read at the forum you also go to the training school in the beginning of januari.
Do you also go to London?
I also go there as a massagetherapist.
I think we must follow the wind,that's all we can do for the moment.

Vincent in Eindhoven, Netherlands said: Hello Cathy,

I read at the forum you also go to the training school in the beginning of januari.
Do you also go to London?
I also go there as a massagetherapist.
I think we must follow the wind,that's all we can do for the moment.

Hello Vincent. No it looks like we are going to be trained in Australia, due to the massive expense it costs us Aussies to get to London. Yeah, I am determined to make the experience a GOOD experience, no matter what. Just make sure you don't wear those finger out, just to prove you can do a deep tissue massage. Really protect your body and hands, and try to only give 50% of yourself to each client. All the best !

Cathy

what cruise line does steiner company owns? also are they any of the top ones like the princess, carribean, or carnival?

all your questions will be answered if you read their web site!!! Yes they do. www.steinerleisure.com

My wife works for Steiner on a Princess ship. Yes - long hours, hard work, pressure to sell and all that, but the worst thing is that communicating with home and friends is very difficult and expensive. Phone calls are ridiculously expensive. Internet facilities are extremely poor and limited.
Steiner/Princess really do need to improve this aspect of the job!

English please!! lol Thanks for all the comments Re: work on ships. The only Thing I dont really like is the fact you ave to constantly be a porduct pusher while working on a particular cruise ship.. What are other peoples thoughts on this ?? Danny

Hey everyone, where can I find a recruiting agency here in Columbus, OH??? I wish to work as a massage therapist or in some administrative position... Just donno where to start... Thanx in advance

Thanx Danny :) :) :) yes I tried, glad I found this forum... could not find any agencies though... maybe I am not so good in google searching... so if anyone have a link to a cruise ship agency here in Columbus I would appreciate it :) :)

Cathy in Melbourne, Australia said: IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT HAS HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR STEINER AS A MASSAGE THERAPIST ??????????? AND IF SO, ON WHICH SHIP?

Hi Cathy I havent, but would AM tryin to find and apply for a ship massage therapist... Can you help/would be very grateful!!