The following article is an interview with Princess Cruises' crew member describing her personal experience as a buffet stewardess. Find out the process how to apply for the job, how long it takes to board the ship and the first day at work and much more
What made you decide to apply for a job on a Cruise ship?
Since previously I worked in the Bar Department on Princess cruises I decided to try something new and joined Seabourn. The day I embarked on Seabourn Quest reception was at the Show Room where we would go one by one and hand over all our paperwork.
Cruise ship timetables with arrival and departure times of all major cruise lines scheduled to visit ports in Saint Kitts & Nevis in 2020.
My duties while working for Princess Cruises were very clear. As a bar waitress, I need to carry a tray, serve drinks, collect empty glasses and follow USPH procedures (cleaning before inspections). That included wiping the shelves where the bottles are kept, wiping the tables and bar with greater detail, changing the tray for the one with the fruit for cocktails. I would also assist in the cocktail making if the bar was very crowded and wipe the bar one more time before closing.
It was the end of September 2013. This is the period when I got really scared on the ship Royal Princess for the first time. We were still on the Mediterranean cruises and the ship was on its’ way from Marseille to Barcelona. The sea was so still and I was working the first shift, a little before midday.
The bar manager Janice was English and was very fair during my contract on Island Princess. She would make Bar waiter rotations so that everyone would get a chance to work in different bars. If there were four-bar waiters in one bar, then you would spend four weeks working in that bar and after that, the crew would rotate places. I thought that was really fair.
At Princess Cruises Line from the Bar Department, I was nominated 3 times for Consummate Host of the Month award.
One of the things that have always worried me over the past 6 years working on ocean cruise ships is; Will I get my suitcases at the airport and will the company agent welcome me.
For all future crew members interested how to get a job on a cruise ship, and what awaits you once on board, you can find detailed accounts in the book “Living and working on-board a cruise ship” written by a former crew member. The author of the book Tamara Wolf describes her personal experience from the first day of her journey and everything she lived through during her contracts. There is practical advice on how to better handle everything and how to avoid the mistakes that she made.
Several people have informed Crew Center that a crew member died onboard the Princess Cruises ship Island Princess. The crew member is a Serbian National working in the Galley Department onboard Island Princess. According to reports, the crew member was discovered dead in his cabin yesterday. Some people are saying that it is an apparent suicide but this is not confirmed. At this moment we are not disclosing the crew member’s name.
