Cruise ship workers reveal the most disappointing things about their jobs

A former cruise director for Holland America Line said he thought he would have more free time, particularly at ports.

"You're not in these places long enough to really appreciate them," he said.

The former cruise director said he would often have around three to five hours at each port, though he was able to return to some ports on later cruises.

A former Carnival bar waitress said the work environment on her ship was "not healthy."

She said a former bartender she worked under "kept yelling rude things at me" in front of guests. After one incident, a guest asked why she let her boss treat her poorly.

"I didn't know how to answer," the former Carnival bar waitress said.

Carnival did not respond to a request for comment.

A former Seabourn Cruise Line production manager said the hours he worked were "grueling."

"It was like working for minimum wage some days just due to the workload," he said.

Seabourn did not respond to a request for comment.

Rather than working traditional five-day weeks, cruise-ship employees often work seven days a week for the duration of their contracts, which can range from about two months to 11 months. Between four and eight months was the most common contract length cited by 31 current and former cruise-ship employees who spoke with Business Insider. 

The hours can also be intense, from about eight to nearly 20 hours a day. The employees Business Insider spoke with reported an average of about 12 hours.

A former hostess for Carnival Cruise Line said she was told she would be traveling frequently, but didn't realize her ships would be going to the same locations repeatedly.

A former Royal Caribbean Cruises employee and a contractor who has worked for Norwegian Cruise Line said they feel as if the companies have not valued them as individuals.

The former Royal Caribbean employee said he is disappointed by the sense that he is "a 'number' in the corporation" rather than "a valued person."

"The industry is simply too big and growing too fast. There isn't room for the company to notice individuals for being good at their jobs," the former Royal Caribbean employee said.

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian did not respond to requests for comment.

• Read more:
• Cruise-line workers reveal the grueling schedules they must keep while on the job
• Cruise line workers reveal one of the biggest disadvantages of living on a cruise ship
• A lawyer who represents cruise ship workers reveals the hardest job on a cruise ship
• A former cruise-ship waiter describes why the party culture on cruise ships isn't as fun as it seems