Amazing jobs on a cruise ship

Amazing & Curious Jobs on a cruise ship.

On land, a rock wall instructor may not know how to operate a zip line. Likewise, a zip line operator probably doesn’t manage many basketball tournaments. At sea, however, there is a job that involves all three of these activities and more in any given day. That job is a Royal Caribbean International sports staff member.

The sports staff on Allure of the Seas hail from around the world and have a variety of professional experience, from personal training to teaching high school physical education. But there are certain qualities they all have in common that led them to take on their multi-faceted role: they love being active and have serious amounts of energy to maintain constant motion

in the hot sun.

A typical day for a sports staff member could involve managing the zipline, FlowRider surf simulator and rock climbing wall, as well as hosting onboard sports tournaments, such as basketball and volleyball. Alana Milne, a staffer from Scotland, says, “We interact with guests all day long, ensuring they have an enjoyable and safe experience at all the sports venues. We also help out around the ship with gangway duties, show doors and theme nights.”

Sports staffers are not afraid to brag to their friends and family back home about what exactly their job entails.

“When I’m talking about it, most of them just hear ‘cruise ship’ and ‘Caribbean’ or ‘Bahamas’ and the other places I have traveled,” staffer Marko Radosavlijevc of Serbia says.

Staffer Gabriel Espiritu, originally from the Phillipines, says people back home have a different view of what it means to work on a ship and are amazed by the reality of his day-to-day onboard. “In the Philippines, if you are working on ships, you are better off than working at home,” he says. “They also know that I get to visit lots of places.”

What do these staffers like the most about their job? Staffer Claudio Barreto of Portugal says he enjoys seeing the happiness of guests when they try things for the first time in their life. Milne cherishes the teamwork that is essential to working on a cruise ship. “You work and live with your team. The relationships you develop are unbelievable,” she says.

Radosavlijevc’s answer is a little more simple. He is just glad he gets to do his job in the coolest place in the world – a cruise ship.

Interested in joining the Royal Caribbean team as a sports staffer? Here’s some valuable advice from Milne:

“Be prepared to work long hours. Come with an open mind. You will really enjoy the job if you are outgoing and energetic. If you are successful [at securing a position], count yourself lucky – as this is the best job to have on a cruise ship!”

Don’t forget sneakers and a whole lot of sunscreen, too.