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Working Onboard a Cruise Ship

We help create lasting memories.

There's nothing like bringing people together to share unique experiences and see the world, making them feel special and becoming part of the stories they tell for years to come. That's what we do and what you'll do if you join us.

As part of the Princess® family, you’ll develop your skills, work with committed crew members and travel to some of the most breathtaking places around the globe. And while an adventure at sea is its own reward, we offer a variety of programs to recognize employees who go above and beyond. Princess offers a winning combination of pay, benefits and lifelong friendships, so come aboard the Love Boat. We’re expecting you!

Why Work Onboard A Princess Cruises Ship?

Learn more about Princess Cruises

On this page: Cruise Career Opportunities | Living & Working at Sea | Application Process & FAQs

Cruise Career Opportunities

Onboard departments.

We offer exciting cruise career opportunities in a variety of onboard departments. Working for Princess Cruises is ideal if you are looking to take your career to the next level and enjoy working in a challenging and unique environment. We employ team members of over 70 nationalities, creating a diverse and welcoming environment.

View a list of all our onboard departments and job opportunities

International Recruitment Partners

Princess Cruises cooperates with a world-wide network of recruiting agencies to select only the most qualified crew. Resumes may be forwarded to the agency that is nearest the applicant’s residence. Once received, candidates will be processed based on current available positions.

Fraudulent Employment Opportunities We have recently been made aware of fraudulent entities around the world claiming to represent Princess Cruises as recruitment partners. We are working closely with our Security department and local police authorities in various countries to prevent individuals from wrongly representing themselves as Princess' recruitment partners. We strongly suggest that you only discuss employment opportunities with the agencies/partners listed below. If you have any suspicion about the nature of ads or websites claiming to recruit on behalf of Princess Cruises, please contact the approved Princess agency located nearest your place of residence (choose from the list below).

Find your local recruitment partner and learn how to apply

Living & Working at Sea

Life onboard.

Not sure what to expect while working onboard a cruise ship? A career at sea affords you many unparalleled opportunities such as travelling to world-famous locations, building meaningful friendships with diverse colleagues, and gaining valuable professional skills in a world-class environment.

Unlike careers on land, however, working onboard a cruise ship has some unique conditions. Princess Cruises takes great pride in our efforts to make the adjustment to sea life as easy as possible so you can focus on making our guests feel special.

Learn more about life onboard a Princess cruise ship

Total Rewards

Here at Princess Cruises, we understand how challenging it can be for our crew to work away from home for such substantial periods of time. Therefore, as a company we strive to help give you all the necessary resources and comforts to enable you to take care of our guests – and yourself.

While working onboard a Princess cruise ship, you can enjoy these living essentials provided by the company:

• Furnished living accommodations
• Crew cafeterias (also known as Crew Mess) with a variety of menu items from around the world
• Laundry facilities and services
• Crew Store with discounted convenience items such as toiletries and snacks
• CrewCard pay system to help manage your finances at home while you are at sea

Learn more about our Total Rewards program

Cruise Employment Application Process & FAQs

As a well-known premium brand in the cruise industry, we receive a high volume of cruise employment inquiries each day. To help you understand what to expect if you are being considered for a position, we’ve outlined the application process below.

Princess Cruises works with a global network of authorized recruiters to attract and select the most qualified candidates to join us at sea. If you are being considered for a position, there could be several steps after your initial application before you are notified with a decision. Depending on the job you are applying for, these could include follow-up interviews with our corporate hiring managers.

If you are successful in your application, there are also several steps you will need to take to become travel-ready to work onboard. You will partner with a manning office that will help you obtain the required seafarer medical certificates, travel visas, and other required documentation to work at sea.

View a list of frequently asked questions

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We offer a variety of opportunities for highly motivated people who seek a challenging and rewarding career.

Working at Princess Cruises

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What is the hiring process at Princess Cruise Lines?

The hiring process at Princess Cruise Lines varies by position and usually takes at least a few weeks but could take months to complete from start to finish due to the background check and fingerprinting process. Positions are broken out by corporate careers, shipboard careers, and Alaska-Yukon careers.

Corporate career opportunities include:

Industrial relations

Business intelligence

Diesel technician

Project leader

Engineering

Software development

Scrum master

Shipboard career opportunities include:

Bar steward

Cruise director

Buffet steward

Provision master

Galley steward

Room attendant

Alaska-Yukon career opportunities include:

Guest services

Ticket office

Administration

Maintenance

Housekeeping

Public area lead

Night auditor

There are four basic steps to the hiring process at Princess Cruise Lines:

Application: Prospective employees are encouraged to explore the Princess Cruise Lines careers webpage and get information on Princess Cruise Lines' business, culture, and available jobs.

Once an opportunity of interest has been identified, prospects are encouraged to apply via the Princess Cruise Line's career page. You will not need an account to apply for a position.

After you have submitted your application, you will be able to update your profile, apply for jobs, and monitor your application status.

There may be pre-screening text messages or assessments that will be sent to you, or you will be contacted by a member of the internal recruitment team regarding the next steps.

Please note that full COVID19 vaccination may be a condition of employment depending on the role and location of the job. If you have concerns, please discuss this with a member of the internal recruitment team.

On-Demand Video: After you submit your application, you will be asked to participate in an on-demand video interview . This consists of seven pre-recorded questions that you will have to answer using the on-demand video platform (you will be given detailed instructions on how to do this from the recruitment team).

You will only have one opportunity to record your answers to the questions, and you will have limited time to record your answers. It is important to be in a quiet space where you can give your full and undivided attention to the questions being asked. Be as creative as possible in your answers.

Interview: After you submit your application and on-demand video, it will be reviewed by a member of the internal recruitment team. If your skills seem to be a match for the role, you will be contacted to set up a live interview.

Depending on the role, this interview may be done via video or in person. During the interview, you will discuss the role in greater detail and get to ask any questions you have regarding the role and/or the company.

If you are still interested and the recruitment team feels that you are a good fit, you will move on to the hiring manager interview.

The hiring manager interview tends to involve a lot of scenario-based questions in order to gauge your personality and experiences in past roles. Focus your answers on good customer service and making sales.

Offer and Onboarding: If you are selected for the role, a member of the internal recruitment team will contact you to review the offer letter details, benefits, and more information on your new career at Princess Cruise Lines.

If you are not selected, you will receive communication from a member of the Princess Cruise Lines team.

Once you have accepted an offer, you will be asked to complete forms and start the pre-onboarding process. You will also be required to submit for a drug test and background check. The internal recruitment team member will provide you with more detailed information on how to complete these steps.

Make sure you have practiced your answers to interview questions so that you seem prepared and confident. Typical interview questions include:

"Tell me about one of your biggest accomplishments."

"How do you manage conflicting priorities?"

"Name a person you admire and explain why."

"How would you deal with a disorderly passenger?"

"Provide an example of a time you disagreed with a colleague on a work-related issue. How did you resolve the issue?"

"Have you ever taken a cruise before?"

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Princess Cruises Jobs

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Cover Letters for Cruise Ship Jobs

When applying for a job on a cruise ship, it is imperative to include a cover letter. Learn why you need one and what the most important elements of a cover letter are. Here are some tips on writing a customized cover letter that will get you an interview for a cruise ship job.

Why Cruise Jobs Require Cover Letters

The cover letter for a cruise ship job is actually more important than your resume. If your cover letter is dull and without substance, it’s not likely that the recruiter will even read your resume. If you don’t include a cover letter that’s even worse – it’s like you were too lazy to put one together. Therefore, no interview and no job!

The cover letter introduces you and your resume. Not only does it set the tone, if it is well-written then the recruiter will probably read your resume, too. The cover letter should be a snapshot of why you are the most qualified for the position, but without being a regurgitation of your resume.

Address Cover Letter to Specific Person

One of the best ways to make your cover letter stand out is to address it to a specific person. For starters, if you use a generic greeting such as To Whom It May Concern, Dear Sir, or Attention Human Resource Manager, your application package may not even get to the right person. Second, this demonstrates to the recruiter that you haven’t made an effort to find out their name.

You may have to put on your detective hat to find the name of a hiring manager, because the name isn’t always listed on the cruise employer’s website. There are ways to get this information. You could try phoning their corporate office to find out the correct name to address your cover letter to. You could also research on LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com) to find the name of a HR Manager of the cruise line you are applying to. Be creative and you will get that name.

Parts of a Cover Letter for Jobs on Cruise Ships

There are five main parts of a cover letter. First you need to address the cover letter with the correct name of hiring manager (as pointed out above) and their company’s address. Next, you need to hook the recruiter with a powerful opening. Third, you need to identify the cruise job you are applying for. Fourth, you need to highlight your most relevant experience, skills, and training. And finally, you need to finish with a strong close.

Your opening paragraph of the cover letter for a cruise job should entice the recruiter to read further. As a priority it should state the position you are applying for and why. It can make reference to a particular job that has been advertised. This is also the time to make mention of a new ship that is being launched and how you thought it was an ideal time to apply.

The middle of the cover letter is where you share your most relevant experience and skills. You can list them with bullets or with some other creative format that has visual impact. For this section choose your best accomplishments, state the total number of years of related experience you have, and highlight your most marketable skills. Don’t make this section a summary of your resume, though. Instead, highlight the reasons why you are the best person for the job.

The final paragraph of your resume for a cruise ship job should encourage the recruiter to invite you for an interview. For example, “I look forward to an opportunity to be interviewed for the position of XX. Please call me at 000-000-0000 or email me at [email protected], if you have any questions.

Customize Your Cover Letter

Although you may be able to get away with using a template for your resume, the cover letter needs to be customized for each one that you send out. Even if you are applying for the same type of cruise job with four different cruise lines, each cover letter should be slightly different than the other. Templates are great for ideas about formatting, though.

Each cover letter will obviously be addressed to a different company and person. Second, each cruise line may have different terminology for the name of the cruise job. Third, the opening of your cover letter should identify something unique to the cruise line or concession that you are applying to. Additionally, throughout your cover letter you could inject cruise line specific jargon.

Customizing your resume with specific cruise line terminology shows that you have done your homework. For example, use phrases such as “Gold Anchor Service” when applying to cruise jobs with Royal Caribbean or for Princess Cruises, name drop their “C.R.U.I.S.E. credo”. Alternatively, make reference to the number of ships that a cruise line has or a new ship set for debut.

Pre-Cruise FAQ: Travel & Transportation

Before you board, make your vacation as seamless as possible with some helpful details on booking flights, transfers and port driving directions., more frequently asked questions, pre-cruise faq.

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Cruise Ship Jobs - Princess Cruises

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Indeed, a Princess cruise ship (the Island Princess ) was used for the popular TV series "The Love Boat" and the cruise line still benefits from that image among the older folks which are the majority of the cruise ship passengers. What began as the little cruise line that could - operating one small luxury liner between Los Angeles and the Mexican Riviera in 1965 (and later Alaska) - has evolved into a cruise industry giant. Princess Cruises has 14 ships sailing the globe on more than 150 itineraries that range from seven to 72 days and visit some 260 ports. 

P&O Princess Cruises acquired Sitmar Line in 1988 and transferred all of its major tonnage to Princess, including three cruise ships then under construction. The Dawn Princess and Fair Princess were both ex-Cunarders, and the former Sitmar Fairsky became Princess's Sky Princess. The first of the three new Sitmar ships came into the Princess brand in 1989 as the Star Princess, the largest British exclusively cruising ship. Two 70,000 grt cruise ships entered service in 1990 as the Crown Princess and Regal Princess, bringing Princess's fleet up to ten deluxe cruise ships. The first of the Sun class ships MV Sun Princess inagurated in 1995 and the first of the Grand class MV Grand Princess in 1999

Princess Cruises big news in 2004 was its near-unprecedented new ships expansion. In the space of about three months the cruise line added three new cruise ships. Diamond Princess, the fleet's new biggest-ship-ever (at 116,000 tons), christened at the end of February; followed by Caribbean Princess and then, finally, Diamond's sister ship - Sapphire Princess.

Fleet expansion hasn't been limited to 2004, of course. In 2003, the company launched the sister ships Coral Princess and Island Princess. In 2002, the company acquired two cruise ships from now-defunct Renaissance Cruises and, after minor refurbishments, introduced Tahitian Princess and Pacific Princess. In 2009 Princess Cruises acquired two more former Renaissance Cruises ships and named them Royal Princess and Ocean Princess. Star Princess, a sister ship to Grand Princess, also joined the fleet in 2002. Five new cruise ships from the Grand Class are operational and sailing, all of them 116,000 tons -  the Crown Princess, the Caribbean Princess the Emerald Princess, the Diamond Princess and  the Ruby Princess.

Princess Cruises is now part of the industry's giant Carnival Corporation a move that occurred when Carnival acquired the cruise line's parent company - U.K.-based P&O Cruises. And even though Princess Cruises is now part of the world's largest cruise corporation, the operation of the line has, by and large, remained the same. 

The company also has a good reputation for treating well it's employees which explains the high rate of returning crew. It is our opinion that Princess Cruises is one of the most highly recommended cruise lines to work for.

The latest generation in the fleet - the Royal class consists of two ships (up to this moment) - MV Royal Princess and MV Regal Princess (not to be mistaken with the old ships that used to carry the same names).

Cruise ships and itineraries:

Princess is launching an all-inclusive, 4-month, around-the-world cruise for $20,000— see what it'll be like

• Princess Cruises announced a 114-day  world cruise to 52 destinations in 2026, starting at $20,000 per person. 
• Guests who book early would get a free, all-inclusive package, a first for Princess' global itineraries.
• Extended and all-inclusive cruises have emerged as big trends in the vacation industry.

Princess Cruise's new around-the-world voyage will hit two vacation trends in one itinerary.

In January 2026, the company says its Coral Princess will embark on a 114-day cruise to 52 ports in 28 countries and six continents — more destinations than any of its previous global sailings .

It's the Carnival Corp brand's latest appeal to the extended cruising trend . But it's not the only fad this four-month vacation is targeting.

The sailing, which starts at $20,000 per person, also marks the first time Princess is offering a complimentary all-inclusive package as a way to entice early bookings.

Ultra-long and all-inclusive cruises have emerged as big trends in the industry.

Regent Seven Seas, Azamara, and Oceania's 2024 around-the-world cruises all sold out before departing in January. The former was fully booked within three hours, while every cabin on the latter was called for in 30 minutes.

Besides being high-end, these three companies share one commonality: some level of all-inclusiveness , as is common with premium cruise lines.

Mass-market cruise companies rarely go the all-inclusive route.

Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian are generally beloved for their affordability.

But if you want to experience all their ships have to offer, be prepared to face a list of up-charged amenities like pay-to-play rides and specialty restaurants . After all, there's a reason their base fares are much cheaper than their increasingly popular ultra-luxury, all-inclusive counterparts.

But Princess has been increasingly vying for a slice of the luxury cruiser pie.

The cruise line says guests who book its 2026 world cruise early (that is, by the end of October) will receive its most inclusive Princess Premier package for free. The perk — launched two years ago — covers amenities that typically have a fee, like WiFi, premium drinks, some specialty restaurants, and workout classes.

Travelers who reserve one of the ship's high-end cabins by the same deadline would also receive complimentary airport transfers and airfare, services normally exclusively offered by luxury cruise lines .

The itinerary would have two roundtrip embarkation options: Fort. Lauderdale, Florida, on January 5, 2026, or Los Angeles 16 days later.

From there, the 2,000-guest Coral Princess would sail more than 35,000 nautical miles to ports in North America, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia, Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe, and Central and South America.

It wouldn't be Princess' longest voyage — that title goes to its 116-day world cruise in 2025 — but it would be one of its most destination-heavy.

While two days longer, next year's around-the-world cruise would hit six fewer ports and four fewer countries than its 2026 counterpart.

According to the itinerary, about half of the 2026 voyage consists of sea days.

That's a lot of time on the water with no land in sight. Luckily, travelers can keep themselves entertained by attending lectures and programs related to the destinations, leisuring around the adult-only lounge, or taking a dip in Coral Princess' four pools.

The 21-year-old ship also has 10 places to grab a bite, although the Italian and steakhouse restaurants are considered specialty. Premier is the cruise line's most inclusive package, but it only includes 16 free dinners at these upcharge restaurants, paced once a week.

Princess is still a mass-market cruise line, after all.

The company has been increasingly dangling its inclusive package as a big perk.

The company says its two-month-old Sun Princess will debut in the US in October with its first-ever Sanctuary Collection . Travelers who splurge on these expensive and luxurious accommodations would be rewarded with two major benefits: a private lounge and Princess Premier.

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28 countries for $25K? Princess' World Cruise will offer 'more all-inclusive experience'

On Princess Cruises’ 2026 world cruise, the line will one-up itself.

The 114-day sailing will visit 52 ports, the most destinations for any of the line’s world cruises.

Terry Thornton, the line’s chief commercial officer said the voyage “addresses a growing interest in longer voyages that make stops at more exotic destinations, and the urge to do it as part of a more all-inclusive experience,” according to a news release .

“Our 2026 World Cruise offers our most destination-rich itinerary ever so guests can immerse themselves in a global experience rich with landmarks, ancient ruins, unique landscapes, wildlife, gastronomy, cultures and heritage,” he added.

What is a world cruise? It's not a 'shoot-from-the-hip decision'

When is Princess’ 2026 world cruise?

The cruise will sail round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 5, 2026, on the line’s 2,000-guest Coral Princess ship.

 Guests can also opt to sail round-trip from Los Angeles on Jan. 21 instead.

Where will the cruise go?

Guests will sail to 28 countries on six continents, and the stops will give passengers access to 45 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The itinerary also features late departures from more than a dozen ports, including Honolulu, Hawaii, Singapore, and Sydney, Australia. Guests will also stay overnight in Hong Kong.

The cruise will include the line's first-ever stop in Boracay, an island in the Philippines, and Coral Princess will make new world cruise calls to Puerto Chiapas, Mexico and Ponta Delgada in Portugal’s Azores Islands . Guests can enjoy destination-specific programming on board, such as themed deck and sail-away parties, lectures on Mediterranean history and art, World War II and more.

How much does the cruise cost?

The round-trip Fort Lauderdale departure currently starts at $25,214 per person based on double occupancy, while the Los Angeles option starts at $24,004, according to the line’s website .

Guests who book by Oct. 31, 2024, will get a complimentary Princess Premier package that includes Wi-Fi, premium alcoholic drinks, specialty coffee and more; $500 in onboard credit each for two passengers; and transfers from local airports, among other perks.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].