Can I go to college online and work on a cruise ship at the same time?

Question

So I just finished my first year of college. I was going to get my Bach. Degree in hospitality management but realized that's doing too much right now. I have always wanted to work on a cruise ship or at a hotel and today I was searching for jobs on cruise ships and seen that most of the jobs that I like required a two year degree in hospitality management. Well I want to work on a ship now to start saving money up for a nice car and I mean right now I'm single and young and want to travel so its perfect for me. I just wonder if its possible if while I'm on the ship if I could be getting my two year degree in hospitality management.

Answer 1

No, you will not have access to the internet and the crew work VERY long hours, 7 days a week.



You are not allowed in the guest areas of the ship, the only place where there is internet access, which will cost more then you make anyway.

Answer 2

With the exception of senior officers and some department heads, crew members are required to pay for internet service on board ships, and the prices are high! Also, pay levels for all but senior officers and department heads are very low. It is extremely doubtful that you could afford to pay for internet on board, and your chances of regular access from shoreside internet cafes are slim to none since shore leave is very limited and erratic. Further, the work is so tiring that it is doubtful that you would have the energy to do anything on your limited non-work hours other than eat and sleep. If you think that taking classes at college is "too much right now", you certainly won't find it even close to possible while working on a ship!



I suggest that you stay in school to finish your degree, or take a year or two off school to return to finish it later. During the interim, if you can get a job on a ship, fine. (Most cruise lines require crew to be at least age 21 and to have 2 years of fulltime job experience relevant to the job on board.) The bottom line is that you can't do both at once.

Answer 3

I took my 7th cruise this past December on a variety of cruise lines. I have visited the western Carribean each time, although a variety of islands. The cruise line I can say is the best would be Norwegian. Being a younger traveller, I don't enjoy the whole "dressing up" thing as required on the other lines. Norwegian offers casual cruising (they call it freestyles) where you don't have to dress up for anything. The line does offer a formal night but its optional and only in one of the several dining rooms. I also enjoyed the variety of pay resturants offered on the ship. THey were very reasonably priced and the food was delicious. For a meal I spent $10 on on the ship would have easily been $50 or $60 on land. Another feature I really liked was the art auctions. Being a casual art buyer, I found their auctions to be the best. They were very reasonably priced and all pieces come to you framed. I also found this company offered more original pieces of art than any other sea auction I attended. Norwegian also offered a lot of activites not found anywhere else, such as a murder mystery dinner. I also found the entertainment of the Jean Ann Ryan dance company out of this world. The food wasn't the best on the ship but I feel the freestyle atmosphere of the ship accompanied by all of the other things mentioned make this the best choice for your Carribean cruise. Good luck!

Answer 4

A lot of the good jobs on cruise ships are acquired through internal promotion. Your best bet is to get your foot in the door by doing any position that gets you in. When you work hard and people start to get to know you is when you move up with time. Working on a cruise ship is tiring and requires a lot of hours. You probably won't have much stamina to take a course online. But it's great thinking that you want to work and study at the same time. Your best bet is to either work on a cruise ship now and school later. Or do some schooling now, and go work on a cruise ship sometime after.

Answer 5

you work about 18 hours a day, and internet is NOT provided for crew members, instead look at an internship as part of your degree program.