What makes the most money on a cruise ship?

Generally, the highest-paying jobs on cruise ships are held by officers, department heads, and those working on commission. However, many other variables affect earning potential, such as cruise line, ship size, clientele, tips awarded, and prior job experience. Contracts are another factor.



Excellent question. The answer has two layers: what makes the most money for the cruise line and what makes the most money for the crew members.

1. What Makes the Most Money FOR THE CRUISE LINE

Cruise lines operate on a “razor and blades” model. The base fare (the “razor”) often just covers operational costs. The real profit (the “blades”) comes from onboard spending, known as “onboard revenue.”

Here’s the hierarchy of profit generators, from highest to lowest:

1. Casino (Gaming): The undisputed champion of profit margins. The house always has a significant edge. Guests spend cash (or charge to their room) with no tangible product cost for the cruise line. It’s almost pure profit. On many ships, the casino is the single largest revenue generator per square foot.

2. Beverage Packages & Alcoholic Drinks: Alcohol has enormous markups (often 300-500% or more). Selling a beverage package for $70-$100 per day before sailing locks in revenue and encourages guests to drink more. Even non-alcoholic specialty coffees and bottled water have huge margins.

3. Shore Excursions: The cruise line acts as a middleman, taking a 50% or higher commission from local tour operators. They have a captive audience who values convenience and the guarantee that the ship won’t leave without them.

4. Specialty Dining & Upsell Food Items: The main dining room and buffet are “free,” but cover-charge restaurants (like steakhouses, sushi bars, or Italian tratt

People Also Ask

The amount of money you can make working on a cruise ship depends on the position and experience. Generally, entry-level positions such as wait staff or housekeeping will earn around $1,000 to $2,500 per month. More experienced positions such as bartenders or chefs may earn up to $4,000 per month.

MORE DETAILS

5 entry-level jobs on a cruise ship
  • Cabin steward.
  • Deckhand.
  • Bartender.
  • Activity coordinator.
  • Bellperson.


MORE DETAILS

Among many difficult jobs on cruise ships, handpicking the toughest one is tricky. Still, one job will stand out in terms of horrific working conditions and cruel working hours-the galley steward.

MORE DETAILS

After subtracting overhead costs, a ship will make out with roughly $291 in net profit per passenger, per cruise. That means that at full capacity, a single ship like Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas might make $9.8m in revenue ($1.7m of which is profit) during one 7-day excursion.

MORE DETAILS

A majority of cruise ship lines offer their employees free food throughout the duration of their contracts. There's typically a special kitchen on the boat that prepares food for staff members. Employees may eat in separate dining areas, depending on their classifications.

MORE DETAILS

There are no holiday entitlements, but crew members can choose when they take the six- to eight-week break that automatically comes with longer contracts.

MORE DETAILS

The estimated total pay for a Waiter at Royal Caribbean Group is $3,584 per month. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $3,002 per month.

MORE DETAILS

The average RCL salary in the United States is $47,500 per year. RCL salaries range between $24,000 a year in the bottom 10th percentile to $90,000 in the top 90th percentile. RCL pays $22.84 an hour on average. RCL salaries vary by department as well.

MORE DETAILS

Cruise ship crew life can be intense: long hours, no days off for months, lots of rules, demanding guests, small living quarters and little to no privacy. But working on ships also allows you to travel to places some only dream of while making some amazing connections with fellow seafarers from all over the world.

MORE DETAILS

This means that the cruise lines are free to hire people from just about any country in the world. This is a reason why on certain ships much of the crew is from a variety of countries which adds to the overall experience of working on a cruise line and making friends with people from all over the world.

MORE DETAILS

Can I bring a family member or friend onboard? Crew members who meet specific length-of-service criteria have the option of requesting relatives travel, a benefit that allows family members to sail onboard for a limited period of time. Some restrictions may apply.

MORE DETAILS

Despite the difficulty of working on cruise ships, and overseas, many Filipinos still choose this way of life as it offers a highly competitive salary, aside from unique benefits. “The pros would be the salary, of course.

MORE DETAILS

On ships, you live where you work. Unlike life on land, there is no rent to be paid or monthly utility bills that need to be taken care of. All basic living expenses are covered at sea for crew members: accommodation, water, electricity, and food.

MORE DETAILS

What will happen is the cruise line will fly you home, but will deduct from your wages what you owe, Jim Walker, a Miami-based maritime lawyer who represents cruise workers and passengers, told Insider. So it's a very punitive type of step if you try to quit and go home.

MORE DETAILS

Do all cruise crew members receive tips? As mentioned above, not all members of the ship staff receive a share of the gratuities paid by passengers. Bartenders, main show entertainers and third-party shop employees are some of the more obvious ones, but they're not the only ones.

MORE DETAILS

Based on our data, it appears that the optimal compensation range for a Housekeeping Attendant at Msc Cruises Sa is between $30,667 and $36,522, with an average salary of $33,494.

MORE DETAILS

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $102,500 and as low as $14,500, the majority of Cruise Ship Worker salaries currently range between $30,000 (25th percentile) to $58,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $90,000 annually across the United States.

MORE DETAILS

That may be enough incentive for some, but what else makes retiring on a cruise ship an attractive choice? For many, it's travel itself. Changing scenery every day can be an inspiring way to live. Even an option that visits the same ports over and over might be more appealing than staying at home for some people.

MORE DETAILS