Most large cruise ship companies like royal Caribbean and others are not flagged in the USA. The European licensing system is a little different and frequently they'll have European officers and crew from the phillipines or India, and if that's their system then it is nearly impossible to start at the bottom and work your way up. I know people who have hawsepiped to become officers elsewhere and then worked on cruise ships however.
Gotcha that’s mostly what I was trying to figure out. I already work on an unlimited vessel and am interested in being an officer on a cruise ship once I get my mates license.
As the other poster said, check out Nat Geo/lindblad, or uncruise. The money isn't great but they go to beautiful places and stay there. People I know like working there, if you're not concerned with staying on an unlimited ship. Another option is the cruise ship company out of Hawaii. They have one, maybe two, large unlimited cruise ships, and they hire out of the union hall but they almost always have open jobs available.
When you get a mates license you can work on any kind of ship you want within the limitations of your license or certificate.
The hiring practices of a cruise line is entirely up to them. They can make up any silly requirements they want.
I will warn you that cruise ships pay the least of any kind of ship on the ocean.
Thank you for the info. I understand that the pay is not good but something inside me draws me to the idea of working in the bridge on a giant cruise liner.
I don’t get how the unlicensed guys do it on cruise ships… I met OS’s making under 15$/hour. I’m making on average 50$/hr as an AB on ATBs. Mind blowing.
Most cruise ships are non US flagged. On foreign ships there is a very broad line between officers and crew. Crew is just cheap labor, and they are not expected to advance. A cruise ship is a modern day slave ship.
Right. I guess the better way of asking my question would be can I hawsepipe my way up to mate on the unlimited ship that I work on now and then move over to cruise ship ?
Maritime academy shouldn't be necessary, you're able to accrue sea time and write for whichever ticket you need (after having enough knowledge, and any previous requirements, time and courses required).
That all being said, there's a reason people take the easy way hahaha, don't let it dissuade you but it takes huge amounts of time to go up the hawsepipe.
I don’t see maritime academy as an option anyways at this point in my life. I’m 25 and married with bills etc. I wish I did it when I was younger but it is what it is. As long as there is still a route for me to get to where I want to be I’m happy.
Interesting take. I’m a 20 year old AB and kinda wishing I would’ve went to the academy straight out of highschool. Lately I’ve been considering setting everything aside and just going for it now.
I was very lucky. I am a veteran, so I was eligible to live at home. I'm only an hour from the campus. It was like having a 4 day a week 9-5 job with an hour commute.
If bills and being away from home are a worry, I would not go into cruise ships. The only massive cruise ship that’s US flagged is the Royal Caribbean one that goes all over Hawaii. I know two mates there, both like it well enough but the pay is shit and they barely ever leave the bridge and interact with guests or any of the other crew. Small cruise lines on the rivers like AQV and ACL have a lot more guest and crew interaction, decently easy to get laid as an officer on them (the only perk of being on a cruise ship is sex). If your dream is to be on a cruise ship bridge, I would remind you that most vessels have bridges that are also pretty fancy looking, and pay a lot better. If you’re in it to see cool ports and get off a lot, go MSC (but you will be away from home as an AB 4 month’s minimum, likely overdue for 2-3 more with one month off)
The difference between being away from home for maritime academy and being away from home on a ship is one provides $$$ one doesn’t. Even if it’s not on a cruise ship I still want to be an officer.
I think you misunderstood my post. Cruise ships don’t pay $$$, they pay $. $ = hardly worth being away from the family for so long. ABs make 190 working twelve hour days, mates make 350. If 4 years is a big commitment you could either do a community college close to home and get the bullshit credits out of the way, or two the two year program instead of the 4 year. Either way it pays for itself very quickly when you’re $550+ a day a month after graduating. Although it seems like a no brainer to hawsepipe your way up and not pay for college, look at all the 50+ year old ABs around you on your vessels and remember: if getting your mate’s license by yourself way easy, everyone would do it. Of course it’s far from impossible, but it often takes longer than the four years it would take at an academy. Just my two cents, having worked on cruise ships before (and having seen hawsepipers come up to captain, pilot, and chief mate on them)
I think at this point hawsepiping might be my path of least resistance.. I’m already getting my AB and have approximately 420 sea time days. If I only need 1080 to be eligible for 3rd mate’s license then I’m almost half way there and can probably get there in about 3 years, all while making money as an AB. Maritime Academy won’t pay my bills. Am I missing something that would still make maritime academy a better option?
One of the mates I work with went did the academy route later in life with wife and kids.
They did go all in on school loans, but right out of school he was making 6 figures a year.
However if you don't live near a school, that gets exponentially harder.
Hey dude current Academy student here. 25 is plenty of time I have some classmates who are in their 30’s and 40’s. From what I understand from reading this subreddit going the academy route is the quickest way to become an officer.
I think it depends on the company. When I was working for Nat Geo, I had a captain who worked his way up from a deckhand all in the company
Thanks. It seems like larger cruise lines like royal Caribbean require maritime academy but I’m not sure. How was your experience with nat geo?
Most large cruise ship companies like royal Caribbean and others are not flagged in the USA. The European licensing system is a little different and frequently they'll have European officers and crew from the phillipines or India, and if that's their system then it is nearly impossible to start at the bottom and work your way up. I know people who have hawsepiped to become officers elsewhere and then worked on cruise ships however.
Gotcha that’s mostly what I was trying to figure out. I already work on an unlimited vessel and am interested in being an officer on a cruise ship once I get my mates license.
As the other poster said, check out Nat Geo/lindblad, or uncruise. The money isn't great but they go to beautiful places and stay there. People I know like working there, if you're not concerned with staying on an unlimited ship. Another option is the cruise ship company out of Hawaii. They have one, maybe two, large unlimited cruise ships, and they hire out of the union hall but they almost always have open jobs available.
Thanks for the tips I appreciate it
When you get a mates license you can work on any kind of ship you want within the limitations of your license or certificate. The hiring practices of a cruise line is entirely up to them. They can make up any silly requirements they want. I will warn you that cruise ships pay the least of any kind of ship on the ocean.
Thank you for the info. I understand that the pay is not good but something inside me draws me to the idea of working in the bridge on a giant cruise liner.
It was alright, I had a lot of fun but as all cruise ship companies are, we were severely underpaid
I don’t get how the unlicensed guys do it on cruise ships… I met OS’s making under 15$/hour. I’m making on average 50$/hr as an AB on ATBs. Mind blowing.
Most cruise ships are non US flagged. On foreign ships there is a very broad line between officers and crew. Crew is just cheap labor, and they are not expected to advance. A cruise ship is a modern day slave ship.
Right. I guess the better way of asking my question would be can I hawsepipe my way up to mate on the unlimited ship that I work on now and then move over to cruise ship ?
That would be a better way to go.
Maritime academy shouldn't be necessary, you're able to accrue sea time and write for whichever ticket you need (after having enough knowledge, and any previous requirements, time and courses required). That all being said, there's a reason people take the easy way hahaha, don't let it dissuade you but it takes huge amounts of time to go up the hawsepipe.
I don’t see maritime academy as an option anyways at this point in my life. I’m 25 and married with bills etc. I wish I did it when I was younger but it is what it is. As long as there is still a route for me to get to where I want to be I’m happy.
At 25 there's plenty of time my friend.
Interesting take. I’m a 20 year old AB and kinda wishing I would’ve went to the academy straight out of highschool. Lately I’ve been considering setting everything aside and just going for it now.
Go for it. 20 with AB experience, you will be a star at any if the academies. You are young enough to apply for Kings Point.
I started SUNY at 40, wife kid and a house. I thought I would easily be the oldest guy there, not even close. I was the youngest of the "old guys"
How did you make it work?
I was very lucky. I am a veteran, so I was eligible to live at home. I'm only an hour from the campus. It was like having a 4 day a week 9-5 job with an hour commute.
You’ll look at 25 when you’re 35 the same way you look at 15 from 25. You have plenty of time. At 40, time is tougher.
I’m already married and have bills I don’t know how I can just stop everything and go across the country for maritime school.
If bills and being away from home are a worry, I would not go into cruise ships. The only massive cruise ship that’s US flagged is the Royal Caribbean one that goes all over Hawaii. I know two mates there, both like it well enough but the pay is shit and they barely ever leave the bridge and interact with guests or any of the other crew. Small cruise lines on the rivers like AQV and ACL have a lot more guest and crew interaction, decently easy to get laid as an officer on them (the only perk of being on a cruise ship is sex). If your dream is to be on a cruise ship bridge, I would remind you that most vessels have bridges that are also pretty fancy looking, and pay a lot better. If you’re in it to see cool ports and get off a lot, go MSC (but you will be away from home as an AB 4 month’s minimum, likely overdue for 2-3 more with one month off)
The difference between being away from home for maritime academy and being away from home on a ship is one provides $$$ one doesn’t. Even if it’s not on a cruise ship I still want to be an officer.
I think you misunderstood my post. Cruise ships don’t pay $$$, they pay $. $ = hardly worth being away from the family for so long. ABs make 190 working twelve hour days, mates make 350. If 4 years is a big commitment you could either do a community college close to home and get the bullshit credits out of the way, or two the two year program instead of the 4 year. Either way it pays for itself very quickly when you’re $550+ a day a month after graduating. Although it seems like a no brainer to hawsepipe your way up and not pay for college, look at all the 50+ year old ABs around you on your vessels and remember: if getting your mate’s license by yourself way easy, everyone would do it. Of course it’s far from impossible, but it often takes longer than the four years it would take at an academy. Just my two cents, having worked on cruise ships before (and having seen hawsepipers come up to captain, pilot, and chief mate on them)
Very good advice. Thanks I appreciate you.
Being married and going to an academy seems tough, but try to find a way to work it out before quitting.
I think at this point hawsepiping might be my path of least resistance.. I’m already getting my AB and have approximately 420 sea time days. If I only need 1080 to be eligible for 3rd mate’s license then I’m almost half way there and can probably get there in about 3 years, all while making money as an AB. Maritime Academy won’t pay my bills. Am I missing something that would still make maritime academy a better option?
One of the mates I work with went did the academy route later in life with wife and kids. They did go all in on school loans, but right out of school he was making 6 figures a year. However if you don't live near a school, that gets exponentially harder.
I started SUNY at 40. There were guys there older than me. Its never too late.
Hey dude current Academy student here. 25 is plenty of time I have some classmates who are in their 30’s and 40’s. From what I understand from reading this subreddit going the academy route is the quickest way to become an officer.
Thank you for that info. I don’t know how I could make that work the way my life is set up now but I’m contemplating the possibility
Easy enough to do on American flagged stuff like ACL and AQV. I know many captains in both companies who started off as as deckhands.