There are some cruise jobs that are recruited by concessionary companies rather than by the cruise lines themselves. Get the facts on what a cruise ship concession is, which onboard departments use concessions and how to get hired by one of these concessions.
What are Cruise Ship Concessions?
The cruise lines have teamed up with companies that sell products and services onboard their ships. They are third-party vendors that operate specific departments onboard such as the Spa, Gift Shops, Casino and Photo Departments. This means that these concessions recruit, train, and employ the crewmembers within their department.
Cruise Ship Departments Operated by Concessions
As you may now see, each cruise line has its own list of departments or cruise jobs that use concessions, many of them operating on more than one cruise line. Furthermore, where one cruise line may use a concession for a department, another cruise line may operate the same department in-house without a concession. Here is a list of departments and cruise jobs that may use concessions on one or more cruise lines.
Spa Department: Spa Manager, Hair Stylist, Barber, Beauty Therapist, Nail Technician, Massage Therapist, Acupuncturist, Medi-Spa Physician, Spa Receptionist, and Personal Trainer
Gift Shops & Boutiques: Sales Manager, Assistant Sales Manager and Sales Associate
Casino Department: Casino Manager, Casino Cashier, Dealer, Slot Technician, and Casino Host
Photo Department: Photo Manager, Assistant Photo Manager, Photographer, Videographer
Other Cruise Jobs: Internet Cafe Manager, Art Auctioneer, Port and Shopping Guide
The next step is to understand which concession companies are the main players in the cruise industry and how to get a job with them.
How to Get a Job in a Cruise Ship Spa
Steiner Leisure operates the Spa Department onboard most of the major cruise ships at sea and employ over 2,000 spa, salon and fitness professionals every year. Their cruise line partners include Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and others.
Essentially, there is only one other concession company that operates on cruise ships and that’s Canyon Ranch Spa Club at Sea. They are used by Cunard Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
To get a job with one of these concessionary companies, first you’ll need to understand if you meet their employment qualifications. Both of these companies give specific application procedures on their websites for job seekers.
Tip to Get Hired: Proven sales experience is not just an asset, but a requirement. Resumes that highlight your ability to up-sell products and services will give you an advantage.
How to Work in a Cruise Ship Gift Shop
There are two main concessions that operate the boutiques onboard cruise ships, Starboard Cruise Services and Harding Brothers. For a complete list of which cruise line uses which concession, read the Spa, Fitness & Salon Job Positions section of this site. This list also describes the qualifications needed for jobs in the Gift Shop Department.
Starboard Cruise Services encourages potential candidates to apply through one of their worldwide accredited hiring agents listed on their website. Applicants need to complete Starboard’s online application form, sign it and send it with their CV to the agent closest to them.
Similarly, Harding Brothers wants qualified job seekers to complete their online application. They don’t use hiring agents. So follow up on your application through the link on their website.
Tip to Get Hired: Although retail experience is preferred, other sales experience is acceptable. Resumes that include terminology such as up-sell, exceeded sales targets, product knowledge, and loss prevention will get noticed.
How to Work in a Cruise Ship Casino
To get a job in a casino there are a few different concessions for you to explore. Carnival Corporation Casino Division recruits staff that could be placed on any of the corporation brands, as listed in the section Casino Job Positions section. Alternatively, Century Casinos operates the casinos on Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Windstar Cruises and TUI Cruises. Casinos Austria Maritime is the concession onboard the Silversea Cruises vessels.
Each of these concessions has an online application on their website for qualified candidates to complete and submit.
Tip to Get Hired: Although specific skills are required for these types of jobs, these casino companies consider guest service a high priority. Resumes that highlight customer service experience, charismatic personalities, accuracy with attention to detail, and ability to increase gaming revenue will stand out.
How to Get Hired as a Cruise Ship Photographer or Videographer
The concession you will apply to will depend on which cruise line that you would like to work.
Bear in mind that both Carnival Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises hire their staff for their photo departments. Here are the main photo concessionary companies and the cruise lines they are partnered with. Each has their own application instructions.
Image Photo – Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Club Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Cunard Line
The Ship’s Photographer – P&O Cruises
Paragon Pixels – Crystal Cruises
Colorbox Photography – Thomson Cruises, Saga Cruises, Louis Cruises, Voyages of Discovery
Tip to Get Hired: Although some technical experience is required, resumes should also concentrate on proven sales experience.
Other Concessions for Cruise Ship Employment
Besides the above departments that are operated by outside concessionary companies, there are a couple other cruise jobs that are represented by concessions. Each of these concessions has their own application instructions on their website.
Port and Shopping Guides
PPI Group – Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Silversea Cruises, The Yachts of Seabourn and a few others
Onboard Media – Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises
Royal Media Partners – Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises
Art Auctioneers
Fine Art Management – Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line
British American Auctions – Celebrity Cruises
Plymouth Auctioneering – Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Lines, Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Whitewall Gallery – P&O Cruises, Cunard Line
Tip to Get Hired: Highlight not only your proven sales experience, but your ability to present products in front of a live audience.