Call Centre & Customer Service
Cruise Ship Steward
Cruise ship stewards provide onboard services to ensure the safety and comfort of cruise line passengers.
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Entry-level education
Junior secondary school certificate or equivalent
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Job outlook
What does a Cruise Ship Steward do?
Cruise ship stewards provide onboard services to ensure the safety and comfort of cruise line passengers. Cruise ship stewards are also known as cabin stewards.
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Work activities
As a cruise ship or cabin steward, you would:
- show passengers to their cabins upon embarkation
- take room service orders
- clean cabins, including changing linen, vacuuming, making beds or replacing toiletries
- replenish mini bar items and add them to customer's bills
- work in other areas of the ship, such as the bar or restaurant, as necessary
- deal with guests’ queries and complaints
- take part in on-board emergency and safety drills.
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Key skills and interests
To become a cruise ship steward, you would need:
- a friendly personality
- excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- good teamwork skills
- neatness in your personal appearance at all times
- attention to detail
- the ability to work under pressure and within tight timeframes
- to adapt easily to an irregular lifestyle
- to be able to cope with the physical demands of the job.
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Working hours and conditions
Working Hours
Cruise work can be seasonal, and many cruise ship staff are employed on a contract basis, for a fixed time period. As a cruise ship is operational 24 hours a day, you would work in shifts which would include evenings, weekends and holidays. Shifts can be long, without much time off in between.
Conditions
On board a cruise ship, accommodation is compact and shared with other staff. You may be required to remain in the staff area of the ship during your time off. You would wear a uniform whilst working.
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How to become an Cruise Ship Steward?
Entry Level Education
You may work as a cruise ship steward without formal qualifications. Qualifications and/or relevant experience in the hospitality or customer service industry would be advantageous.
Once accepted for a position you would need to obtain a Certificate of Proficiency from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and hold a Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC) prior to embarkation. You must be at least 18 years old, and pass a medical and relevant safety training.
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Job outlook
The availability of positions as cruise ship stewards depends on the number of ships operating in and out of Australia and staff turnover.
While the cruising industry is growing at a rapid rate, non-specialist staff are often sourced from overseas ports rather than from Australia, in order to lower overall employment costs.
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