To Cruise, or not to Cruise? This is the question.

[Possessed Goat]

First off, brand new here but I've been lurking throughout my various interviews and assessments and such. Hi.

Secondly, the main question I have for anyone who possibly has any experience in the topic or any insight into the lifestyle and the work ethic in question.
Cruise ships, are there any advantages to being a Cadet, specifically in my case Engineer Cadet, on a cruise ship? Disadvantages too, don't hold back. I'd like to know about gaining the experience required on-board a cruise vessel as opposed to a tanker or freighter, the living and work conditions.
Finally, I have been given a couple of offers for Sept 2013 or Jan 2014 intakes into Fleetwood Nautical College, but I really need to know, how much does accommodation in the halls cost?
Any help, suggestions, funny anecdotes or witty comments are appreciated.

Goat out.

[GuinnessMan]

Do you have an actual offer from a cruise company?

[Possessed Goat]

Was hoping for a bit of "The resident grumpy man"s input, appreciated.
Indeed I do, however for obvious reasons I'd rather not say who, but it is one of the Big Boys of the industry. The other offer I have is from a company using tankers for their cadet training; this is why I'm looking for reasonable comparison. The finances are just something I need to work out for myself.

[GuinnessMan]

Was hoping for a bit of "The resident grumpy man"s input, appreciated.
Indeed I do, however for obvious reasons I'd rather not say who, but it is one of the Big Boys of the industry. The other offer I have is from a company using tankers for their cadet training; this is why I'm looking for reasonable comparison. The finances are just something I need to work out for myself.

Then it really is down to whether you want the better training or the better lifestyle during your cadetship. The cruise ship will have the better lifestyle whilst off duty in the sense that there are loads of bars and plenty to be doing and you go to touristy trap ports which are apparently nice. You won't get quite as much hands on work within the engine room (check with Clanky on that one) but you'll get to wander around looking all spiffy in a uniform. You're likely to share a cabin which will be smaller than most prison cells. There are **** loads of crew on board, so you will probably be just another face and if AlistairUK is to be believed the level of politics that comes with Cruise Ships is enough to make me sick.

On the tankers, you will get a load of hands on work as we don't have massive engineering departments so you will do most of the work yourself. You won't have 1000 odd other crew kicking around and you won't have all the bars and things to spend your time in. What you will have is training on a wet cargo ship which allows you to go to any other type of ship fairly easily, visit unusual ports that are a bit off the beaten track (you won't be able to get off at all ports) and have the potential to earn some good money once you finish training (we pay more than cruise ships). Also, because there are so few of you on board, you'll be a smaller knit team and, if you're lucky, you'll develop some strong friendships on board. I'm still friends and regularly chat to folks I sailed with a few years ago. You're likely to have your own cabin and whilst it won't be hugely massive, it won't be cell block A.

You were hoping for my input? Whatever for?

[Possessed Goat]

Right, I'm grateful that you've replied saying as much; makes me feel less like I'm speaking out my arse when trying to decide on this. From what I know, it's the toss up between a pleasant lifestyle, decent wage and a nice fancy new boat, but having my hand slapped every time I want to do something useful, or a possibly-good-possibly-terrible experience, on a vessel that I will more than likely get to strip down and build up again, managed by a foreign crew under a British captain, in possibly not so pretty waters. I have lifestyle or experience, I know which might get me the better job when I want to move on. Still, I'd love a few more opinions to get a better picture of my current situation.
I've also got to wonder, do I want to be that 1 in 1000?

[Lewis]

I've heard it said it's easier to go cargo to pax than other way round. No idea whether its true or not.

[GuinnessMan]

I've also got to wonder, do I want to be that 1 in 1000?

1 in 1000 what? Anyways, nationality means bugger all, it's all down to the guys on board and how willing they are to help. Tankers are world wide, we don't just have them sitting around WAF or GoA you know!

Either way, Get yourself on an LNG. No major f*ck-ups in over 50 years of operations.....

[Possessed Goat]

As in people working on-board. It's a metric bugger-tonne for cruise liners and a couple of dozen at most for the other vessels I could be working on. And I know as a cadet, I will not be worldwide with the offer I have been given, still fairly close to home. Either way, I've got pretty much the next two days to make my mind up, but thank you for your input, both of you.

[bobofinga]

At the end of the day it's up to you to choose. GM has given the main pros/cons but its your career and your choice. Do what you feel is best or even what you think you'll most enjoy. Cadetship is only the start .

[HarmlessWeasel]

1 in 1000 what? Anyways, nationality means bugger all, it's all down to the guys on board and how willing they are to help. Tankers are world wide, we don't just have them sitting around WAF or GoA you know!

Either way, Get yourself on an LNG. No major f*ck-ups in over 50 years of operations.....

forgive my ignorance, (it still says aspiring so I'm allowed ok?) but what are WAF and GoA? something something and Gulf of Aden?

[Chiefy]

West Africa, Gulf of Aden the 2 fav places for collecting oil from and Pirates, my Pannini sticker boo is nearly complete I just need the ubber rare Golden AK47 sticker and limmited edition Captain Pugwash foil and it'll be complete, but I digress

[Clanky]

I was a cruise ship cadet before moving to passenger ships and then returning many years later to cruise ships as staff chief and chief, I have always advised engine cadets to avoid cruise ships (different for ETO's and deckies). There is a tendency on cruise ships for you to be trained as an assistant watchkeeper during your cadetship as that is the next logical step in your career, which is fine so long as you want to stay with cruise ships, but no good if you decide to change career and end up as the duty engineer on a UMS cargo ship.

In my experience cruise ship cadets do not have the same depth of knowledge and experience after qualifying as cargo ship cadets, obviously there will be exception but that is what I have generally found.

I would not employ someone to work on a cargo ship who had only ever worked on cruise ships.

[loiney]

Personally just head straight offshore if you can get an offshore cadetship, its where the proper money is. Yes you miss out on the cruise ship life and the girls and the nice places, but you'll earn **** loads more and have way more time off. Both of my second officers on my current ship wish they had gone straight offshore rather than going deep sea. But hey, if you fancy dressing up in uniform every night and answering the same questions on how big is the ships steering wheel and is there a ceremony to ring the bell at noon then go cruising, or, be a real man and go offshore

[Pilot Chris]

Personally just head straight offshore if you can get an offshore cadetship, its where the proper money is. Yes you miss out on the cruise ship life and the girls and the nice places, but you'll earn **** loads more and have way more time off. Both of my second officers on my current ship wish they had gone straight offshore rather than going deep sea. But hey, if you fancy dressing up in uniform every night and answering the same questions on how big is the ships steering wheel and is there a ceremony to ring the bell at noon then go cruising, or, be a real man and go offshore

Quite a few generalisations in there Loiney! As a senior officer on Cruise ships I was earning more than my buddies who were Captains on offshore vessels!

Having done many years on both cargo and cruise I think it's easier going cargo to cruise and also you learn to appreciate some of the lifestyle aspects on cruise ships having done cargo.

[chris]

I'm also trying to weigh up the advantages of cruise ships over tankers and offshore work as I come to the end of my training.

At junior ETO level, my recent research suggests that cruise ships tend to pay ?20,000 per year on a 3 months on 3 months off basis compared to ?30,000 per year with the same leave ratio for offshore jobs. Tankers seem to pay even more.

I dont have any salary figures for engineers.