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A cruise ship crew member for Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or Norwegian Cruise Line can earn an annual average between $16,000 to $20,000. For leadership staff onboard cruise ships, the annual salary can be much higher from $30,000 to $100,000. According to Business Insider, a cruise ship crew member for Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian Cruise Line can earn an annual average between $16,000 to $20,000.
Average Salary for Carnival Cruise Lines Employees
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Business Insider spoke with 35 current and former cruise-ship employees, who reported monthly earnings between $500 and $10,000. Some 40% said their monthly earnings were equal to or less than $2,000. Not only does the staff work extremely hard to keep passengers happy, but the general consensus is that people working on a cruise ship are paid relatively little while working long hours. Entry-level kitchen positions usually have the lowest wages found on cruise ships. However, on the plus side, they have the highest opportunities for advancement.
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As a result, the parent companies are subject to certain SEC filing requirements. That means there is no set compensation list for every cruise line that shows what different positions make (at least publicly). Cruise lines cover the cost of food and a place to stay for crew members working onboard. Officers, higher ranking crew members, and temporary crew may earn themselves a larger room, or even the opportunity to not share a cabin with someone else. As an example, a stateroom attendant will work the morning to go through all of his/her cabins, and then take a few hours off in the afternoon, before returning for work in the evening. Crew members work very hard onboard, and their schedule is different than the 9-to-5 schedule many Americans think of when it comes to a work day.
Carnival Cruise Line Locations and Average Salaries

Employment found on ships is not typically glamourous, as one might expect. Members can expect to work hour days, and up to seven days a week. As mentioned, there are additional benefits that workers receive over their salary. Free room and board, meals, and medical care allow individuals to save money while working. "Financially, it's not a good business prospect, which is why I stopped doing it." But we wanted to get the real scoop on what a cruise line pays its employees.
How much does Carnival Cruise Line pay an hour?
These are the cruise industry’s average salaries, which can vary among different cruise lines. It should be noted that all salaries are according to the national average as listed on PayScale, and are recorded in USD. A cruise-ship employee's living costs can be much lower than those of a land-based worker, since they don't have to pay rent or buy food. But cruise-ship employees also have demanding and unconventional schedules that can lead them to work more hours than those with more traditional five-day, 40-hour-a-week schedules.
Salaries at Carnival Cruise Line vary depending on the department you work in. Carnival Cruise Line salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $94,987. Employees in the it department at Carnival Cruise Line receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $85,927 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Carnival Cruise Line include the retail and the warehouse organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $34,054 and $34,150, respectively. Carnival Cruise Lines employees earn $40,000 annually on average, or $19 per hour, which is 49% lower than the national salary average of $66,000 per year.
Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis. He has become one of the foremost expert on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Often crew members will disembark the ship while it is in port during the afternoon for a break to visit the port of call. Any crew member that is caught engaging in any kind of a personal relationship with a guest can be terminated immediately.

It comes as no surprise that the ship’s captain has the biggest salary from working on a cruise ship. The master of the vessel has a huge responsibility for ship safety for crew and passengers along with navigation. The captain can earn almost $100,000 manually depending on the cruise line and experience. This is the area of a cruise ship that specifically deals with passenger requests. It is their job to always uphold the cruise ship’s level of excellence. Their commitment to a job well done is reflected in the tips these positions receive.
That can make the earnings — though low by American standards — more attractive. That gives us not only a glimpse into how much the top brass at the company makes in total, but also what those who work on the ship earn as well. Major cruise lines like Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian are actually part of larger public companies that trade on major stock exchanges.
In fact, crew members are not allowed to go into passenger cabins unless there is an official reason. Just like a job on land, everyone's salary is not public information, so I have to rely on job recruiting websites for some insight. Known as the crew mess, this restaurant offers prepared foods, ready-to-go foods, and ways to heat up food that crew members already have.
The lowest paying Carnival Cruise Line roles include waitress and camp counselor. So while the average Carnival Cruise Line salary is $44,168 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role. The most common scenario is two crew members will share a cabin together, although on some ships larger cabins can accommodate a third crew member. Rather than getting full days off, crew members get large gaps in their schedule, but they work every day of their contract.
And while the cruise lines make clear that this compensation figure includes wages and gratuities billed to passengers, they do not include any extra money paid to crew directly by guests. So the next time you’re feeling generous on a cruise, the crew would likely be happy to accept any extra gratuity. If you’re like many passengers, no matter what the crew members aboard a cruise ship earn, you still might not think it’s enough. One constant in cruising is an overall appreciation for the hard work that crew do to provide passengers with a great vacation.
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