Has anyone here ever worked on a cruise? I am considering trying

Are you white? Go for it. You'll probably be fine.
Are you not white? Err, how's your American English? Might be okay.
Are you south Asian or Pacific Islander? Never ever go to sea on a cruise line without multiple people knowing where you are and what ship you are supposed to be on. A half Hawaiian friend of mine was hired as a live musician on a cruise boat, the moment they hit international waters the people in charge stuffed him in the galley doing prep work and dishes for 12+hours a day.
Keep in mind that my friend is a born and raised US citizen. He had to beg a sympathetic passenger to ask the US consulate to launch an investigation before he was able to get off the boat after five months.

>>1293623
Quite the story. Got a link to it? That should definitely have made the news.

>>1293637
Not him but there are tons of horror work stories that never reach press.

>>1293643
Well obviously. But something like that is more than a horror story. Arrests should have been made.

Cruise ships mostly want Filipinos these days. They work cheap and put up with a lot of shit.

>>1293650
This is nothing exceptional imo. People get exploited on a daily basis everywhere in the world

>>1293189
One of my oldest and closest friends (a sommelier by training) worked for several years on cruise ships, albeit in a much higher-ranking capacity than you're considering (he was a cellarmaster, so he was responsible for stocking all the booze, creating wine lists with the chefs, and general managing the bars--he had like 50 people reporting to him at one point, and was an 'officer').

He mostly liked it. He spent next to nothing while working so he saved a lot of money and traveled between contracts. But he worked VERY long days, sometimes seven days a week for weeks or even months at a time. He had some minimal, occasional shore leave (a few hours out in whatever port they were passing through), but not everyone did. Many were never allowed to get off the boat. And he lived in a *tiny* cabin with at least one roommate.

And this was as a pseudo-important member of the staff.

I can only assume conditions would be a lot worse for a scut.

I wouldn't hesitate if I were young, single, and unemployable--a few months of menial labor with no expenses, and maybe some glimpses of the world through a porthole, could be interesting. But it's bound to be grueling.

>>1293189
I worked on cruise ships of you're a dishwasher or kitchen in general you will be miserable. 12-17 hour days on your feet no fraternization with the guests only perk is hopefully you'll find a sex starved beauty from a 3rd world shit hole to fuck but even that is overrated. And if you're 1/2 decent looking you can get that in your regular life. My advice is unless you're from a third world country with a family to support and send back back money to don't do it