How much time-off do crewmembers get is a question I'm often asked.

But it's one that doesn't come with a straight answer!

Naturally most people ask this because they want to be sure that they will get a chance to enjoy the exciting destinations that cruise ships visit.

After all, what's the point in doing this if there's no "play time"?

Well the answer is 'yes' you WILL get time off in port and you WILL get chance to visit plenty of the exotic places that you probably dream about.

BUT... how much free time you get in port often depends on three main factors.

Here they are:

The first factor to consider is the ITINERARY of your cruise ship. In other words, where it goes and how often it stays in port. The more FULL days a cruise ship spends at sea (known as "sea days") then the less port days (= time off) you'll have...

...and probably the more hours you will work!

My first ship only had ONE seaday a week which meant we had 6 port days and plenty of time off in some amazing places. However my second ship had THREE seadays a week...

...and boy did I notice the difference!

But the strange thing is that although I worked longer hours and visited less places on my second ship - I still had many great times and considered it an amazing life experience.

Even so, give me less days at sea and more port days anytime :-)

So, a good tip to remember is this: if a cruise line ever gives you a choice of ships to choose from, then go online or grab a brochure and check how many sea days each ship has - then simply request the ship that has the fewest number of "seadays".

Obviously it goes without saying that you should NOT jeopardize your chances of getting onboard by refusing to go on a ship if it's the only one they have available, but it has 3 sea days! You'll still have a great time and you can always request your next ship once you've got your foot in the door and completed your first contract.

The next factor to consider is the LENGTH OF TIME your ship actually stays in port for. This will vary. Sometimes you'll only be in port for half a day (until 2:00 PM), other days your ship might stay until quite late (10:00 PM up until midnight). But a typical leaving time would be around 5:30 PM.

Remember, the longer your ship stays in port, the more free time you're likely to have!

The last factor to consider is which DEPARTMENT you work in. Generally those in 'staff' positions get more time off in port than those in 'crew' positions. This is usually because crew do jobs that are needed even when the ship is in port (cooking, cleaning cabins, general maintenance, etc).

That's not to say that 'crew' don't get time off - they do - but often their time-off is the same whether or not the ship is docked in port.

On the other hand a 'staff' member working in the Entertainment Dept or Gift Shop Dept or Casino Dept for example DO NOT usually work when the ship is in port. Mainly because the gift shops and casinos are not allowed (by law) to open until the ship has left shore. And the entertainment doesn't start until all the passengers are back onboard.

There are other departments like this too - so if you're in this for a good time and to see a lot of the world, then you need to think about the type of job you'll do onboard.

The following article will help you do this:

http://www.workoncruiseships.com/public/444.cfm