In Reply to: cruise ships posted by sunnygirl on Sunday, 24. February 2008 at 00:57 Bali Time:
Most has been answered.
As mentioned it depends where you work. My steward on one cruise was Indonesian. He was so shocked when I said salamat pagi. We met a waiter from near Ubud. He sends money to his family but only sees them once a year. Depending on the cruise line as to the length of your contract They usually are from 9-12 months. If you take up another contract after that, they pay the airfare to the next departure port.
The wages aren't wonderful but it is certainly enough to attract a lot of people.
Having said that my daughter went for a job but didn't take it as the wages were very low (by our standard). The thing that gets to most people is the hours. They work 12 hours a day. When my daughter was interviewed they kept stressing this. A friends daughter got a job and she's trying to get out of her contract.
It certainly is a way to see the world (keeping in mind if you are a room steward you wouldn't get off at port often.
If his English is good and he has some waiter experience I think he'll love it. He needs to discuss this with his wife. She'll be alone for a long time.