Age Limit For Gambling On A Cruise Ship

Minor children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult (18 years or older) within the same travel group in order to debark the ship in port. Was this answer helpful? Gambling, a popular form of entertainment on cruise ships, also has age restrictions that differ between cruise lines. Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania, P&O, Paul Gauguin Cruises, Regent Seven Seas and SeaDream require passengers to be 18 or older to play in the shipboard casinos. On cruises embarking in a country where the legal drinking age is lower than 21 and where a young adult (age 18, 19 or 20) is not traveling with a parent or legal guardian, they will generally not be permitted to consume alcohol. The minimum age to work on cruise ships is actually higher than what is required by international law. According to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, the minimum age to work onboard ships is 16 years old, but the Convention states that employment of seafarers under the age of 18 shall be prohibited where the work is likely to jeopardize. The legal gambling age on most cruise ships is age 18, EXCEPT you cannot gamble at that age on ships cruising in Hawaiian waters or in Alaskan water. Any other places you can gamble on all ships at age 18. But some ships have an age limit of 21. Here's what Royal Caribbean has on its web site.

What you need to know.

When applying for a cruise ship job, cruise employers consider the age, English skills, and background of the applicant. Although age can be an arbitrary number, having a past background with the law can prevent an applicant from getting hired.

Age Limit For Gambling On A Cruise Ship Royal Caribbean

Minimum Age to Work on Cruise Ships

Although the most cruise lines and agencies will tell their applicants that the minimum age to work on board ships is 21, there are crew members that have been able to get hired at the age of 18, 19, and 20. For the most part it depends on which department that you will work for. But, for positions within the food and beverage department and within the casino department, the minimum age is definitely 21. This is mainly due to the minimum age to serve alcoholic drinks and to gamble. It has been know that cruise lines make exceptions for some applicants in select departments based on maturity. For example, the Princess Cruises employment website states that applicants that apply to be production cast members (dancers/singers): “…We do sometimes accept 18 year olds if they show maturity and responsibility.”

Maximum Age for Cruise Employment

Good news for the young at heart, there is no maximum age to work on cruise ships. Unfortunately, the truth is that there are some jobs on board for which applicants over the age of 35 would not be considered. The main concern for the employer is that the job-seeker is fit, both physically and medically. The other concern is would the applicant fit into a team of mostly younger crew members. Applicants need to consider that the days can be long (11+ hours) and there are no days off. Some jobs you are on your feet all day. On the other hand, there are some cruise jobs that are actually better suited to a mature crew member. Additionally age can mean experience for some positions. Cruise ship jobs suited to mature candidates include Future Cruise Manager, Youth Staff, Port and Shopping Guide, Event Planner and Guest Entertainer.

English and Other Languages as a Cruise Employment Requirement

All major cruise lines require that applicants can both speak and understand English fluently. English is the language spoken on board by crew and most passengers. Safety training and drills are conducted in English. Furthermore, employees are encouraged to speak English whenever there are other passengers present. Your level of English comprehension will be evident by the way you have written your resume and cover letter. It will also present itself in how well you converse during an interview. Depending on the job you are hired to do will also determine how well your English language skills need to be. Positions that deal directly with passengers such as entertainers, guest service, stewards and youth staff need above average English skills. Crew that can speak and understand additional languages may be a requisite of some cruise lines or some positions on board. For example, some river cruise lines expect their crew to be fluent in both English and German. Most of the major cruise lines expect that their guest service staff members are fluent in one additional language to English.

Age Limit For Gambling On A Cruise Ships

Police Clearance for Cruise Ship Jobs

Age Limit For Gambling On A Cruise Ship Internationally

Many cruise employers expect the applicant to produce a police clearance that proves that they don’t have a criminal record. This clearance is an official document that is issued by the police or government agency of the country that the applicant resides. The cruise employer wants to confirm that the applicant has had no previous arrests, convictions or criminal proceedings. Even a DUI could prevent an applicant from getting hired. Other names of this clearance may be called police certificate, criminal history check, good citizen certificate and judicial record extracts. Applicants provide personal information and may also have to submit fingerprints in order to request this criminal record check. In many cases there is a fee involved which must be covered by the applicant. A job-seeker may have all the right skills and experience, but if they don’t meet some of the basic cruise employment requirements, they may not get hired. Candidates with poor English skills need to improve their fluency in order to have a better chance at landing their dream job. Yet, regardless of age or background, if you have the maturity and can sell yourself, you just may get hired.