I’ve lived on cruise ships since I was 21 – I get paid to travel all over the world, the only con is homesickness
A WOMAN who has lived and worked onboard cruise ships for two years shared an insight into her life.
Ellie Hardie has even met her boyfriend on the boat but says she still gets homesick while travelling the world.
The 23-year-old has worked as a dancer on various cruise liners since May 2022.
She is currently on a six-month contract, which will allow her to visit Cairns, Fiji, and Vanuatu.
Ellen entertains the boat’s 3,000 passengers with routines three times each trip.
“I do three shows per cruise, so if I am on a four-day cruise I will work three nights and have one off,” she explained.
“I am currently on a nine-day cruise, I work three nights and have six off.”
Ellen is well-versed in spending time at sea, having lived and worked on two ships previously.
She even met her boyfriend, Louis, 28, onboard one boat, explaining that life at sea suits the couple.
Ellen and the deck officer have been together for a year and a half after meeting while their ship was dry-docked in Singapore.
With no guests on board, the staff found themselves with lots of free time while repairs were made to the boat and that’s when Ellen first met Louis.
“We got chatting one night and started to spend time together,” she said.
“We were able to get together and know each other because the ship wasn’t in normal operation.”
The couple were able to make things work, even after Louis was transferred to a ship in the Mediterranean.
“We managed to keep in contact and continue the relationship – with me going to Italy to see him once my contract was finished,” Ellen explained.
The couple eventually found themselves working together again by pure chance.
“We weren’t supposed to be on this contract together originally, but fate seemed to align as the week before I joined our current ship he was given a rotation here,” she said.
What other jobs exist on cruise ships?
If you're looking to try out your sea legs, there are a wide variety of positions available onboard most cruise liners, these include:
- Deck Crew
- Cruise Directors
- DJs
- Dining Hosts
- Shore Excursion Managers
- Water Sports Instructors
- Youth Counselors
- Medical Staff
- Bartenders
- Retail Workers
- Photographers
- Administration Assistants
- Customer Service Representatives
- Casino Staff
- Entertainers
- Lifeguards
- Beauticians
- Massage Therapists
- Fitness Instructors
- Bedroom Stewards
- Deckhands
- Pursers
- Dance Instructors
- Booking Agents
- Engineering Department Crew
Source: Cruise Job Finder
She reflected on the couple’s luck, pointing out how unlikely their encounter would’ve been in any other circumstance.
“Louie and I are from two different countries, we would have never met if we weren’t on this cruise,” Ellen explained.
As well as meeting her boyfriend, she added that the benefits of cruise ship life include working alongside a “great team” and being paid to travel the world.
“It’s an exciting and vibrant life,” said Ellen, who hails from Brentwood, Essex.
“No two days are the same, you can live very simply on board and create your own family away from home.”
However, she explained that a significant draw back is the amount of time she spends away from her family.
“You can get homesick but there is always someone around,” she explained.
Ellen, who started dancing when she was five years old, is trained in jazz, ballet, tap, and contemporary.
She knew she wanted to be a dancer on a cruise ship from a young age and first auditioned at the age of 19.
However, the Covid pandemic meant that cruises were halted shortly after she sent in her audition tape.
In March 2022, after restrictions were lifted, Ellen got a call asking if she wanted to join the cruise and set sail in May that year.
“I grew up dancing and I knew that people could work on cruises as a dancer,” she said.
“I thought it sounded amazing that you could travel and get paid for it, especially with dancing jobs which are so hard to come by.”
She jumped at the opportunity and has barely spent time on dry land ever since.
“I was on the ship for six months at the time – we went around Australia and the South Pacific,” she said.
“I was 21 and I had never moved or lived away from home but it was good in the sense that you got all your meals cooked for you, I don’t have to commute to work and everything is straightforward.”
She described living on a cruise as “a simple life” but added that it can be a “big change as ship life is a whole different world.”
“It is definitely an intense life – everything is heightened,” Ellen said.
“I grew up watching Big Brother, when one of them leaves the show they say it was intense and I understand now, I wish we had a diary room onboard.”
Ellen described cruising as a great way to see the world and said she wants to work onboard boats for the rest of her life.
“I am very lucky that I get a downtime which is not necessarily offered to all crew members,” she added.
“I get time off to see the world and I get to meet people I might not have had the chance to meet before.
“As I get a lot of downtime, I like to make videos on TikTok about my life on board, from sneak peeks below deck to life backstage in the theatre.”
Ellen is currently on her third cruise and tries to visit home between her contracts.
