On every cruise, you will find a Captain. The Captain is well known for being the person in charge of sailing the ship but a captain’s job is much more than this.
In this article, we explore everything that a cruise ship Captain does and look at how much a cruise captain can expect to earn.
What is a Cruise Captain?
A cruise captain is responsible for the overall cruise operation.
The safety of the guests and crew is primarily the responsibility of the captain and the captain is in charge of sailing the cruise ship between ports.
The captain also is in charge of various social activities onboard and is usually a recognisable face on most cruises.
Being a cruise captain is an incredibly difficult and demanding job, cruise captains often work for long periods and are responsible for many things onboard the ship.
Cruise Captain Job Roll – What do Cruise Captains do?
Piloting the Ship and Avoiding Hazards
The primary focus of a cruise ship captain is to make sure that all guests and crew get from point A to point B safely.
Safety is the primary motivator behind everything that a cruise ship captain does.
A notable example of where this wasn’t the case was the Costa Concordia disaster of 2012 where the captain decided to take a different route closer to land.
The cruise ship hit a rocky sea bed, capsized and 32 people lost their lives.
Traditionally a captain must always ‘Go down with the ship’ meaning that the captain shouldn’t leave the ship until the last person on board has left.
Once again, this wasn’t the case in the Costa Concordia disaster, captain Francesco Schettino abandoned the ship with guests still onboard.
Supervising the Maintenance of Various Pieces of Onboard Equipment
On a cruise ship, you’ll find various teams who will look after different parts of the ship, the engines, and navigational equipment, for example.
The cruise ship Captain is generally speaking the person who oversees all of this and has the final say on most things. Cruise ship Captains have to have a wide knowledge on a variety of subjects.
Rather unsurprisingly the job of a cruise ship captain also comes with a lot of paperwork!
Marrying Couples and Shaving Heads
It’s quite common for the captain of a cruise ship to be a prominent part of guest’s weddings if they choose to get married on board. They also conduct wedding renewals.
What is less common is shaving the heads of passengers!
That said, I let the captain of the cruise ship shave my head, yes really! I was taking part in ‘Brave the Shave’ to raise money for a cancer support charity.
We raised £5000 and you can watch the video here:
Managing a Large Team of Officers and Crew
On every cruise ship, you’ll find a variety of staff members who work on the bridge.
There are usually quite a few officers, safety officers, and cadets, all of whom work together to ensure a smooth safe sailing.
The Captain is the head of this hierarchy and can often have many crew members beneath them. The crew will take turns working in shifts to ensure that the bridge is always manned.
Each crew member will have specific tasks and jobs to complete and the Captain oversees each member to ensure that everything is done correctly.
Crew Ranks
The rank of the officers/captain can be seen on their epaulettes. An epaulette is a shoulder piece on an item of clothing, generally speaking, the more stripes the more senior the member of the team is.
Enforcing Security Plans
All crew members onboard cruise ships have drills and procedures that they have to practice in case of emergency. On cruise ships, there are drills for almost anything that you can think of.
The most common would be a situation like a fire or a flood – but cruise ships do also practice Pirate Drills in case of Pirate attacks. The cruise ship captain is in charge of safety and security plans like these.
To learn more about the very rare instances of cruise ships being attacked by Pirates, check out the video below:
At the Muster Drill which all guests must attend the captain usually plays a prominent role and will speak to the guests over the overhead tannoy.
It’s ultimately the responsibility of the Captain to make sure that their ship complies with legal obligations and having all guests attend Muster is part of this.
To learn more about muster drills, including what happens if you don’t attend, check out this post:
Social Events
A big part of the Captain’s job is to attend social events around the cruise ship. You’ll often see the Captain interacting with guests and they may make some form of welcome speech at the start of the cruise.
Top tip: The Captain’s welcome drink is a great place to go if you’d like a free drink! You can usually pick up a drink (or two) just by being in the right place at the right time so it’s well worth attending.
The captain will also have photos taken with guests and may even dine with a select group of guests.
My favourite cruise ship captain is Captain Wesley who you’ll find on P&O ships, meeting him was a delight! You’re in for a treat if you cruise with P&O and have Wesley as a captain…
Tannoy Announcements
Cruise ship Captains will often be responsible for speaking to guests over the tannoy and explaining things about sailing – such as the cruise route, weather, and speed.
A Cruise Director will usually do the most announcements -informing guests about the entertainment and events going on onboard.
To learn more about cruise directors, including how to become a cruise director, check out this post:
What Do Cruise Directors Do? How Much Do They ACTUALLY Earn?
Do River Cruise Ships Have Captains?
All river cruise ships have Captains but because river cruise ships are much smaller they don’t require the large bridge team that ocean ships have.
A river cruise ship will usually only have one Captain who will be responsible for all of the sailing of the ship.
The river cruise Captain has similar responsibilities when it comes to safety and planning.
The Captain will usually introduce themselves at the start of the cruise and may also attend farewell drinks at the end of the voyage.
On many river ships, you are able to see and speak to the Captain when he is steering the ship from the Wheelhouse on the top deck – as long as you don’t distract him, of course!
Find out more about river cruising in the video below:
How do You Become a Cruise Captain?
To become a cruise ship Captain you must have a good education and put in the time required to learn the skills needed.
Most cruise ship Captains will have a degree in something like maritime science, maritime engineering, or something similar.
After graduating most cruise ship Captains will find a job at sea and spend many years working their way up through the ranks. The majority start as cadets before progressing on to become officers and eventually Captains.
Cruise Captain Entry Requirements:
What Skills Do You Need to Become a Cruise Captain?
Cruise captains must be organized, strong leaders and have the highest quality communication skills.
It’s important to be able to stay calm under pressure as well as multitask.
Cruise captains are at sea for long periods of time and must be able to work at all hours of the day.
Public speaking and being personable is always a bonus and appreciated by guests.
Are You Able to Visit The Captain On The Bridge of a Cruise Ship?
Usually, No!
Sometimes you are able to take a “Behind the scenes tour” of the the ship, but these rarely include a bridge tour.
Sometimes you can be specially invited onto the bridge of a cruise ship, you may then be lucky enough to meet the Captain or some of his senior crew. This happened to me onboard Symphony of the Seas.
When I cruised on the luxury ship Emerald Azzurra, which only has 100 passengers, I was able to go to the bridge whenever I wanted as they have an “Open bridge policy.”
This Open Bridge policy isn’t something that is possible on most Ocean-going cruise ships, that hold thousands of passengers.
Find out all about that memorable cruise below.
What is the Salary of a Cruise Captain?
The average salary of a cruise Captain is $130,000 per year. Salaries range from $52,000 to $190,000. This is dependent on the Captain’s experience, and the cruise line for which they work.
According to Cruise Critic (source) the average salary of a cruise ship Captain is $150,000 per year.
Pay Scale (source) estimates an average salary of $52,000 – $127,000 per year.
The National (source) suggests between $153,379. per year.
The Guardian (source) estimates a salary of $164,000- $190,000 per year.
There is, of course, a lot of variety within the salary of cruise Captains.
The size of the ship that the Captain is sailing and the size of the company that the Captain works for will make a difference to the salary he receives.
Generally speaking though, the captain is one of the highest-paid members of the crew on board – and rightly so!
What Other Perks Do Cruise Captains Receive?
In addition to salary cruise captains receive a number of other perks:
- Accommodation on the ship free of charge
- Family staying onboard
- Meals onboard
- Laundry and Housekeeping
- Discounts, often on cruises and/or shops onboard
Because Cruise captains live at home for long periods they are usually able to send the majority of their salary home and have very little onboard expense.
Another big perk to mention is that cruise ship captains get to visit some amazing places on their journeys.
Related Questions:
How much did the Costa Concordia Captain Make?
It’s estimated that the captain of the Costa Concordia earned between $52,000 and $190,000 per year.
Before You Go
Another place you rarely get to see the inside of are the ship’s lifeboats. Find out more about what would happen in an emergency, what food they keep onboard, water supplies and more in this “behind the scenes” tour:
Inside a Cruise Ship Lifeboat (Crew Tour) – Emergency Food, Engine, Seating Plan and More
Find out all about the obstructed view cabin I had onboard Spectrum of the Seas. The view was 50% yellow lifeboat! Find out what I thought of that here:
Obstructed View Balcony Cabin – This Controversial Cabin Surprised Me!
Free Insiders Cruise Line Guide
Ever wondered how the mainstream cruise lines compare? Cruise lines won’t tell you this, but I will.
This FREE guide shows you everything you need to know to find your perfect cruise line.
Whenever I take a cruise I order a print of my trip. It uses the real satellite data from the cruise and is always a great conversation starter!
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