Kailey Milhorn says her job is comparable to summer camp — not babysitting.
Kailey
Kailey Milhorn is a a cruise ship member on Royal Caribbean.
After a while, you realize how small the cruise ship world is. People come and go often.
There are drills for fire safety, but also weekly drills in case someone goes overboard.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kailey Milhorn, a cruise ship member for Royal Caribbean. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Working for a cruise has been a rewarding experience. I’ve had the chance to travel the world and meet some incredible people, too. Currently, I work as a youth staff member, which means I handle the entertainment for the teens and the kids on board.
Sometimes you can find me working the slide, the rock wall, or on some of the bigger ships I have even helped with the flowrider, which is a surfing stimulator.
While I mainly work with the kids, my duties here are not limited to that. Instead, I help wherever they need me, such as greeting guests, or once – I even once worked as a bartender for a group of adults.
Before landing a job like this one, I was working a normal 9 to 5 at a daycare and I was teaching, too. I had just graduated college around the time of covid and I felt miserable.
At the time, I was teaching English online to kids in China. This meant getting up at 4:30 in the morning due to the time difference.
After that, I would head to my second job at my local day care, to then come home and teach again at night. Although I was making a good $4,000 between the two jobs, it was rough and I knew I needed something different.
At first, I considered being a flight attendant, but when I realized how much I hated flying, I knew it wouldn’t be a good fit.
But, one thing was for certain, I wanted to travel the world. I also knew I didn’t want to do the same thing everyday, which made working for a cruise line perfect for me. No two days are alike here.
Similar to a flight attendant, we do help take care of guests, but really the industries are so different. We have a lot of space to roam around and we get to get off at the ports.
If you ‘re curious about what my job is like, here are four fun facts about working on a cruise ship.
1. You have to go through training
All departments here on the cruise are very different in terms of training. To get a job like mine, where you’re working with the kids, you have to have a degree of some kind.
I have a BS in Psychology. For a job similar to the one I have, you may also need a teaching certificate to be a part of the youth staff.
After that, I had to go through two rounds of interviews to get accepted into this role. But, mainly, they looked for experience with kids and again, my teaching certificate.
Once on board, we go through a variety of training. For example, we have drills for fire safety, but also weekly drills in case someone goes overboard.
We also learn what to do, if there is a security threat, an explosive device or a missing person on board.
Some of our training includes learning how to navigate through a smoke filled room, or learning how to flip a life raft over by yourself in the water.
The cruise ship docked in Alaska.
Kookie
2. You’re gone a lot, but you’re not on the ship the whole time
When you have a job like mine, you work on a contract. My contracts last anywhere between five months and up to seven months.
With that said, you’re not on the ship the whole time. Instead, we get to get off at the ports. For example, we are in Alaska right now, and we get to get off daily.
Once you arrive, we can get off and explore for a bit. Sometimes, we get to join the guest tours, which allows us to do the excursion for free.
3. You get to meet many amazing people
My background shaped me for this job. Growing up, I was a military kid, which meant I moved almost every year of my life. When it came to my relationships, it was always a revolving door of people for me.
When you work on a ship, it is similar, as people come and go often. It is sad when someone leaves. Everyone’s contracts start and end at different times, so we are constantly saying goodbye.
The people you meet on the ship, they do become family, sometimes literally. For example, I met my partner on board, who is now my roommate and that brings me a lot of comfort.
Or, another girl I know is coming onto our ship this week. I worked with her during my last contract, and now we are together again.
After a while of working on cruise ships, you realize how small the cruise ship world is. People come and go often – but eventually, you start to see them again.
4. It can be a hard job to understand
This job, this lifestyle, can be tough to explain. When you have a job like mine, where you’re working as a part of the youth staff, there are misperceptions.
Some think it’s babysitting, but it’s not. Really it’s more comparable to summer camp. We do what we can to make sure the kids on board are having a good time.
Everyone works really hard here, and we try to ensure everyone on board is enjoying their vacation. While that’s true, it’s not a vacation for us. It’s fun here, but we do put a lot of hard work into it.
Working on a cruise is 100% the best thing I’ve ever done
I tell people, if you want to work on a cruise ship too, you should go for it. Working for a cruise has allowed me to travel and meet some of the most amazing people.
For me personally, it was the greatest decision I have ever made in my life.
If you have a fun, unique job and would like to share your story, email Alyshia Hull at ahull@insider.com.