- Ann Knypl is a 32-year-old cruise-ship worker from Quezon City, Philippines.
- Knypl began in housekeeping, moved to the casino, and is now a marketing and communications manager.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ann Knypl, a 32-year-old cruise ship worker from Quezon City, Philippines. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Living and working on a cruise ship isn't normal. I've seen that firsthand, since my mom started working on cruise ships when I was 4 years old.
But even though it can be a strange life — working for months on end and sharing rooms with strangers — I still found myself following in my mom's footsteps.
I didn't think I would end up working on a cruise ship
When I graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in information technology, I couldn't find a job in my home country that paid well. Around the same time, I was visiting Singapore when my mom's cruise ship docked there.
She brought me on board for a tour, and I was amazed at how the ship was just one big floating community. A year later, I was hired as a housekeeper.
Housekeeping is not for the faint of heart
It's difficult work. It was even more difficult for me emotionally, because I knew that I had gone to school and studied hard.
I felt like people were judging me for working in housekeeping. It felt like they were thinking I hadn't studied or worked hard enough, but I was just trying to climb the ladder of the cruise-ship world.
I worked in housekeeping for more than three years
Five years ago, I was transferred to a bigger ship, where I started working in the casino.
Now, I'm a marketing and communications manager. I take care of stuff like guest newsletters and digital signage.
There are plenty of perks to working on a cruise ship
I don't pay for housing. I can drop my uniform off to get cleaned and pick it up when it's done. Now that I'm a little higher on the corporate ladder, housekeeping comes to my cabin.
I eat at the buffet, so there's always food ready and available. I don't have to go grocery shopping or cook for myself.My friends work on the ship too, and they're always close by — ready to go to a bar, a party, or an event. If I finish my work and the ship is docked at port, I can go explore for the rest of the day. It's a lively way to live.
But working on a cruise ship isn't all positive
It can be difficult, because working on a cruise ship means you're never not at work. It's like being on call 24/7; even when you're off your shift, you're still on the ship.
There are rules, including that employees can't wear flip-flops in the corridor and that they can't drink four hours before their shift starts.
I also have a strange schedule
I have a six-month contract where I work every day and have a few months off. When I was in housekeeping, my contract was even longer at nine months. Some people higher than me in the company have shorter contracts, like four months.
@_super_ann Ship's Karaoke Night #super_ann #sailor_ann #fyp ♬ Funny Laugh no no no - Sound Effect
Being away from friends and family for that long can be hard. I also worry that as I get older, I'll have to choose between working on a cruise ship or settling down to start a family.
I want a family, and I know that forming romantic relationships within the cruise-ship life can be difficult because there's always the risk of getting transferred to a different ship.
I do love working on a cruise ship
I also love sharing it with my $4. I've even seen comments from people who said my content inspired them to work on cruise ships themselves, which is just the highest compliment.
I started sharing my experience on TikTok because I was bored during a COVID-19 lockdown. Inspiring people was never part of the plan, but I'm lucky that it happened.