Why are the vast majority of cruise ship employees foreign?

The answer to that question depends on who you talk to.  If you want the official story, talk to the Public Relations person for the cruise line.  If you want the truth, talk to the employees – which I did.  Here’s the reality. 

For the sake of appearances, diversity of ethnic backgrounds adds to the exotic nature of a cruise experience.  Also, multiple languages make communication with a variety of guests more comfortable.  These things are true, but only part of the story.

The bottom-line is this:  The employees are paid extremely low wages and are worked 80 plus hours a week (often much more).  They are only allowed one “vacation” a year to visit their families in their home countries and when they do so, they must travel at their own expense.  Many have accepted these positions with the cruise line for the purpose of sending money home to poverty stricken families and friends, so there is very little left over for the employee to live on, or to save for a vacation.

This is the reason the majority of cruise ship employees are foreign.  Few, if any, North American or Western European citizens would work under these circumstances, so foreign workers are used.  They provide the appearance of exotic variety and will work long hours for next to nothing. 

Fortunately, they are also wonderful, committed people who have servant’s hearts and always go the extra mile to accommodate the desires and needs of the cruise line guests.