Did You Know?
A cruise director lives at work. Crew members stay aboard for contracts that run from about three to eight months, working alongside colleagues from many countries.
How to Get Started
Starting a career as a cruise director doesn't require a ship. It starts with hosting: planning something fun for other people, standing up in front of them to run it, and learning to keep going with a smile when things don't go as planned. Every cruise director started as someone who liked being the person with the schedule and the microphone.
Explore the Basics
Plan a family fun night and be the cruise director. With a parent, choose three activities, such as a board game, a dance contest, and a scavenger hunt, and write out a schedule with a time for each one. Then run the evening: announce each activity in your best host voice, explain the rules, keep everyone moving, and end with a big thank-you. Planning a schedule and getting everyone to follow it is the heart of the job.
Try It Out
Host a family talent show. Ask each family member to prepare something, even a silly joke or a magic trick, and be the master of ceremonies: introduce each act, lead the applause, and fill the gaps between performers with a few words of your own. Use a hairbrush or a wooden spoon as a microphone if you like. Cruise directors introduce shows every night, and the skill of making a performer feel welcome starts here.
Join the Community
Ask your public library, school, or community center whether they need helpers at a kids' event, such as a reading party, a holiday celebration, or a field day. Offer to help lead a game or hand out supplies. Being part of a team that runs an event for other kids will show you how much planning goes on behind the fun.