Currently half way trough January, feeling okay today. Was sick this whole week. Luckily, this is the week my new fitness-buddy is coming on too, so she’s in training this week. Have to do all the classes, spinning (4x) bootcamp (5x) Yoga (1x) Pilates (1x) Stretch + abs (11x).
Almost done though. Just 1 day left. Tried to get rest, have not been out for the last month. Loads of people are leaving the next 2 weeks. Last week 2 spa staff left, this week 3 will leave… It is sad.. When you are on a ship this small / big, you will really get to know people, love the characters, mainstage, Youth activity people, housekeeping & beverage servers. Everybody is doing amazing. There is a load of stuff which can be much better, I will tell you all when I get home, but there are some things which are truly fantastic.
Just calculated it, still 20 cruises to go after this one. I’m still learning, this environment & the motivation I got from some of the trainers is helping me to read up on a lot of things. Almost half way trough my contract. Tomorrow Castaway cay!

Visited the Epic last week! This ship is truly Epic. Stunningly beautiful interior, art, restaurants, etc.
Great to be able to get a tour there. Met the fitness shortly, saw Amy (college that I’ve trained with in Londen) in ST Maarten. After the Epic, went to bar with julia, got some nice food, and ofcourse internet. Than beach. That’s basicly the story of every port. Internet, food & beach, sometimes complimented with shopping.

Also forgot to mention that I got to sound the Mickey horn a couple of cruises ago! Was on the bridge, and the mickey horn is the sound (Wish apon a star) that Disney cruise line does when they leave port. (Instead of the boring; whooooootttt)

#Month 4 by now..
Having a great time. Realizing that money is not important after 20 years and this is a experience that I will never have again, I will make the best of it. Having everything here that I want… A home, work, nice people, amazing places, what more do you want. Don’t even know what happened the last couple of weeks.
Had a meeting with the office. Revenue manager is coming onboard this week, a great thing, always motivating.

Learning still about sales, got some great books. Actually developing a lot as a person. Read here about 4 hours per week, next to the almost 70 hours that I work… We are since 2 weeks on high GI, which means that everything has to be sanitized. Also got a gift from the captain; buffet in restaurant topsider for entire crew because, Disney cruiseships became the number one ships in the world.

Finally another blog post…. Currently 3 months to go (no idea which week this is), done 5 months!! More than half way. Is kind of nice. Here nothing is the same, but somehow each week is the same. Saturday; embarkation day, talking the same (by now boring) riddle to each guest; bootcamp, seminars, bca… next group…
Than the weekly drill (every-time the same practise for guest) telling each guest to go down to deck 4 and have their roomcard ready.. Than a whole week (average 65-70 hours) of trying to recommend to guest and trying to get guests in. Our manager talking each morning about what we are lacking in revenue, telling who’s on the right way and who’s not. Luckily missing a lot of those meetings cause of doing stretch classes every 2 days. Than the day off.. Finally some internet & lunch, each and every day off. Taking every possibility to get away from crewfood. Back to work after a day that felt it happened last week already. Time change, 1 hour less sleep because of the travelling into time-zones. Thursday sea day which can sometimes be good, sometimes just a lot of work & no money. By that morning looking forward to friday.
Which is Yoga on the beach & the rest of the day cleaning & preparing for next cruise. Than meeting, which is to late after 14 hours of work & than a meeting at 9 in the evening.. But it doesn’t matter anymore.
The cruise is done, next day, new people, new cruise, new chances.

So that’s my life… Sounds horrendous doesn’t it?

Well actually my life is amazing. If you think emotional (instead of rational) you think about some incredible people that you meet. There are some many, sweet, beautiful & kind people here. As soon as you take a moment to take in where you are, you realize that being in the Caribbean something is that you will never repeat again. Also, the small moments in life can make you incredibly happy. Like creating a magic moment for the guest. Or just a simple chat about where people come from & what they do. Or the fact that every Friday we get to go to Disney private Island, do yoga & chill on the beach for lunch. There is bbq, volleyball, kayaks & a beautiful beach. The moment that you’ll realize that in 20 years you’ll look back and know exactly where you was during those 8 months. But will you still know how much money you’ve made?
No, this is a magical experience, to work for the greatest entertainment company in the world, in a 6 star spa. Amazing people, who will give you the opportunity to learn so many great things.

Astonishing insights in people, the body, marketing & sales. This information can all be used outside the company and will enrich my life and myself as a person. Every 2 months I make a self-improvement plan (part of this months plan is to post a blog post again). For the 3 months i’ve bought a study book every 3 weeks. Reading 100 pages of self-development, at least 3 pages of industry information every week. I’m doing better than ever before in my life!

The body is an incredible machine under the right circumstances. Like being satisfied & having goals to achieve. Those are two important characteristics to lasting happiness I found out together with a student of psychology. I read here more than I ever have done in the last 5 years. I work out more than when I did my intern-ship with the marine corps. I work more hours than I ever spend on one single job / school. I feel energy, enthusiasm & happiness.

I think that is enough of psychological insights in my for the last couple of months for today!
Still got 3 months to go.. Looking forward to some things at home
Any questions, feel free to ask!! Enjoy your day in NL

Might be time to write another blog post.
Feeling quiet good tonight. Got to see the Fantasy today, went aboard and saw my old Fitnessbuddy Becci and was amazed by how beautiful the ship was.Brand new, so many amazing things, while we could only stay for 1 hour. Than stopped at MC Donalds to eat away our crappy feelings of going back “home” to the magic.
But as soon as I stepped onboard, I realised how many amazing people I have met here, how incredible my life actually is and how grateful I should be about the things that go right. Although there are so many things in life there could be different, currently, it is going well. After a whole day of doing embark speeches, happy to be finally done with work, and after a quick dinner went for a run on the track & some core exercises. During my run I saw Sorcerer Mickey, got a big hug before he went into a show.
Now probably going to the hypnotist for crew… But quickly writing the first part of this blog (30-03)..

Was happy this evening also, got a big package from my mum, and what was in it… Another package, and in that was soup & another package, in that was Toblerone & another package, & in that was the last package which contained a Sinterklaas Spek Letter. How cool is that… When you are now reading this and you are not from Holland you do not know what this means.. You also don’t know what proper chocolate is until you had it from Europe, also don’t know what een Frikandel or a Kroket is (Which I am having as soon as a get to Schiphol), but it doesn’t matter when you don’t know what you miss…
But when you do know what you missing it is so much worse.. There are small things which make you want to change shiplife.. The drugsdogs in Port Canaveral (Why do we not allow animals aboard?) The sound of a motorbike driving by.. The fact that you have to wait to get internet, because you are only able to steel, free unprotected WiFi from restaurants. (Because when you see your weekly bill from the ship’s internet, you are thinking why am I doing this.) The fact that the first page you open online is Facebook to check-up with your friends, realizing that your internet is, either not fast enough to share photo’s or even put in a location, the fact that you don’t have enough time to post a reaction, hence the reason why you like almost every post in the last 3 hours, or the fact that some story’s are just so crazy that you think, I have my own stuff to worry about and you don’t even bother any more, because you don’t need another reason to be distracted or tired…..

But than the small things in life have such an amazing impact, that even though not everything is perfect, you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

And with this positive note I think it is time to end this blog post & go call some people & see the hypnotist.

p.s. the Hypnotist was incredible!!!
I will see everybody @ home in 11 weeks!

Guys, I know this is really late, but better late than never.
Here is the blog i wrote in my last month, bit emotional, but so be it..

My last 30 days here on the Disney Magic.
Looking forward to going home, will miss this so much.
Al my amazing friends here from all over the world.

I am writing this like this incredible adventure is already over, but we got 2 New York cruises left.
The only bad part is that I only get to Enjoy New York once, because we dock extremely late. This is a major let-down.
But nothing I can do to change it, it just sucks. 1 time New York is at least better than nothing!
Lately my shore visits have been much about internet, getting everything sorted for when I go home.
Trying to get an apartment in Breda, getting my old jobs back, etc.
A load of people are leaving these 3 weeks. Either with me, or just before me. Some cool people are coming back though.
Team is demotivated. Seems very hard to get back out of this. Hopefully everything get’s better when we go to New York.
I am excited to go back home, drive my motorbike, see my friends. The end is getting near, feeling a bit tired.
Almost everyday taking a half hour nap in either my hour lunch or dinner.

My friends are leaving by the dozen. My roommate leaves tomorrow (I got 3 weeks left now), so hopefully I have the cabin to myself (do not think so, but okay).
Need to slowly start cleaning up a bit. Organising all my stuff and seeying if there is stuff I can already pack.

Last cruise:
Have been able to get the later start in New York, got off at 8.00 o clock and met with Andy & Brad from the cruisestaff team, went over to Central Parc, which was amazing.
It is so nice to be in this huge green area surrounded by buidlings but completely shut off of the outside world. After walking for an hour, we went to get Belgium Waffles on 52nd street.
From there on out I went on my own, took a taxi to the Empire Stat Building. The view is Incredible!! Even saw the ship from the 82nd floor. Went down and walked over to Times Square and than took a taxi back to the ship and was even 3 minutes early for the meeting that started at 12.45.
After working 2 seadays, we had Nassau off. Me and a collegea went to swim with the Dolphins! Amazing!! The last thing that I wanted to do on my list is done!!

This last cruise feels so unreal. In the beginning it was amazing, the first couple of days, Carly (who started the same time as me) and i were so excited! We have been counting down since we had 16 weeks left.
Finally it is the last couples of days. This cruise is the cruise of “lasts”. The last drill, the last time I saw the fireworks, the last time I was on Disneys private Island, Etc.
In the beginning the lasts were great, but now, since Castaway I feel so sad about al these lasts…
The hardest question these last couple of days has been from my friends:
Will I ever see you again?… And the truth is I don’t know. I will miss all my friends, who have truly become my family here!
In the beginning, I found it strange that people called; going to their room “going home”, but it is true.
The Disney Magic has been “A home away from home” for me. Something I will miss imensely.

But, everything that has a beginning has an end…

I had the most amazing time!
I can look back on an fantastic experience that I would never want to miss in the world.
I have learned so much. About: working on a cruiseship. Sales & marketing. Fitness. Detox. Working in a big organisation.Tourism & Disney. The human body. America. Management. What I want in life. My body.
But most important, I have improved myself to a level that i would never think was possible.
This job has pushed my further than I ever thought I could go. There were numurous times I wanted to give up. But my friends & family were always there to make me realise what I would give up on.
For everybody that supported my, thank you!

With this positive note I would like to finish this last blog post.
I will see all of you soon, there are still so many stories to be told!

“Take action. Pursuit your dreams with passion, so you can live life abundantly!”

The most asked question on the internet (and also on this website), from fitness instructors and Personal Trainers is; How much money can I make as a Personal Trainer or Fitness instructor on a cruise ship?

This question will be answered in this post, so keep reading!

First of all, I am going to assume that you aspire to work for Steiner. Steiner Spa staff works on the following cruiselines; Azamara Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Orient Lines, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Silversea, The Yachts of Seabourn, Windstar Cruises. So that’s quite a lot. It is actually pretty much every cruise line with ships over 1000 guests. So if you want to work on ships, Steiner will be the way to go.

When you work for Steiner there used to be only commission, but currently (mid 2013) they have introduced a minimum wage. The minimum wage for Personal Trainers or Fitnessinstructors is currently $1000,-US. This means if you don’t earn up to $1000,-US, on the commission you get from retail (selling products) and services, Steiner will make up the difference.

So as a Fitnessinstructor or Personal Trainer on a cruiseship, you will heavily depend on your commission. The commission for Fitness Trainers on cruise lines is 9% (currently checking if it is changed).

Just a quick side not here now that you know about the numbers. Life is more than just your salary.

Money will not buy you happiness; and there are plenty moments on the ship, you will experience happiness, and most of them have nothing to do with what you sell. It has to do with the smiles on peoples faces, the friends you make, the places you see, and the amazing sunsets you will experience. So instead of looking just at the money, take into account that you don’t have to pay for food and accommodaction on the ship, and you travel for free.

Conclusion: How much can a Fitnessinstructor make on a cruiseship?

So to conclude; It depends how good you are in your job, especially with selling. I have seen guys make over a $1500 a week (for themselves, so think about how much they sold), and also hear people that had to do with $200 a month (for themselves). It all depends on your skill and motivation. The average is around $1500 to $2000 a month. There is only commission, so no base salary. The commission is around 9% for a PT, between 7 and 9% for massage therapists and barbers on board.

“I have been reading a lot of horror stories about Steiner, are they true? Is working on cruiseships as a Personal Trainer, Massage therapist or Nail technician, really that bad?”
This page will answer that questions and help you make up your mind.

The first month back from working for Steiner on Disney Cruise Line I spend showing pictures of how amazing it was. Holding baby turtles, swimming with dolphins, sunsets and amazing places. All the great and amazing things you want to share with your friends.. And then some of them started to ask questions, so how was the life there? How did you live and how was the money?
The second month I was back, I spend telling my friends and family how I experienced cruiselife, and from that point on I have not stopped education people about what life as a Personal Trainer, Massage therapist or Nail technician onboard a cruiseship is really like.

The most important question I recon people ask me is this:
Would you do it all again?
And my answer is this; No. But I would not have wanted to have missed this experience for any money in the world.

This is a useless answer, because people just want to hear; yes or no and a reason. But don’t worry, I will explain.

(Horror) Stories about working on cruiseships (for Steiner)

When you are looking to work on cruisehips in a spa, you will quickly find out that you are extremely likely to end up working for Steiner. And than you go out and do research about this company, as you should! And it would have taken you less than 4 minutes to find your first “Steiner / cruiseship horror story”. A story in the line of how horrible the manager was, or how hard they had to work, about the insane training at London and of course about selling. But than again, you might also have read some good stories, and those appeal to you more, because you actually really want to work on cruisehips and have an amazing time, right!?

The thing is, you don’t know what is true and who is just bitter. Well let me tell you, you will not know. There is no way of knowing if people tell the truth. All you can do if read as many reviews as you can and start asking question to people that you trust.. This website is my private initiative helping people decide what they want in their life, and is not convincing you to work on cruiseships, neither is it’s goals to discourage you. It offers my and other peoples opinions and information.

The truth about all those stories is, most of them will be likely to be true. The good ones and the bad ones.
There will undoubtedly be people that had a very bad experience on the cruiseship, but there will be many who had a equal amazingly experience. Not all of them might write about it..

As you are a smart person, you might have heard about research about experience sharing. People are 7 times more likely to share bad experiences opposed to good ones..

As I’ve been writing this blog post, I realized that there is just to much, so if you want to read about Horror stories about spa training for cruiseships with Steiner, click here.

Horror stories about money on cruiseships as Personal Trainer, Massage therapist or Nail technician.

Let’s discuss the most important one first; Horror stories about money. Which seems to be the most important one to most people. And indeed for me that was important too. I decided to go to Steiner with the idea “Even if I do not get rich, i can still travel and see the world”. But for some of you out there, money might be a challenge and a necessity to maintain your current lifestyle (or your preferred one). So let me cut right to the chase. Money is about your attitude! And skills. But most important is your attitude. You can see new fitness instructors on a ship, making more than triple the amount of the previous trainers, not because of their skills, or itinerary, but because of how they perceive reality and might not have the same bias. I can tell you it will be very difficult to sell something you do not believe in. You can see it as a challange, but it won’t be easy. I can also tell you, I have known people who made some serious money! Really good money. Somewhere along the lines of 1000USD a week. To some of them it came naturally, other used tricks, and other just worked their ass of every single second of every day (most training actually do). So if you are willing to put in the effort, you can and will be successful. If you want to know how much money a personal trainer on average makes on a cruise ship, click the link.

Horror stories about working hours.

This is the second one that seems to frighten people. I can be very short in this. If you are expecting to work 40 hours you will have a rude awakening. Hours will most likely average around 60 to 70 a week. Prepare for this. This means less sleep than you might be used to, early days and long nights. They can even be extended with sales or team meetings. Although there are stories of people getting incentives like time of if they preformed well, but this is up to your manager and you can not depend on this, as it might change with your manager. The good thing about a cruiseship is that; everything litirally takes less than 4 minutes.. Going to work, going home, seeying a movie, going for a swim, or partying. I felt, that never in my life, did I ever had so much time to myself! I’ve read a book about sales / self development every two weeks. (other people partied, it’s a choice ). Anyway, on a cruiseship there are no traffic jams, no waiting for your food and no other stuff to waiste your time on board. When you are off, you have nothing mandatory to do, so enjoy life.

To finish this up, most crewmembers on board work 7 days a week. Steiners work only 6. We get (on most itineraries) 1 full day off a week. And that is much better than the few hours every day for 7 days a week. Because you will experience every port and have a entire day to relax and unwind with all your friends.

Are the horror stories real?

I think all stories you will read online are based upon how people expected things to be and how the perceived reality. I hope this post and website will give you a better expectation. Because how you will deal with things and how you will see things, is up to you.  You can have a amazing experience if you want, but when you let it, it might become the hell you’ve feared it would be. Please be aware of the choices you make, by making sure you know what you are getting into.

Why this post?

Someone pointed something out to me a week before writing this post talking to a girl, who wanted to work for Steiner. I talked to her about my experiences and answered her questions. She replied with; ”Anyway you are doing them good in a way …”. To be clear as glass on this subject. I explain these things on this website, because;

1.  I want everyone to chase their dreams and achieve their goals. For me this was a life defining experience (If you want to know if I would do it again, keep reading my next blog posts).
2. I wish all of this information was here when I applied. I hardly knew what I was getting myself into. The information on forums was all negative, and I did not know who to trust. Wish there would have been someone for me to answer questions honestly.
3. I like to share my experiences and from a blog to keep my family informed, a lot of people have found this website online and showed a great interest in more information. So I will gladly share my story I think it is important to base your choices in life on proper information and a real expectation of the job and the life. When you still want to join after all my discouragements,  it will be for you and you will do amazing!

Again, questions, feel free to post them anywhere in the comment section.

Made your decision and applied for Steiner? Here are my top 10 tips to prepare:

1. Know what life is going to be. Make sure you read up on Steiner and what your job will be. If you don’t think about the word “sales” somewhere, you might want to revisit this section and read some more on this website. Think about work hours, living conditions and work conditions. Know what you are getting yourself into. Shiplife is not a 9 to 5 job..
2. Learn the products, this will make your life on board a lot easier. In the starter pack you will be given, will be the products relevant to your function.
3. Improve your skills, in your profession and in sales. This will help you a lot with making a nice income on board.
4. Don’t worry about where you are going, because you will not know untill 24 hours before you will leave for your ship. So packing wise.. Pack a little of everything, but don’t worry to much about it. In every port you can buy clothes and stuff you forget.
5. Steiner Training is to prepare you for though living conditions on board, that’s why they try to make your training even harder. Be mentally prepared for this. Food, Sleep and Learning wise or the most difficult parts usually.
6. At training, use the groups that are already there. Talk to them and get their advise. The 3 or 4 week head start they have means a lot in knowledge and use this as much as you can.
7. Arrive at least a day before your start date at London so you can relax, meet some friends at the YMCA and settle in in a relaxed way (also try to get to bed early before your starting day).
8. If it gets though (which it will), talk to your friends at YMCA (don’t worry, friends for life come easy in difficult times) and your family at home.
9. Try to unwind a bit in the evening, learning is good, but it might be too much sometimes. Surround yourself with people that can help you study, but also relax once in a while.
10. Just know that not many people will have this amazing opportunity. When you manae to survive training ship life can be amazing and one of your most precious life experiences (as it is to me). So try to enjoy every moment of it, and know that some of your friends will be living their ordinary life somewhere, whilst you are exploring the world living life to it’s fullest!

I hope this will help you at Training. If you are going for training within the next month or 2, let me know how you are doing!

Bonus tips for Personal Trainers:

1. Study up on sales, really.
2. Practice public speaking. Might be even more important than sales.. Big focus on this during the training, so come prepared.
3. Practice Yoga and pilates if you are a guy (or a lady with flexibility issues). Other classes you might want to brush up on are; Bootcamp, and Spinning.  If you have never given any of these classes before, I recommend joining them for at least 5 sessions.
4. If you are a non-native English speaker and you receive a full starter pack with the seminars written out, start memorizing them A.S.A.P.
5. Don’t worry too much about your PT skills, you can become rich without every working with a client (unlikely but possible), so if your skills are just okay, you’ll be fine. Focus on the other ones.

Always here for advise.

Hopefully you have read most of the pages on this website, and now you have decided to apply for Steiner.

1. Follow the instructions on http://cruiseship-personaltrainer.com/working-on-board/how-to-get-the-job
2. Read through every page of the onespaworld website.

So you have applied and are invited for an interview. If you are the kind of lady / guy that want’s to prepare as much as they can and want to know how to be successful at the interview, keep on reading.

Just a side note: The interview might be different for each regions slightly. It depends on how many applicants there are, your region and the recruiter.

• Paperwork – Basic information and personality questions. Questions about personal traits and fitness levels, etc.
• Presentation about the company and working on ships. Most recruiters now a days are quite honest about what you can expect. If they do not mention sales (or detox as fitness) ask about it and how important it is. (It is a major part of your job!)
• According to some applicants it might almost seem that the recruiters are trying to scare you off. This is good in my opinion because it will most likely be a realistic picture. If you have researched Steiner online and have read the information on this blog you will know that there are good and bad stories. (more on this in Horror stories about Steiner / working on cruiseships) Just make sure you make up your own mind and discuss the opportunity with friends and family.
• Public speaking test. Do not underestimate public speaking. As with sales and as a PT is a major part of your job (other job functions it is of less importance, but still likely). You will have to give a short presentation about your self (standing) and your experiences.
• There is a small break in the middle.
• Depending on the amount of applicants there is “round 2″, and some people who do not make it will be send home after the break.
• If the information you received stated that you had to bring workout clothes you will likely have to do some training in front of the group (also depending on amount of applicants. I did not have to do this 2 years ago during selection in Belgium). You have to think of a workout for the group with no materials and execute it on the spot. Duration about 5 to 10 min.
• After this the interviews are over and you can go home and have to wait 7 to 14 days for the results.

When you got through the interview, please read here, how to prepare for Steiner Training academy.

If you had an interview, which was different than this one, please post it in the comments below and will update this version ASAP

Hi, I am Daan. I am from The Netherlands and I wanted to share my ship / Steiner experience with you.

Worked as, on: Personal Trainer / Disney / Magic
Work experience for Steiner: It was quite interesting. I never learned so much in my life. It was though but incredibly rewarding.
Total experience (1 – 10): 8
How is/was the cruiseline and ship you are working for: Amazing, Disney has a lot of rules, but that is one of the things that makes it the best hospitality company in the world.
Least favorite things about working on ships / in the spa: Cleaning, Inventory check and shaving every day, haha.
Best things about shiplife: Travel, seeying the world, and the friends I met on the ship.
Would you recommend it and why: Yes, for everyone who knows what they are getting into and are okay with that.
Would you do it again: I would not go back, but I would not want to have missed this experience for anything in the world!
Tips for newbies: Know what you are getting into and prepare as good as possible.
Tips for colleagues: Help each other and make sure your motivation is high.
Additional information or story:See my blog here on this website.

Shiplife is a subject that You can write a book about. Im still trying to figure out where is my place on earth after my first contract. It finished 31 of August 2013.

Ok so here we go! Few word’s about me and ship. My name is Damian and Im all the way from Poland. You all know that stuff guys. Introducing Yourself every day dozen time’s over and over with a big smile is a big part of Your duties. My current age is 26.
I did my last/first contract for P&O cruiseline on MV Azura as a masseur. Big ship 1200 crew, 3000 passenger’s, 19 deck’s. 95% of my guest’s were Brit’s. Azura traveled with me around the Europe so Norwey, Medditerenian sea,Canary island’s and few moth’s around Caribbean port’s.Those are basic’s info that most people are curious.

Moving on to my personal experience. It was hard to get that job in my profession. What i know Steiner is hireing around 1 male massage out of ten. Obviously rest of that are female therapist’s. The reason is simple. Not every cruiseline is accepting male massage so Your not allowed to work for Royal, Celebrity or Princess. I dont know how it is with the rest. American cruislines are afraid of cases with sexual harrasement. So how and why did I get that job?

I worked in sales before and it’s a big yes for them and few year’s ago I’ve been cooperating in Thailand with a local gym for fighter’s doing sport massages. So basic sales skills and international experience were on my side. What’s funny in my past every time when i didn’t have a proper job( means in my profession ) I’ve been working with my dad doing carpet’s installation. Also on the ships. Just for few week’s from time to time but thank’s to that I knew how it is to live in a cabin.
From the day i applied for Steiner to the day I join London training seven month’s passed. So at least for me it was a long way.To be honest with You guys I applied for that just few week’s after my previous relationship was over… I love traveling to different country’s but during relationship i promised to myself that I will try to settle down in my home town.
After everything fall apart i realized how much Im missing world. Last year was the fastest in my life and whole experience is so intense.
First day of my work= sea sick ! Hell Yeaaaa. I vomit on my white trousers with a strawberries right after morning meeting. Worst day of my life ever. When Your sick You wanna die. Simple…just die. Imagine worst hangover You ever had and… it’s still far away from seasicknes. At least for me. After first 3 day’s was fine till end of my contract. Now with compensation You can’t earn less than 1000$ per moth so its good for fresh stuff joining SPA. For my first 14 day’s cruise my salary was 59 pound’s…sad but true. 40 pounds in tip’s and 19 in commision. Begining was hard. Later when You will figure out what is what it’s much easier. Second cruise = around 600 pounds so can be done. My favourite thing’s in that job are for sure travelling and people You work with. Money can be random from 1000$ to 4000$ on Alaska cruises with American passengers. And again thousand is not the same for a person from Philipines and for a person from Sweden. So personaly for me money is not the strongest point of that job BUT you can make them if You will follow Steiner
policy about getting quest’s and retailing. Not everyone like’s it so You will see girl’s crying after nice chat with a manager or someone from head office.Yes yes yes there is a huge preassure to retail, rebook and send a quest to one of Your mate’s in the SPA. Ive seen people quitting crying and also people adapting with a speed of light and performing great.

Average salay for me propably around 1200 $ per month. For a good retailing facialist on my ship more than 2000$ And guys yes there is a difference betwen passenger’s. TIP’S ! Brit’s don’t tip to often American’s do tip all the time. That’s why depending on the ship You are on money can be really random. Ok money = decent, People fantastic and traveling amazing. Dont be affraid if You will see only Europe on Your itinerary. Europe is outstanding if You give her chance And If You stay with a company it’s just a matter of time before You will go to other place’s.Thin’g i dont like in that job are pressure for retail, toxic people (everywhere You can find them, there is always someone You would like to kill) and You just need to learn how to live and work with them. Sometimes it can be Your cabinmate and imagine You two guys will have to spend 5 month’s together. Adapt and keep Your mind strong and open. Key point for me how to be friendly with people=
Dont gossip. Ship is a closed space and people love gossip’s. You will hear few that include’s You for sure. But my advice is to be strong inside and dont give reasons for another. Manager is also a random factor. Can be cool and fair can be dumb and unfair. And that is affecting You in straight line as You have to follow that person order’s. I had 5 different on my contract so i know what im talking about.
At the end I wolud like to say that overall im recommending that work. Even if not for money than for experience. You will develop few new skills for sure and improve. Trust me on the beginning there was a wall before me when someone order me to talk with quest. At the end I was the one who was teaching new stuff how to interact in Touch Point’s with passenger’s. Apart from that guys You will learn a lot about Youselfs. That is priceless. In feb Im gonna start second contract and I cant wait. Coming back home was…strange.Seriously Your not the same person and there is less friends waiting for You. Maintaining contact with friends and familly is HARD! when You have Your time off You have to choose between going on the beach and running to the wifi spot. Internet and phones on the ship are expensive.

PS: One more thing. Relationship’s… not on board but back at home. Dont go on the ship when You have someone waiting for You and You guys love each other. Sad but true i know sooo many people cheating there wifes and husbands. And You have no right to judge them because You will need someone closer than a friend on the ship. when the light’s go off and Your in Your cabin You will feel lonely as fuck. So on the ship there is a lot of different couples and it’s normal. I wouldn’t try that job being in a good relationship back at home. Very risky If Your not go for it.

Sorry, English is not my first language, please excuse any mistakes

Read 4 different reviews of fitness instructors from all over the world, and a collection of links with hundreds of opinions on how it is to work on cruiseships!

Reviews

Review of Marcus - German fitnssinstructor - 2012

Review of Jason - Fitnessinstructor form Ireland - 2012

Review of Denise - Massage and beauty therapist from The Netherlands - 2010

Name

Reviews on other websites (not checked)

There is loads of talk about working for Steiner on cruiseships as a personal trainer or fitness instructor. The list below will give you a large amount of opinions of different people. Before you believe everything which is written though, take a few things in to account.

• People that did not finish training because it was “to hard” tend to blame it on Steiner, or other people (they were to hard, had to wake up early, too much to learn, etc)
• People that did not finish their contract also tend to complain a lot about what other people (steiner, the cruise line, or even the guests) did to them;’the guests did not buy, the products were bad,  Steiner pushed them, etc.
• People tend to exaggerate to get attention, or try to solve personal “trauma’s” by complaining.

With this in mind, I invite you to read up as much about your possible future job and see for your self if this is something for you. Make up your own mind, chase your dreams, but be real about your expectations. If you want to check something you’ve read on a forum, please feel free to leave a comment below, so I can confirm or deny it.

So, the forums with reviews of  Steiner Personal Trainers

• STEINER CRUISE- Tricked into selling detox programs
• Spa work with Steiner?
• Working for Steiner as Fitness professional
• Working for Steiner-A definate NO! Not even as the Medi-Spa
• Experiences with Steiner
• Steiner experiences on Facebook (bad)
• Accupuncture experiences on Cruise ships
• Hairstylist forum on working for Steiner (lot of info)
• Steiner Spa, good experience
• Looking for feedback on Elemis Detox by guests

This is how I experienced my Interview with Steiner.

I came to the interview with the mentality of nothing to lose and everything to gain, quite literally seeing and experiencing the world. I was working full time, as a Personal Trainer out of an Anytime Fitness Club. I rescheduled all my Friday sessions for the day prior on Thursday so this meant I had a full on work day prior to the interview and also didn’t have any time to look up and do a little bit of research on the company of Steiner also it didn’t really help I was feeling a bit run down. Let me rephrase that I didn’t prioritize my time well enough to prepare at all for this Interview.

I arrived to the Interview with less than 5 hours of sleep, honestly I nearly didn’t attend this Interview as I couldn’t have been bothered and would have much preferred a sleep in. So here I am rocking up to this Interview I walk in to notice everyone else is wearing formal/ business attire and here I am wearing shorts a sport top and runners, just a bit under dressed. I went and sat next to the only other person in the room who was also wearing the same attire as me. We cracked a couple wise jokes about how under dressed we were and he also had the same mentality as me going into this. From what I can remember we all filled out forms and paper work and sat an initial theory test it’s not really something you can study for, after we had finished that a 30 minute video Presentation was presented to us all about Steiner explaining the role and pay structure we could all ask open questions at that time.

The Presenter finished his Display he said now everyone is to do a quick 5 minute presentation from what I can remember it was from 8-10 topics etc. background and experience, why you want to work for Steiner, How Retail is Important. I can’t remember all the topics covered. Intentionally I was a little nervous about doing the Public Speaking however just remembered why I was there in the first place (Nothing to lose, everything to gain mentality and I was chilled). Whilst giving our Public Speaking Presentations our theory trade tests were being marked. After everyone had finished the Presenter came back to talk and said that there was positions available for everyone in this room, so it’s not like we were competing against each other, obviously this might be different at your interview.

We had a lunch break and everyone was told to switch into their sporting gear except obviously I didn’t because I was already in it. We all had to do a Trade Test now which involved running a group exercise class for 5 minutes. It turned into to a 55 minute exercise class it was actually pretty tough and by the end of I was fairly exhausted. The majority of the people had already pre planned exercise circuits around the entire room etc. burpees, pushups, squats and planks. I hadn’t prepared anything at all; I did a boot camp drill involving everyone. Starting at one side of the room all in a single file line doing lunges, army crawls, pushups, planks across the length of the room. After we had finished that we were all free to go once we submitted our documents etc. passport, qualifications. I stayed around and talked to the presenter afterwards for a couple of minutes and got very good feedback to my surprise, he obviously mentioned that I could have been dressed a bit better. I also got the Facebook of the people who were at the interview to see if they would go through with it all and so we could keep in touch.

Some Tips- the dos and do not.

Do prioritize time before the interview to do some research on the company Steiner (you’re here reading this and this blog so I would say this is plenty enough!). Do not do any at all because you’ll still be confused after the Interview.

Do get a good night’s rest 8 hours beforehand. Do not go on less than 5 hours sleep and rely on coffee to keep you going like I did.

Do wear business/ formal attire dress to impress, bring a bag to change into your sporting gear. Don’t just rock up wearing your sporting gear like me.

Do bring all your required documentation that you were told to bring on the day. Do not forget to bring a photo as the Recruiter see’s and has to deal with hundreds of people for this role.

Do a little bit of public speaking prior, do not get stage fright.

Do have your physical endurance and strength levels up to exercise at maximum a solid hour as they were also testing us on our physical conditioning.

Do prepare a group exercise drill with paper cards and bring extra equipment if you want. Do not just wing as it’s very hard to just think of something on the spot for 5 solid minutes like I did.

Do have the nothing to lose and everything to gain mentality from doing the interview give it your absolute best shot %100. Do not be afraid or nervous because chances are you’re probably not going to go through with it anyway.

Statistics from my Interview

10% of people that actually went through and did the Contract in my Group from South Australia and just so happened to be the person who I was sitting next to wearing casual attire like myself and who had the same mentality as me. So I would say 1 in every 10 People go through with it all. Obviously depending on where you live and circumstances that will be different that is just what I noticed from my group and the Interview I did as everyone was accepted for this role in my interview.

Final word

I originally rejected the opportunity as I wasn’t ready for it, now over 6 months later I am now pursuing this role, I built a good rapport and connection with the presenter so instead of sitting for another Interview my application was instantly thrown back into the pool.

So you are traveling the world got a nice little blog going and was wondering if you could actually make back a bit of money out of all the time you put in so far!?

Yes, that’s possible and below I’ll tell you how to do it.

This article will tell you everything.

1. How you should start a blog online. (Yes you most likely already got a blog, but there is a big difference in having a blog and making money of it.)
2. How to attract visitors.
3. What different ways you can make money of your blog.
4. Different styles of blogging to make money.
5. The advanced stuff, like getting your own website, Search Engine Optimalisation, finding statistics about your blog, visitors and income, etc!

Introduction

So, just a quick intro. I’ve worked on a cruiseship for a year in 2011 and 2012, worked in Malaysia for 6 months and traveled trough Australia and Asia for 4 months. I have my own succesful webdesign business for more than 5 years now and income of this and my blogs have allowed me to travel and got some amazing experiences!

Your situation

Your situation most likely is different. I know, because I met you. Well, not you, but people like you. The inspired, witty, fun travelling person who loves to document what they are doing. That’s great, but the unfortunate fact is that most (aspiring) blogwriters are not traveling nerds like me. (Real nerds sit at home, and real travellers don’t want to spend hours learning HTML, PHP and other technological bullshit, right!?) So for most readers here, you will already have a blog, but want to know how much work it is and what you have to do to make money out of your blog.

So let me make this clear.

This is not a post about how to become a webdesigner. I will keep things very simple, allowing you to work on each of the points and instructions below within 20 minutes, whilst you are waiting for the train to Manilla (or somewhere else). Don’t be worried about about your technology skills, I’ll make it easy and have a comment selection below that I check (almost) daily.

Starting situation.

I am continuing this article with the assumption that you have a travel blog started somewhere on a free webpage (i-like-to-travel-and-make-money.blogspot.com, or please-read-my-blog.wordpress.com).

Anyway you should have the first posts written and gotten some response on them (even if it is only your family so far). Most of the bloggers I’ve met have a WordPress blog. So I’ll keep that in mind, but even if you don’t no worries! I’ll start from the basics and go trough everything from step 1.

 Checklist Question 1.

1. Is your blog interesting enough?
   In order to make money off your blog, you’ll need to add value to people’s browsing experience. The hidden amounts of money lie in getting the people you don’t know to your blog. And the best way to do that is with our friend Google. It’s kinda the chicken and the egg story. Google will place your website high in it’s search results if people visit and read something that they think is relevant. More visitors will mean a higher ranking in Google, and a higher ranking means more visitors.. So it all starts with relevant content!Depending on how much money you’d want to make, almost all blogs have some relevant information. But keep things real and make sure you make sure there is an added value to your blog that people search for (information, humor, inside tips, etc).

Step 2. Okay, so assuming that you’ll have a blog that is interesting, now it is time to decide how to make your money.

1. Affiliate marketing (Not sure what this means, dont worry, I’ll explain in a bit)
2. Sponsored adds or story’s
3. Sponsorships
4. Advertising, the simplest way to make money without understanding what you are doing (Scroll down directly if you don’t want to compromise your blog, are short on time, or don’t want complicated solutions)

Affiliate Marketing for Travel bloggers.

Out of the 4 options above, the first is usually the most difficult. Affiliate marketing is getting paid by referring someone from your website to another. For a lot of products this kind of thing is impossible to get into. Travel is one of the most popular industries to get into. Imagine getting 0.10USD everytime one of your blogreaders clicks on a link that says “want to know more about this amazing country and see it for yourself” and it than forwards you to a booking page of a travel agency!

So is this for you? Probably not.. Why?

1. First of all you probably did not write your blog to do these kinds of things.
2. Second of all, it is quite difficult to get a proper affiliate site in traveling (and now in most other sectors too).
3. And thirdly it will take a lot of time setting up and learning how this million dollar industry works (even becoming a webdesigner is simpler than this).

So for now we’ll leave it out of this article as for most readers this won’t be relevant. If you want to know more info, I recommend looking here for a general description of affiliate marketing and here on how to learn affiliate marketing and go here for extra tips on affiliate marketing

Sponsored adds, story’s and sponsor ships

I’ll keep this section very simple, because I won’t be of much help here.. Getting sponsored involves you spending usually a great deal of time and effort into finding companies that want to link their product to your blog.

1. Sponsored stories are the easiest of the 3. You just go to a company and present them with some statistics of your blog and ask if they would like you to write an article for them (and than negotiate on how much your article is worth)
2. For sponsored adds you’ve got to put in a little bit more effort, and usually consists of putting a link on your website, posting information or images about a company on your website or putting up a big annoying banner.
3. Sponsorships usually consist of products that you promote, or write articles about. This requires a long term commitment and is the most difficult to achieve for decent amounts of money / effort. A company will pay you xxx amount or give you products to be featured on your blog and promote their brand or products.

The simple truth is that in the beginning all of those options depend on how well you can market your blog and yourself. If your blog is already successful, you might be approached by companies instead of the other way around. But since this isn’t an article on sales, you will have to your own research in how to get a sponsorship or whether you would like to write sponsored articles.

How to make money of your travel blog via advertising

And this is the best place to start out for most bloggers. 90% of all bloggers have advertisements on their blogs. Not everyone likes to write sponsored stories or have the knowledge/time to get into affiliate marketing.

Advertising is simple, quick to set up and can make you decent to good money depending on your visitors.

The money making checklist for Advertising for travel blogs

1. Get a domainname and website space
2. Set up a WordPress or Joomla website (WordPress preferred)
3. Do some basic Search Engine Optimalisation (again 20 minutes quick version) (optional)
4. Improve your website with plugins and cool stuff (optional)
5. Set up Google Analytics (finding out statistics about your blog) (optional)
6. Set up Google Adsense (the actual advertisements)
7. Sit back and relax.. I mean, keep writing and adding value to your blog

1. Get a domainname and website space

If you have a blablabla.wordpress.com domain, you will never attraction the amount of visitors that blablabla.com could. Simply because Google has a algorithm that includes having your own domainname is good for the ranking. And without webspace/hosting, no one could see your website.

Having webspace is buying a piece of land somewhere. Picking a domainname is the location of that plot. Domainnames have some influence on how well your website will be found. A website about chickens that is called chickens.com is usually higher ranked than a website about chickens that is called monkeys.com

In the end, it’s about content so dont fuss too much. Moving a website to a different domainname can be a pain, so pick a name that you will stick with.

There are thousands of companies offering domainnames and webspace (webhosting), so what should you look for?

1. Price, yes you will have to spend some money! An average domainname and webspace for a year will set you back around 20 to 30 USD, that’s the price of 2 nights sleep in Myanmar, A decent meal in Australia or getting a visa in Cambodia.
2. The safest is a populair website; sites like Godaddy.com, Hostgator, etc. Google for more..
3. Look for diskspace of a minimum of 1GB, this to allow for travel photo’s. Keeping it simple and low budget go for 500mb. (but this is a minimum and not advised).
4. Domainnames dont really have any specific things to look out for, I do recommend finding one that is not taken. Buying domainnames that are taken is an expensive business.
5. Make sure your webhosting includes the possibility of a MySQL database (this will store your blog)

2. Set up a WordPress or Joomla website (WordPress preferred)

If you already have a WordPress website your life of maintaining and posting will be a lot easier, otherwise you’ll need to take another 20 minutes to figure out how to use WordPress once installed. But don’t worry, it is all quite intuitive and fairly simple.

WordPress installs super easy and can be done in 3 minutes.

The detailed instructions are here:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress

You’ll need to go to your webhosting loging to create a MySQL Database. (Google; WEBHOSTINGNAME, Create MySQL Database). You dont need to know how it works, you just need the login details (Username, password, and Database name + password)

Than you’ll need to upload the WordPress files using a FTP programme. We are basically putting the WordPress programme and your future blog online.. How to do that is easier explained by watching these video’s:

and

Your WordPress website should now be online, you can add posts and pages to it.. If you’ve never used WordPress you can watch the video below. If you had a WordPress.com website than you can simply export and import your data via WordPress.com to your new own wordpress website.

Do some basic Search Engine Optimalisation (again 20 minutes quick version) (optional)
Improve your website with plugins and cool stuff (optional)
Set up Google Analytics (finding out statistics about your blog)

I am going to skip these for now, as this first article is just to set you up with all the basics.

6. Set up Google Adsense (the actual advertisements)

1. When you are logged in in WordPress, go to the sidebar on the left and click on the “Plugins”, on the top click on Add New, and Search for: Easy AdSense, install this plugin.
2. Go to http://www.google.com/adsense/start/ Register here and set up your first advertisement (Layout, and what kind of advertisements)

   See this video on how to setup Adsense:
   

    

   Click here for a longer video on how to setup Google Adsense

3. Copy the code in the Easy Adsense Plugin area.

7. There is no step 7, you will be paid by Google every month for every visitor that will click on one of your links on your blog. Enjoy!

Are you having challenges, please post below. I do this for a living and know what I am doing, don’t worry.

Okay so, quick intro:

Student. Male. 25. Worked on a Disney Cruiseship for 8 months in US. Worked in Malaysia for 6 months. Backpacked trough Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Dubai for 5 months right after Malaysia.

Packinglist 2.0 for people who are going to work abroad / intern /expat for a few months and travel after.

Packing my bag for 1.5 years Dubai and possible travel afterwards. This is version 2.0, which is updated from my original newby backpackinglist that I used to work in Malaysia and 5 months of backpacking trough Australia and Asia.

I will create 2 packs. 1 Backpack travel bag with just my backpack travel essentials. The other one is a suitcase for work and a continued stay.  So I have categorised all my items that I would take on a backpacking trip to medium to warm countries. (15 to 40 degrees celsius).

All of the items below (except the ones for long term stay) are going to fit in a carry on 40L backpack by F-Stop.

Content:

First time backpacking list items that were unnecessary:

Stuff I should’ve had in my pack:

Optional stuff

Bags:

Comfort stuff:

Assorti:

Documents:

Clothes:

Sleeping:

Digital stuff:

Medication and stuff:

Fixed stay packing list:

I hope this helps anyone who is going to work abroad and travel afterwards. Or intern and than travel..

List based on:

http://www.travelindependent.info/whattopack.htm

Hi, I am Leo. I am from Argentina and I wanted to share my ship / Steiner experience with you.

Worked as, on: Personal Trainer, Royal Caribbean, Advebnture of the Seas
Work experience for Steiner: It was a good when It comes to the experience and growing as a person and profesional, but I found it hard to fit in a team that was all the time killing each other for money, and I met people that really didnt care about health at all, who were willing and able to do what ever It takes for a little bit of money. Summing up, I didnt feel confortable working with Steiner, I complaint about this with my superiors, and the solution They gave Me was going to other ship. I went to Carnival CruiseLines where the enviroment was a lot much better, but I was earning even less money than in Royal, since They dont have tips or gratuity, like They call Them. So at the end I just quit the job, after being there for only 3 month.
Total experience (1 – 10): 5
How is/was the cruiseline and ship you are working for: They were both ok. I would come back to Royal but not to Steiner.
Least favorite things about working on ships / in the spa: Too much time on board, in the gym, even if Its not busy. Not well paid really.
Best things about shiplife: Ports and time off. You can save money.
Would you recommend it and why: I would because Its a unique experience that allows you to meet a lot of people and places.
Would you do it again: yes
Tips for newbies:
Tips for colleagues: If you are a personal trainer dont expect to make money, go only for the experience, enjoy and take it easy. Remeber why you are there and worl as a team at all time.
Additional information or story:

Hi, I am Art. I am from Uk and I wanted to share my ship / Steiner experience with you.

Worked as, on: Pt, celebrity
Work experience for Steiner: Looking back at it – good fun but bloody hard work.
Wanted to quit so many times. But finished my 9 months.
Total experience (1 – 10): 7
How is/was the cruiseline and ship you are working for: Alright. Boring mostly. Too many Philippines, Indonesians, Indians. They are soooooo boring
Crew life sucked.
Least favorite things about working on ships / in the spa: Boat drills, port manning, spa manageress, cctv.
Best things about shiplife: Sex with hot chicks, crazy nights out in ports, cheap booze.
Would you recommend it and why: Just do it once. Hell of a roller coaster.
Would you do it again: If they did 4 month contract
Tips for newbies: Yeah. Ditch the bitch. Get ripped. Get fit. Get ur speaking & public skills up.
Sell sell sell.
Tips for colleagues: Drink, fuck, enjoy. Make money on land. Have fun. But work out.

Additional information or story: Make sure you keep the detox in ur consult room and you control the stock.
You’ll thank me

So, you’ve just come straight of out Steiner Training Academy and feel you can sell anything to anyone! What do you do if your new PT colleague has years of experience and won’t let you do seminars, BCA’s and make no money?

Well, it’s a crappy situation to be in, we all know how shiplife can be sometimes, and you are not alone in this situation, I’ve heard it many times before, so in this article I will give you practical step by step instructions on how to deal with this issue.

You might think yourself lucky getting teamed up with a experienced PT, and in most cases you are, but in some cases it is very hurtful for your selling. I know from my own experience, my first PT was a lady that had done over 12 contracts with Steiner. She didn’t care anymore and couldn’t be bothered about sales, learning, ships, anything…

Just keep in mind that when you are working on a ship, you have to be positive and surround yourself with positive people that can help you! Be very selective whilst picking your friends.
This (article) applies to Steiner Nail technicians, Steiner Massage therapists, Steiner barbers, Ioni’s and receptionists too!

Step 1. Become better

So, your colleague will tell you that the gym/spa needs to make money and that he is better in seminars / bca’s than you are, he has to do them. The problem is, he/she is right! But the only way to change that to study, learn and practise.

Before you can improve you selling skills, you will need to know all your products, External detox, but mostly Internal detox (Elemis Cal-Metab, Deep Drainage, Silhouette and Vitality Capsules) know each ingredient and what it does.

How to become a better CruiseShip Personal Trainer

1. Observe the top 3 selling colleagues (and/including your PT colleague).
   1. Watch how they talk
   2. How they connect to guests
   3. What they say
2. Make notes on your observations. You’ll notice that the best therapists build really close connections to their guests, they (almost all) genuinely care. You will also notice that they find they area of concern and how this impacts the guests and repeat that they can help them with it. Notice how they change their voice, notice who they speak to when they have a couple, who makes the decision and most importantly how they close the sale, how do they look when they ask the closing question, what do they ask, etc.
3. Spend 5% of your monthly salary on a book / audio book or video series on selling, confidence, public speaking or any other skill directly related to your job in the spa. Yes you can download them, but buying gives you ownership and makes you commit to actually doing something with it.
4. Practice your seminar / closing with the top sellers, get constructive feedback (write feedback down and improve, repeat proces weekly and ensure you do not get the same feedback)

So I am learning and practicing, now what?

But most likely your colleague will still be better and stay better than you. Hell, after 3 months of studying, practicing and learning I still couldn’t beat my colleague, and she wasn’t even trying…

So, you will have to talk to that person to let you do seminars / bca’s. They might argue, or get angry, or try to explain why they have to do the seminars/bca’s, etc. But the simple truth is that without practice you will not get better and are not making any money for the company.

Step 2. Talk and Compromise

It all comes down to compromising a bit. Look he will probably get more people signed up for seminars and close more BCA’s, but just keep mentioning that without a chance to practice you will never learn. So there are a few options, that you can suggest (but make sure you pick an option and stay firm, dont give up on it, all of these are quite reasonable!) depending on where your strengths / weaknesses are.
You do intro and body part and experienced colleague does close (you can practice public speaking and you can both get the bca’s)
Experienced colleague does the seminars for the next 3 to 5 days, you observe and from that point you both do 1 seminar each, equal.
If experienced colleague complain that you are not good enough, make him teach you.

In my opinion the best way is to offer a 2 way close:
Script: Look Name, I have to improve my seminars/BCA’s, so either you have to can help me practice my seminar closing, OR you can let me practice 1 seminar per day?

Step 3: If compromise doesn’t work

You will need to talk to your spa manager.
But, before you do that, maybe talk your problem over with someone else from the spa who you trust and has been here for a few contracts. Because sorry to say, but the managers goal is also to make money. Her commission comes from the amount of money the spa makes.. So she might not be to thrilled for someone to make her less money..
After talking to your spa manager and if that didn’t work, you might consider emailing Steiner (manager has email, and most ships PT’s have to email end of cruise report to Steiner shoreside anyway). Be careful with this option though, use it as a last resort. There is a lot you can do yourself to help yourself, but if not others are there for you.

There is always a way!

In the end it comes down to your attitude and how well you can sell! I’ve sold a detox package after a 10 minute stretch class, I’ve seen a colleague sell a $1200 package to a 18 year old kid after he missed the seminar secrets to a flatter stomach. Stay confident and improve yourself, you will make it!

Hi, I am Lauren. I am from australia and I wanted to share my ship / Steiner experience with you.

Worked as, on: Massage therapist on celebrity eclipse and Equinox

Work experience for Steiner: To work for Steiner is absolutely amazing. I am not going to say it is easy, it will be one of the hardest things you have to do in your life. But I can say you get so much out of what you put into your contracts. If you go in with a negative attitude you will probably have a terrible experience, look past that and every challenge you are faced with will make you a stronger person, learn from them and your career after Steiner will be a walk in the park.
Total experience (1 – 10): 10
How is/was the cruiseline and ship you are working for: Celebrity ships are just mind blowing, they are so luxurious honestly if you are lucky enough to be chosen to work on one it will just be the experience of a lifetime. I was extremely lucky on my first contract and was given the newest ship in the fleet so you end up being spoilt with having the luxury of everything being brand new. Some ships are lets just say very outdated.
Steiner has now been replaced with canyon ranch so unfortunately if you are Steiner you will not be placed on a celebrity ship.
Least favorite things about working on ships / in the spa: the most difficult and annoying thing about working in the spa is not having enough products to sell and not having the correct products to use in treatments. You obviously want to do your best and perform amazing treatments but unfortunately what they tell you at training is no where near the truth as to what really happens in the spa.
You have to be creative and always improvise, don’t worry it will become like second nature to you onboard in no time.
Also do not go onboard and think because you are a massage therapist or a beauty therapist that is what you will be doing, oh no you are a spa girl and that means you will do whatever treatment is needed to be done. I had never done a facial in my life and my first day onbard was all specials with a massage and mini facial, don’t complain just do it it actually will work in your favour when you realise you have a lot more you can sell.
Best things about shiplife: The moment I walked onto the ship was the most daunting yet exciting time of my life. It’s huge and you think you will never find your way around alone, but do not worry you will never have to be alone everyone onbard is just like your family and this is evident from the moment you walk on.
Where else can you sit down in crew bar and have a drink with 65 different nationalities? It is the most exciting thing having all these new people around and there will never be a dull moment plus you get to travel the world with this amazing crew. That is the best thing about ships the people
Would you recommend it and why: If you are a hard worker, strong minded, up for a few challenges, social and love to travel then absolutely go for it
Would you do it again: in a heart beat
Tips for newbies: learn your products they are so important, and if you absolutely are against selling then do not apply that is your job. Don’t think of selling as a negative I always picked something that the guest would not write down as an issue for them on their form. Obviously if they know what is an issue they will have mountains of products for this issue, and would never want anything more. So help them out with something they didn’t know they had it makes you feel great for helping and it makes them feel like your not pushing products on them
Tips for colleagues: whenever your having a bad day just think about everyone on land stuck in traffic and having to be up 2 hours before they actually start work. You will always miss home but 2 weeks after being home you cannot wait to get back on the ship, remember how lucky you are to have this opportunity and push away all the negative thoughts that creep in
Additional information or story: The moment i was told I was leaving the academy tomorrow was the most frightening time of my life, yes I was excited but I was so scared to be leaving all the great friends I had just made, I was so happy to be leaving the academy don’t get me wrong it is terrible there you feel like you are In prison. You literally are pushed to your limits and beound there, you are made to feel useless and what you have learnt In your studies means nothing. They push you and for good reason, they are making you tough for the ship life so just stick with it it will all be over and when you arrive on your ship it is a completely different world from what they tell you at the academy (in a great way)
I was taken in the taxi to the port and just remember seeing all these huge ships lined up in port I remember seeing the big white cross on the biggest ship there and hoping and praying that was mine ! Yessssss it is my ship how awesome is that I thought.
I was taken on and within 2 mins of stepping foot onboard it is chaos embarkation day is maheim people running around everywhere getting things ready for the guests it’s actually crazy. Everyone is looking at you because you are new it’s scary but so cool at the same time.
You are greeted by a spa member shown your room made to get ready and then bang you start your shift if your lucky someone would have set up your treatment room for you but if not you have to get this sorted and quick because guest are booked in and you are treating them straight away.
As soon as I walked into the spa all the girls came over and were so welcoming they are all so excited to see a new face you will feel at home straight away.
Once your first day is over you feel so relieved you would have met a heap of people and have no idea what their names are but they will collect you and take you down to crew bar and that’s when you will feel at home. You meet so many amazing people onboard and everyone from officers to the cleaners are down there relaxing letting go of the day.
Work hard play hard you will be doing this for the next 9 months.
Spa staff are really lucky as you get a lot of privileges like using the gym and sauna, socialising with guest in guest areas, eating at the resteraunts not every staff member has this so consider yourself lucky.
To finish off I had the best time of my life on ships, I talk about it nearly everyday to whoever wants to listen. I made so many friends for life from all over the world who I still see and keep in contact with. I saw a lot of the world and got paid big just make sure you go out and get your guests in to see you don’t just wait around for them to come!
Enjoy your days off don’t just go and sit in an Internet cafe get out and do the waterfalls and scuba dive and whatever else that port can throw at you.
Most of all just have fun and stay positive
Remember there’s nothing finer than a Steiner

A lot of people pursue the idyllic lifestyle of a cruise ship personal trainer. Because they see images of young attractive people making a difference in people’s lives and travelling the world for free.
I hope these are your ambitions, because they could come true. But cruise ship life is a lot harder than people realize.
It is not a holiday and every single person is essential to the operation of the ship, especially in the spa and gym where money has to be made.

So I’ve put up a checklist / questionnaire to think if you are really ready to become a cruise ship personal trainer.

• Are you able to live and sleep below decks in a shared cabin of roughly 8 square meter?
  Working on a cruiseship means an average of 65 to 75 hours a week working, can you handle that
• Although most jobs onboard do not have days off, as Personal Trainer you get 1.5 days off a week, is that enough for you?
• As a personal trainer 80% of your salary depends on how good you are in sales, not as a personal trainer, are you okay with that?
• As a sales person, sometimes you will be in situations that are on the boundries of what is ethically okay, will you be okay with that?
• Are you able to come up with a story / sales pitch to sell products that you might not believe in, or convince yourself of the usefulness of that product?

I hope you can answer all these questions with yes, because if you are not.. You are going to have a difficult time.

We have a wonderful Facebook page where you can ask any question you are not sure about, or just reply in the comments below. Hope this post helps you decide.

For the first time ever! A true explaination of what it means to be a personal trainer on cruiseships.

I wanted to call this post; how to be the best personal trainer on cruise ships, but unfortunatly, that either wouldn’t be true or not helpful. Because what most people do not realize is that if you work on cruiseships, you are not a personal trainer. You are a sales person.

Let me explain. 80% of a Personal Trainer’s salary comes from selling products. A PT makes 9% over all services in commision. So with a average price of $80USD and 5 to 10 sessions a week, a personal Trainer who only does PT sessions makes no money. This is where the detox comes in.

Elemis Detox

The image above displays the 4 bottles of the Elemis 3 month internal detox. Cal-Metab Capsules, Deep Drainage Capsules, Silhouette Capsules and Elemis Vitality Capsules.

Read more about detox sold on the ship via Google.

Selling 1 three month programe is roughly $300USD, that’s more interesting for PT’s. There are also 6, 9 and 12 month programs (9% over 1200USD, nice!).

And now, you might think, yeah, but these people spend there time doing Personal Training sessions. Well before every personal trainer starts there is a training academy that they need to pass. If you’ve read my blog you know what get’s taught at the academy… If you didn’t; at the academy they teach you how to do seminars. Seminars with titles;

• - Detox for Health and Weightloss
• - Burn Fat Fast
• - Secrets to a flatter stomach
• - Eat more to Weigh less
• - How to increase your metabolism

In those seminars, cruise ship passengers get info about nutrition, exercise and most important detox. The Triangle. Everything the personal trainer tells you is aimed to get you into 1 of these seminars. Because they all end in the same thing.

A BCA. A Body Composition Analyses. This will tell you how much water you (as a future detoxer) retain. The intercellular level of water is the most important. Because this shows how much water is surrounding your cells that needs to be dissolved by detoxing.

The Personal Trainer will invite you to do your BCA for only (roughly) 30USD which will take 45 minutes and you will learn how long you need to detox / how much detox you need to buy.

Rough daily divide of time:

20% seminars

30% – 60% BCA’s (hopefully)

30% – 40% PT sessions

10% – 30% classes like spinning / yoga, bootcamp, etc

Hopefully now you have a better understanding of what the real job of a personal trainer is on board.