How To Be A Personal Trainer On A Cruise Ship

By following our step-by-step guide, you’ll be ready to hit the seas, fully qualified and insured to train clients, deliver tailored workouts, and lead classes on board your ship.

But before you begin chasing your dream PT career at sea, you’ll need to obtain a Personal Training Diploma. If you’re already qualified, you’re sure to stand out among other applicants by completing one of OriGym's L4 PT Courses. Download our FREE online prospectus to learn more!

Contents:

• Qualifications Needed to Be a Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship
• Requirements to Work as a Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship
• Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship Contract Explained
• Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship Salary
• Recruitment Process to Work as a Personal Trainer on a Cruise
• FAQ

Qualifications Needed to Be a Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship

In order to become a personal trainer you will need to first earn the necessary qualifications required to fulfil the role.  

#1 - Personal Training Diploma

A Personal Training Diploma is regarded to be the perfect first step for launching a successful career in the health & fitness industry. This qualification is recognised by all gym chains in the UK and Internationally, as it certifies you as both a Level 2 Fitness Instructor and a Level 3 Personal Trainer. 

At OriGym, our Personal Training Diploma has been regulated by Ofqual (the UK’s official regulatory body for all qualifications) and is endorsed by CIMSPA, the Chartered Institute for Management of Sport and Physical Activity. 

Finding a course with Ofqual regulation is an absolute necessity for anyone entering the fitness industry, and all employers (including cruise ship companies) will check for this prior to employing you.

CIMSPA's endorsement is a stamp of approval and ensures that OriGym’s course is subject to rigorous quality checks, and offers the highest level of education. While this isn’t a necessity, it’s an additional indicator of a course’s legitimacy, and can even be an additional plus point when you apply for jobs.

Both Level 2 and 3 qualifications are necessary when operating as a personal trainer on a cruise ship. You’ll be able to deploy the expertise gained across both levels of the qualification, as the role will incorporate teaching classes, delivering 1-on-1 sessions, and performing consultations with passengers. 

Let’s use MSC Cruises as an example. Here, we can see that they’re looking for a PT who can also fulfill multiple responsibilities that are often associated with the Fitness Instructor job role, such as:

Completing the Personal Training Diploma will provide you with the necessary qualification to work as a personal trainer on a cruise ship, and provide you with all the necessary expertise to fulfill the role through modules such as:

• Anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology for exercise and health
• Principles of health and wellbeing for exercise, fitness, and health
• Applying nutritional principles to exercising
• Programming personal training sessions
• Delivering exercise programs for personal training sessions

One of the best aspects of this course is that you can determine how you study, with the options of Full-Time, Online and Blended learning being available to all students. Please be aware that your chosen study method will slightly influence how you will be assessed. 

The Full-Time Personal Training Diploma will qualify you to be a personal trainer on a cruise ship in as little as 4 weeks. Whilst studying you will attend the course Monday-Friday, 9 am-5:30 pm, run from OriGym’s very own private training centers.

Full-time students will be assessed in the following ways:

• Anatomy physiology and kinesiology for exercise and health Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 70% pass required
• Applying nutritional principles to personal training - Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 70% pass required
• Principles of health and wellbeing for exercise, fitness, and health - Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 70% pass required
• Instructing professional practice and effective exercise supervision in gym-based exercise sessions (practical) - Pass Required
• Delivering exercise programs for Personal Training sessions (practical) - Pass Required

Students who decide to study with us entirely online will have no time constraints or deadlines to meet. You work when it suits you, as the course is flexible for those with work, family, or educational commitments.

If you choose this study pathway you will learn via OriGym’s award-nominated e-learning platform. This will grant you access to a plethora of fantastic resources such as online lectures, eBooks, interactive quizzes and so much more!

Online Students will be assessed in the following way: 

• Anatomy physiology and kinesiology for exercise and health Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 90% pass required
• Applying nutritional principles to personal training - Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 90% pass required
• Principles of health and wellbeing for exercise, fitness, and health - Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 90% pass required
• Instructing professional practice and effective exercise supervision in gym-based exercise sessions (practical) - Pass Required
• Delivering exercise programs for Personal Training sessions (practical) - Pass Required

Blended learning is a combination of both of these aspects, and combines both online and practical learning.

As a blended learning student you can attend as many practical workshops as you like, all of which will be run from one of OriGym’s 12 training centers. 

Similarly, Blended Learning students will be assessed in the following ways: 

• Anatomy physiology and kinesiology for exercise and health Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 90% pass required
• Applying nutritional principles to personal training - Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 90% pass required
• Principles of health and wellbeing for exercise, fitness, and health - Assignments and Multiple choice exam - 90% pass required
• Instructing professional practice and effective exercise supervision in gym-based exercise sessions (practical) - Pass Required
• Delivering exercise programs for Personal Training sessions (practical) - Pass Required

Students who are studying part-time and through blended learning will complete their programs with open book exams, meaning that you have access to your course material, which is why the pass rate is 90% as opposed to 70%.

Finally, if you’re studying under either of these options, you will have to travel to the nearest OriGym facility in order to attend your practical assessments. 

#2 - CPD Courses

While a Personal Training Diploma will be the main requirement for many personal trainer jobs on cruise ships, further qualifications can actually set you apart from other applicants.

For example, this Careers at Sea job advertisement clearly highlights that trainers who have further experience in yoga and Pilates will be given preference. 

When working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship, one of your primary responsibilities will be to teach classes to several passengers at once. Therefore, the more classes that you are qualified to teach, the more likely you are to be employed.

CPD Fitness Courses serve the purpose of boosting your employability levels, and expanding your health and fitness knowledge. 

At OriGym we provide several CPD courses to choose from such as, Body Weight Training as well as Business and Marketing. 

Any one of these qualifications could greatly enhance your chances of gaining employment as a personal trainer on a cruise ship. 

#3 - Other Qualifications

Depending on where you are currently residing, job applications for personal trainers on a cruise ship may differ slightly in terms of what qualifications are required. 

For example, if you are a US resident applying for work on European cruises you may be confused about the necessary qualifications needed to obtain the job.

For readers outside of Europe, we have provided a list of qualifications that are equivalent to a personal training diploma, but are specific to your current area of residence. 

Additionally, please note that certain cruises may ask for trainers who hold very niche qualifications, such as Les Mills or Spin certifications. Some cruise lines may ask for these qualifications as they are globally recognised, a factor which should attract plenty of clients to your sessions. 

Requirements To Work as a Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship

If you’re interested in pursuing personal training jobs on cruise ships then you should be aware that there are set legal requirements you must adhere to. 

Please note, the requirements featured within this section aren’t just specific to personal trainer jobs on cruise ships, but the vast majority of roles that operate on the boat.

#1 - Age Restrictions

When applying for a PT role on a cruise, you may have to meet age restrictions in order to work in specific sections of the boat. 

These age restrictions will typically be in place for applicants who are between the ages of 18-21 and relate to the cruise line's country of origin. 

For example, Princess Cruise Lines is heavily popular among the UK and European applicants and requires its employees to be 21 or older. However, the UK-based cruise line Cunard Cruises accepts applicants who are above the age of 18. 

However, all of the aforementioned cruise lines have a 21 years old age restriction in order to work in certain job roles, such as bartender. Due to the somewhat high-risk nature of exercising on a moving boat, many companies will only look for applications that are above this age restriction and have more industry-based experience.

There is currently no maximum age limit to work on cruise ships. Unfortunately, though, according to CruseShipJobs, the sad truth is that many cruises do not consider applicants above the age of 35 for any role. 

The main ‘concern’ is on the employer's side, who may believe that individuals of this age won’t be able to work the long hours the role demands. 

If you’re reading this and questioning ‘Am I too old to become a personal trainer?’, don’t let this stop you from applying. 

Older applicants can be just as healthy as the younger ones, and with age comes a great deal of experience, so you may be a stronger candidate than you initially anticipated. 

The bottom line is that restrictions can vary greatly, depending on which line you’re working for and where you’re sailing through. Always read the job application thoroughly before submitting your CV.

#2 - Valid Passport

When you’re working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship you must hold a valid passport. Whilst this is a necessity for all forms of international travel, many cruise ships will require it to be valid for an entire year.

If you are just starting your job search, be sure to renew your passport if it is within six months of its expiry date. Better to do it now before getting into a sticky situation while at sea.

At OriGym, we advise all applicants to highlight their passport status at the bottom of their CV or cover letter during the application process. This can be done in the following way - “In possession of a valid passport with an expiry date of DD/MM/20XX.”

#3 - Visa

If you’re deciding to apply for personal trainer jobs on cruise ships that sail through different countries, you will need to apply for a visa. 

Most staff who work on cruise ships do not come from the same country where the ship is registered. Therefore these employees will need a valid visa in order to work on the ship legally. 

For example, if you are a UK resident who embarks on a ship from a port in the USA you will need the appropriate visa. In this instance you will need the following documents:

US-Based Cruise Lines:

• C1 Visa – Permits the holder to arrive in the US and request direct and immediate transit through the US. It permits crewmembers to arrive in the US and request direct and immediate transit to their ship. 
• D Visa - Permits crewmembers to remain in the US as long as their ship remains in the US, not exceeding 29 days.
• C1/D Visa - Dual purpose visa permits the holder to arrive in the US in either the C1 or D classification. This is the most commonly received visa. 

In order to receive this visa, you will need to contact the American embassy in London. Inform them that you have received a confirmation of employment and will be boarding the cruise in a US-based port, from here they can begin the process of approving your visa application. 

In order to officially obtain a C1/D visa, you will need to complete a DS-160 application form and pay a fee of £130.00.

Please be aware that some countries such as America will also require a visa if your cruise ship merely stops at a port in their country. 

This could mean applying for several visas for different countries at one time, a process that can be quite time-consuming and challenging. 

Be sure to communicate these requirements with your employer before you begin working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship. This will give you plenty of time to get all of your correct documents ready before you board the ship

Let’s discuss some other visa application processes for UK citizens.

European Cruise Lines:

Following Brexit, UK residents who are working on cruise ships across Europe will need to apply for visas. 

Please note, there isn’t one holistic ‘European’ visa, and as a UK resident, you will need to apply for each visa individually. 

This is applicable when your ship docked in or passing through most European countries, including popular holiday destinations like Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Portugal. We’ve linked the full list here if your chosen cruise ship is visiting mainland Europe.

If you’re planning an extensive trip throughout Europe this could be a somewhat expensive and time-consuming process, with each visa typically costing upward of £75.00.

The visa approval process for each country may differ, so be sure that the necessary requirements are detailed in your employment contract. Once you have received this you can get in touch with the embassy in order to learn more about each individual process.

Australian-Based Cruise Lines:

Australian eVisitor - As a UK resident you will have to apply for the Australian eVisitors visa when working in cruise lines that pass through or dock in the country. 

As a UK resident, you will be part of Australia’s ‘Listed Country list’, which means that you do not need to contact the Australian embassy. Instead, you can complete this process online in a fast and efficient manner. 

The price for this visa can vary depending on how urgently you need it:

• Standard process time will cost $20AUD (approx. £11) - Ready within 5 working days
• Rushed process time will cost $50AUD (approx. £27) - Ready within 3 working days

Caribbean Cruise Lines:

If you plan on traveling through the Caribbean as a personal trainer on a cruise ship you must apply for a short-term visa which will be active for 90 days. 

In order to obtain this visa you must meet the following requirements:

• A valid passport that needs to be valid for an additional 3 months following your proposed trip.
• Proof that you are a UK resident.
• A secondary passport photo
• Your travel itinerary - Such as your ship assignment and every island you’re visiting!
• Sufficient funds - Between £100 - £200 for every day you’re in the islands 
• Information relating to the purpose of your visit.

Note, some of the Islands of the Caribbean may have more strict visa rules than others. Once again, be sure to contact the embassy for further information and guidance.

#4 - Language Requirements 

A personal trainer job on a cruise ship will see you interacting with clients from across the world.  

As such, a requirement that many cruise lines put in place is that applicants must be fluent in at least one other language beyond their native one.

This can be seen in the MSC cruise job application feature below. Here, we can see that they are hiring personal trainers who can speak a minimum of 2 additional languages.

This skill is a necessity when working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship, as you will be expected to deliver the highest caliber of service. 

Therefore, if a client is requesting help but does not speak your native language, going above and beyond to communicate with them will be greatly appreciated.

#5 - Medical Examination

As a graduate with a personal training diploma, you may view yourself to be a completely healthy individual. However, before accepting a personal trainer job on a cruise ship you will need to undergo a thorough medical examination. 

In the UK for example, this means that you will have to either receive an ENG1 Medical exam or obtain an ML5 certificate. 

The idea behind both of these examinations is to prevent any hazards from occurring when you’re at sea. For example, someone who is colour blind would not be able to recognise that certain areas of the ship are marked with danger marks.

ENG1 Medical Exams

In the UK the ENG1 is a full medical exam issued by a Maritime and Coastguard Agency approved doctor. This costs £80 and is valid for a total of 2 years.

The health examiner will ask you questions about your medical history. Following this, you will be weighed, measured, and required to provide a urine sample. 

You’ll then be required to perform a physical examination, hearing test, and eye test which will check your distant vision, near vision, and colour vision.

ML5 Medical Report 

This examination is more of a self-assessment, which requires you to divulge your entire medical history before you begin working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship.

You will fill out a form like the one featured above which will then be sent to a doctor who will determine whether or not it’s safe for you to work at sea.

We strongly advise you to be as honest as possible when filling out this self-assessment. Don’t lie about any of your pre-existing conditions, as this could put yourself and the passengers in harm's way. 

#6 - Safety Training

Whilst a personal training diploma will teach you about gym safety, applicants pursuing jobs as a personal trainer on a cruise ship will also be required to hold an STCW training certificate (Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping).

This certificate is particularly important as working at sea can be unpredictable at times and you must be prepared for any accident that may happen. 

The latest version of this certificate takes a week to complete and qualifies you in the following areas.

• Fire Fighting and Prevention - 2.5 day course that teaches you how to use fire fighting equipment on-board your ship in the event of a fire.
• Personal and Social Responsibilities - 0.5 day course which introduces the safety procedures whilst on board, and your general responsibilities while living and working on-board.
• Personal Survival Techniques - 1 day of survival techniques, how to abandon a ship, and equipment that can be found on-board. This course also includes practical sessions of swimming in a pool.
• Elementary First Aid - 1 day of practical training on basic first aid for a personal trainer, including resuscitation techniques and other practical techniques.
• Proficiency in Security Awareness -  0.5 day training module centered around how to respond to security issues and potential threats whilst working at sea. 

Some cruise companies will provide this training once you become employed as a personal trainer on a cruise ship. 

However, this is not a guarantee, and some employers may only be looking for individuals who are already qualified, so be sure to read your job application carefully.

Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship Contract Explained

Becoming employed as a personal trainer on a cruise ship can actually provide some flexibility to your working schedule. This is because there are two different types of contracts that are typically offered to staff, which are referred to as full-time and seasonal.

This section is dedicated to explaining the ins and outs of both these contracts, which should help you to determine which one is right for you.

Seasonal Contracts

Personal trainer jobs on cruise ships that follow seasonal contacts will see you employed for a short period of time. 

The length of this contract has no predetermined industry standard - instead, many cruise lines will have their own set time that will be outlined in your contract. For example, with cruise provider Carnival Lines, seasonal contracts can span anywhere from 2-weeks to 4-months.

Seasonal work offers will typically increase during peak times, where there will be an influx of customers. This time refers to the Holiday season, Springtime, and the Summer months of June, July, and August.

If you’re interested in working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship whilst under a seasonal contract, you may find more job opportunities become available in the summer months, as this is when the demand for physical activity is at its highest.

Seasonal contracts provide an opportunity for personal trainers who have other commitments to still work in the industry during their free time. For example, if you’re in full-time education, you can still apply for seasonal work during the Summer months or Holiday season. 

Full-Time Contract

If you have a full-time personal trainer job on a cruise ship your contract will typically last 6-8 months in duration. Following the end of this, you will receive a 6-8 week break before returning to the ship to start your next contract (an example of this type of contact as seen on Talent.com can be found below) 

Full-time staff are typically expected to work on the ship for more than one contract, so if you want a one-off experience we would advise you to pursue a seasonal contract instead. 

Full-time contracts can sometimes be offered to you following a successful seasonal contract and will be dependent on your overall performance in the job role. 

Unlike the seasonal contract, when you’re working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship full-time, you will also be working off-peak times. 

Off-peak times may see you teaching fewer classes, hosting fewer consultations, and seeing the numbers of passengers decline. However, this will only be temporary and things will get busier as you approach the popular traveling seasons.

How Many Hours Will You Be Working as a Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship? 

Whichever contract you choose to pursue won’t actually affect your working hours. As part of your personal trainer job on a cruise, you will be working the same hours as all of your co-workers in different departments.

Typically, cruise ship employees will work for 7 days a week for anywhere between 10-13 hours. This may sound like a lot, but many lines offer long lunch breaks, spacious rooms, and complimentary food to subsidise shift lengths. 

As a PT you may be expected to perform tasks such as coming to work before the opening of the gym in order to clean equipment and staying behind following its closure to repeat the same task. 

These tasks aren’t set in stone, and the daily life of a personal trainer on a cruise ship can vary greatly from one job to another.

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If you’re enjoying reading about how to become a personal trainer on a cruise ship, we think you’ll also enjoy these other OriGym articles!

• How to Become a Personal Trainer in Australia 
• How to Become a Self-Employed Personal Trainer
• How to Become a Travelling Personal Trainer

Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship Salary

Many cruise ships do not divulge the overall salaries of their employees, and instead, advertise their rates as ‘competitive’. In this instance, your salary will be determined either during your interview or when you’re offered the role.

However, when it comes to the personal trainer cruise ship salary CruiseShipJobs has recently reported that individuals operating in this role can expect to earn between $2,200.00 - $2,800.00 a month, which converts to roughly £1,650 - £2,100.

This isn’t to say that this figure is set in stone as the definitive personal trainer cruise ship salary. In fact, there are many variables that could influence the amount of money you receive at the end of the month.

Some cruises may deduct money for your room, food, and other amenities that are part of your daily life, whilst some cruise lines may pay you more for commission on your classes. 

In this instance, the employer may decide to give you a percentage of a class’ total intake if it exceeds a certain number. 

Furthermore, other countries will have a different rate of pay, so where the cruise originates from can also influence your salary

Due to the wide range of variables, the average personal trainer salary can be difficult to determine at the best of times, but when there is little to no existing data available it makes things that much harder.

However, we can provide some recommendations for what you should expect, in order to ensure that you’re not underpaid.

As you can see below, Glassdoor reports that the average personal trainer will earn £28,757 every year.

This figure is reflective of the figure given by CruiseShipJobs, as this works out at around £23,100 per year, if you were to work for 12 months. Keep in mind here that food and accommodation are often included as part of your position, so the wages of a cruise ship PT and a gym personal trainer are comparatively quite similar.

However, we’d still strongly advise you to double-check any job you apply for, just to ensure you’re not being undervalued for what you’re offering.

Recruitment Process to Work as a Personal Trainer on a Cruise

Now that you have a better understanding of the requirements needed to become a personal trainer on a cruise ship, we can now turn our attention to the recruitment process. 

The thing to keep in mind when applying for a PT position on any cruise ship is that a third-party recruitment company will typically be the one that puts out the advertisement. Said company will also be the one to determine whether or not you will be hired.

With this in mind, let’s look at how King’s Recruitment processes applicants who are looking to work on Royal Caribbean Cruises.

#1 - Setting Up a Profile and CV

Here you will have to highlight any and all relevant information relating to your experience in the fitness industry. This can range from educational qualifications such as your personal training diploma to practical experience such as previous places of employment. 

#2 - Skype Interview 

Following the submission of your application for the personal trainer job on a cruise ship, you may be granted an interview with King’s Recruitment, which will take place over Skype or telephone.

On their website, King’s Recruitment advises applicants to read the job description for their proposed area of work thoroughly in order to prepare for said interview. We’d advise making notes and doing research surrounding your role and what it could involve.

For example, applicants that are applying for personal trainer jobs on cruise ships will be directed to read the Sports Staff job description.

#3 - Receiving an Offer 

Following a successful interview, you will receive a letter from King’s Recruitment informing you that your application for the personal trainer job on a cruise ship has been approved. 

In this letter, you will be informed that, should you accept the offer, King’s Recruitment will move you to their existing pool of employees. You will have a total of 7 days to accept this offer with the company.

Once you have made contact you will have to apply for your specific job role, which in this case is a personal trainer on the ship.

#4 - Transitioning Into The Employee Pool

Once you have applied for your correct job role, you will then be asked to fill in a background check for the company. This gives your employers permission to begin the Hire Right to conduct their own background check on you.

This information will include a passport photo page, as well as other forms of personal data such as professional references, as well as your current place of residence and postcode.

#5 - Ship Assignment and Final Documents

In order to receive your ship assignment to begin working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship with Royal Caribbean Cruises, you must submit the following documents. Note, many of the documents to feature in this list are ones that we have previously covered in this article.

• Your initial offer letter
• CV
• Relevant Qualifications 
• Passport Photo
• Background Check (Intl)
• Medical Clearance Certificate (ML5 or ENG1 for UK residents)
• Visa
• STCW certificate

Once all of this information has been obtained by the cruise ship recruiters you will be officially able to begin your job as a personal trainer on a cruise ship. You will then be assigned your ships and can begin making your first travel arrangements in order to meet the cruise at its port. 

Please be aware that this is only an example of a recruitment process for one third-party company, and in no way is a definitive depiction of an entire industry. 

Other companies may have a completely different approach to recruiting for personal trainer jobs on cruise ships.

FAQ

What Are Some Other Popular Recruitment Companies?

So we’ve just discussed how King’s Recruitment company curates a pool of employees for Royal Caribbean Cruises, but not all cruise lines use this company.  

If you’re interested in pursuing other personal trainer jobs on cruise ships, we can recommend looking into the recruitment companies Steiner Leisure (One Spa World) and Crown Recruitment.

Steiner Leisure works with a network of global hiring partners to curate a pool of clientele which they use for cruises such as:

• Disney Cruises 
• Crystal Cruises
• Holland America Lines
• Princess Cruises 

These 5 examples are a mere fraction of the companies that Steiner Leisure recruits for, and if you’re interested in working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship you should consider going through them.

On the other hand, Crown Recruitment is a UK-based company that provides a pool of potential employees to cruise ships across the world. 

Once you have gone through their recruitment process Crown can refer you to the following cruise lines for employment:

• Royal Caribbean Cruises
• Celebrity Cruises
• Azamara Club Cruises 

If you’re looking to begin working as a personal trainer on a cruise ship, we recommend that you check out CruiseJobs' list of UK-based recruitment agencies.

What Are The Daily Responsibilities of a Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship?

Now that you know how to become a personal trainer on a cruise ship you may be questioning what you will actually be doing in this role. 

It is somewhat hard to give a clear depiction of day-to-day responsibilities as every cruise ship varies, some may have larger gyms with a higher rate of clientele, whereas others will have smaller fitness centers that don’t attract much attention. 

The only thing we can say for sure is that you will be expected to work for 12-13 hour days, 7 days a week. Therefore, you can expect a busy schedule with several tasks throughout the day to keep you busy.

The only company that has provided insight into the working schedule of their personal trainers on-board is Caribbean Cruises which is as followed:

• Waking up at 5:00 am to get the gym ready for the 6:00 am opening
• 7:30 am - Free Vitality Stretch Class
• 8:00 am - Yoga/Pilates/Indoor Cycling Class
• 9:00 am - Free Class 
• 10:00 am - Free Seminars
• 11:00 am - 1:00 pm - Consultations with Passengers
• 1 Hour Lunch Break
• 2:00 pm - Free Seminar 
• 3:00 pm - Consultations 
• 4:00 pm - Yoga/Pilates/Indoor Cycling Class
• 5:00 pm - Bootcamp Session
• 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Consultations 
• End of Shift

From this given schedule, we can infer that personal trainers on a cruise ship will have a busy day juggling multiple responsibilities. Typically, you will be leading classes for large groups of passengers at once.

However, that doesn't mean that you should ignore your 1-to-1 responsibilities, such as consultations. Here, passengers will be able to discuss their fitness goals with you in order to gain some advice on a program they can implement to achieve such aspirations.

Do I Need Insurance as a Personal Trainer on a Cruise Ship?

Whilst traveling onboard a cruise ship as a personal trainer your employers will strongly recommend that you purchase basic travel insurance. This will protect you in instances such as lost luggage or injuries that result from shoreside activities. 

Since you’ll be working as a personal trainer on the cruise ship, OriGym would strongly advise you to protect yourself with Personal Trainer insurance. 

This type of insurance can only be purchased when you hold the correct qualifications. Without your Personal Training diploma or equivalent certification, you won’t be able to legally operate as a PT. 

This type of insurance will provide you with public liability, personal accident, and personal income protection when working personal trainer jobs on cruise ships. This protects you in the event of any of the following incidents:

• A specific action or movement you taught is brought into question if a client is injured
• You personally become injured whilst on-board and have to miss work 
• You require physio or other long term-treatment for a severe injury
• Your personal equipment is stolen or damaged by a passenger 

Unlike car insurance, PT insurance is not affected by your amount of experience. Instead, you can personally choose how much coverage you think you’ll need. 

For example, if you’re working on a smaller cruise line that requires you to bring a few personal pieces of equipment it may be worth insuring yourself at a higher price, in case anything is stolen or damaged, by either the passengers or the rocking ship.

Some cruise ships may offer you some form of coverage as part of their policy, but we would still strongly recommend browsing for your own personal trainer insurance to ensure you’re fully covered.

Before You Go!

Now you know how to become a personal trainer on a cruise ship, you can prepare to set sail on this amazing new career opportunity. 

Before you go, studying with OriGym’s Personal Trainer Diploma, you’ll be ready to launch your career immediately upon graduation. For further information on our advanced courses that can help further your career, download our FREE online prospectus.